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The BelongingsSelected Finds

Safety

Buying and selling safely

There are two ways to buy here. Knowing which one you're using takes ten seconds and saves most problems.

Items sold by The Belongings

You pay at checkout on this site, by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, through Stripe. We never see your card details.

  • ✓ Your normal consumer rights apply, and the item must match its description.
  • ✓ Your card provider can step in if something goes wrong.
  • ✓ Order tracking and a receipt by email.

Items from other sellers

You agree the deal and pay the seller directly, like on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree. The listing shows “Sold by” with their name.

  • • We don't hold the money, so there's no buyer protection on these deals.
  • • We do check listings before they go live, ask business sellers for their details, and act fast on reports.
  • • Follow the rules below and most risks disappear.

Coming next: an optional protected payment for higher-value items, run by a licensed payment partner. The money waits until you've received the item. We'll announce it here first.

Rules for buyers

  1. Meet in a busy public place in daylight, or at the seller's door with someone else around. Never at your home if you can avoid it.
  2. Look at the item and switch it on before any money changes hands.
  3. Pay on the spot by bank transfer or cash once you're happy. Don't send money in advance to someone you haven't met.
  4. Never click "payment" or "delivery" links sent in messages, and never share codes texted to you. We'll never ask for them.
  5. If the price looks too good, ask for a short video of the item working with today's date on a note.

Rules for sellers

  1. Only hand the item over when the money is in your account, not when a screenshot says it is.
  2. Ignore buyers who offer more than you asked or want to send a courier with a cheque.
  3. Don't post your home address in a listing; agree it in a message once you've chatted.

Something wrong?

Use Report on the listing or message us. Tell us what happened and add screenshots. If you've lost money, also report it to Action Fraud (https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/) and your bank straight away.