Is it legit if a brand asks me to buy the product first?

When a brand asks you to buy the product first, it is sometimes legitimate, but it needs more checking than a normal barter or paid deal. Some genuine brands run reimbursement programmes that refund you after you post. “Buy first, get reimbursed later” is also a well-known scam script. Only go ahead with a verified brand, a written refund amount and date, and a sum you can afford to lose.

There are a few genuine reasons. Some smaller or newer brands don’t have a process for shipping free product to creators, so asking you to order from their website or a marketplace is simpler for them. Others want the order to go through a marketplace so it counts as a real purchase on their listing.

In the genuine version, the brand treats your purchase as a cost it will repay in full, on top of any fee it agreed to pay you. The refund is a reimbursement, not your payment for the work.

The scam version copies this structure because it feels normal to creators who have seen real reimbursement deals. The difference is in the details: who you are dealing with, what is written down, and who carries the risk if the refund never arrives.

Some real brands do run reimbursement-style collaborations, especially smaller or newer businesses without an established process for shipping free product. This can be legitimate when it’s backed by a written agreement specifying the exact refund amount, a clear payment date and a brand with a verifiable track record. A genuine reimbursement programme usually shows most of these signs:

• The brand is easy to verify: a working website, a GSTIN or company registration it shares when asked, and an Instagram account with real history.
• A named person writes to you from a company email domain, not only from a DM or a personal WhatsApp number.
• The refund covers the full amount you pay, including delivery charges and taxes, and the agreement says so.
• The refund date is fixed in writing, for example within 7 days of your post going live, not “after the campaign ends”.
• Either you are paid a fee as well, or you have openly agreed to a product-only deal for something you actually want.
• There are no extra charges: no registration fee, no “tax” to release your refund and no second purchase.
• The brand is fine with you buying a single unit of the cheapest suitable variant.

The scripted fraud version follows a familiar sequence. Each step is designed to make the next payment feel small and reasonable, so you keep going after the point where you would normally stop.

• A flattering DM says you have been selected for a paid collab or an ambassador programme.
• You are sent a link to buy the product, often from a store you have never heard of or from a listing the sender controls.
• After you pay, either nothing arrives, or the product arrives and the refund keeps getting delayed with a new excuse each time.
• You are asked to buy a second, more expensive product to move to a “higher tier” before the first refund is released.
• A fake “refund sent” screenshot appears, or you are asked to pay a “processing charge”, “GST” or “security deposit” to release your money.
• When you push back, the account blocks you or disappears, and the same script goes to the next creator.

• The brand pressures you to purchase quickly, often with urgency such as “today only” that stops you from checking their reputation first.
• There is no written commitment to the refund amount or date, just a promise over DM.
• The brand or agency is new, has no verifiable business registration, and has no reviews or track record you can check.
• The purchase amount is unusually high for the “campaign” being described.
• The payment goes to an unfamiliar website, a personal UPI ID or a bank account in an individual’s name.
• They ask you to buy several units, or to buy from a particular seller with no history.
• The refund depends on vague conditions such as “if the post performs well”.
• They refuse every option that lowers your risk, such as shipping the product or refunding you on order confirmation.

Put the offer in front of you next to this list. A genuine programme passes on every line. A scam usually fails several at once.

• Contact: a genuine brand uses a company email and a named person. A scam stays in DMs, WhatsApp or Telegram.
• Paperwork: a genuine deal puts the refund amount, date and deliverables in writing. A scam keeps everything verbal.
• Where you buy: a genuine programme uses the brand’s own website or a known marketplace listing. A scam sends you to an unknown store or a personal UPI ID.
• Refund timing: a genuine deal names a fixed date and keeps it. A scam moves the date every time you ask.
• Extra charges: a genuine deal has none. A scam adds fees, deposits or a second purchase.
• Questions: a genuine brand answers them. A scam answers with pressure or silence.

Ask for these on email from a company address before you spend your own money, not after. A WhatsApp message is better than nothing, but an email from the brand’s own domain is stronger evidence if something goes wrong.

• The brand’s registered business name, GSTIN if it has one, and the name and role of your contact.
• The exact product, variant and link you should buy from.
• The amount you will pay, and the exact refund amount, including delivery charges and taxes.
• The refund date and method, for example a bank transfer or UPI payment from the company’s account within 7 days of the post going live.
• Any fee on top of the refund, with its own payment date.
• The deliverables: format, number of posts, posting window and number of revision rounds.
• What happens if they don’t approve your content. You should still get the refund for the product you bought.
• Usage rights: whether they can repost your content or run it as an ad, and for how long.
• Disclosure: that you will label the post clearly, for example with #ad or #collab, as ASCI’s influencer guidelines expect for any material connection such as free product.

No amount makes an unverified deal safe, so set your own limit before you reply. A simple rule: only spend an amount you could lose without it hurting, on a product you would happily keep even if the refund never came.

Say a brand you have just met asks you to buy a ₹1,499 serum and promises a refund plus a ₹3,000 fee after one Reel. If you would buy that serum anyway, your worst case is that you paid ₹1,499 for something you wanted. If the same brand asks you to buy a ₹9,999 gadget you don’t need, your worst case is losing ₹9,999 plus a day of shooting. Same script, very different risk.

• Keep the first purchase with any new brand small.
• Never make a second purchase until the first refund has reached your account.
• Never pay a fee, deposit or “tax” on top of the product cost.
• Pay through a method that leaves a clear record, such as a card or a UPI payment to a business, and keep the order invoice.
• If the amount would hurt to lose, ask the brand to ship the product instead.

A short, polite counter tells you a lot. A real brand will agree, offer another option or explain its process in writing. A script will push harder or go quiet. Pick the line that fits:

• Ask them to ship: “Thanks for thinking of me. For first-time collaborations I don’t buy products upfront. Could you ship the product instead? I’ll share my address once the brief is confirmed on email.”
• Ask for a faster refund: “If ordering is part of your process, could you reimburse the order on confirmation, before I post? Please share the refund amount and date on email.”
• Ask for paperwork: “Please send the brief, the deliverables, the refund amount and date, and any fee from your company email. I’ll confirm once I have it in writing.”
• Decline: “Thanks, but I’ll pass on this one. I don’t pay for products or fees to take part in collaborations. All the best with the campaign.”

• Get the refund amount and date in writing before spending your own money, not after.
• Check the brand’s reputation and any reviews from other creators first. On CredFluence you can read verified reviews from creators who have worked with a brand, including how it handled payment.
• Start with a small, low-cost item if you’re testing a new relationship, rather than a large purchase on the first collaboration.
• Buy only from the brand’s official website or a known marketplace, never through a payment link sent in a chat.
• Keep the order invoice, the payment receipt and every message in one folder.
• If a brand can’t or won’t commit anything in writing, treat that refusal as your answer.

• Send one clear written follow-up with the order number, the agreed refund amount and the agreed date, and give a final deadline.
• If the product came from a marketplace and is still within its return window, consider returning it through the marketplace.
• If you were sent to a fake store or paid a personal UPI ID, treat it as fraud. Report it on the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal (cybercrime.gov.in) or call the 1930 helpline, and inform your bank quickly.
• Save screenshots of the profile, chats, payment receipts and transaction IDs before the account disappears.
• If it was a real brand that simply didn’t pay, a factual, evidence-backed review on CredFluence warns the next creator. Stick to dates, amounts and what was agreed.
• For a larger amount owed by a real business, talk to a lawyer about a legal notice. Outcomes depend on your paperwork, so nobody can promise a result.

No. In a barter collab, the brand gives you the product free before you create anything. In a reimbursement collab, you pay first and carry the risk until the brand refunds you.

Yes. Asking to be reimbursed on order confirmation, or once the product is delivered, is a reasonable request. A brand that refuses every option that reduces your risk is telling you something.

Be careful. Some “buy first” offers are really requests for paid reviews on a marketplace listing, and marketplaces have their own rules on reviews given in return for refunds or free product. Read the marketplace’s review policy before you agree.

Yes. A product you are refunded for is effectively free product, and ASCI’s guidelines ask you to disclose any material connection with a clear, upfront label such as #ad or #collab. If a specific post feels borderline, check with a lawyer.