Frequently Asked Questions

Browse or search listings, add items to your cart, then check out with a seller. Each seller checks out separately since payouts go directly to them, but you can have items from multiple sellers in your cart at once.

Yes — sellers choose per listing whether an item ships, is local-pickup-only, or both. Listings that don't offer shipping are marked "Local pickup only" on the listing page.

It depends on the item's weight, size, and how far it's traveling from the seller. Small items are estimated by distance and weight; heavy or palletized items (like drywall or lumber) get a real live freight quote. You'll always see the shipping cost before you check out.

Message the seller through the listing page before you buy if you have questions — that's the fastest way to avoid surprises. If there's a problem after a purchase, reach out via Contact Us and we'll help sort it out.

Yes. Creating one takes a minute (email/password or Google sign-in), and it's what lets you save a shipping address, message sellers, track orders, and leave reviews.

Yes, completely free to post. TradersBuild only takes a commission when something actually sells.

8% of the item's sale price. If you offer shipping, there's also a small markup on the shipping cost — you still receive the full real shipping/freight cost in your payout to cover what you actually pay a carrier.

Connect a payout account under Dashboard → Payout Settings (powered by Stripe). Once that's set up, payouts happen automatically as soon as a buyer completes checkout — no invoicing required.

No. You can list an item as local-pickup-only, offer shipping with weight and dimensions so we can calculate a cost, or both aren't required — it's your choice per listing.

A ZIP code (so we know where it's coming from) and the per-unit weight and dimensions, so we can classify it as a standard parcel or freight shipment and calculate an accurate cost.

Small, lighter items ship like a normal package. Heavy or bulky items — generally over 150 lbs or larger than about 8 feet in any dimension, like a pallet of materials — ship as LTL freight instead, which is priced very differently and gets a real live freight quote rather than an estimate.

The seller. TradersBuild calculates and collects the shipping cost at checkout so there's a real number up front, and the full real shipping cost is included in the seller's payout to cover booking the carrier or freight pickup themselves.

Buyers can leave a star rating and comment after a purchase completes — reviews are tied to a real, verified transaction, not freeform claims, so seller ratings reflect actual sales.

Payments are processed entirely by Stripe. TradersBuild never sees or stores your card details.

Yes — every listing has a "Message Seller" option to ask questions before you commit to a purchase.

To keep transactions — and the buyer/seller protections that come with them — on TradersBuild, phone numbers and email addresses can't be sent through messages until you've completed a purchase together. Once you check out, you're free to share contact details to coordinate pickup or delivery.