Every capability described elsewhere in this topic — subscription tiers, listings and slices, buyer profiles, valuations — has to live somewhere a person can actually use it. That place is the marketplace web app. It's the screen an owner sees after signing in, and the surface where buying and selling actually happen.
§ 01 · One app, every surfaceWhat lives here.
The app brings the platform's features into a single workspace:
| Surface | What you do |
|---|---|
| Valuations | Run and review a book's range |
| Listings & slices | Create, edit, and publish supply |
| Buyer database | Browse and filter named buyers |
| Platform inbox | Message counterparties |
| Account & billing | Manage your tier and settings |
§ 02 · A thin clientThe app shows; the backend knows.
The app is deliberately a thin client: almost everything it displays is fetched from the backend in real time rather than stored in the browser. That design choice has direct user benefits. Because the data lives in one authoritative place, the app never shows you a stale copy — what you see reflects the current state of your listings, messages, and tier. And because the app's job is presentation, it stays fast and responsive across devices.
§ 03 · Built to evolveA modern foundation.
The app is built on a current, well-supported web foundation, which matters less for any single feature than for the pace of everything that follows: new product surfaces can ship into the same app without a rebuild, and improvements reach buyers and sellers on a steady cadence. The marketplace web app is, in the end, the user's perception of the whole platform — so keeping it modern and fast is a product priority, not an afterthought.
The app is the platform, as far as a user is concerned. Keeping it thin — presentation in the browser, truth in the backend — is what makes every surface fast and every view current.
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Terminology on this shelf
- Marketplace web app
- The authenticated application where buyers and sellers run listings, valuations, the buyer database, and the inbox.
- Thin client
- An app that presents the experience while the data and rules live in the backend, keeping views fast and current.
- Platform inbox
- The in-app messaging surface between counterparties.