The buying and selling process on Second Skin is designed to protect both buyers and sellers.
Summary of the buying and selling process
As a reminder, the process is as follows:
You request to buy an item.
Your bank "pre-authorises" the amount needed for the purchase.
The seller has 3 days to accept or reject your request:
If they accept your request, the money will be withdrawn from your account and held in a secure holding account with our payment provider, Stripe.
If they reject your request, your bank will automatically remove the pre-authorisation, and the funds will become available again within a few days.
If the seller takes no action within 3 days, our system will automatically reject your request and let both parties know. This protects you from unexpected charges down the line.
If they accept, the seller will send your package using a tracked service.
Once it arrives, you will have 3 days to mark the transaction as complete, or raise a dispute. If you complete the transaction, the money will be transferred from Stripe's holding account to the seller's account.
What is pre-authorisation?
Pre-authorisation is a term banks use when they want to earmark or reserve a certain amount of money within your account. It is a way for your bank to confirm to us that you have the required funds to make the purchase without withdrawing any money.
IMPORTANT: When you make a request to buy an item on Second Skin, and your bank puts a pre-authorisation in place, no money is removed from your account. You will not actually pay for an item until the seller accepts your request.
If your request is rejected, either by the seller or by our system, you do not need to request a refund. The money is still in your bank account, it has just been reserved for this purchase. Once your request is rejected, your bank will automatically remove the pre-authorisation.
How long after a pre-authorization is removed will my money be available to spend?
We tell your bank to remove the pre-authorisation as soon as your offer is rejected. The exact amount of time it takes depends on your bank, but funds are usually available within a couple of days.
What happens if my offer is accepted?
If your offer is accepted, money will be taken from your account and held in a secure holding account by our payment provider Stripe.
The reason we don't pay the seller immediately is to protect you, the buyer. You have 3 days after receiving your item to confirm that everything is in order.
If you confirm that everything is OK by marking the transaction as complete, we pay the seller.
If there is an issue and you raise a dispute, the money will sit in the holding account until the issue is resolved:
If your issue can be resolved or your request for a refund is invalid, we will pay the seller.
If your issue can't be resolved and your request for a refund is valid, we will refund your money.
For more information on raising a dispute and requesting a refund, click here.