Two-sided marketplace - disputes and customer service
I have an idea for a two-sided marketplace (more niche version of UpWork), but aside from dealing with the chicken and egg problem concerning users, what I'm most worried about is handling disputes and customer service as a lone indie hacker. How have you guys dealt with these issues? Are two-sided marketplaces worth the hassle?
I know this is aged post, but did you ever move forward with this? Would love to hear an update. I'm also validating some two-sided marketplace ideas.
You have two questions here. 1) how do you handle disputes, customer services, and all hand-holding and 2) are marketplaces worth the hassle.
I would say - you need to get an answer to #1. Nobody can help you here, but yourself.
(How do I know? I run a multi-sided marketplace and done it several times before.)
I have a similar concern. My gut is (1) set expectations with both sides that the onus is on them to resolve but also then (2) have a system in place for when to step in re: conflict resolution and refunds. I believe it is mostly inevitable, especially if your site controls payments and communication channels between both parties.
Looking forward to hearing what others think...