Buyer Says the Card Arrived Damaged? A Seller's Dispute Playbook
Buyer says the card arrived damaged, is the wrong card or never came? The evidence to keep, the first reply to send, and how each dispute should end.
In this guide
- The first hour after "it arrived damaged"
- The evidence you need before the parcel leaves
- The three disputes and how each one usually ends
- In Bulgaria, inspect before paying ends most disputes at the counter
- How a Foilio order keeps the record
- Cardmarket and eBay run their own dispute process
- Private seller or business: what the law adds
- When to refund even though you are right
- FAQ
- Start selling
Reply in the order chat the same day, ask for photos of the card front and back and of the packaging, and put them next to your own pre-shipping photos, packing video and tracking. Then choose one ending and offer it in writing: a refund, a partial refund, a return, or a replacement. The seller who comes out of a dispute well is the one who collected the evidence before the parcel left. In Bulgaria, a Speedy parcel sent with inspect before paying settles most of these at the office counter, before any money moves.
The first hour after "it arrived damaged"
The message usually lands late at night with one blurry photo. Do not argue, do not refund on reflex, and answer where the order lives.
- Reply in the order chat within a few hours: "Sorry to hear that. Please send photos of the card front and back, the toploader and the outer packaging with the waybill."
- Open your own records for that order: listing photos, packing video, tracking number, office receipt.
- Compare. Is the damage on the card, the packaging, or both? Is it the card you listed, in the condition you listed?
- Offer one clear fix with a time: "I can refund the €40 today, or send another copy tomorrow. Which do you prefer?"
- Complete the order only when the fix is done, and keep the chat. It is your record if anyone asks later.
Most disputes are honest, and a calm first reply ends more cases than any policy.
The evidence you need before the parcel leaves
Evidence cannot be collected after the fact, so build it into packing.
- Card photos, front and back, under a lamp at a slight angle so surface and edges show. On Foilio, you can add up to 8 photos per card, and your own photos earn a "Real photo" badge. Show the corners: a buyer who saw the real corners cannot later be surprised by them.
- One continuous packing video for anything worth more than a pizza: card into sleeve, toploader, team bag, mailer, mailer sealed, waybill number readable. No cuts. A video with a cut is a video with a question.
- Tracking and proof of handover: the waybill number in the order and the office receipt.
- Keep it all past the dispute windows. On eBay UK, buyers can request a return for most purchases up to 30 calendar days after delivery, and a Cardmarket postal investigation can take up to 3 months.
Good packing stops most "damaged" messages before they are written. The toploader that arrives as a pancake was usually travelling in a plain paper envelope. The method is in how to ship trading cards safely in the EU.
The three disputes and how each one usually ends
| Buyer says | What settles it | Usual fair ending |
|---|---|---|
| Arrived damaged | Your packing video against their photos of card and parcel | Refund or partial refund, then your claim with the courier |
| Wrong card or wrong condition | Your listing photos, set number and condition code | Swap, return for a refund, or partial refund for condition |
| Never arrived | Tracking history and proof of handover | Wait for the courier, then refund or reship if it is lost |
"It arrived damaged"
Look at the outer packaging first. If your video shows a clean card going into a rigid holder and the buyer's photo shows a crushed parcel and a fold through the middle, the courier is the likely cause: make the buyer whole and take it up with the courier.
"This is the wrong card" or "it is not Near Mint"
A wrong card is usually a real mistake: two Pikachu with different set numbers, or the English and Japanese copies on one binder page. Own it fast, offer the right card or the money back, and ask for the wrong one back at your cost.
Condition disputes are opinion until photos settle them. Foilio uses the codes M, NM, EX, GD, LP, PL and PO, and NM is the default, so check you did not leave the default on a card that deserved LP. If your listing said NM and the buyer shows whitening on the back edge, a partial refund down to the LP price is usually cheaper than a return. The trading card condition guide helps you grade before you list.
"It never arrived"
Check tracking before you answer. If it shows the parcel waiting at an office or a locker, send the buyer the status and the address. If tracking has stalled, open an inquiry with the courier, and if the courier confirms the parcel is lost, refund the buyer. They paid for cards, not for your argument with the post.
In Bulgaria, inspect before paying ends most disputes at the counter
Every Speedy parcel inside Bulgaria should go out on the same four rules:
- The buyer can inspect before paying (Отвори преди плащане). Speedy's own shipment documentation describes options before payment: the recipient can open the parcel, or open and test the contents, and then either pay the cash on delivery or refuse and send the parcel back. Opening and testing is free with cash on delivery, and it is not available at lockers, so send to an office or an address.
- The buyer pays cash or card.
- No declared value and no insurance fee. The Обявена стойност field stays empty.
- The recipient pays delivery. The cash on delivery amount is the cards only.
Rule 1 changes the whole picture. The buyer opens the mailer at the counter and either pays or walks away. If the card is bent, they refuse it, the parcel comes back, and no money changed hands.
On Foilio, a delivery option can carry "Cash on delivery" and "Inspect before paying", and you choose "The buyer pays" or "I cover it" for delivery. You set this once, in the four setup questions described in how to open a shop on Foilio. The Delin Collectibles shop in Sofia shows Inspect before paying, Cash or card, No declared value and Recipient pays delivery right at the top, so the buyer knows the rules before the order exists.
How a Foilio order keeps the record
Foilio wraps each sale in one order card and one chat, from the first message to the review. The order moves from Placed to "Accept order", then "Mark shipped" with the tracking number, then the buyer taps "Confirm delivered", then "Mark completed", and the buyer can "Leave a review". Once an order is sent, either side can tap "Report a problem", and the chat keeps the full record with times. The steps are on the orders help page.
In a dispute, that is a timeline in one place: when the buyer ordered, when you shipped and under which tracking number, when they confirmed delivery, and every message in between. Selling in Facebook groups works, but there the record is entirely on you.
Be clear about what Foilio does not do. The buyer pays you directly; Foilio takes no cut and holds no money. Its shop rules describe Foilio as "a tool, not a party to your trade" and say it is not liable for a trade that goes wrong, so there is no escrow and no Foilio verdict. The record is yours to show the buyer, the courier, or a payment provider. The same rules point a consumer who cannot settle with a seller to the free, voluntary conciliation commissions at the Bulgarian Commission for Consumer Protection (kzp.bg).
Cardmarket and eBay run their own dispute process
On a marketplace, its process decides the outcome, and your photos and video go into its form.
Cardmarket. The Trustee Service holds the payment until the buyer confirms arrival and needs tracked shipping. If a tracked parcel is still missing 14 days after you confirmed shipping, the buyer can mark it as not arrived; you then have 14 days to provide tracking and request a postal investigation, or the order is refunded. For a parcel that arrived with a problem, Cardmarket's help page tells buyers to contact the seller first and calls a partial refund the most common fix for wrong condition or language. With no reply within five working days or no agreement, the buyer goes to support. Buyers from a professional seller also have a 14-day right of revocation; private sellers do not offer it. More in how to sell cards on Cardmarket.
eBay. On eBay UK, the Money Back Guarantee lets a buyer return an item that is not as described for a refund, even if the seller does not offer returns, and covers items that never arrive. You have 3 business days to respond before the buyer can ask eBay to step in. eBay's seller protections cover "item not received" claims when you sent within your stated dispatch time and uploaded tracking that shows delivery, and remove related negative or neutral feedback when eBay finds the buyer broke its abusive buyer policy. Rules differ by eBay site, so read the one you sell on. The channel is covered in selling trading cards on eBay from Europe.
Private seller or business: what the law adds
If you sell as a business to consumers in the EU, the buyer of an online order has a 14-day right of withdrawal from delivery without giving a reason, and a minimum 2-year legal guarantee on goods that turn out faulty or not as described. Goods bought from a private individual are covered by neither rule, so a shop selling stock and a collector clearing a binder stand in different places in the same dispute. Selling trading cards in Bulgaria and the EU walks through the difference. This is not legal or tax advice; check your own case with an accountant or a lawyer.
When to refund even though you are right
Do the sums before you dig in. A €3 common that the buyer swears arrived scuffed costs €3 to refund and an evening to argue. That refund is a marketing cost, not a defeat. Save the fight for the €80 card where your video shows a clean copy and the buyer's photo shows a different one.
Two patterns deserve a polite, firm no: a buyer who wants the money back and the card, and a buyer whose photos show a different card or set number from the one you shipped. Point to your video and offer a refund once the original card is back in your hands.
FAQ
Should I refund before the buyer sends the card back?
For a cheap card, often yes, because it ends the case. For anything valuable, refund when the card is back with you and matches your photos.
Do I need to insure Speedy parcels inside Bulgaria?
No. Leave declared value empty and send with inspect before paying, so the buyer checks the cards at the office before paying anything. The recipient pays delivery, and the cash on delivery amount is the cards only.
Does Foilio refund the buyer if something goes wrong?
No. Foilio holds no money and is not a party to the sale, so any refund goes directly between you and the buyer. The order chat keeps the timestamped record you can both point to.
How long should I keep packing videos?
Until the longest dispute window on that channel has passed. On eBay UK a buyer can request a return for most purchases up to 30 calendar days after delivery, and a Cardmarket postal investigation can run up to 3 months.
Can a dispute turn into a bad review on Foilio?
Only the buyer of a completed order can leave a review, one per order. Fixing the problem before the order is completed is the fairest way to keep that review honest.
Start selling
Open your free shop → It takes a name and a minute, and Foilio takes no cut.
See a live shop → Delin Collectibles in Sofia, set up the way this guide describes.