The marketplace built for trades between strangers.
MerkatoHQ is a peer-to-peer marketplace. Payment is held in escrow until the buyer confirms delivery, so neither side has to go first on trust.
Why the name
Merkato means market. It is the Italian mercato worn into everyday speech, and the name of the largest open-air market in Africa. It is the word for a place where people meet face to face, haggle, and hand something over.
That is the trade we wanted online, minus the part where you have to guess whether a stranger is honest. MerkatoHQ is that market with escrow in the middle: the same directness, with neither side going first.
What MerkatoHQ does
We hold the money. A buyer pays into escrow; the seller can see the funds are there and committed but cannot touch them; the payment is released only once the buyer confirms they got what they paid for. If a trade goes wrong the funds are still ours to refund, rather than a stranger’s to keep.
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Escrow on every trade
Not an upsell and not a premium tier. Every order is escrow-protected by default.
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Disputes heard fairly
When a trade goes wrong both sides submit evidence and a person decides. The money stays put until then.
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Listing is free
Sellers list at no cost and pay a commission only when an item actually sells.
Who it’s for
Anyone buying or selling with someone they have no reason to trust yet: a phone from a classified ad, a bike from across town, a camera from two cities away. If you have ever wanted something second-hand and stalled at “who sends first?”, this is built for you.