Platform
Maintains listings, accounts, order records and the rules that connect the other participants.
Marketplace mechanics
How Online
How Online
Marketplaces Work
A marketplace connects multiple participants through shared listings, order records and resolution rules. This guide explains those moving parts without claiming that any live service currently enables a particular feature.
Participants
Four roles shape a marketplace
The labels vary between services, but most multi-party marketplaces separate these responsibilities.
Seller
Creates listings, defines terms, accepts orders and records fulfillment steps.
Buyer
Reviews listing terms, creates an order and responds to payment or fulfillment updates.
Moderator
Applies published rules when participants disagree about an order state or outcome.
Order lifecycle
A record moves through defined states
| State | What the record represents | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Listing | An offer with scope, price and stated conditions. | Read the complete terms rather than relying on a title or badge. |
| Created | An order record exists but may not yet have a settled payment state. | Confirm identifiers and totals before taking any action. |
| Paid | The system has associated a detected transaction with the order. | Separate network confirmation from the marketplace's own status label. |
| In progress | The seller has acknowledged or begun fulfillment. | Keep messages and status changes attached to the order record. |
| Completed | The workflow has reached its normal end state. | Understand whether completion is reversible before confirming it. |
| Disputed | A moderator may review the record and supporting evidence. | Use factual, time-stamped information rather than unsupported claims. |
System boundaries
Do not confuse interface state with external reality
Network layer
A blockchain or payment network reports transactions and confirmations independently of a marketplace page.
Marketplace layer
The platform interprets external events and assigns labels such as pending, paid or refunded.
Human layer
Participants make decisions, send messages and provide evidence. A status badge cannot validate those claims by itself.
Continue learning
Follow one semantic path
Order workflow
See how one record moves from listing review to a final state.
Read the workflow ›Payment states
Separate wallet activity, network confirmation and marketplace labels.
Understand payments ›Interface map
Learn what common listing, order and message views are designed to show.
Map the interface ›