tags: [startup, nextjs, convex, marketplace]
I co-founded Global Pet Sitter with my friend Geert, drawing on over a decade of combined housesitting experience. Here's what we learned building a two-sided marketplace.
Why We Built It
The existing platforms like TrustedHousesitters frustrated us:
- Escalating fees ($12 booking charges on top of membership)
- Unresponsive support (chatbots replaced real humans)
- Flawed review systems (false reviews couldn't be removed)
- Inadequate vetting (background checks were optional)
The Tech Stack
- Next.js 16 (App Router + Turbopack)
- Convex for real-time backend
- Clerk for authentication
- Tailwind for styling
Convex was chosen for built-in real-time updates, type-safe TypeScript queries, and straightforward deployment.
Trust is Everything
Blind Reviews
Both parties submit reviews independently. Neither sees the other's feedback until both submit or 14 days elapse. This prevents retaliatory reviews.
Importing Reviews from Other Platforms
New users can link profiles on existing platforms. We verify through unique profile bio codes, then use GPT-4 Vision to extract review metadata from screenshots automatically.
Two-Sided Marketplaces Are Hard
Chicken-and-egg dynamics plague two-sided markets. We focused on dual-sided features: map-based sit discovery and dual account functionality (users can be both sitter and owner).
Key Lessons
- Soft deletes everywhere - you'll thank yourself later
- Every complaint is a feature request in disguise
- The tech wasn't the hard part - getting users was
What We've Shipped
Map search, dual accounts, privacy controls, real-time messaging, blind reviews, review importing with AI extraction, and an iPhone app in development.
https://jovweb.dev/blog/lessons-from-building-global-pet-sitter
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