Vintage Garage Sale Protection

Version 2026-10-16.4. Applies to every buyer and seller on Vintage Garage Sale.

The short version

Buyers pay Vintage Garage Sale, not the seller. Vintage Garage Sale holds the money until the item has changed hands, then pays the seller. Every item must be real, accurately described, and in the seller's hands. Nobody is paid for an item that never arrived, and nobody keeps an item they did not pay for.

How a deal works

  1. A buyer (or their agent) and the seller (or their agent) agree on a price. Sellers are ID verified and have payouts approved by Stripe. Buyers pay by card at checkout.
  2. The Pay Now link is sent to the buyer automatically, and the price is good for 15 minutes. Items are not held: the item sells to whoever pays first. If someone else pays first, the other buyer is refunded in full automatically.
  3. The buyer pays. Stripe takes the payment and Vintage Garage Sale holds it.
  4. Shipped items: the seller ships within 2 days of payment and enters the carrier and tracking number. Local pickup: the seller hands the item off within 3 days of payment and taps "I handed off the item". If the seller does not, the buyer is refunded in full and the listing comes off sale.
  5. After the item is shipped or handed off, the buyer has 3 days to confirm the item matches the listing, or to report a problem.
  6. If the buyer confirms, the seller is paid right away. If the buyer does nothing for 3 days, the seller is paid automatically.

If something is wrong

A buyer can report a problem (not received, not as described, damaged) at any time before the payment is released. Reporting freezes the money. Vintage Garage Sale reviews the full deal thread and decides to either pay the seller or refund the buyer. Vintage Garage Sale's decision on a reported problem is final.

Fees

Vintage Garage Sale keeps 10% of the sale price from the seller's payout. Buyers pay the agreed price, plus the seller's flat shipping price if they choose shipping. The Vintage Garage Sale fee is on the item price only, and the seller keeps the shipping amount. If a buyer is refunded, they are refunded the full amount paid.

Honest listings

Every physical item listed must be real, accurately represented, and in the seller's possession. False or misleading listings earn strikes, suspension, or a lifetime ban, and money for a false listing is refunded to the buyer.

Live looks

A buyer can ask a seller to show the item live on camera. The seller chooses whether to go live, shows the item, and the buyer can talk by microphone. Live looks are optional and are not recorded. Vintage Garage Sale keeps only a log of who asked, and when.

Records

Every offer, message, deadline, payment, hand-over, report and decision is time-stamped and saved in the deal thread. Both people can read it, and Vintage Garage Sale can read it to settle a dispute. When you tick "I agree", Vintage Garage Sale records who agreed, when, from which device address, and which version of this page.

Payments

Payments, card storage, ID checks and payouts are handled by Stripe. Vintage Garage Sale never sees full card numbers. Payouts are currently available to sellers in the United States.

Questions? Email support through your account. Back to Vintage Garage Sale