What is a marketplace payment?¶

A marketplace payment is made through a platform that connects buyers with third-party sellers or service providers.

Avoid the dangerous assumption¶

The dangerous assumption is that the marketplace shown on the payment record is the actual seller and final recipient.

The platform may control checkout, customer accounts, payment processing, refunds and seller settlement.

The buyer may see one marketplace charge even where several sellers supplied the goods.

The marketplace may receive the funds first, deduct fees and later pay the seller.

Relevant records may include buyer account, seller account, listing, order ID, checkout session, payment reference, delivery details, platform messages, refunds and seller payout records.

The marketplace may also hold IP addresses, device information, login history and account-security events.

Preserve the complete order and identify the underlying seller or service provider.

Ask the platform to map the customer payment to seller settlement and any fees, holds or refunds.

Do not assume that payment to the platform proves the seller received the money. Settlement may be delayed, withheld, reversed or sent to another account.

The seller account may also be compromised or operated by several people.

Where several items or sellers are involved, identify which part of the payment relates to each one.

Compare marketplace records with merchant, delivery, device and financial evidence.

When reporting, distinguish the platform, payment processor, seller, buyer account and final recipient.

Operational takeaway¶

Obtain marketplace buyer, seller, order and payout records so the customer charge can be traced to the actual seller, goods and final movement of funds.