Disputes
What happens when a trade goes wrong, and how independent arbitration resolves it.
Most trades never need this page. But when a buyer and seller genuinely disagree about whether a payment was sent and received, Trustfy has a structured, bond-backed way to resolve it fairly — without either side just having to trust the other.
Expected time
7 minutes
Difficulty
Intermediate
You'll need
A trade that has reached Payment Sent
When can you open a dispute?#
Only after the buyer has marked the trade paid. From there:
- Sellers can open a dispute immediately — if something about the payment claim looks wrong, you don't have to wait.
- Buyers have to wait until the Settlement Time Window elapses first — this gives the seller a fair chance to verify and release normally before a dispute becomes an option.
What you'll need: the Dispute Bond#
Both traders already posted a Dispute Bond when the trade was funded — you don't pay anything extra to open a dispute. That bond is what's at stake based on the outcome, which is exactly why it exists: it discourages opening disputes without a real basis.
Submitting evidence#
- 1
Open the dispute from the trade screen
State clearly and factually what you believe happened.
- 2
Attach evidence
Bank statements or official transaction receipts are strong evidence. Screenshots, while accepted, are weaker on their own since they can be edited. Supported files: PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF, up to 5MB each.
- 3
Reference your chat history
The arbitrator can see the full trade chat automatically — make sure anything relevant was actually said there, not just claimed after the fact.
How arbitration works#
An independent arbitrator — not Trustfy staff, not either trader — reviews the full trade timeline, the chat, and all submitted evidence, then issues a ruling: the trade amount can go fully to one side, be split, or another allocation the arbitrator deems fair based on the evidence. The ruling also adjusts each side's bonds accordingly.
| Outcome | What happens |
|---|---|
| Ruled for buyer | Escrowed USDT goes to the buyer; seller's Dispute Bond largely covers arbitration cost. |
| Ruled for seller | Escrowed USDT returns to the seller; buyer's Dispute Bond largely covers arbitration cost. |
| Split ruling | The trade amount is divided between both sides according to the arbitrator's assessment. |
A portion of the losing side's Dispute Bond funds the arbitrator's compensation for reviewing the case — this cost is never handed to the counterparty as a windfall.
The ruling is binding
- Submitting only a screenshot when a bank statement or official receipt is available — always provide the stronger evidence.
- Discussing the trade outside the built-in chat, which the arbitrator can't see or verify.
- Waiting too long to open a dispute after something clearly goes wrong — evidence and memory are freshest early.
Does opening a dispute freeze the funds? Yes — both the trade amount and both bonds stay locked until the arbitrator rules.
How long does a ruling take? It varies by case complexity, but the process is designed to resolve promptly since capital is locked for everyone while it's open.
Can I dispute a trade that already completed? No — disputes are only available on trades that haven't yet reached Released/Completed.
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