The latest articles on DEV Community by Muheet Yaqoob (@devmuheet). https://dev.to/devmuheet https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4098617%2F37742b41-b520-48ae-a966-0111818e43b8.jpg https://dev.to/devmuheet en Muheet Yaqoob Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:33:47 +0000 https://dev.to/devmuheet/i-built-a-marketplace-where-you-can-list-any-project-for-1-no-commission-i53 https://dev.to/devmuheet/i-built-a-marketplace-where-you-can-list-any-project-for-1-no-commission-i53 <p>Almost every developer has a graveyard of unfinished side projects, an app they outgrew, or a domain they bought on a whim and never used.</p> <p>I have a few of those myself. And when I looked at selling them, I kept hitting the same wall: marketplaces built for big deals, with commissions, minimum fees and listing costs that make a small sale pointless.</p> <p>So I built <strong>Trove</strong>.</p> <h2> What is Trove? </h2> <p>Trove is a marketplace where you can list your unused <strong>domains, websites, apps, brands and ideas</strong> for a flat <strong>$1 per project</strong>.</p> <ul> <li> <strong>$1 flat fee</strong> per listing, one-time</li> <li> <strong>0% commission</strong>, you keep 100% of the sale</li> <li> <strong>Direct contact</strong>, buyers reach you by email, X, Discord or Telegram</li> <li> <strong>No middlemen</strong>, you set the price and control the deal</li> <li> <strong>Sign in</strong> with Google or email and list in minutes</li> </ul> <p><strong>Try it here:</strong> <a href="https://get-trove.vercel.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">get-trove.vercel.app</a><br> (Short link: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/trove12" rel="noopener noreferrer">tinyurl.com/trove12</a>)</p> <h2> Why I built it </h2> <p>Good projects get abandoned all the time, not because they have no value, but because selling them is more hassle than it is worth.</p> <p>The big marketplaces are great for six-figure deals. But if your project is worth $50 or $500, a commission and a listing fee can eat a large part of the sale. So the project just sits there.</p> <p>I wanted a place where:</p> <ol> <li>Listing is so cheap it is a no-brainer</li> <li>Sellers keep everything they earn</li> <li>Buyers and sellers talk directly, with no gatekeeper</li> </ol> <p>Every builder has something that could be someone else's launchpad. Good ideas deserve a new owner.</p> <h2> How it works </h2> <p><strong>For sellers</strong></p> <ol> <li>Sign in with Google or email</li> <li>Pay $1 through Whop checkout</li> <li>Add your project: title, type, description, asking price and how buyers can contact you</li> <li>Your listing goes live, and interested buyers contact you directly</li> </ol> <p>Want to list another project? Each one is another $1.</p> <p><strong>For buyers</strong></p> <ol> <li>Browse listings by type and price</li> <li>Sign in to see the seller's contact details</li> <li>Start the conversation and agree on the deal directly</li> </ol> <h2> The tech stack </h2> <p>I built Trove as a lightweight single-page app so it stays cheap to run:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Frontend:</strong> HTML, CSS and vanilla JavaScript (ES modules), hosted on <strong>Vercel</strong> </li> <li> <strong>Authentication:</strong> <strong>Firebase Authentication</strong> (Google and email)</li> <li> <strong>Database:</strong> <strong>Cloud Firestore</strong> for listings, seller contact details and listing credits</li> <li> <strong>Payments:</strong> <strong>Whop</strong> checkout for the $1 listing fee</li> <li> <strong>Credits:</strong> a <strong>Firebase Cloud Function</strong> verifies the Whop webhook signature and adds one listing credit to the buyer's account</li> <li> <strong>Security:</strong> Firestore security rules ensure only the server can add credits, only owners can edit their listings, and seller contact details are visible to signed-in users only</li> </ul> <p>A few things I learned along the way:</p> <ul> <li> <strong>Never trust the client for payments.</strong> Credits can only be added by a verified webhook on the server. The client can only spend one credit when it creates a listing, and a Firestore batch write with security rules keeps that atomic.</li> <li> <strong>Verify webhook signatures.</strong> Anyone can send a request to your endpoint, so check the signature before you trust it.</li> <li> <strong>Keep secrets out of the frontend.</strong> Firebase config is public by design, but payment keys and webhook secrets belong in the server environment only.</li> <li> <strong>Start without fake data.</strong> An empty marketplace with honest empty states beats a page full of invented listings.</li> </ul> <h2> What Trove is not </h2> <p>To be upfront: Trove is a <strong>listing platform</strong>. It does not hold funds or handle the transfer of ownership between buyer and seller. For larger deals I recommend using a reputable escrow service, and there is a safety page on the site with tips for both sides.</p> <h2> What is next </h2> <p>Trove is brand new, so I am focused on getting the first real listings and learning what sellers and buyers actually need. Ideas I am considering:</p> <ul> <li>Seller verification</li> <li>Featured listings</li> <li>Better search and filters</li> <li>Escrow partnerships as volume grows</li> </ul> <h2> I would love your feedback </h2> <p>If you have an unused project, list it. If you are looking for a domain, site or app to start from, have a look around. And if you have feedback on the idea, the UX or the security setup, I would really like to hear it in the comments.</p> <p><strong>Link:</strong> <a href="https://get-trove.vercel.app" rel="noopener noreferrer">get-trove.vercel.app</a><br> <strong>Short link:</strong> <a href="https://tinyurl.com/trove12" rel="noopener noreferrer">tinyurl.com/trove12</a><br> <strong>Support:</strong> <a href="https://x.com/devmuheet" rel="noopener noreferrer">@devmuheet on X</a></p> <p>Thanks for reading!</p> showdev startup webdev