If a Pokémon slab seller disappears after payment, immediately save the listing, messages, seller profile, order page, tracking, and payment records. A slab is a graded card sealed in a protective holder, so also preserve its certification number and clear photos of the exact card. Do not wait for the seller's account or listing to vanish. Contact the seller through the marketplace, note every dispute deadline, and use the claim reason that accurately describes the problem.
Table of Contents
- Freeze the marketplace record
- Build a complete payment trail
- Identify the exact slab
- File the right dispute before the deadline
- When tracking or delivery complicates the claim
Freeze the marketplace record
Start with the complete listing, not a cropped image of the price. Save the title, description, photos, asking price, shipping promise, return terms, URL, listing number, and purchase date. Include any statement about authenticity, grade, condition, or ownership. Capture the seller's username, profile URL, feedback, account age if displayed, and other identifying details visible to you.
Save the full message thread, including payment instructions, shipping promises, excuses, and unanswered follow-ups. Keep both screenshots and downloadable records when available. An order invoice or platform data export may preserve information that a screenshot misses, while screenshots can document pages that later change. A practical evidence folder should contain:.
- The complete listing and every photo
- The seller's profile and feedback page
- The order confirmation and order number
- The full conversation in chronological order
- Promised shipping and delivery dates
Build a complete payment trail
Save the payment receipt, transaction ID, amount, date, recipient name, email address, and payment method. If a card funded a digital-wallet payment, preserve both the wallet receipt and the card statement entry. The payment category can affect buyer protection. For example, PayPal's current US terms exclude personal payments, including friends-and-family payments, from Purchase Protection. Eligible purchases may instead qualify as "Item Not Received" claims, subject to the program's other conditions.
PayPal explains the current eligibility and dispute rules. For a card payment, save the statement showing the charge and its merchant descriptor. Keep case numbers, uploaded documents, emails, chat transcripts, and notes recording when you called and what the representative said. Wire transfers, gift cards, cryptocurrency, and some payment-app transfers may offer fewer recovery options than credit cards or protected purchase payments. The Federal Trade Commission warns against sellers who insist on those difficult-to-reverse methods. FTC online-shopping guidance.
Identify the exact slab
A card's name and grade are not enough to identify a slab. Record the grading company, numerical grade, certification number, label details, set, card number, language, and any visible print or surface characteristics. Save clear images of the slab's front, back, label, barcode, and certification number. If the grading company has a public certification page, capture what it showed at the time of purchase.
That certification lookup can support the slab's identity, but it does not prove the seller owned it or intended to ship it. Scammers may copy photographs and valid certification numbers from genuine listings. For a high-value purchase, preserve details that distinguish the pictured card from another copy. Centering, whitening, print lines, holo patterns, label alignment, and holder scratches can help show whether a later-delivered slab matches the listing.
File the right dispute before the deadline
Send one clear message through the platform stating that the slab has not arrived and requesting valid tracking or a refund. Keep the message factual and give a short response date, but do not let that date push you beyond a claim deadline. Then check the marketplace and payment provider's current rules. Deadlines and required steps vary, and waiting for one process to finish can jeopardize another. Save the applicable policy page or deadline displayed in your account.
Describe the claim accurately: US credit-card guidance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says non-delivery can qualify as a billing error. To preserve certain legal rights, the CFPB advises sending a written notice within 60 calendar days after the charge appeared on the statement, using the billing-dispute address. CFPB credit-card dispute guidance. Do not seek duplicate refunds. PayPal, for example, says a buyer must choose between its Purchase Protection process and a card-issuer dispute rather than pursue both simultaneously. Tell each provider about any related open or completed case.
- Use "item not received" when you authorized payment but the slab never arrived.
- Use "not as described" when a different, altered, counterfeit, or materially misrepresented slab arrives.
- Use "unauthorized transaction" only when you did not approve the payment.
- State the promised delivery date, last seller response, and tracking status.
- Upload a short timeline with the strongest supporting records.
When tracking or delivery complicates the claim
A tracking number alone does not establish that your slab was delivered. Save the carrier's complete tracking history and compare the destination ZIP code, package weight when available, mailing date, and delivery time with the order. If tracking shows delivery but no package appeared, ask the carrier for any delivery details it can release. Also check household members, building management, parcel lockers, and nearby delivery locations. Record those checks instead of merely stating that the parcel is missing.
If a package arrives, photograph it before opening. Capture the label, all sides, seals, damage, contents, slab certification number, and packaging. An uninterrupted opening video can add context, although a marketplace or payment provider may not treat video as conclusive proof. Do not return a wrong or suspicious slab outside the formal claim process. Follow the provider's written instructions, use tracked shipping if a return is required, and save the receipt and delivery confirmation. Keep the package, label, packing material, and slab until every case and appeal period has closed.
