Refund & Escrow Policy

When you fund a proxy request, your payment is authorized and held in escrow with our payment processor. Funds are only released after delivery and the 48-hour inspection window closes without an open dispute.

If the Scout buys less than your budget, the unused authorization is voided automatically — you only pay for what they actually bought, plus the Scout's service fee, shipping, and applicable taxes.

• Approval window: while the Scout is at the sale, you have a short window to approve or reject candidate items via the dashboard.
• Inspection window: 48 hours from delivery (or in-person handoff) to inspect items.
• Dispute window: open a dispute within the 48-hour inspection window.

You can request a full or partial refund if:

• An item arrived materially not as described (condition, attribution, age)
• The wrong item was shipped
• The item was lost or destroyed in transit before delivery
• The Scout no-showed without warning and the sale window expired

The marketplace fee is refunded along with the item price for items refunded due to misrepresentation or scout fault.

• Buyer's remorse on accurately described items
• Color or finish differences within reasonable expectation of estate-condition goods
• Items damaged by the buyer after delivery
• Disputes opened after the 48-hour window without exceptional cause
• Service fees once a Scout has attended the sale, unless the Scout was at fault

1. Open a dispute from the request page, choosing the affected item(s).
2. Upload photos and a brief description within 48 hours of delivery.
3. The Scout has 48 hours to respond with their evidence.
4. Our trust team reviews and decides: refund in full, partial refund, denied, or escalated.
5. Refunds are issued to your original payment method within 5–10 business days; reversals to the Scout are processed at the same time.

If a return is required, we provide a prepaid label. Refunds are issued after the Scout confirms receipt of the returned item in the same condition delivered.

For items damaged in transit, the carrier claim is filed by EstateProxy or the Scout, and you are made whole regardless of claim outcome (subject to evidence).

Please use EstateProxy's dispute process first — chargebacks initiated with your bank may freeze funds and account access until resolved. Repeated chargeback misuse may result in suspension.

Scout payouts are released after the dispute window closes. If a dispute is resolved against a Scout, the payout (or a portion) may be reversed; if the payout has already been transferred, the Scout's payout balance will be debited or recovered via their payout account.

Email support@estateproxy.com with your request ID and a brief summary.