Buyer Protection

Every purchase made through SQID checkout is covered by Buyer Protection. You’re covered if your item never arrives, or if what turns up is significantly different from the listing, the wrong item, missing parts, undisclosed damage, misdescribed condition, or turns out to be counterfeit tackle. Outside of those situations, sales on SQID are final, we don’t offer a general change-of-mind return right, so check listing photos, descriptions and condition carefully, and ask the seller questions, before you buy.

1. How the payment hold works

When you pay for an item, SQID holds that payment rather than passing it straight to the seller. That hold is what gives you time to check your order and raise an issue before the seller gets paid.

Because sellers deserve to be paid promptly too, the hold ends, and payment releases, generally 2 days after tracking (or you) confirms the item as delivered, unless a dispute is open. Opening a dispute through SQID pauses that release so your payment stays protected while it’s looked into. Check your tracking regularly and act promptly, this window can’t be extended retroactively once payment has released.

If tracking never confirms delivery at all, payment is not released automatically - after 7 days with no delivery signal, we’ll ask you directly whether the order arrived, and your payment stays held until you answer.

2. What counts as “not as described”

Raise a dispute straight away if any of these apply:

• Wrong or missing items, you received something other than what you ordered, or the order is incomplete
• Undisclosed damage, marks, corrosion, cracks or wear that weren’t stated or shown in the listing
• Not as described, for example the size, spec, brand, model or condition grade differs from the listing
• Counterfeit tackle, the item isn’t genuine and is being sold as a branded product it isn’t

3. Raising a dispute

Open a dispute through your order within the confirmation window described in section 1, before the order auto-completes. We recommend messaging the seller directly as well, most issues resolve faster that way, but opening a dispute is what keeps your payment protected while it’s reviewed. Our team looks at the evidence supplied by both parties, messages, photos, tracking, and RodSafe packaging evidence where applicable, before deciding an outcome.

4. How disputes are resolved

It’s fair to expect an item to match its listing, and it’s equally on buyers to read the listing carefully and ask questions before purchasing. Our review may result in a refund of item price and return, a partial refund, extending the confirmation window, or releasing funds to the seller. Resolution of a dispute, including whether a refund is issued, in what amount, and to whom, is made entirely at SQID’s sole discretion. SQID’s decision is final and binding on both the buyer and seller, subject only to any rights that can’t lawfully be excluded under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 or Fair Trading Act 1986. Submitting false or misleading evidence in a dispute is a breach of our terms of service and may result in account suspension.

5. Return postage

If a resolved dispute involves sending the item back, who covers the return postage depends on why the return was approved:

• Where the dispute is upheld because the seller was at fault, wrong or missing items, undisclosed damage, not as described, or counterfeit tackle, the seller covers return postage, deducted from their payout
• Where a return is approved for any other reason, the buyer covers return postage

Once a return is approved, you’ll need to supply return tracking within 5 working days. Miss that window and the refund won’t be processed, so send it back promptly and keep your tracking details on hand. Once tracking shows the return delivered, our team confirms it and releases your refund, we don’t release funds automatically from tracking alone.

6. What isn’t covered

• Change of mind after purchase
• The item just not being what you personally hoped for, rather than a fault against the listing
• Normal wear consistent with the stated condition grade
• Delays caused by the courier once the item has left the seller’s hands, see our shipping & returns policy for how courier liability works
• Theft after tracking confirms secure delivery, or after you’ve authorised an unattended delivery to a location the courier records as delivered

You’re welcome to re-list the item on SQID instead.

7. Trading off SQID

Buyer Protection only applies to purchases completed and paid for in full through SQID checkout. If any part of a payment happens outside the platform, we can’t guarantee either party will do what they promised, and you take on that risk entirely. Trading off-platform breaches SQID’s terms of service and may result in your account being restricted or closed.

8. Contact us

Questions about a specific order should go through that order’s dispute or messaging tools first, so we have full context. For anything else, contact us at Hello@Sqid.co.nz.