How can we help?

If you have paid for a marketplace item, your money is held by Trustap — not by Piston Tribe and not by the seller. Trustap is a regulated payment company whose entire job is to hold money until both sides have done their part.

The seller cannot touch it. We cannot touch it. It is released to the seller once you have the item and have had a chance to check it, or returned to you if the deal falls through.

You can see the current state of any deal on its page in your offers.

Piston Tribe charges the seller a commission on a completed sale. Trustap charges its own fee for holding and moving the money, which is shown to the buyer before they pay.

Every figure is shown in full on the review screen before anyone commits — you will never find a fee after the fact. If a number on a screen does not match what you expected, tell us and we will explain it.

Above a certain value, card payments stop being practical — card limits, fees and fraud checks all get in the way of a £12,000 vehicle.

So high-value deals are split: a deposit by card to secure the item, then the balance by bank transfer. Both are held by Trustap exactly as a single payment would be, and the seller is paid only once you have the item.

Before handover: if the deal is cancelled, the item price is returned to you. Trustap's fees are not refunded — they were charged for work already done.

After handover: you have a window to raise a problem before the money is released. Raise it in the deal and it goes to Trustap to decide.

A marketplace purchase is not a shop purchase. There is no 14-day change-of-mind right on a private sale, because you are buying from another member rather than from a business.

Three steps, and you can stop at any of them.

1. Agree a price. Buy at the asking price, or make an offer and talk to the seller in the deal chat.
2. Pay into escrow. Your money goes to Trustap, not the seller. The listing is then reserved for you.
3. Get the item and check it. Collect it or have it sent. Once you are happy, the seller is paid.

Nothing is committed until you pay. Saving, messaging and making an offer all reserve nothing.

Yes, and you should. Many sellers offer viewing times you can book from the listing.

For anything expensive, the sensible order is: view it, agree the price, then pay into escrow. Escrow protects the handover — it is not a substitute for looking at the thing.

Not right now. Reserved means another buyer has a deal in motion and money moving.

It is worth saving, though: a reservation can lapse, and the listing comes straight back if it does. "Offer pending" is different — that means somebody has made an offer nobody has accepted yet, so it is still winnable.

Meet somewhere public and in daylight. Take someone with you if the item is valuable.

Do not pay in cash and do not accept cash. The moment money moves outside the platform, neither of you has any protection at all — and that is exactly the situation the person trying to scam you wants.

Check the item properly before confirming handover. Once you confirm, the clock on the money starts.

The seller sends it and adds the tracking to the deal. Your money stays with Trustap the whole time.

When it arrives, check it before confirming. If it does not arrive, or arrives not as described, raise it in the deal — the money has not gone anywhere.

The shop is us. We buy the stock, we send it, and we are the retailer — so you get the rights you get from any UK business, including returns.

The marketplace is members selling to members. We are not the seller; we provide the place and the escrow that makes it safe. Different protections, different rules.

Shop items say "Sold and shipped by Piston Tribe" on the product page. If it does not say that, it is a member's listing.

Seller ratings and product reviews are two different things, and they never mix.

A product review is about a thing we sell in the shop — how it held up, whether it fits. It lives on the product page.

A seller rating is about a person in the marketplace — whether they described the item honestly, turned up when they said they would, and packed it properly. It lives on their member profile and follows them across every listing they make.

How a rating is earned

Only from a completed deal. Both sides can review each other after the item has changed hands and the money has been released — so a rating cannot be left by somebody who never bought anything, and it cannot be bought.

What the score means

It is the share of that member's deals that went well, shown with the number it is based on. The count matters as much as the score: 100% from two deals tells you far less than 94% from fifty, which is why we always show both.

A seller with no score is not a bad seller — they are a new one. Look at the listing, the photos and whether they are verified instead.

What a rating is not

• It is not removed because a seller asks, or because it is unflattering.
• It is not affected by a dispute's outcome on its own — a dispute is a separate process with Trustap.
• It is not a guarantee. Escrow is the protection; the rating is the reputation. Never skip the first because the second looks good.

Leaving one

You will be asked after a deal completes. It takes a minute and it is the single most useful thing you can do for the next person — a marketplace with no reviews is one where nobody can tell the difference between a good seller and a lucky one.

One rule covers almost all of it: anybody trying to move the deal off Piston Tribe is trying to move it away from your protection.

Be wary of: pressure to pay by bank transfer or cash directly, a price far below what the item is worth, a seller who will not do a video call or a viewing, and a story about why they need to deal outside the platform.

None of those mean somebody is dishonest on their own. All of them together mean walk away. Tell us and we will look at the account.

Raise it in the deal, before the money is released. That is the moment you have the most leverage, and it is a lot easier than trying to get money back afterwards.

Photograph the problem straight away, including the packaging if it was posted. Say specifically what is different from the listing.

It then goes to Trustap, who decide — not us. We are not allowed to rule on who is right about somebody else's money, and you would not want a marketplace that could.

Your money is still held. Nothing is released because somebody stopped talking.

Give it a day, then raise it in the deal. Tell us as well — we can see whether the account is still active, and we would rather know early than be told after it has gone wrong.

After the buyer has the item and the complaint window has passed without a problem being raised. Until then the money sits with Trustap.

That wait is the whole point — it is what lets a buyer hand over £8,000 to a stranger in a car park, and it is why sellers get buyers they would never otherwise get.

Piston Tribe charges the seller a commission on a completed sale. Trustap charges its own fee for holding and moving the money, which is shown to the buyer before they pay.

Every figure is shown in full on the review screen before anyone commits — you will never find a fee after the fact. If a number on a screen does not match what you expected, tell us and we will explain it.

Create a listing with honest photos and an honest description, set your price, and say whether you will post it or want it collected.

Buyers can buy outright or make an offer. When you accept, the buyer pays into escrow and you will see the money confirmed as held before you hand anything over.

Never hand over an item before you can see the money is held. That is the one rule that keeps sellers safe here.

Because you are going to receive other people's money, and the law that governs payment companies requires it. Trustap runs the check, not us — we never see or hold your documents.

It also does something useful for you: a verified seller gets a shield on their listings, and buyers are far more willing to send money to one.

An accepted offer holds the listing for a limited time. If the buyer does not pay within it, the hold lapses automatically and your listing goes back on sale — you do not have to chase anyone.

Nothing is taken from either side when a deal lapses.

Meet somewhere public and in daylight. Take someone with you if the item is valuable.

Do not pay in cash and do not accept cash. The moment money moves outside the platform, neither of you has any protection at all — and that is exactly the situation the person trying to scam you wants.

Check the item properly before confirming handover. Once you confirm, the clock on the money starts.

Seller ratings and product reviews are two different things, and they never mix.

A product review is about a thing we sell in the shop — how it held up, whether it fits. It lives on the product page.

A seller rating is about a person in the marketplace — whether they described the item honestly, turned up when they said they would, and packed it properly. It lives on their member profile and follows them across every listing they make.

How a rating is earned

Only from a completed deal. Both sides can review each other after the item has changed hands and the money has been released — so a rating cannot be left by somebody who never bought anything, and it cannot be bought.

What the score means

It is the share of that member's deals that went well, shown with the number it is based on. The count matters as much as the score: 100% from two deals tells you far less than 94% from fifty, which is why we always show both.

A seller with no score is not a bad seller — they are a new one. Look at the listing, the photos and whether they are verified instead.

What a rating is not

• It is not removed because a seller asks, or because it is unflattering.
• It is not affected by a dispute's outcome on its own — a dispute is a separate process with Trustap.
• It is not a guarantee. Escrow is the protection; the rating is the reputation. Never skip the first because the second looks good.

Leaving one

You will be asked after a deal completes. It takes a minute and it is the single most useful thing you can do for the next person — a marketplace with no reviews is one where nobody can tell the difference between a good seller and a lucky one.

If you have paid for a marketplace item, your money is held by Trustap — not by Piston Tribe and not by the seller. Trustap is a regulated payment company whose entire job is to hold money until both sides have done their part.

The seller cannot touch it. We cannot touch it. It is released to the seller once you have the item and have had a chance to check it, or returned to you if the deal falls through.

You can see the current state of any deal on its page in your offers.

After the buyer has the item and the complaint window has passed without a problem being raised. Until then the money sits with Trustap.

That wait is the whole point — it is what lets a buyer hand over £8,000 to a stranger in a car park, and it is why sellers get buyers they would never otherwise get.

Piston Tribe charges the seller a commission on a completed sale. Trustap charges its own fee for holding and moving the money, which is shown to the buyer before they pay.

Every figure is shown in full on the review screen before anyone commits — you will never find a fee after the fact. If a number on a screen does not match what you expected, tell us and we will explain it.

Above a certain value, card payments stop being practical — card limits, fees and fraud checks all get in the way of a £12,000 vehicle.

So high-value deals are split: a deposit by card to secure the item, then the balance by bank transfer. Both are held by Trustap exactly as a single payment would be, and the seller is paid only once you have the item.

Before handover: if the deal is cancelled, the item price is returned to you. Trustap's fees are not refunded — they were charged for work already done.

After handover: you have a window to raise a problem before the money is released. Raise it in the deal and it goes to Trustap to decide.

A marketplace purchase is not a shop purchase. There is no 14-day change-of-mind right on a private sale, because you are buying from another member rather than from a business.

Trustap. They hold the money, so they make the call, using the evidence both sides provide.

Piston Tribe's job is to make sure both of you can put your case properly and that nothing is lost in the middle. We will help you assemble evidence. We will not pretend to be the judge.

Yes, and you should. Many sellers offer viewing times you can book from the listing.

For anything expensive, the sensible order is: view it, agree the price, then pay into escrow. Escrow protects the handover — it is not a substitute for looking at the thing.

Meet somewhere public and in daylight. Take someone with you if the item is valuable.

Do not pay in cash and do not accept cash. The moment money moves outside the platform, neither of you has any protection at all — and that is exactly the situation the person trying to scam you wants.

Check the item properly before confirming handover. Once you confirm, the clock on the money starts.

The seller sends it and adds the tracking to the deal. Your money stays with Trustap the whole time.

When it arrives, check it before confirming. If it does not arrive, or arrives not as described, raise it in the deal — the money has not gone anywhere.

The shop is us. We buy the stock, we send it, and we are the retailer — so you get the rights you get from any UK business, including returns.

The marketplace is members selling to members. We are not the seller; we provide the place and the escrow that makes it safe. Different protections, different rules.

Shop items say "Sold and shipped by Piston Tribe" on the product page. If it does not say that, it is a member's listing.

Yes — 28 days to return anything unused, in its original packaging. If it is faulty or we sent the wrong thing, we pay the return postage.

The full terms are on the delivery and returns page. None of it applies to marketplace listings, because those were never our sale to take back.

They are left by people with accounts, checked before they appear, and marked "Verified buyer" when we can match the reviewer to an actual order.

We do not remove a review for being critical. Reviews only come down for abuse, spam or personal information, and that is logged. You can read every one of them, including the bad ones, on the reviews page — the filters there include a "Critical" one on purpose.

Because you are going to receive other people's money, and the law that governs payment companies requires it. Trustap runs the check, not us — we never see or hold your documents.

It also does something useful for you: a verified seller gets a shield on their listings, and buyers are far more willing to send money to one.

That the person has passed an identity check with Trustap — a real document against a real face, plus their bank details.

It means they are who they say they are. It does not mean the item is as described — that is what escrow and the seller's rating are for.

Ask us and we will do it. If you have a deal in progress it has to finish first — we cannot delete one side of a transaction somebody else is relying on.

Some records have to be kept afterwards for legal and tax reasons. Everything else goes.

Both from your account. If you cannot get in at all, use the password reset link on the sign-in page.

If the reset email does not arrive, check spam first, then tell us — a person will sort it.

Send us a message and a person reads it — not a bot, and not a queue that forgets you. Tell us your order or deal number if you have one; it is the difference between an answer today and three emails.

Three things are worth checking first, because they are the answer most of the time:

• Money you cannot see is almost always held rather than gone — where your money is.
• A seller who has gone quiet usually reappears within a day — what to do meanwhile.
• Something actually wrong with a deal has its own route, and it is faster than email — raise a problem.

If money is held and something has gone wrong, raise it in the deal rather than by email. That puts it in front of us with the deal attached, and it stops the clock while we look.

Marketing emails, yes — there is an unsubscribe link on every one.

Emails about a deal you are in are different: those tell you that money has moved or that somebody is waiting on you, and switching them off would mean missing a deadline that costs you. Those stay while the deal is live.

If you have paid for a marketplace item, your money is held by Trustap — not by Piston Tribe and not by the seller. Trustap is a regulated payment company whose entire job is to hold money until both sides have done their part.

The seller cannot touch it. We cannot touch it. It is released to the seller once you have the item and have had a chance to check it, or returned to you if the deal falls through.

You can see the current state of any deal on its page in your offers.

Before handover: if the deal is cancelled, the item price is returned to you. Trustap's fees are not refunded — they were charged for work already done.

After handover: you have a window to raise a problem before the money is released. Raise it in the deal and it goes to Trustap to decide.

A marketplace purchase is not a shop purchase. There is no 14-day change-of-mind right on a private sale, because you are buying from another member rather than from a business.

An accepted offer holds the listing for a limited time. If the buyer does not pay within it, the hold lapses automatically and your listing goes back on sale — you do not have to chase anyone.

Nothing is taken from either side when a deal lapses.

One rule covers almost all of it: anybody trying to move the deal off Piston Tribe is trying to move it away from your protection.

Be wary of: pressure to pay by bank transfer or cash directly, a price far below what the item is worth, a seller who will not do a video call or a viewing, and a story about why they need to deal outside the platform.

None of those mean somebody is dishonest on their own. All of them together mean walk away. Tell us and we will look at the account.

Raise it in the deal, before the money is released. That is the moment you have the most leverage, and it is a lot easier than trying to get money back afterwards.

Photograph the problem straight away, including the packaging if it was posted. Say specifically what is different from the listing.

It then goes to Trustap, who decide — not us. We are not allowed to rule on who is right about somebody else's money, and you would not want a marketplace that could.

Trustap. They hold the money, so they make the call, using the evidence both sides provide.

Piston Tribe's job is to make sure both of you can put your case properly and that nothing is lost in the middle. We will help you assemble evidence. We will not pretend to be the judge.

Your money is still held. Nothing is released because somebody stopped talking.

Give it a day, then raise it in the deal. Tell us as well — we can see whether the account is still active, and we would rather know early than be told after it has gone wrong.

Send us a message and a person reads it — not a bot, and not a queue that forgets you. Tell us your order or deal number if you have one; it is the difference between an answer today and three emails.

Three things are worth checking first, because they are the answer most of the time:

• Money you cannot see is almost always held rather than gone — where your money is.
• A seller who has gone quiet usually reappears within a day — what to do meanwhile.
• Something actually wrong with a deal has its own route, and it is faster than email — raise a problem.

If money is held and something has gone wrong, raise it in the deal rather than by email. That puts it in front of us with the deal attached, and it stops the clock while we look.

Because you are going to receive other people's money, and the law that governs payment companies requires it. Trustap runs the check, not us — we never see or hold your documents.

It also does something useful for you: a verified seller gets a shield on their listings, and buyers are far more willing to send money to one.

Meet somewhere public and in daylight. Take someone with you if the item is valuable.

Do not pay in cash and do not accept cash. The moment money moves outside the platform, neither of you has any protection at all — and that is exactly the situation the person trying to scam you wants.

Check the item properly before confirming handover. Once you confirm, the clock on the money starts.

They are left by people with accounts, checked before they appear, and marked "Verified buyer" when we can match the reviewer to an actual order.

We do not remove a review for being critical. Reviews only come down for abuse, spam or personal information, and that is logged. You can read every one of them, including the bad ones, on the reviews page — the filters there include a "Critical" one on purpose.

Seller ratings and product reviews are two different things, and they never mix.

A product review is about a thing we sell in the shop — how it held up, whether it fits. It lives on the product page.

A seller rating is about a person in the marketplace — whether they described the item honestly, turned up when they said they would, and packed it properly. It lives on their member profile and follows them across every listing they make.

How a rating is earned

Only from a completed deal. Both sides can review each other after the item has changed hands and the money has been released — so a rating cannot be left by somebody who never bought anything, and it cannot be bought.

What the score means

It is the share of that member's deals that went well, shown with the number it is based on. The count matters as much as the score: 100% from two deals tells you far less than 94% from fifty, which is why we always show both.

A seller with no score is not a bad seller — they are a new one. Look at the listing, the photos and whether they are verified instead.

What a rating is not

• It is not removed because a seller asks, or because it is unflattering.
• It is not affected by a dispute's outcome on its own — a dispute is a separate process with Trustap.
• It is not a guarantee. Escrow is the protection; the rating is the reputation. Never skip the first because the second looks good.

Leaving one

You will be asked after a deal completes. It takes a minute and it is the single most useful thing you can do for the next person — a marketplace with no reviews is one where nobody can tell the difference between a good seller and a lucky one.

That the person has passed an identity check with Trustap — a real document against a real face, plus their bank details.

It means they are who they say they are. It does not mean the item is as described — that is what escrow and the seller's rating are for.

One rule covers almost all of it: anybody trying to move the deal off Piston Tribe is trying to move it away from your protection.

Be wary of: pressure to pay by bank transfer or cash directly, a price far below what the item is worth, a seller who will not do a video call or a viewing, and a story about why they need to deal outside the platform.

None of those mean somebody is dishonest on their own. All of them together mean walk away. Tell us and we will look at the account.