There's a real difference between messaging a seller before you buy and messaging one after something's gone wrong — different goal, different tone, and at a certain point, a different tool entirely.
Before you buy
Look for a chat or message icon on the product listing page, usually near the store name at the top of the page or beside the seller's shop link. This opens a direct chat, good for questions the listing itself doesn't clearly answer — exact measurements, whether a specific variant ships via a faster line, or clearing up a spec that seems inconsistent between the title and the description. Sellers respond better to a specific, answerable question than a vague "is this good quality" — something they can't meaningfully answer either.
After you've received something wrong
Still worth a message first, since a lot of issues are genuine mistakes a seller will happily fix — a wrong variant sent, a missing accessory. Be specific and include a photo. But keep an eye on your buyer protection deadline while you do this (see our buying guide) — messaging shouldn't eat into the window you'd need for a formal dispute if the seller doesn't resolve it.
When to stop messaging and open a dispute
Three signals it's time to stop trying to resolve things by chat: the seller goes silent, they keep stalling without actually fixing anything, or they ask you to do something that undermines your buyer protection — cancelling the order, cancelling an open dispute, or paying more outside the platform (all covered in our seller red flags guide). At that point, continuing to message just burns time against your deadline. Open a dispute instead — see our returns and refunds guide for exactly how.
