Overview
Every transaction on ReBattery moves through a defined sequence of steps. Both parties share the same workspace, with required actions depending on the transaction path. This ensures there is a clear record of what was agreed and when.
There are two transaction paths: purchase transactions (between a supplier and a buyer) and recycling transactions (between a supplier or buyer and a recycler). Both follow the same lifecycle structure, with minor differences noted below.
Step 1: Offer or Enquiry
A transaction starts from one of three sources:
- Purchase offer — a buyer submits a bid on a negotiated-price listing
- Buy Now — a buyer purchases a fixed-price listing directly, skipping the offer stage
- Recycling enquiry — a supplier or buyer contacts a recycler from the directory
For purchase offers and recycling enquiries, both parties may counter before accepting. Once accepted, a transaction is created and both parties move into the transaction workspace.
Buy Now actions create a transaction immediately at the listed price — no negotiation takes place.
Step 2: Terms Agreed
The agreed terms capture:
- Final price and quantity
- Collection address and schedule
- Any specific fulfilment requirements raised during negotiation
For purchase transactions, the buyer confirms these terms during Buy Now, offer submission, or counter acceptance. The supplier does not complete a separate transaction-terms acceptance. The transaction therefore starts at payment once the buyer's confirmation and transaction creation succeed.
For recycling transactions, both parties confirm the recycler's processing terms — including any fees, timeline, and delivery requirements — in the workspace.
Step 3: Agreement Signing
Once terms are confirmed, the platform generates a transaction agreement. This is a legally-binding document that captures the confirmed terms, business details of both parties, and the collection or delivery schedule.
New purchase transactions do not have a separate workspace signing step: the buyer has already accepted the agreement during checkout or the offer flow. Recycling transactions and older purchase transactions without current buyer checkout evidence continue to use the Documents-tab signing flow.
See Signing and Agreements for full detail on what the agreement contains and how to sign.
Step 4: Payment
Payment applies to purchase transactions. The buyer submits payment from the transaction workspace after confirming the transaction terms.
ReBattery collects payment as payment collection agent and records the seller payable as held. Once payment is received, the supplier knows collection can proceed. The seller remains the supplier and ReBattery does not take title to the Goods.
Some payment methods (such as bank transfer) take additional processing time. The transaction will show a pending state during this window and advance automatically when payment clears.
For recycling transactions where the recycler charges a processing fee, payment direction may work in either direction — the recycler may pay the supplier for recovered material value, or the supplier may pay the recycler for processing services. This is agreed during the enquiry stage and confirmed in the transaction terms.
See Payments and Payouts for more on how payment is processed.
Step 5: Collection
With payment confirmed, both parties use the transaction workspace to coordinate the physical handoff. The collection schedule set on the listing is the starting point — either party can propose a specific date and time from within the available windows.
For purchase transactions: the buyer (or their carrier) collects from the supplier's site. The supplier marks collection complete once the battery has left their custody.
For recycling transactions: collection logistics follow the recycler's processing terms — the recycler may collect, or the sender may arrange delivery to the recycling facility. The workspace messaging thread is used to coordinate.
Step 6: Completion and Payout
Once collection is confirmed, the transaction moves to completion.
For purchase transactions: the buyer confirms receipt. ReBattery queues the held seller payable for release, subject to payout setup, holds, refunds and disputes. The payout remains pending until the provider confirms it was sent.
For recycling transactions: the recycler uploads the recycling confirmation document once processing is complete. Both parties sign the confirmation. This serves as the end-of-life record for the battery and closes the transaction.
See Seller Payouts for payout setup and status.
What Can Block a Transaction
Transactions can stall if either party is unresponsive. The most common blockers are:
- Unsigned agreement — applies only to recycling and older purchase transactions that still show the signing step
- Payment not submitted — the transaction waits at the payment step until the buyer completes payment
- Receipt not confirmed — the buyer must confirm delivery before payout can be queued
- Recycling confirmation not uploaded — recycling transactions require the recycler to upload the confirmation document before the transaction can close
If your counterparty is unresponsive, use the transaction workspace messaging thread. If there is no progress after a reasonable period, contact support with the transaction reference number.
Cancellation
Transactions can be cancelled by either party before collection takes place. If payment has already been made, contact support — refund and cancellation handling depends on the stage the transaction has reached and the circumstances involved.