CLAIMS, RETURNS & REFUND POLICY

How it works

GearSource.com® is a marketplace and therefore our claims/returns and refunds policies may differ by Seller. While some Sellers may not offer a return policy, GearSource does require all Sellers to provide a minimum of 2 business days for Buyers to inspect their items on delivery, as part of the Terms & Conditions of listing on GearSource.com®.

In cases where the Buyer arranges their own pick-up, the 2-day inspection clock starts as soon as the Buyer takes possession of the gear, unless alternate arrangements were agreed to by both GearSource and the Seller before shipment.
If a Buyer will require more than 2 business days to do a full inspection, due to the size of the order or the logistics, the additional time must be agreed to in writing by both GearSource and the Seller before shipment.

All purchases made through GearSource.com® are backed by GearSource Buyer GEARantee. Purchases handled outside of the GearSource.com® Marketplace are not protected.

How do issues get resolved quickly?

Communication… prompt, respectful and clear communication with the GearSource CX team will generally lead to a quick and amicable resolution. Our team works on behalf of both Buyer and Seller to reach a fair agreement.
As a Buyer, make sure to inspect your shipment immediately. If there is an issue, provide a detailed explanation of what's wrong, take lots of pictures of the packaging and the gear itself, and submit all of this to the CX team within the 2 day inspection period. Although we encourage Sellers to be fair and reasonable in addressing Claims, they have no obligation to offer additional time outside what GearSource requires.
As a Seller on GearSource.com it is in your best interest to be open to reaching a fair compromise with the Buyer to resolve any issues with your shipment, whether that is replacement, repair or refund.
If you’re unable to come to an agreement, the GearSource Conflict Resolution team will review the situation and mediate a settlement.

As a Buyer

Inspect your delivery as soon as you receive the shipment and if there are issues, make sure to report this to [email protected] within your 2 day inspection window.
If a shipment does not arrive when expected, report to [email protected] no more than 10 days after the anticipated delivery date. A claim will need to be initiated with the carrier.
If there is any visible damage to the packaging, it is very important that you immediately document this by taking pictures of the damage and indicating any visible damage on the delivery paperwork before signing it. Since the issue maybe related to freight damage, it will be needed to file a claim.
once a claim has been approved, you may be asked to return the items or you may be asked to engage a technician to inspect and quote on repairs.
if the Seller agrees to a return, all items that were included in the shipment must be returned to the Seller in the exact same condition as was shipped. Damage (not caused by shipping), modifications (including software or hardware), extended run times, missing parts, or any visible changes to the item may result in a reduced refund amount to the Buyer or in the refund being declined entirely.

Visible damaged packaging

Indicate all damage information on the delivery slip.
Take pictures or video of the packaging from all angles.
Hold on to all packaging materials and the box/case it arrived in.
Document that there is damage on the driver’s Delivery paperwork, before you sign for it — make sure to retain a copy of the paperwork.
If damage was caused by the freight carrier, you will have to file a claim directly with the carrier and this documentation effort will be very helpful to you.
Freight claims may take a bit longer to resolve.

Your GearSource Support team will assist you with this process, if needed.

The Inspection Process

Once you have accepted delivery, you have 2 business days to inspect your order.
In the case of non-delivery, you have 10 days after the anticipated delivery date to file a claim with the carrier.
Test the item(s) as if you were prepping for an event.
Document any unexpected operational issues
Take good pictures and/or video from all angles, showing the issue you are reporting
Notify Claims/Customer Experience immediately to log the claim before your inspection period expires.

As a Seller

All sales completed through the GearSource Marketplace qualify for the GearSource Buyer GEARantee.

The Buyer GEARantee provides GearSource Buyers with a 2-business day warranty/inspection period upon receipt of the item to allow the Buyer the time to properly inspect the items.

Further requirements are:

A record of both payment and shipment must be available within the GearSource Payments platform, meaning the sale must be facilitated through GearSource.com and not outside the platform.
The Buyer is required to report the issues to the Claims/Customer Experience team and/or the Seller within 2 business days of the shipment being delivered (or within 10 days of the anticipated delivery date in the case of non-delivery).
The Seller must be responsive and reply to all inquiries from GearSource Claims within 24 hours to avoid the situation escalating.
If an item fails to function as advertised on the Seller’s GearSource.com listing, does not match the model, description or condition of the item listed or arrives with visible damage (unrelated to shipping), the Seller must:

replace the item at no cost to the Buyer (including the replacement shipping);
if the Buyer agrees, repair the item at Seller’s expense; or
refund the Buyer for the full amount.

If for any reason, Seller and Buyer are unable to reach an agreement, the GearSource Conflict Resolution team will mediate.
The Team will review the sale and all communications in order to reach a fair resolution, in accordance with GearSource Terms and Conditions, policies and reasonable expectations.
If a Buyer initiates a credit card dispute (chargeback) at any point during the transaction, the Seller is responsible for reimbursing GearSource for the full disputed amount plus fees. Any funds withheld from GearSource by the Buyer’s credit card provider, must be covered by the Seller’s Payments account or repaid to GearSource within 5 days of the dispute being filed.
All funds will stay in the Seller’s GearSource Payments account until the claim is settled.
Be aware that Chargebacks may take credit card providers up to 3 months to resolve.
Sellers can help avoid chargebacks by being prompt and responsive to all inquiries, making sure the description and condition of the gear is very accurate and not misleading, getting the order shipped as quickly as possible and responding to Buyer concerns with a willingness to resolve the situation fairly.

Every situation is different, however, solutions can be reached when there is a collective effort to be open-minded and fair, in order to come to a reasonable agreement. The quicker this is handled, the more likely it is to be amicable and painless. The Claims team is here to assist you with this process as needed.

The 5-step claim process

Once Buyer has reported the issue, our GearSource Claims team will send the Buyer an email with instructions for completing the claim report. Seller will also be notified.
Buyer will be asked to provide: -- the detailed written explanation of the issue -- photos and video showing the damage and/or operational issues -- scan or photo of the delivery paperwork
Once received, the Claims team will share everything with the Seller to see if the problem can be resolved with remote troubleshooting between Seller’s tech team and Buyer’s tech team. If yes, Claims will connect Buyer’s team with Seller’s team.
If troubleshooting doesn’t resolve the issue, Seller may provide part replacement, assuming Buyer is able to facilitate the repair or has access to a local technician.
In the event that a replacement is agreed to, shipping costs will be determined by the Claims team — generally costs are shared between the Buyer and Seller, with the Buyer paying to return the item and the Seller paying to ship the replacement.

Important information about returns/refunds:

First, it is important to note that GearSource does not own any of the gear being sold, we provide the Marketplace platform for Sellers' listings and transactions and collect a fee from the Seller for the services. Sellers accept payments on their orders using the GearSource Payments system, which is a PSP/Wallet system, that provides a hands-off level of security to Sellers. When payments are made by a Buyer on a Seller's listings, the funds are immediately distributed to the Seller's GearSource Payments Wallet for release as per their GearSource Tier Level Agreement. In some cases, deposits are paid and released to the Seller prior to shipping to hold or secure the item for the Buyer.

Refunds are released only after settlement has been approved by all parties, including the GearSource Claims Team, and all funds have been returned to GearSource Payments for redistribution. In other words, refunds can only be issued once the Seller has received the returned goods, in good condition and has returned all pre-paid funds. Buyer is responsible for any restocking fees that may be charged by a Seller and all payment fees assessed by payment providers. All fees will be deducted from the refund prior to release. Refunds can only be issued via the same payment method as was received. Refunds may take in excess of 30 days after the settlement is agreed upon.

The Buyer has the option to apply the refund to their Account as a credit towards future purchases. If the Buyer has chosen Account Credit as their refund option, the Account Credit will be available to be used once all the funds have been returned by the Seller to the Seller's GearSource Wallet and can then be refunded to the Buyer's Account. The Buyer will be permitted to use all or a portion of the balance towards future purchase(s) depending on the availability of the funds, the timeline and the deal. Account credits must be used within 3 months of the date of issue. If a credit has not been used in that time frame, the funds will be returned, less any fees associated with the payout. Buyer can request an extension of this timeline by contacting [email protected] before the Account Credit expires. GearSource will always work with our Buyers to resolve all issues, within a reasonable timeframe.

There are costs associated with processing orders and payments that the Marketplace and the Seller will assess when an order is cancelled or returned by the Buyer:

if an order is cancelled "before" any payment has been made, there is generally no fee;
if an order is cancelled after order-processing and payment is complete but prior to shipping being booked, there is a cancellation fee of 5% of the order total;
if an order is cancelled/returned after shipping has already been booked or is in-transit or is already delivered, there is a cancellation fee of 5% of the order total plus all return shipping costs and restocking fees assessed by the Seller.

Other important details:

If a Claim is related to malfunction or damage to the item itself, take pictures and/or video to explain the issues.
NEVER make modifications to the item unless you intend to keep it or you were explicitly instructed to do so by the Seller’s Tech team. Once an item has been modified the warranty is void and the item is yours to keep.
A repair estimate may be necessary so please be prepared to procure this.
Once an agreement is reached, Buyer may be required to ship the item back to the Seller for repairs or before a refund can be completed. In most cases, the Seller will ship a repaired or replacement item back to the Buyer at Seller’s expense. Your GearSource Customer Experience (CX) team will keep you apprised of the details.
If for any reason, you are unable to reach an agreement with the Seller, GearSource Conflict Resolution Team will mediate in order to reach resolution in accordance with the Company’s Terms and Conditions, policies and reasonable expectations of both sides.
If the sale is completed through the GearSource Payments system, GearSource “may” approve a refund directly to the Buyer once it has been established that no other agreeable resolution can be reached with the Seller. The refund policy does applies in this case. If the sale was handled outside the GearSource System, the GearSource Buyer GEARantee is not applicable.
Anything outside of the 2 business day warranty window, or a situation that does not involve damage, GearSource will honor the Seller’s policies in relation to handling refunds or returns. Fees will apply.
As far as manufacturer warranties, that would be dependent on the Sellers and what they are offering with their specific listing.

If you have ANY question regarding the claims process, please review our complete Terms & Conditions by clicking the link in the footer on the right hand side.

You can also reach-out to our Claims Team by emailing [email protected].