Buyer protection: how held payments work

The risky moment in any deal between strangers is the one where money and goods change hands. With direct purchase, MooN Market stands in the middle of that moment.

The short version

1. You pay. The price leaves your wallet but does not go to the seller. MooN Market holds it.
2. The seller delivers. The seller sees that the money is waiting, ships the item and marks the order as shipped, or hands it to you in person.
3. You confirm. When the item has arrived and is as described, you confirm receipt. Only then is the money released to the seller.

Until you confirm, neither side can lose: the seller knows the money exists, and you know it has not been paid out.

Which purchases are protected?

Protection applies to ads sold with direct purchase, where you press Buy and pay on the site. Deals you arrange in chat for “contact seller” ads are paid outside MooN Market, so we cannot hold or return that money. For those deals, follow our safe trading tips.

If you change your mind

As long as the seller has not marked the order as shipped, you can cancel it yourself and the full amount returns to your wallet. A seller can also cancel an order before it is completed; you are refunded in full in that case too.

If the seller does not send the item

Sellers have a limited number of days to ship after payment. If that time passes and the order was never marked as shipped, it is cancelled automatically and your money is returned. You do not have to ask.

If there is a problem with what you received

Do not confirm receipt. Open a dispute from the order page instead and describe the problem: the item did not arrive, it is damaged, or it is not what the ad described. Opening a dispute pauses the order, so the money stays held while it is open.

The seller can reply in the dispute thread, and both sides can add their explanation. A member of our staff then reads the thread together with the ad and your chat with the seller, and decides: release the money to the seller, refund the buyer, or split the amount when both sides share the outcome.

Keep your conversation about the deal inside the MooN Market chat. Messages and photos sent there can be used as evidence in a dispute; arrangements made elsewhere cannot.

Confirm in time

After an order is marked as shipped, you have a set number of days to confirm receipt or open a dispute. If you do neither, the order is completed automatically and the seller is paid. This protects sellers from buyers who simply forget, so check your order page when a delivery is due.

Meeting in person: the handover code

Paid on the site but collecting the item yourself? Your order page shows a six-digit handover code. Inspect the item first. When you are happy, show the code to the seller; the seller types it in and the order is completed on the spot. Do not share the code before you have the item in your hands.

For sellers

• You can see that the buyer has paid before you send anything.
• Add a tracking number or a short note when you mark the order as shipped; it is shown to the buyer and helps if questions come up.
• If a buyer does not respond after delivery, the order completes by itself after the waiting period.
• A service fee is taken from the payout of completed direct-purchase sales. The amount is shown on the order.

Next: how MooN Market works from search to review, or the frequently asked questions.