Trust & Safety

Verified sellers

Every seller on Merc Mercado is verified before their first listing goes live. We check:

• Phone verification — a real phone number, confirmed via SMS code.
• Application review — we read every maker application. This isn't a free-for-all; it's a curated community.
• Student verification — student makers can verify their .edu email for additional trust signals.

If you see a listing on Merc Mercado, a real person made it and stood behind it with their identity.

Fair ratings

Our rating system uses bilateral blind reveal — the same pattern used by Airbnb. Here's how it works:

1. After a completed transaction, both buyer and seller are asked to rate each other (1-5 stars + optional comment).
2. Neither rating is visible until both are submitted.
3. This eliminates retaliatory ratings. You can't punish someone for being honest.
4. The window to rate is 7 days after the transaction completes.

Research shows this approach reduces retaliation by 66% compared to standard one-at-a-time ratings (Fradkin et al., 2015).

The conversation is the contract

On Merc Mercado, the buyer-seller message thread serves as the agreement. When both parties tap "I Confirm" on an accepted offer, a digital invoice is auto-generated and pinned to the thread.

This means every deal has a clear record: what was agreed, at what price, by whom. No handshake deals that one side can deny later.

Content moderation

Every listing title, description, and message passes through content moderation that checks for:

• Hate speech and discrimination
• Scams and deceptive content
• Prohibited items
• Harassment or threats

We don't use AI surveillance on private conversations. Moderation runs on content at submission time, not retroactively. If something slips through, use the "Need help?" button in any conversation to flag it.

Off-platform payments

We deliberately don't process payments. You and your buyer decide how to pay — Venmo, Zelle, cash at pickup, card at your studio. We never sit between you and your money.

This means we can't take a cut (that's the point), but it also means payment disputes are between you and your buyer. We'll help mediate through the message thread, but we can't reverse payments we never touched.

Report a problem

See something wrong? Here's how to report it:

• In a conversation — tap the "Need help?" button (question mark icon in the header). This creates a support ticket with the conversation context attached.
• On a listing — scroll to the bottom and click "Report this listing."
• Anywhere else — email hello@merc.senacolectivo.com.

We review every report and respond within 48 hours.