Trust & Safety
What we do to keep scammers and spam off the site. And what we don't do.
We are pilots, and some of us have bought aircraft from strangers. We know the fear of sending money for something you have only seen in photos. So when we built MarketplaceAviation we started from the protections, not from the features.
Here is everything that is active today. No promises about the future: only what works now.
The protections active today
Seller contacts for members only
Phone numbers and messaging are visible only to registered members. Visitors who are not logged in see a masked number. This keeps bots from collecting sellers' contacts.
Checks against fake accounts
Registration has automatic checks that stop bots, and a limit on how many accounts can be created from the same connection in an hour.
Suspicious first messages flagged
When the first message of a conversation contains an email address, a link or the name of a messenger app, it is shown with a warning. Moving to another channel too early is the typical first step of a scam.
WhatsApp and Telegram links blocked
Links to WhatsApp, Telegram and similar apps cannot be sent in any message. Phone numbers are allowed: a real seller can call you.
Limits on mass messaging
An account can contact only a limited number of new people per hour and send a limited number of messages per day. The same text sent to many sellers is blocked.
Report this ad
Every listing has a "Report this ad" button for members. Each report reaches us by email, and a listing reported by several members is hidden until we review it.
Accounts suspended
Accounts that break our Community Guidelines are suspended: all their listings disappear from the site at once. Advertising your own business in messages to other members counts as spam.
Email notifications that point back to the site
When you get a new message we send you an email, but you reply on the site, not by email. This keeps the whole conversation where we can see reports and act on them.
Boost payments through Stripe
The only payment on the site is the optional Boost for your listing, handled by Stripe. We never send payment links in messages and never ask you to pay for an aircraft or a part through the site.
What we don't do
MarketplaceAviation is a place where buyers and sellers meet. We think it's fair to tell you clearly where our job ends:
- We don't verify the identity of members.
- We don't inspect aircraft or parts, and we don't check that the ad matches reality.
- We don't take part in the sale and don't hold the buyer's money: there is no escrow on MarketplaceAviation.
That's why the last checks are up to you: see the aircraft, ask for a pre-buy inspection by a mechanic you choose, check the register, and pay through an escrow company you found yourself. We explain how, step by step, in our guide How to buy safely.
How you can help
- If an ad looks fake, use "Report this ad" on the listing. We read every report.
- If someone asks you for a deposit, sends you an escrow link or pushes you to WhatsApp right away, stop and write to us.
- Read the Community Guidelines: they say what is not allowed on the site.
Something doesn't feel right?
Write to us. A real person reads it.