Buyer Protection
Last updated: 6 August 2026
Buying secondhand gear from someone you’ve never met takes a bit of trust. Buyer Protection is how SportCo backs that up — your payment is held securely until you’ve actually received and checked your item, not handed straight to the seller the moment you pay.
How it works
When you buy something on SportCo, your payment doesn’t go directly to the seller. It’s held by SportCo until delivery is confirmed. Once your item arrives, you get 48 hours to check it over before payment is released — so if something’s genuinely wrong, you’re covered before the money’s gone anywhere.
The fee
Buyer Protection costs 8% of the item price plus £0.30, added at checkout. It’s a flat, transparent charge — no hidden percentages, no surprises at checkout. This fee funds secure payment processing, fraud protection, holding your payment until delivery is confirmed, and reviewing and resolving disputes when something goes wrong. Once an order has shipped, this fee is retained by SportCo regardless of how a dispute is resolved — it’s what pays for the review process itself, whichever way it goes.
What’s covered
- Item never shipped — the seller never posts it, order auto-cancels, and you get everything back, including the protection fee
- Item never arrives, arrives damaged, or is significantly not as described — SportCo reviews the evidence and, if your claim is upheld, refunds the item price and postage. There’s no requirement to send the item back as part of this
Every listing on SportCo goes through our AI listing tool and a structured condition grade, so what you see is what you should get — Buyer Protection is the backstop for when that doesn’t happen, not a replacement for accurate listings.
What isn’t covered
Buyer’s remorse or simply changing your mind isn’t covered. If the item matches its listing and condition grade, the sale is final once you’ve confirmed it — same as buying from any individual seller.
Making a claim
If something’s wrong, use “I have an issue” within 48 hours of delivery to open a claim — full details on the process, timelines, and what happens if a seller doesn’t ship, are on our Returns & Refunds page.
Questions
Get in touch at info@sportco.online.