What do I do if a buyer pays less than the agreed amount and claims a "processing fee" I was never told about?
Short answer: An undisclosed fee deducted after the fact, without having been mentioned before you agreed to the sale, is a legitimate grievance worth raising directly — ask the buyer to explain and justify the fee in writing, and if it wasn't part of your original agreed terms, you have a reasonable basis to dispute the deduction and request the full originally agreed amount.
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List Free →Why undisclosed fees are a legitimate concern
Any fee that materially changes what you’re actually paid should reasonably be disclosed before you agree to a sale, not introduced afterward as a surprise deduction — a buyer doing this after the fact is changing the terms of your agreement without your consent.
What to ask the buyer for specifically
Request a written explanation of exactly what the fee covers and why it wasn’t mentioned before you agreed to the sale — a legitimate, previously-standard fee should have a clear, consistent explanation; an ad hoc deduction invented after delivery is a different, more concerning situation.
What to do if the explanation doesn’t hold up
If the fee genuinely wasn’t part of your original agreed terms and the buyer can’t justify it satisfactorily, you have a reasonable basis to formally dispute the deduction and request the originally agreed full amount — document the original agreement and this exchange as your basis for the dispute.
How ScrapTrade Makes This Easier
Transactions arranged through ScrapTrade have terms agreed upfront and visible to both parties, which removes the ambiguity that lets a surprise fee get introduced after the fact.
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