DONUT MARKET

How Donut Market works

Full guide for buyers and sellers

Donut Market is a peer-to-peer marketplace for the DonutSMP Minecraft server with zero fees and escrow protection. Every deal is escrowed by an in-game guarantor, so buyers never lose money to scammers and sellers always get paid for delivered goods.

1. Account & verification

  1. Sign up with email, a unique username, and your Minecraft nickname. Your in-game nickname must match the account you actually play on — every deal is tied to it.
  2. Verify your email by clicking the link we send. Until you verify, you can browse listings but cannot create listings or open deals.
  3. Add an avatar (PNG/JPEG/WEBP, ≤ 2 MB) — every avatar is moderated for forbidden content before it goes live.
  4. The marketplace runs in English by default. You can switch to Russian in the language picker.

2. Why you can trust trades here

  • Escrow guarantor. Every payment goes to a trusted neutral guarantor, not directly to the seller. The guarantor only releases funds after the buyer confirms delivery (or, in disputes, when admins decide).
  • Reputation is everything. After every completed deal, both sides leave a 1–5 star review with optional screenshot proof. A seller's rating, deal count, and review history are shown on every listing card. Sellers with 0 reviews are visibly new — buyers can choose accordingly.
  • Admin moderation. Suspicious listings, scam attempts, and inappropriate content can be reported. Repeat offenders are banned and lose access to the platform.
  • No fees. The price you see is the price you pay (or receive). We do not take a cut.

3. For buyers — how to buy

  1. Browse the catalog. Categories: Spawners, Bases, Services, Mystery Boxes, Map Arts. Filters: price range, mob type (spawners), build size/style (bases), detail level (map-arts), and an "online sellers only" toggle when you want immediate delivery.
  2. Open a listing. Check the seller's rating, number of completed deals, and recent reviews. The price, quantity, and delivery terms are shown on the listing page.
  3. Click Buy. Enter your in-game Minecraft nickname (the one you'll receive items on), confirm.
  4. The seller has time to confirm they have the items in stock. Once they confirm, the guarantor lists a unique decoy item on Auction House for the deal's price. Your deal page shows you the item name and a clickable /ah <guarantor-nick> command — copy it, run in-game, find the listing, buy it. Funds are now escrowed.
  5. The seller delivers your purchase (TPA in-game, place blocks, fly you to the base, etc).
  6. Click Confirm receipt. The guarantor releases payment to the seller.
  7. Leave a review with star rating, comment, and optional imgbb screenshot proof.

4. For sellers — how to sell

  1. Click Create listing. Pick a category (Spawner / Base / Service / Mystery Box / Map Art) — each has its own form with relevant fields:
    • Spawner: mob type, total quantity available, minimum per deal, optional bulk price.
    • Base: ready or on-demand, size, build style tags, screenshots.
    • Service: any Minecraft service — building, farming, transport, custom requests.
    • Mystery Box: hint about contents (without spoiling).
    • Map Art: ready piece or on-demand commission from your reference, detail levels, time estimate.
  2. Set price and add screenshots from imgbb (the only allowed image host). Every screenshot is auto-moderated for forbidden content. You can paste either the imgbb page link (ibb.co/...) or the full HTML embed code.
  3. Limits: up to 35 active listings per account. Listings auto-expire — extend them from your dashboard when needed.
  4. When someone buys: you get a notification. Confirm you have the items in stock. The guarantor lists the decoy and the buyer pays on the Auction House.
  5. Once the guarantor confirms payment, deliver the goods to the buyer in-game (the deal page shows you their MC nickname). Click I delivered.
  6. When the buyer confirms receipt, the guarantor pays you automatically — no fees, no waiting.
  7. Both you and the buyer leave reviews. Build reputation = get more buyers.

5. Commission deals (custom builds & map-arts on demand)

For BASE on-demand and MAP_ART on-demand listings the flow is more iterative — the seller doesn't have a ready product, they build it for you. The platform supports a full negotiation + revision cycle:

  1. DISCUSSING — buyer opened the deal, both sides chat about the brief: dimensions, style, deadlines, references. The buyer attaches an imgbb reference image (required for MAP_ART).
  2. Seller proposes an invoice — fixed price + scope description + optional deadline. This locks in the agreement.
  3. Buyer accepts or rejects. If rejected — back to DISCUSSING for re-negotiation.
  4. AWAITING_PAYMENT — once the invoice is accepted, the guarantor lists a unique decoy on Auction House for the agreed price. Buyer pays on AH (same flow as standard deals).
  5. IN_PROGRESS — funds are escrowed, the seller starts building. They post progress screenshots in the chat.
  6. Seller submits the work. Before submission, the seller must post at least 2 imgbb screenshots of the finished build. Status moves to AWAITING_FINAL_REVIEW.
  7. Buyer reviews:
    • Accept → status DELIVERED → buyer confirms receipt → escrow released to seller.
    • Request revision → status REVISION_REQUESTED. The seller continues working from where they left off.
  8. Extra-invoice for scope creep. If during revisions the buyer asks for more than the original brief covered, the seller can propose an extra invoice for an additional payment. Buyer accepts → guarantor lists a second decoy for the extra amount → buyer pays on AH → revisions continue.
  9. Final delivery → buyer confirms → escrow released → both leave reviews.

Tips for commission deals:

  • Lock the brief in writing in the chat before accepting an invoice. Vague briefs cause disputes.
  • Sellers — post progress screenshots regularly. It's evidence if the buyer claims you weren't working.
  • Buyers — request revisions promptly. Disappearing for a week then asking for major redo is unfair to the seller and admins won't side with you in disputes.
  • Use the extra-invoice flow honestly. Don't inflate prices mid-build to extort buyers — that's a ban.

6. Deal flow at a glance

  • AWAITING_SELLER_CONFIRMATION — buyer opened the deal, seller has ~24h to confirm stock or cancel.
  • AWAITING_PAYMENT — guarantor is preparing or has listed the decoy item. Buyer has 10 minutes to pay on AH (timer on the deal page).
  • PAYMENT_RECEIVED — funds in escrow, seller delivers.
  • DELIVERED — seller marked the delivery, buyer checks and confirms.
  • COMPLETED — guarantor pays seller, deal closed, both can leave reviews.
  • CANCELLED — either side cancelled, escrow refunds to the buyer.
  • DISPUTED — admin investigates, decides BUYER_WINS, SELLER_WINS, or REFUND.

7. Disputes

If something goes wrong — wrong items, undelivered goods, scam attempt — open a dispute from the deal page. An admin will review the chat history, screenshots, and audit logs, then decide:

  • Buyer wins: full refund from escrow.
  • Seller wins: escrow released to seller (proof of delivery confirmed).
  • Refund / partial: partial refund where both sides have grounds.

Admins look at chat messages, attached screenshots, deal timeline, and both sides' reputation. Don't lie — we have full audit logs.

8. Reviews & reputation

Reputation is the single most important thing on the platform.

  • After every COMPLETED deal, both sides can leave a 1–5 star review.
  • Optional screenshot proof (imgbb link) makes reviews more credible. Reviews with proof are weighted higher in rating displays.
  • Sellers see their rating on every listing card. Buyers see the seller's deal count and recent feedback before opening a deal.
  • Reviews cannot be edited or deleted by the author after posting (admins can hide ones that violate policy).
  • Faking reviews, sock-puppet trades, and review-bombing competitors is grounds for permanent ban.

9. Communication

Every deal has its own chat. Use it for delivery coordination, clarifications, and screenshots. The chat is moderated for forbidden content; messages are kept as evidence in case of disputes.

Profanity filter blocks common slurs in both English and Russian. Don't try to bypass it with leetspeak — it's an instant report flag.

10. Notifications

The bell icon at the top right shows recent events: new offers, deal status changes, listings sold, expiring listings, dispute decisions, ban warnings. Critical events (bans, dispute resolutions) also go to your registered email.

11. Tips for safer trades

  • Always read the listing description before buying. Sellers spell out exactly what's included.
  • Sellers — document the delivery. Take many, time-stamped screenshots showing item counts, the buyer's MC nick, your inventory before/after the trade, and the delivery itself. For deals over $1M — record a screen video of the entire delivery. Without proof, disputes can go either way.
  • Buyers — screenshot what you received immediately after delivery. If the seller cheats you on item count or quality, you need evidence to win the dispute.
  • Don't go off-platform. Any deal arranged outside Donut Market is not protected by escrow. If a seller asks you to pay them directly — report them.
  • Check ratings before buying expensive items. A seller with 50+ deals and 4.8★ is a different risk profile than one with 0 reviews.
  • Use the chat, not Discord DMs. Chat history is the evidence admins look at in disputes.

12. What's not allowed

  • Scams, fake listings, lying about stock or quality
  • NSFW content (avatars, screenshots, text)
  • Selling cheats, hacks, or anything that breaks DonutSMP rules
  • Selling real money, gift cards, or any IRL goods
  • Multi-account abuse (alt accounts to inflate reviews, dodge bans)
  • Spam, off-topic chat in deal threads

First-time violations get warnings. Repeat or severe violations = permanent ban + listings hidden.

13. Need help?

For platform issues — open a dispute in the relevant deal, or contact admins via the support link in the footer. For DonutSMP in-game issues that aren't marketplace-related, talk to DonutSMP staff directly.

Now you're ready to trade. Reputation gets built one deal at a time — start with small purchases, leave honest reviews, become a trusted name on the server. Good luck!

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