You bought a counterfeit, realized it, and filed for a refund. Then nothing happened for a week, and the waiting started to feel like the answer was no. It probably is not no. It is a queue, and every marketplace runs its own clock, with its own evidence standard, and its own definition of when the clock starts. Knowing the timeline before you file is the difference between a refund and a chargeback filed too early that complicates the claim.
The single fact that decides most refund claims is not the marketplace. It is the evidence pack: screenshots of the listing, the listing URL, the payment record, photos of what arrived against the genuine product, and the dates. Buyers who keep that pack get refunds. Buyers who trusted the price and deleted the listing do not.
A counterfeit item qualifies for a chargeback under the not as described reason code: the goods delivered were materially different from what was advertised. File with the issuing bank, with the listing screenshots, photos of the item, and the written refund request. The Fair Credit Billing Act gives 60 days to report a billing error from the statement date, and card network rules typically allow up to 120 days from the transaction.
A chargeback is a reversal of a card transaction initiated through the issuing bank, under the card network rules. It is not the same as a refund. A refund is voluntary and comes from the merchant. A chargeback is a formal dispute involving the cardholder, the issuing bank, the acquiring bank, the merchant, and the network. For a counterfeit purchase the reason code is goods not as described, or materially different from the listing: the item advertised as genuine arrived fake, and that is a material difference, not a matter of taste.
The law behind it in the US is the Fair Credit Billing Act, which gives 60 days from the statement date to report a billing error in writing to the issuer's billing inquiries address. The card network rules are usually more generous, typically 120 days from the transaction date or the expected delivery date. File as soon as possible either way, because the deadlines are strict and evidence-driven, and the merchant gets 30 to 45 days to respond with evidence of its own. A late filing is the easiest way to lose a winnable dispute.
The strongest cases are documented before the dispute is filed. Save the listing as it appeared when you bought: screenshots of the product page, the price, the authenticity claims, and the seller name. Save the order confirmation and the tracking. When the item arrives, photograph it against the brand's own photos, side by side, and keep the packaging and the branding. Write to the seller first and ask for a refund in writing, because the bank wants to see that you tried the merchant route, and the seller's refusal or silence becomes part of your evidence.
Describe the mismatch instead of using only the word scam. Say the listing promised a genuine item and the item arrived with stitching, hardware, or serial numbers that do not match the brand's standards, and attach the photos that show it. The dispute is judged on the evidence, not the adjectives. A clear side by side and a written refund request beat a long angry letter every time.
The issuer typically grants a provisional credit while the investigation runs, which means the money is back in your account while the dispute is decided. The merchant can respond with evidence, and there can be representment and pre-arbitration rounds if the merchant fights it. If the merchant does not respond, or the evidence is clear, the credit becomes permanent. If the dispute fails, the provisional credit is reversed, and the next step is a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Two cautions. First, do not use the item and do not resell it: a counterfeit item should be preserved as evidence, and reselling it makes you the seller of a fake. Second, the chargeback addresses the money, not the safety or the seller. Report the seller to the marketplace and the payment provider as well, because the dispute gets your money back and the report is what stops the next buyer from losing theirs.
Keep reading: Spotting a Fake Listing From the Photos Alone, Counterfeit Refund Timelines by Marketplace: What to Expect, and Want a Refund for a Fake? The Evidence Pack Decides It. cover the nearby cases in this series.
Yes, under the not as described reason code. The goods delivered were materially different from the listing, and that is a valid chargeback ground with the card networks and under the Fair Credit Billing Act.
The Fair Credit Billing Act gives 60 days from the statement date for a written billing error dispute. Card network rules typically allow up to 120 days from the transaction or expected delivery date. File as soon as possible.
The listing screenshots, the order and tracking records, photos of the item against the brand's own photos, and the written refund request to the seller. The dispute is judged on the evidence, not the adjectives.
Usually yes, as a provisional credit. The issuer returns the money while it investigates, and the credit becomes permanent if the dispute succeeds. If it fails, the provisional credit is reversed.