Warsaw. Cameras. Second-hand marketplace idea, seeking the hard questions

Jan. Warsaw. Photographer (weddings, 200+), now building a second-hand camera-gear marketplace because I have been scammed twice and overpaid thrice. Ida's Gearloop is the blueprint and the warning (two-sided markets: wrong twice, fun always).

Bringing: photographer trust networks, scam-pattern knowledge (I know all of them, personally, financially), and a waiting list of 60 photographers. Needing: everything about trust + payments. Ideas & Validation will hear from me next.

Hit me with the hard questions now. I prefer bruises before launch.

Blueprint holder here! Hard questions, lovingly: who holds the money during shipping? (Escrow or tears.) Who verifies the shutter count? (Liars or experts.) What stops Facebook Marketplace with zero fees? (Your answer must be trust + verification, and it must be 10x, not 10%.) Welcome, Jan!

Escrow via Stripe Connect (in progress), shutter verification via EXIF + partner shops (two signed), vs Facebook: verified gear + 14-day returns (their answer: vibes). 10x on trust, 0x on price. Bruises received, morale intact.

Acquirer perspective: the 60-photographer waiting list is the asset. Everything else is solvable. Do not build the marketplace before 200. Concierge-match the first 50 sales manually and learn the scam patterns at small scale. Manual first, marketplace later.

Manual-first noted. 50 concierge sales before a line of marketplace code. The waiting list becomes the inventory. This is why I posted.