Make a small source record

The FTC’s marketplace advice recommends checking the individual seller’s terms, getting answers in writing and keeping messages. These checks depend on identifying the actual seller and item. Before relying on a spreadsheet entry, make a source record you can return to if the linked page changes.FTC: buying from an online marketplace

For your own shortlist, keep four things on one line: the original seller URL, the item identifier within that URL, the seller name where available, and the precise option you want. Add the date you checked it. This record helps you distinguish a replaced listing from a changed description.

  • Open the original seller page where access is available.
  • Match the item ID, seller and selected option.
  • Record an unavailable field as unknown; do not infer it from a similar photo.

Handle a broken or changed link

If a saved link fails, reopen it from your own record and check whether the source item still exists. A language change or loading error needs a different response from a seller that has replaced the product. A search result with the same picture is a candidate to investigate, not an automatic substitute.

Send the original URL and the exact error to the purchasing service through its official support channel. Ask whether that specific source can still be purchased and whether a manual order is appropriate. Keep any replacement as a separate shortlist entry until its identity and option are checked.

Keep discovery and account access separate

The FTC recommends contacting a company through a website or number you already know when a message is suspicious. Apply that approach to an unexpected login, address-confirmation request or payment demand encountered after following a shopping link.FTC: recognizing and avoiding phishing

Open your saved official account address separately and check the order there. A directory should not need your purchasing-service password to let you browse. Do not send passwords, card details or sign-in codes in a message to someone offering to fix a listing.

Leave a useful note for your next visit

Use a concrete status such as “source still matches”, “option unavailable” or “awaiting source confirmation”. That is more useful than a general “trusted” label because it states what you actually checked. If a price, seller or option changes, record the new check instead of silently reusing the old decision.