Summary:

Disputes at Flippa allow Buyers or Sellers to raise concerns with our team relating to the deal process or with what has been purchased where either party may no longer wish to proceed with a transaction on Flippa.

A dispute can generally not be started or resolved once payment has been made via PayPal or funds released from Escrow.com or FlippaPay unless both parties have agreed to return assets and refund the payment made.

How do I lodge a dispute?

• At 48 hours after the listing ends with a winning bidder (auction) or accepted offer (classified), the link to Dispute Sale will become available in the Complete My Deal tab of the Deal Completion Area. This period ensures that both parties have the opportunity to communicate further and determine if the deal will proceed or needs to be cancelled.
  
• Either the Buyer or Seller can start the dispute process.
  
  
• Each party is provided an opportunity to explain their perspective.
  
  
• The party which did not start the dispute is provided 72 hours to respond to the dispute once started.
  
  
• Flippa will review the details and work to assist.
  

Dispute resolution at Flippa

• Flippa will communicate within the Deal Completion Area if there are details to confirm before processing the dispute.
  
• A dispute may be canceled without penalty by the user who started it or by Flippa at any point. This can be discussed within the Deal Completion Area, and where both parties can agree, Flippa will act accordingly once we are notified via email or our support form.
  
  
• Disputes can be resolved in either party's favor or without fault depending on the details provided and circumstances of the dispute. Unless there is evidence or an indication of either party acting improperly or in violation of our Terms of Service, Flippa will typically resolve the dispute without fault.
  

• Excessive disputes represent a risk to Flippa's marketplace integrity and may result in sanctions, including a permanent account ban. If this scenario arises, we will provide further guidance.

Working through disputes

There are many possible dispute outcomes. The most common are:

Reaching an agreement

The most desired outcome and the first approach to a dispute is to recommend to both parties that they discuss any concerns or issues between themselves and come to an acceptable resolution. This could include a change in the final sale value that Flippa can facilitate.

No assets are transferred

If either the Buyer or Seller does not want to continue with the deal and assets have not been transferred between parties, we can easily cancel a deal. 

Assets have been transferred, but payment has not been released

If assets have been transferred but payment has not been released, then both parties must agree to assets being returned. After they have been returned, the Seller must agree that they are happy for the sale to be cancelled and the Buyer's funds are refunded before that can happen. Once the Seller confirms, the deal can be canceled and (if appropriate) the Seller can relist. 

No response from either the Buyer or Seller

Where one party is not engaging with the other party on a listing, those not engaged are at risk of having their account(s) sanctioned. It’s important to communicate and engage with each other on Flippa in a timely manner when a listing is won. 

Assets have been transferred and there is a disagreement related to unwinding the transfer and deal

When both parties can’t agree, Flippa will recommend further discussion and, as a last resort, recommend that independent legal advice is sought or independent arbitration depending on the situation and country/location. For cross-border disputes, this could include the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR):

https://www.icdr.org/about_icdr