kikemal/ethiopian-marketplace

# SuqET SuqET is an Ethiopian second-hand marketplace for buying and selling used goods in ETB. It is built around how trade already works on the ground — especially around Merkato and Addis Ababa — with catalog, chat, payment, and handover in one place instead of scattered DMs and cash-only deals. Buyers browse a searchable catalog (photos, condition, category, location), save listings, and open a conversation with the seller. Chat is live: ask about the item, make a price offer, and agree on meetup or delivery. When they are ready, they can pay in-app with **Buy now** through Chapa. Funds are held until the seller confirms handover — an escrow-style hold, not an instant payout. After a completed purchase, buyers can leave a review. Sellers list items with photos, price, and meetup or delivery options, then run the rest from a dashboard: listings, conversations, and orders. Admin reviews seller KYC (ID and face photos) and listing reports so the marketplace stays usable. | | | |---|---| | App | ethiopian-marketplace-opal.vercel.app | | API | suqet-api.onrender.com (`GET /api/health`) | ## Table of Contents - Features - Architecture - Quick Start - Project Structure - How it works - Authentication - Database - Contributing - License ## ✨ Features - Searchable catalog in ETB — photos, condition, category, location, meetup or delivery - **Buy now** — pay for a listing directly through Chapa; funds are held until the seller confirms delivery - Real-time chat (Socket.io) — typing indicators, Seen receipts, and online presence - Price offers on a listing, tied to the same conversation - Saved listings and public seller profiles - Reviews after a completed purchase - Seller KYC (ID and face photos) and listing reports — reviewed in Admin - Seller dashboard for listings, conversations, and orders - Mobile-first UI (English, with Amharic in catalog copy and a header language control) ## 🏗️ Architecture Two folders. All secrets live on the API — never in `web/` or …