REFUNDS, RETURNS, CANCELLATIONS

AT A GLANCE

All claims must be filed within 30 days of confirmed delivery. See Buyer Protection for the full dispute process.

1. FINDMECOMICS IS A MARKETPLACE, NOT A SELLER

FindMeComics is a peer-to-peer marketplace. We are not a seller, not a retailer, and not a merchant of record. Every transaction is a direct contract between buyer and seller.

Refunds are funded from the seller's Stripe Connect balance. We pursue Stripe's clawback mechanisms first when a refund is required. FindMeComics facilitates the mechanics; the seller bears the cost.

In rare cases where a seller's account has been closed or cannot satisfy the refund, full recovery may not always be possible — we'll keep you informed throughout and pursue alternatives where available. FindMeComics does not currently maintain a separate insurance fund for non-recoverable refunds; we plan to introduce one as the marketplace grows. See Buyer Protection for the full scope of coverage and dispute process.

2. AUTOMATIC 7-DAY NO-SHIP REFUND

If a seller does not mark an order as shipped within 7 calendar days of confirmed payment, FindMeComics automatically issues a full refund. No dispute needs to be opened.

WHAT HAPPENS

• Buyer receives a full refund to their original payment method.
• Seller's Stripe payout is reversed. If their balance is insufficient, Stripe debits future payouts.
• The listing is re-activated so the seller can re-list once they resolve the fulfillment issue.
• Both parties receive an in-app notification and email.

FOR SELLERS

If you have a legitimate delay (illness, postal disruption, etc.), message the buyer via the order thread immediately and mark the order shipped the moment the package leaves your hands. Proactive communication is the only way to prevent an automatic refund. Repeated failure to ship on time may result in account suspension.

FOR BUYERS

No action required. Funds typically appear within 5–10 business days depending on your card issuer.

3. SELLER-INITIATED CANCELLATION

If a seller cancels an order before shipment (e.g. the item was lost, damaged, or mis-listed), the buyer receives a full refund automatically. The listing is de-activated and the seller is notified.

• Stripe processing fees (~2.9% + $0.30) are non-recoverable — this is a Stripe policy, not an FMC fee.
• Sellers who cancel repeatedly without good cause will be warned and may be suspended.
• Sellers may not cancel an order to re-sell the same item at a higher price. This constitutes fraud and will result in permanent account termination.

4. BUYER-INITIATED CANCELLATION (BEFORE SHIPMENT)

Buyers may cancel directly from their dashboard and receive a full refund, provided the seller has not yet marked the order shipped. Once an order is marked shipped, cancellation is no longer available — use the dispute process instead.

Act quickly: sellers are expected to ship within 2 business days of payment, so the cancellation window may be short.

5. ITEM NOT RECEIVED / LOST IN TRANSIT

If your order does not arrive, open a dispute from your dashboard or email support@findmecomics.com with your order ID.

SHIPPED WITH TRACKING

• Wait 14 days from the shipping notification date before opening a dispute — carriers occasionally have scan delays.
• If tracking shows delivered but you did not receive the package: file a missing-package claim directly with the carrier. FMC will provide order documentation to support your claim. A refund is not automatically issued in this case — carrier claims must be pursued first.
• If tracking shows in transit and has had no scan for 14+ days, or shows lost/return to sender: FMC will issue a full refund, reversed from the seller.

SHIPPED WITHOUT TRACKING

Sellers who ship without tracking (e.g. plain first-class letter post) bear the full risk of non-delivery. If a buyer reports non-receipt and no tracking proof of delivery exists, FMC will issue a full refund reversed from the seller after a 30-day waiting period from the expected delivery date.

Sellers: always use a tracked shipping method for orders over $20. For orders over $100, signature confirmation is strongly recommended.

6. ITEM ARRIVED DAMAGED

If your item arrives with damage, document it immediately:

• Photograph the outer packaging (showing any damage) before opening.
• Photograph the item itself showing the damage.
• Report the damage within 30 days of delivery via the order dispute tool or support@findmecomics.com.Photograph within 48 hours if possible — packaging deteriorates and memory fades. Reports filed later are still eligible; they may require additional documentation to establish the condition at delivery.

CARRIER DAMAGE (EXTERNAL PACKAGING DAMAGED)

If the outer packaging was visibly damaged by the carrier, the seller must file a carrier insurance claim. FMC will facilitate documentation. A partial or full refund (depending on severity) will be reversed from the seller — the seller then recovers from the carrier claim. Buyers are not required to return items unless the seller explicitly requests it (at the seller's shipping expense).

PACKAGING INADEQUATE (SELLER FAULT)

If damage is attributable to inadequate packaging (e.g. a raw comic mailed in a plain envelope without a board and bag), this is the seller's responsibility. FMC will issue a full or partial refund at our discretion based on photographic evidence, reversed from the seller.

7. ITEM NOT AS DESCRIBED (INAD)

An item is “not as described” when it differs materially and objectively from the listing. Examples:

• Wrong issue number or title shipped.
• Item is a reprint or facsimile edition listed as an original.
• CGC/CBCS/PGX slab certification number does not match what was listed.
• Condition is significantly worse than described — e.g. listed as NM (9.4) but arrives with a spine split, multiple creases, or water damage placing it in GD/VG range or below.
• Item is a reproduction or suspected counterfeit.

PROCESS

1. Contact the seller first via the order messaging thread and include photos. Give the seller 48 hours to respond.
2. If unresolved after 48 hours, open a formal dispute from your dashboard. FMC will review the listing description, your photos, and any seller response.
3. FMC will make a final determination within 5 business days of receiving complete documentation from both parties. Possible outcomes: full refund, partial refund, or no refund (if evidence does not support the claim).
4. FMC's determination concludes the platform's dispute process. Buyers are not required to return items unless FMC or the seller requests it (return shipping paid by the seller). Nothing in this process limits any rights you may have under the Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666), your card issuer's chargeback rules, or other applicable law.

Submit INAD claims within 30 days of delivery — consistent with the Buyer Protection dispute window. Filing within 7 days while evidence and seller memory are fresh makes for a stronger case, but is not a condition of eligibility.

8. GRADING DISPUTES

Comic book grading is subjective. FindMeComics does not adjudicate disputes about whether a raw comic is a 9.0 vs. 8.5, VF vs. VF/NM, or any similar one-grade disagreement. If you require certainty about grade, purchase CGC/CBCS/PGX certified copies or submit the item for third-party grading at your own cost after purchase.

Grading disputes are eligible for review only when the condition difference is extreme and objective — for example, a listing describing a comic as “NM 9.4” when it arrives with a detached cover or heavy water damage clearly placing it in a Fair/Good range. This crosses from grading disagreement into Item Not as Described (§7).

9. CHANGE OF MIND — NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REFUND

FindMeComics does not require sellers to accept returns for buyer's remorse (e.g. you decided you didn't want the comic, found it cheaper elsewhere, or already own a copy). All sales are final once an item has shipped, unless the item meets one of the eligible scenarios in this policy.

Some sellers voluntarily accept returns — this is between you and the seller. FMC will not intervene in voluntary return negotiations and will not force a refund in a change-of-mind scenario.

EU buyers: Under the EU Consumer Rights Directive (2011/83/EU), buyers located in the European Union have a statutory 14-day right of withdrawal for distance sales. FindMeComics will honour this right for EU-based buyers — contact support@findmecomics.com within 14 days of delivery. Return shipping is at the buyer's cost unless the item is defective or not as described.

10. PARTIAL REFUNDS

Partial refunds are available in limited circumstances:

• Both buyer and seller agree to a partial refund (buyer keeps the item at a reduced price).
• FMC determines that an INAD or damage claim is valid but the buyer prefers to keep the item — FMC may award a partial refund proportional to the diminished value.

Partial refunds are processed through Stripe and reversed from the seller's payout proportionally. The buyer receives the partial credit to their original payment method within 5–10 business days.

11. CHARGEBACKS

A chargeback is a payment reversal initiated directly with your card issuer, bypassing FMC's dispute process. We strongly encourage using FMC's dispute process first — it is faster and has no third-party fee.

LEGITIMATE CHARGEBACKS

If you file a chargeback for a genuinely unresolved issue (e.g. you contacted FMC and received no resolution), we will cooperate with your card issuer's investigation and provide all relevant records. If the chargeback is upheld, the refund is processed by Stripe; Stripe may charge the seller a dispute fee of approximately $15 (set by Stripe, not by FMC, and not recoverable from FMC).

FRIENDLY FRAUD

“Friendly fraud” means filing a chargeback after receiving the item as described, without first using FMC's dispute process. When the evidence (order records, shipping confirmation, listing screenshots, communication logs) shows the buyer received what they paid for, FMC will contest the chargeback on the seller's behalf. If a card issuer ultimately rules friendly fraud has occurred, FMC may suspend the account pending review and decline future transactions. Filing a chargeback for any reason is your right; this paragraph applies only to documented post-delivery cases where the dispute process was bypassed without cause.

YOUR RIGHTS

Nothing in this section limits any rights you may have under the Fair Credit Billing Act (15 U.S.C. § 1666), the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (15 U.S.C. § 1693f), your card issuer's chargeback rules, or other applicable consumer-protection law. Those rights cannot be waived by agreement.

12. PLATFORM FEES ON REFUNDS

FindMeComics charges sellers a 9% platform fee on completed sales (no buyer fees, no listing fees). When a sale is refunded, the 9% platform fee is also refunded in full — FMC does not retain its fee on failed transactions.

Stripe processing fees (~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) are charged by Stripe and are non-recoverable in any refund scenario — this is standard across all Stripe-powered platforms and is not an FMC policy.

13. SALES TAX ON REFUNDS

Where FindMeComics collected sales tax on a transaction as a marketplace facilitator:

• Full refund: The full amount paid including sales tax is returned to the buyer. FMC reverses the corresponding tax remittance with the relevant state tax authority.
• Partial refund: Sales tax is recalculated on the reduced transaction amount; the difference is included in the partial refund to the buyer.

See our Tax Policy for full details on how sales tax is collected and remitted.

14. REFUND TIMING

All refunds are issued through Stripe to the buyer's original payment method. Estimated timelines after FMC initiates the refund:

• Credit cards: 5–10 business days
• Debit cards: 2–5 business days

FMC has no control over when your card issuer posts the credit. If your refund does not appear after 10 business days, email support@findmecomics.com with your order ID — we will provide the Stripe refund reference number for your bank.

15. ESCALATION PATH

If you have an unresolved dispute, follow these steps in order:

1. Message the seller via the order thread — most issues are resolved at this step. Allow 48 hours for a response.
2. Open a formal dispute from your order dashboard, or email support@findmecomics.com with your order ID, a description of the issue, and supporting photos.
3. FMC review — we will acknowledge within 24 hours and aim to resolve within 5 business days of receiving complete evidence from both parties.
4. FMC final determination — our decision is binding on both parties as a condition of using the platform. Available outcomes: full refund, partial refund, or no refund.
5. External arbitration — if you believe FMC's determination was made in bad faith, you may escalate under the arbitration clause in our Terms of Service § 15. The arbitration clause does not apply to individual transaction disputes resolved between buyer and seller; it applies only to claims against FindMeComics itself.

16. CONTACT

Questions about a specific order or refund? Email support@findmecomics.com and include your order ID. We respond within 24 hours.

For legal notices: Terms of Service · Buyer Protection Policy

This policy was drafted for informational purposes. We recommend having a licensed attorney review it before commercial launch.