Messages are part of the record

Every message about an order is potential evidence in a dispute that has not happened yet. That single fact settles most questions about what to write and where to write it.

Everything about an order stays on the market

Market messaging is encrypted, tied to the order and visible to arbitration if it is ever needed. Moving a conversation elsewhere because it is quicker removes all three of those properties. It is also the standard opening move for anybody trying to work around escrow, so a buyer who insists on it is telling you something.

Answer speed matters more than answer length

A short reply the same day beats a thorough reply three days later. Buyers reading a profile can see response patterns and they treat silence as risk. Set a window you can actually keep, including on bad weeks, and keep it.

What to answer and what to leave

• Answer questions about your own listing, timing and terms plainly
• Answer a complaint with facts and an offer, not with a defence
• Decline requests to move off the market, briefly and without explanation
• Decline finalize early requests as a matter of policy rather than as a judgement about that buyer
• Do not discuss other vendors, other buyers or anything about your operation

Tone

Neutral and short. Not friendly, not clipped. The register you want is a supplier confirming a delivery window, because that is what reads as competent to somebody deciding whether to place a larger order.

Templates without sounding like a template

Keep a few standard replies for the common cases and edit two words per use so the buyer is answering a person rather than a macro. The saved time is real, and the small edit is what stops a profile filling with reviews about copy paste responses.

Where the working day starts

Orders, messages and stock all sit behind the login, so the first action of any shift is opening a working address. Take one from the column on the left, paste it into Tor Browser with the security slider at its highest setting, and check the address printed on the sign in page against what your browser shows before a single keystroke goes in.

Sign in on a lookalike once and the shop belongs to whoever built it. Run the address check at the start of every shift, and treat any address found through a search engine or passed along in a chat while the market is slow as hostile by default.