What to save before a marketplace listing disappears
Save the listing with your exact option selected, its promises and exclusions, seller details, checkout terms, order confirmation and complete message threads. Keep dated originals outside the marketplace account so later changes do not erase your record. For business sourcing, discuss your order evidence with Cambridge China Bridge.
Capture the option you actually ordered
Before paying, capture the listing with your chosen colour, size, model, material, pack contents and accessories selected. Include the displayed price, listing identifier, page address and capture date. Save the full page and close views of the selected option. A headline photograph may show a different configuration; compare your capture with the basket and final order record.
Expand specifications, image galleries and option descriptions before saving. If selecting an option changes the wording or pictures, capture that state too. Check that saved files actually show the selection: a printed page can omit interactive fields. Use our complete item or accessory guide to resolve what the option includes before ordering.
Save promises alongside their limitations
Capture claims that influenced your choice, such as compatibility, material, dimensions, performance, condition, authenticity, warranty or delivery. Keep the qualifying text beside each promise, including footnotes and exclusions. Save relevant product images and demonstration clips where the platform allows it. Keep customer reviews separate from statements made by the seller.
If a claim is unclear, ask the seller a specific question tied to the selected option. For example, ask whether the chosen package includes the pictured power supply. Save the question and reply together. A screenshot of a badge records what was displayed; it does not independently verify the claim.
Identify the seller behind the shop
Save the shop profile, seller identifier, displayed business name, address, contact details and any statement that the seller is a business or private individual. Capture the marketplace name separately. Keep the seller details shown at checkout and on the order confirmation or invoice, even if they differ from the shop name.
Record dispatch location and return address separately from seller identity. Our UK warehouse seller checks help you examine these distinctions. If names conflict, ask which business sold the goods and retain the answer. Keep the payment recipient as another record rather than assuming it identifies the seller.
Preserve checkout terms and confirmation
Capture the final checkout showing the selected goods, quantity, currency, discounts, delivery charges, displayed tax, total and delivery promise. Save the seller's cancellation, return and warranty terms and the marketplace protection terms shown for that order, including deadlines and submission instructions. Download linked terms rather than keeping only a bookmark.
UK online-selling guidance says sellers must confirm the contract as soon as possible, for example by email. Save that confirmation with attachments, receipts and payment records. If it differs from your checkout capture, ask for clarification in writing. This guide concerns personal purchases; for commercial orders, use our UK seller supply terms guide.
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Keep complete messages and usable originals
Export or capture complete conversations showing sender, dates, attachments and surrounding messages. Include promises before purchase, agreed substitutions, delivery updates, complaints, return instructions and refund offers. After a call, send a written summary and ask the seller to confirm it. Save platform case references, submission confirmations and any deadlines displayed in the case.
Store the files outside the marketplace account, grouped by order, with a backup. Keep originals unchanged and annotate copies. Add a short chronology linking each disputed promise to its capture and the relevant order record. If the listing changes, save the new version separately. If it disappears, collect remaining emails and records; label later recollections clearly and do not present them as original captures.
Frequently asked questions
Is a marketplace listing link enough evidence?
Keep the link, but also save the page and selected option. A link may later open an edited listing or nothing at all. Check that your saved files show the details you relied on.
What if the listing has already disappeared?
Download order details, confirmations, receipts and messages. Ask the seller or platform for the original description and terms. Label anything recovered later with its source and recovery date.
Should I screenshot the whole chat?
Save the complete relevant thread, including your questions, replies, dates and attachments. Keep the full original even if you submit selected extracts to explain the dispute.
Do screenshots guarantee a refund?
Treat screenshots as supporting records. Keep them with the selected option, order confirmation, payment evidence and messages, then explain exactly which promise or term is disputed.