Guide 06 of 8
Placing an order, step by step
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From search bar to paid escrow: the exact sequence, what each button does, and where people usually waste money.
Placing an order on the market is a sequence, and the sequence matters, because the mistakes that cost money are almost always mistakes of order, doing a later step before an earlier one is ready. This is the sequence, in the order that actually prevents the mistakes, from empty wallet to confirmed delivery.
Before you pay
Confirm the mirror is the real one, using the verification pass, before you trust anything on the page. Read the listing slowly and note the exact quantity, the form, and any stated weight per unit, because that is the standard a dispute would be judged against, and a vague listing is a dispute waiting to happen. Check the vendor's recent feedback, not their lifetime average, and look at how long they have been around, because a vendor with a year of clean sales is a different risk than one with a month of them, even if the numbers look the same on the page.
The moment you pay
Send the right amount, with a fee that clears in time, and then wait for the confirmations without refreshing into a panic. The order will sit in its holding state for the confirmation window, and that is normal, not a sign of trouble. Do not send a second payment "just in case" the first one did not land, because a double payment is the classic first-order mistake and the second one is the one you cannot get back as easily. One payment, the right size, a fee that clears, and patience for the count, is the whole of the payment step, and most of the money lost at this stage is lost by people who did two of these instead of one.
After the vendor ships
Note the tracking if one is given, keep the order in escrow until you have opened the package and checked it against the listing, and do not finalize early out of excitement. Let the timer do what it is for. If something is off, open the dispute while the facts are fresh, with photos and measurements, before the window closes and the evidence goes stale. Follow the sequence and the order is a rehearsal for every one after it, because the steps do not change, the stakes just get smaller, and the habit you build the first time is the one that carries you through the rest.