Frequently asked questions
What is Cinderella?
A marketplace for half-built repos and raw ideas. Upload a project (or just an idea), it gets scrubbed and valued, then listed for sale — so work that went dormant gets a second life.
How does selling work?
Sign in, then upload a repo at /sell (or post a raw idea at /sell/idea). We scrub it, score its readiness and a suggested price, you attest you have the right to sell it, and it goes live. Track everything at My listings.
What does “scrubbing” do?
Before anyone sees your code, the scrubber removes secrets (API keys, tokens, private keys), deletes things that should never ship (.env files, database dumps), and redacts PII. If it flags anything blocking, the listing goes to human review before it can be published.
How is the price decided?
A transparent, weighted rubric — completeness, code volume, tests, docs, polish, and how clean the scrub came back — produces a readiness score (0–100) and a suggested asking range. It's a starting point; buyers can also make an offer.
How does buying work?
Open a listing and either Buy (for priced repos) or Make an offer. Payment is held in escrow — it only releases to the seller once you confirm you've received the repo. Ideas skip escrow: pay, and the full pitch is delivered to you instantly by email and on the site. Track your orders at Purchases.
What's the fee?
Sellers keep their sale price minus a 24% platform fee — less than that on large sales, where the rate slides down (see Pricing). It's paid out when the buyer releases escrow; sellers connect a payout account at Payouts. There are no listing fees, so nothing is charged if it never sells.
I made an offer — what happens next?
The seller can accept, decline, or counter with a different amount. You'll get an email and an in-app notification either way. If they counter, respond from Purchases — accept it, decline it, or message the seller to keep negotiating.
My offer was accepted — what do I do? (buyer)
Three steps, all from Purchases: 1) Pay — the listing is reserved for you and your payment goes into escrow, not to the seller. 2) Download the scrubbed bundle (plus any extra assets) once escrow is held. 3) Verify it runs, then release the payment. If you hit a problem during your inspection window, open a dispute instead of releasing.
Someone accepted my price — what do I do? (seller)
From My listings: 1) Wait for the buyer's payment — escrow shows as held once it lands. 2) Work the handoff checklist — the scrubbed bundle is the deliverable (your original repo stays yours); rotate any credentials the scrub removed and send anything it dropped. 3) Once the buyer verifies and releases, your net (sale price minus the 24% fee) pays out to your Stripe account — connect one at Payouts.
Do I keep the rights to what I sell?
You transfer rights to the buyer as part of the sale, backed by the Seller Agreement. Read the Seller Agreement and Terms for specifics (they're drafts pending legal review).
What are “ideas”?
Concepts with no code yet — starter prompts someone could build. Buyers make an offer to acquire and build them.