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Merc Mercado is a local marketplace for handmade jewelry, clothing, ceramics, and craft. We connect makers directly with buyers in their community — no platform fees, no middleman cut. Payments happen off-platform via Venmo, Zelle, or cash so every dollar goes to the maker.

Unlike Etsy, we charge zero transaction fees — makers keep 100% of every sale. Unlike Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist, we have real trust signals: verified identities, community trust scores, and a dispute resolution system. Everything is handmade-only — no mass-produced imports.

Tap "Sign up" and enter your email. We'll send a magic link — no password needed. Click the link in your email and you're in. You'll verify your phone number before your first transaction (takes under a minute).

Buying is always free. For sellers, we're currently in our founding cohort phase — the first 25 makers get free membership for 6 months. After that, membership is $89/year, $5/week, or a $10 trial to sell your first item. There are zero platform fees on sales.

We're launching in Santa Fe, NM — our home market. We'll expand to other cities as our community grows. Each region gets its own local marketplace page.

Browse listings in your region, find something you love, and tap "Make an offer." Enter your offer amount (it's pre-filled with the listed price), choose a payment method, and optionally add a message. The maker will review your offer and respond.

The maker has 48 hours to respond. They can accept, decline, or counter your offer (up to 2 counters). You'll see all activity in your offer thread at Account → Offers & messages. The thread is your contract — every action is logged.

Yes — each side can counter up to 2 times. When a counter is made, the other party can accept, decline, or counter back. If you reach the counter limit, the next response must be accept or decline.

An invoice is automatically generated and pinned to your message thread. Both parties then need to tap "I Confirm" when the exchange is complete. This bilateral confirmation is what marks the transaction as done.

After an offer is accepted and the item + payment have been exchanged, both buyer and seller tap "I Confirm" in the thread. This is the digital handshake that completes the transaction. Both confirmations are required — it's how we ensure both sides are satisfied.

All payments happen off-platform — directly between buyer and seller via Venmo, Zelle, or cash. We never touch your money. The maker's preferred payment methods are shown on their listing. You and the maker coordinate details in your message thread.

Yes, buyers can cancel an open or countered offer at any time before it's accepted. Once an offer is accepted, the expectation is that both parties follow through — canceling after acceptance affects your trust score.

Open offers automatically expire after 48 hours. You'll see the status change to "Expired" in your offers inbox. You can make a new offer on the same listing if you'd like to try again.

Apply through our maker waitlist at the "Start selling" page. Tell us about yourself and what you make. We review every application — we're handmade-only, so we verify that items are genuinely crafted. Our founding cohort of 25 makers gets free membership for 6 months.

Handmade jewelry, clothing, ceramics, pottery, textiles, woodwork, metalwork, art, and other handcrafted items. Everything must be made by hand — no mass-produced, factory-made, or dropshipped items. We have categories for jewelry, clothing, home goods, art, and more.

From your account dashboard, go to "My listings" and tap "Create listing." Add photos, a title, description, price, condition, category, and your preferred payment methods. Listings are reviewed before going live to maintain quality.

There are zero fees on individual sales — you keep 100%. Sellers pay a membership fee: $89/year, $5/week, or a $10 trial. Our first 25 founding makers get 6 months free. Before we're incorporated, founding members make a $20 pledge after their first sale.

When a buyer makes an offer, it appears in your Offers & messages inbox. You can accept (triggers an invoice), decline, or counter with a different amount. You can also message the buyer directly in the thread to discuss details.

An invoice is auto-generated with a unique number (MM-2026-000001 format). Coordinate payment and pickup/shipping via the message thread. Once the exchange is complete, both you and the buyer tap "I Confirm" to close the transaction.

Yes — we have a Gallery VIP tier for established galleries and fine artists. This tier allows higher-value items and comes with premium placement. Galleries provide art for the marketplace's visual showcase in exchange for access to sell on the platform.

Every user starts with a trust score of 100. It goes up with completed sales, good ratings, and fast responses. It goes down with upheld community flags, cancellations, and low ratings. If your score drops below 50, your account is automatically suspended pending review.

Badges appear on your profile based on your trust score: "Trusted" (95+), "Good standing" (80+), "New" (for new members). Scores below 70 show a warning, and below 50 triggers suspension. Badges help buyers identify reliable sellers.

Use the "Flag user" option on their profile or listing. Choose a reason (scam, counterfeit, harassment, spam, or other) and describe the issue. Our community reviews flags, and an admin makes the final call — the site owner has the last word on every dispute.

Flags go to the admin dashboard for review. The admin can uphold the flag (which penalizes the flagged user's trust score by 15 points) or dismiss it. Multiple upheld flags lead to automatic suspension. The admin's decision is final.

All offer threads serve as the contract record — every message, counter, acceptance, and confirmation is logged with timestamps. In a dispute, the admin reviews the full thread history and makes a binding decision. The site owner has final say.

Trust score below 50 (automatic), multiple upheld flags, selling counterfeit or non-handmade items, harassment, or scam activity. Suspended accounts can appeal to the admin for review.

Two reasons: (1) we charge zero transaction fees, so every dollar goes directly to the maker, and (2) it keeps things simple — no payment processing delays, no holds, no chargebacks. You pay the maker directly via Venmo, Zelle, or cash.

No. Zero. The maker keeps 100% of every sale. Our revenue comes from membership fees, not transaction commissions. This is how we keep the marketplace fair for makers.

Annual ($89/year), Weekly ($5/week), Trial ($10 for your first listing), Founding Free (first 25 makers, 6 months free), Pledge ($20 after first sale, pre-incorporation), and Gallery VIP (for galleries and fine artists). Buying is always free.

Until we're formally incorporated, founding members make a $20 pledge after their first successful sale. This helps fund domain costs, infrastructure upgrades, and getting the legal paperwork done. It's a one-time commitment, not recurring.

We use magic links — no password to remember. Enter your email on the login page, click the link in your inbox, and you're in. Links expire after 15 minutes for security.

Phone verification happens once, before your first transaction — not at signup. It's a one-time SMS code that takes under a minute. This prevents fake accounts and builds trust for everyone in the marketplace.

Go to Account → Settings. You can update your display name, handle, bio, neighborhood, and payment methods (Venmo handle, Zelle email/phone, cash preference).

Check your spam/junk folder first. Magic links come from hello@mercmercado.com — add it to your contacts. Links expire after 15 minutes, so request a new one if it's been a while. If you're still stuck, submit a ticket below.