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Selling on MerkatoHQ

Getting started

The three things you need to do before your first listing can go live — account, payouts, and a good listing.

Selling on MerkatoHQ takes three steps: create an account, set up payouts, and post a listing. The one that trips people up is payouts, so we put it second on purpose.

1. Create your account

Sign up and secure your account. Because you’ll be receiving money, we strongly recommend adding a passkey right away — see Account security.

2. Set up payouts (required before you can list)

MerkatoHQ pays sellers through Stripe Connect. You’ll complete a short onboarding flow where Stripe collects the details needed to pay you and to meet financial regulations. This is resumable — if you step away, you can pick up where you left off.

You can’t publish a listing until payouts are enabled. This is deliberate: it means every item for sale has a seller who can actually be paid, which keeps the marketplace trustworthy. If listing creation is blocked, finish payout onboarding first.

You can check your payout status any time — see Getting paid.

3. Post a great listing

Each listing is a single, real item. To create one you’ll need:

  • A clear photo of the actual item (not a stock image).
  • A fair, fixed price. There’s no bidding — buyers pay the price you set. Remember you keep your sticker price minus commission; see Fees explained.
  • An honest description. “As described” is the bar every dispute is measured against, so describe condition accurately.

Once it’s live, buyers can purchase immediately. When someone buys, their payment is held in escrow until they confirm receipt — then it’s yours.

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