Prior to paying for a product, please consult our Payment Methods & Security section below. Some payment methods offer more security than others. PhiMart does not recommend that you pay with cash or wire transfers. If you have paid for a product but did not received it, contact the seller. If the seller refuses to respond or cooperate, you may then:

1. Mark the transaction as "Product Not Received". Under your "Won/Purchased" folder in the Buying console, you have the option of marking the product as "Not Received". The seller will now be notified of the dispute, and a communication is opened in the Dispute Center.

2. Communicate with the seller and attempt to resolve the situation. You may close the dispute at any time, but a dispute cannot be re-opened once it is closed, so make sure that you are satisfied with the outcome before proceeding.

3. If a resolution cannot be reached, you may wish to attempt to reclaim your funds. If you used PayPal, file a dispute with PayPal. If you used a credit card, you may contact your credit card company to file a chargeback.

4. Notify PhiMart. Send the dispute communications to PhiMart for evaluation. The seller may be in violation of their seller agreement.

If you wish to file for a return, select "Request Return" under your "Won/Purchased" folder of your Buying console.

We make every effort to make PhiMart a safe and secure marketplace for everyone; however, fraud and scams do occur. You should take advantage of ratings, ID verification, and review all payment methods. As a buyer, you should particularly beware of transactions that involve:

1. Sellers who ask for wire transfers, especially non-bank transfers such as Western Union or MoneyGram.

2. Sellers offering to conduct a transaction outside of PhiMart.

If you have been defrauded as a buyer, here are some steps that you may take:

1. Notify the local law enforcement in the area the seller is located in. In certain situations, you may also wish to notify the law enforcement in your area.

2. File a complaint with government agencies. The Internet Crime Complaint Center is a partnership between the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center to deal with internet crimes. If the transaction involved the postal service, you may also wish to file a complaint with the USPS. If you are dealing with a business, you may also wish to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or the Better Business Bureau.

3. Contact the appropriate financial institutions. You may file a dispute with PayPal, file a chargeback with your credit card company, or contact your bank to stop payment on a transfer or check.

4. Notify PhiMart at fraud@phimart.com to report the incident. Please include all details and documentations of the transactions.

PayPal

Paying through PayPal can offer limited protection to buyers through PayPal's Buyer Protection Policy. The Buyer Protection Policy only covers tangible goods, and must adhere to PayPal's Acceptable Use Policy.

If you did not receive your product, or if you believe that it is significantly different from its description, you may open a Dispute with the seller on PayPal's online Resolution Center. The Dispute must be opened within 45 days of payment. The seller will be notified of the Dispute, and PayPal will temporarily place their funds on hold. The buyer and seller will post messages on the Resolution Center, which may be reviewed by PayPal or another third party if the Dispute is escalated into a Claim.

If you and the seller cannot come to a resolution, you may escalate the Dispute I into a Claim. Please note that you can only escalate it into a Claim within 20 days of filing the original Dispute. At this point, PayPal will review the messages posted to the Resolution Center. If PayPal finds in your favor, they will attempt to return your funds to you. If they cannot obtain the funds from the seller, PayPal will cover losses up to $2,000 U.S. dollars for certain eligible products, and $200 for all other eligible products. Please consult PayPal's User Agreement for eligibility requirements.

If you are seeking a refund, PayPal requires that you return the product at your own expense. For products over $250 U.S. dollars, an online signature confirmation is required, along with proof of delivery. When using PayPal, you may still file a chargeback claim with your credit card company.

Credit Cards

Some sellers will accept credit card payments without PayPal. With this method, you will have to share your credit card information with the seller. The level of protection available varies, depending on your credit card company and the services they provide. Credit card payments are immediate and convenient, and offer proof of payment.

Most credit cards offer security programs against identity theft and purchasing fraud. Buyers typically have 30-90 days to issue a chargeback claim with the credit card company. Review the terms and conditions of your credit card policy carefully to find out what type of protection is offered to you.

Money Orders

Money orders are easily purchased and do not require a bank account. They can be traced to a particular mailing address and offer proof of payment.

However, it will be difficult to recover your funds if the money order is lost or the transaction is bad. When using a money order, it is advisable to fill out the money order with all of the seller's information, and sending the money order through registered mail. Some services will allow you to cancel the money order if it has not been cashed, but this feature is not always available.

Wire Transfers

Although wire transfers are quick and easy, they are considered as a high risk to the buyer since the funds are difficult to recover. The use of wire transfers is not recommended.

Please note that sellers are prohibited from requiring buyers to use non-bank wire transfers, i.e. Western Union. However, even with bank-to-bank wire transfers, the transaction may still be fraudulent. Once you have wired your money, it is unlikely to be returned to you.

Personal and Cashier's Checks

Checks provide proof of payment, and are traceable to the mailing address. If a problem arises before the check is cashed, the check may be cancelled. However, the seller must wait for the check to clear, and some sellers will not ship the product until it has. If the transaction is fraudulent, it is extremely difficult to recover your money once the check has been cashed.