How Identity & Trust Works

Our trust system rewards sellers who make themselves reachable and verifiable. Higher scores unlock more features. Privacy is respected, but transparency is rewarded.

Trust Score (0-21 Points)

Your score comes from three things: proving your identity, linking social accounts, and earning reviews from customers.

Core Identity (up to 10 points)

Prove you're real and reachable. Each method earns points for listing it, making it public, and verifying it.

• Display name — set your name (1 pt)
• Email — verify via login, make it public on a listing (up to 2 pts)
• Phone — list it, make it public, verify via SMS (up to 3 pts)
• Nostr — list your npub (1 pt)
• Domain — list your website, verify by pointing a domain to your listing or profile (up to 2 pts)
• Partner banner — add an Agorist.Market banner or link to your website (2 pts + ad-free listing + dofollow backlink)

Social Links (up to 12 points, capped)

Link your social accounts on your listings. Each platform counts once across all your listings. Social points are capped at 1.5x your core identity score — build your core first.

Reviews

Customer reviews directly affect your score. Five stars earns +2 points, four stars +1, three stars is neutral, and negative reviews reduce your score. Only approved reviews count.

Trust Tiers

Every tier has one headline unlock. Keep climbing, keep earning.

Score	Tier	Headline Unlock
0–2	🌱 New	Basic listing, custom domain, data export — 1 listing
3–4	✓ Verified	2 photos + listing subdomain — 2 listings
5–9	🛡️ Trusted	4 photos + meta description override — 3 listings
10–14	⭐ Established	6 photos + 1 video + custom CSS + dofollow + landing page — 4 listings
15–19	🏛️ Pillar	8 photos + 2 videos + top organic placement — 5 listings
20–21	👑 Keystone	Ad-free listing page — the top prize, earned

You can leave reviews starting at 2 points (every verified-email user qualifies), and every tier still has the unlocks from the tiers below it.

Trust is Earned, Never Bought

Every feature on this page is free. They unlock as your trust score climbs — verify your identity, link socials, get reviews. We can't be paid to give you trust points.

Two headline rewards have a faster shortcut: a verified partner banner grants dofollow backlinks and ad-free status immediately, regardless of trust score. That's a true reciprocal SEO exchange — you link to us, we link to you.

What's For Sale, Then?

Only advertising placement — Featured ($50/mo) and Spotlight ($100/mo) put your listing in front of more visitors. Paid placement never raises your trust score and never unlocks listing features. Your trust tier badge is always earned.

For Buyers

Higher trust tiers mean a seller has invested in being reachable and verifiable. Check the badge, read reviews, and look for verified contact info. Trust scores are a guide, not a guarantee — always use your own judgment.

For Sellers

Start by verifying your email and making your contact info public. Add social accounts and a website. Earn great reviews. You don't have to verify everything — a seller with strong reviews can reach the same tier as someone who verified every method.