VerraEarth
A vetted marketplace for makers: sellers prove their goods are actually handmade, and payments split automatically between the platform and the vendor.
The problem
Most marketplaces will list anything. VerraEarth wanted the opposite: a curated space where every vendor proves their products are genuinely crafted, not relabeled and resold, which meant building the vetting process into the platform itself, not just the storefront.
Approach
I built customer, vendor, and admin portals on Next.js and Redux against a Node.js and TypeORM API, with Stripe Connect handling split payments (a platform fee plus a per-vendor transfer) and a delayed escrow-release service that holds vendor payouts until a release window passes. Vendor applications go through an admin review queue before a store goes live.
What it does
- Stripe Connect payouts with automatic platform fees and a delayed release window, not instant transfers
- A vendor application and review flow gating who gets to sell, with a directory of storefronts once approved
- Realtime messaging, a disputes flow, and support tickets between customers and vendors
- A community layer: articles, comments, and events sitting alongside the storefronts
Where it stands
Built solo over roughly four months of active development, with the full commerce, payout, and moderation loop in place.