Platform Trust System

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Design a trust and safety system for a marketplace or platform
• Create review and rating policies that build confidence
• Build dispute resolution workflows for buyer-seller conflicts
• Implement fraud prevention measures and detection triggers

DO NOT use this skill for payment processing setup, legal compliance (consult a lawyer), or customer support ticketing. This is for trust infrastructure design.

Core Principle

TRUST IS THE CURRENCY OF MARKETPLACES — WITHOUT IT, BUYERS WILL NOT PAY AND SELLERS WILL NOT LIST. BUILD TRUST INTO EVERY TRANSACTION TOUCHPOINT.

Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

GATE: Confirm the brief before designing the system.

Phase 2: Design Trust Architecture

Three Pillars of Platform Trust

1. Prevention — Stop bad actors before they transact 2. Detection — Identify problems as they happen 3. Resolution — Handle disputes fairly and quickly

Prevention Layer

Detection Layer

Resolution Layer

See Phase 3 for detailed dispute resolution workflow.

GATE: Confirm the three-pillar approach before writing policies.

Phase 3: Write Trust Policies

Review and Rating System

Review eligibility: Only users who completed a transaction can leave a review Review window: 14 days after transaction completion Review format: Star rating (1-5) + written review (minimum 20 characters) Response: Sellers can respond publicly (one response per review)

Review removal criteria:

• Contains hate speech, threats, or personal information
• Reviewer did not complete a transaction
• Review is about the platform, not the seller/product
• Proven to be fraudulent or incentivized

Reviews are NOT removed for:

• Being negative
• Containing criticism the seller disagrees with
• Low star ratings

Dispute Resolution Workflow

1. Buyer or seller opens a dispute
   ↓
2. Both parties provide their side (48-hour window each)
   ↓
3. Platform reviews evidence (messages, transaction records, photos)
   ↓
4. Decision issued within 5 business days
   ↓
5a. Refund issued (partial or full)
5b. Dispute resolved in seller's favor
5c. Compromise offered
   ↓
6. Appeal option (one per dispute, reviewed by different team member)

Evidence accepted: Screenshots, messages on platform, photos, tracking numbers, contracts

Fraud Prevention Measures

• Transaction monitoring: Flag transactions 3x above category average
• Account velocity limits: New sellers limited to 5 transactions in first 14 days
• Payment holds: First-time seller payments held for 7 days
• Off-platform communication warning: Automated message when users share emails or phone numbers
• Chargeback tracking: Sellers with 3+ chargebacks in 90 days face account review

Phase 4: Polish

1. Trust Badges and Signals

Design visible trust indicators:

• Verified badge — Completed identity or business verification
• Top Rated badge — 4.8+ average with 10+ reviews
• Quick Responder badge — Responds within 4 hours on average
• Established badge — Active on platform for 6+ months
• Buyer Protection icon — Displayed on all transactions

2. Trust Metrics Dashboard

## Trust Health Metrics

- **Dispute rate:** % of transactions resulting in a dispute (target: under 2%)
- **Resolution time:** Average days to resolve a dispute (target: under 5)
- **Fraud detection rate:** % of flagged accounts confirmed as fraudulent
- **Review authenticity:** % of reviews verified as genuine
- **Repeat transaction rate:** Proxy for trust (higher = more trust)
- **Chargeback rate:** % of transactions resulting in chargebacks (target: under 0.5%)

3. Quality Checklist

## Trust System Checklist

- [ ] Identity verification process defined for sellers
- [ ] Review system only allows verified transaction participants
- [ ] Review removal criteria are documented and fair
- [ ] Dispute resolution workflow has clear steps and timelines
- [ ] Fraud detection signals are defined and automated where possible
- [ ] New user transaction limits are in place
- [ ] Trust badges defined and criteria documented
- [ ] Payment hold policy documented for new sellers
- [ ] Off-platform communication monitoring is active
- [ ] Trust metrics are tracked and reviewed monthly

Example

Platform: Freelance services marketplace

Review response template for sellers: "Thank you for your feedback, [Name]. I appreciate you sharing your experience. [Address specific point]. I have since [improvement made]. I look forward to delivering excellent work for future clients."

Dispute resolution message: "We have reviewed both sides of this dispute. Based on the project scope agreed upon in messages and the deliverables provided, we have decided to issue a 50% refund to the buyer. The seller delivered the core work, but key revisions outlined in the original agreement were not completed. Both parties can appeal within 7 days."

Anti-Patterns

• No review moderation — fake reviews destroy marketplace credibility. Monitor and enforce policies.
• Opaque dispute resolution — if users cannot see the process, they assume it is unfair. Document and communicate every step.
• Over-verifying — requiring 5 documents to list an item kills supply. Verify what matters for trust, not bureaucracy.
• Always siding with buyers — always-refund policies attract fraudulent buyers and drive sellers away. Be fair to both sides.
• Ignoring off-platform transactions — users who transact off-platform avoid fees and your protections. Detect and discourage.

Recovery

• Spike in disputes: Identify the pattern (specific seller, category, or buyer behavior). Tighten verification or listing standards in affected areas.
• Fake review ring detected: Remove all connected reviews, suspend involved accounts, and notify affected sellers/buyers.
• Seller feels unfairly treated in dispute: Offer the appeal process. Have a different person review. Transparency prevents escalation.
• No resources for manual moderation: Prioritize automated detection and focus manual review on high-risk transactions only.