Welcome to MerkatoHQ
A quick tour of what MerkatoHQ is, who it's for, and the one idea that makes it safe to buy and sell with strangers.
MerkatoHQ is a peer-to-peer marketplace for unique and second-hand items. Anyone can list a legal item with a photo and a price; anyone can buy it. What makes MerkatoHQ different from a classifieds board is that we sit in the middle of every deal and hold the money in escrow until the buyer confirms the item arrived.
The one idea
On a classifieds site, you pay a stranger and hope for the best. On MerkatoHQ:
- The buyer pays, and we hold the funds — the seller can’t touch them yet.
- The seller ships the item.
- The buyer confirms it arrived, and only then is the seller paid.
That single change is what makes it reasonable to buy a one-of-a-kind item from someone you’ve never met. Neither side has to fully trust the other, because they both trust the process.
We escrow the money, not the item. No marketplace can physically hold your used camera in escrow — so we hold the payment instead, and release it on your confirmation. Read how escrow works →
Who MerkatoHQ is for
- Buyers looking for unique, second-hand, or hard-to-find items, who want protection against paying for something that never shows up.
- Sellers — from someone clearing out a closet to a full-time reseller — who want a trustworthy way to reach buyers and get paid reliably.
What’s in these docs
- Buying — how a purchase works, why your money is safe, and what to do when something goes wrong.
- Selling — getting set up, how fees work, and how you get paid.
- Trust & safety — what can and can’t be sold, and how reporting and reviews keep the marketplace healthy.
- Legal & policies — the terms, your privacy, and how protection works.
Ready?
The best place to start is creating your account. It takes a minute, and it’s the same account whether you’re here to buy, sell, or both.