Frequently Asked Questions

Note

The Particl Academy is up-to-date with Particl’s latest version, Particl Desktop 3.0.

Got any questions not answered here? Then let us know about it so that we can help you out and update the Particl Academy!

Particl Coin Questions

Coin Staking FAQ

Why are some of my coins aren’t staking after receiving my last staking reward?

When staking, your coins are separated into multiple outputs. Each output stakes separately with the hopes of finding and verifying a block.

When one of your outputs stakes a block, or when you receive a transaction, the output is temporarily unavailable until it can be moved or stake blocks again. This process is referred to as “maturing” and lasts for 225 blocks (~8 hours).

Once your output is mature once again, you’ll be able to transact the coins it contains, and it’ll be able to stake blocks once again.


Particl Marketplace Questions

General Marketplace FAQ

How can I create a new market identity?

The ability to create a new market identity is not enabled by default. To enable the option, go to Market Settings > Advanced Features and check the Enable multiple identities for the current profile box.

Then, click on the downward-facing arrow located above the Overview button in the menu on the left. This will display a new option. Simply click on Click to create… button to create a new market identity.

How can I earn PART by staking my coins?

This depends on many factors such as the total number of PART coins being staked by other users, the number of transactions on the marketplace, the number of transactions on the blockchain, the number of times people promote their market or storefront, etc.

To know everything about staking, head over to the Staking Explained in-depth guide.

Why can’t I see any listing on the marketplace?

To see listings on the marketplace, your Particl Desktop client needs to be fully synced with the Particl Blockchain AND the SMSG network. This process can take several minutes, especially if you have a slow internet connection, so don’t worry if you’re still not seeing anything after a while. Just leave your Particl Desktop client open, and it will eventually catch up. Note that the SMSG network can take several more minutes to sync than the blockchain.

Once your client is fully synced, it will be much faster to sync whenever you open it again. The initial syncing is the longest process and doesn’t need to be repeated every time.

I think I’ve found a bug. Where can I report it?

If you think you’ve found a bug or issue, click on the bug 🐛 icon at the bottom left corner of your Particl Desktop client and create a new Github report by clicking on the green New issue button.

Thanks for your help!

How can I get more technical support?

First, make sure that your question or issue isn’t already addressed somewhere in the Particl Academy. That’s the easiest way to fix most problems. Have you tried the search function?

If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for in there, then head over to the Get Support section to get more help!

Customer’s Frequently Asked Questions

How do I open the marketplace in order to see listings?

  1. Be sure to have the latest version of Particl Desktop installed. The Quickstart guide may help you greatly.

  2. After the initial startup, have some patience to let the blockchain sync in the background. On a fibre connection this takes up to 15 minutes. The following startups will sync-up way faster.

  3. Click on MARKET -> BROWSE and wait until numbers start to count up beside the REFRESH button. As soon as the first numbers appear click on REFRESH. Listings appear.

Be sure you don’t see any warnings in the top right „status“ bar. If you still don’t see any listings feel free to reach out on the community support channels. Get Support

What does each order status mean?

  • ORDER REQUEST: You have requested an order on an item and are now waiting for the vendor to accept it.

  • ACCEPTED: The vendor has accepted your order and is now waiting for you to send the payment and your security deposit in escrow.

  • ESCROW: You have locked your funds in escrow and are now waiting for the vendor to lock their security deposit as well.

  • PACKAGING: The vendor is now packaging your order and getting it ready to ship.

  • SHIPPING: The vendor has shipped your item and is now waiting for you to receive and confirm the delivery.

  • COMPLETE: You have received your order and have confirmed the order as “complete”. There are no more required actions in this transaction, and you’ve received your security deposit back.

Why isn’t the seller updating my order after I placed a bid?

If your Particl Desktop is protected by a password (encrypted), you need to unlock it with your password to receive order updates. If you keep your client locked, you won’t receive the notifications and won’t be able to progress to the next step.

If your order is still not updated after unlocking your client, that’s because the seller hasn’t done it yet. Wait for the vendor to update the order, or try leaving them a message in the Comments and Reviews section of the listing page!

Why does the marketplace require me to pay twice the value of the item I want to buy?

That’s because you need to fund the escrow contract with a security deposit equal to the total value of your order. This deposit will be refunded to you at no fee at all once the transaction is fully completed.

For example, if you’re buying an item worth $100 (including shipping), then you’ll be required to deposit a total of $200 into the escrow smart-contract. Half of this deposit is for the payment of the item to the seller ($100), and the other half is your security deposit ($100) which you’ll get back, with no fee, after the transaction is completed.

To learn more about Particl’s Two-Party Escrow system, head over to the Two-Party Escrow System Explained in-depth guide.

Can anyone else other than the seller see my shipping address?

No. Only the seller can access your shipping details. Neither Particl nor anyone else can collect your personal information. Particl is entirely decentralized, secure, and private by design.

How can I directly contact a seller?

You can leave a comment in a listing’s Comments and Reviews section. This will notify the seller that they’ve received a message, and they’ll be able to answer you. Keep in mind that the Comments and Reviews section is public, meaning all messages you and the seller leaves there are publicly visible.

Alternatively, sellers may sometimes leave their contact information such as an email address or instant messaging application username in their listing descriptions. Look in there and see if you can find something.

A more complete and private messaging/inbox system is being developed and will be added later during the Beta phase of development. To know what next features are planned for the Particl Marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

How can I ask for a refund or return through the marketplace?

Due to the current stage of development of the Particl Marketplace (Beta), this feature is currently not supported. If you want to ask a seller for a refund or return, please try to reach out to them by their provided contact information or through the Comments and Reviews section of the listing you have an issue with.

Direct messaging and a resolution center are planned features for later on during Beta. To know what next features are planned for the Particl Marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

Where can I find the tracking number of one of my orders?

When a seller leaves you a tracking number, you can check it out right from your Particl Desktop client. To do so, head over to the Orders page of the SELL section, find the order that you want to find the tracking number of, and click on it to expand its details.

A seller may not always leave a tracking number, but when they do, that’s where you’ll find it!

How can I cancel an order?

It’s only possible to cancel an order if the seller hasn’t yet accepted it. Otherwise, you can try reaching out to the seller by their provided contact information or through the Comments and Reviews section of the listing.

Vendor’s Frequently Asked Questions

How can I edit or delete a listing after it has been published?

Due to the current stage of development of the Particl Marketplace (Beta), it is currently not possible. If you want to change the description or image of an item, please publish a new listing.

This functionality will be added at a later stage during the Beta phase of development. To know what next features are planned for the marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

How can I manage my inventory quantities?

Due to the current stage of development of the Particl Marketplace (Beta), it is currently not possible. This is, however, one of the next functionality that is going to be added to the marketplace. It will allow you to manage quantities for your products and various other variants such as sizes, colors, fabrics, etc.

To know what next features are planned for the marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

How can I offer item options such as size, color, and other variants?

Due to the current stage of development of the Particl Marketplace (Beta), it is currently not possible. This is, however, one of the next functionality that is going to be added to the marketplace. It will allow you to manage quantities for your products and various other attributes such as sizes, colors, fabrics, etc.

To know what next features are planned for the marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

For how long do listings stay on the marketplace?

That’s all up to you! The expiry time for listings on the marketplace depends on the listing fee you pay. When publishing one or multiple listings, the Particl Desktop client will prompt you to select the number of days you want your listings to be published. Simply choose the number of days you prefer from the dropdown menu, and you’re all set!

How can I republish listings after they’ve expired?

Go to the Inventory & Products tab of the SELL page and find the template of the listing you want to republish. Click on it to display more options and click on the publishing icon (rocket) next to the market(s) or storefront(s) you want to publish your listing in. You can publish the same listing in many different markets.

Alternatively, you can instead click on the Batch (Re)publish… button on the same page to open up the publishing tool. On there, you can publish multiple listings at once on any market or storefront you have publishing rights.

How can I reply to a question left on one of my listings?

Go to your marketplace Overview page and look for the New questions and New answers tiles. Clicking on them will bring you to the right page and show you all outstanding questions and replies.

Why does my product show up in “Reported listings”, and what does this mean?

If one of your listings shows up in the Reported listings section, it means at least one person has flagged it as inappropriate. If enough people do the same, it will be taken off the marketplace entirely. If your listing shows up in the reported listings section but still shows up on the marketplace, it means that not enough people have voted to delete it.

Want to know more about Particl’s marketplace moderation system? Head over to the Marketplace Moderation Explained in-depth guide!

Why are listing fees different between different items?

Listing fees are determined by two dynamic factors — the expiry time of the listing and its size (measured in kb). If you publish your listing for a long time, or if it contains many pictures and a large description, it will be more expensive to list than a smaller listing in comparison.

Vendor’s Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Sell Orders

What does each order status mean?

  • BIDDING: A buyer has made a bid on an item and is now waiting for you to accept it.

  • ACCEPTED: You have accepted a bid on an item and are now waiting for the buyer to confirm payment and lock their funds (payment + security deposit) in escrow.

  • ESCROW: The buyer has locked their funds in escrow and is now waiting for you to lock your security deposit as well.

  • PACKAGING: The buyer is now waiting for you to package the order and ship it.

  • SHIPPING: You have marked the item as shipped and are now waiting for the buyer to receive and confirm the delivery.

  • COMPLETE: The item has been confirmed to be received by the buyer. There are no more required actions in this transaction, and you’ve received both the payment for the order and your security deposit back.

Why am I not receiving any new buy orders?

If your Particl Desktop client is protected by a password (encrypted), you need to unlock it with your password so that it can pick up new orders from the Particl network. If you keep your client locked, you won’t receive any new orders, and you will not get any update on other ongoing orders.

How can I send a tracking number or note to my customer?

Once you mark an order as SHIPPED (Package and Shipping an Order), your Particl Desktop client will prompt you to enter a tracking number or note to your customer. It’s an entirely optional step, but it helps your customers keep track of their order(s).

A complete messaging system will be added during the Beta phase of development. To know what next features are planned for the marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

How can I manage refunds and returns through the marketplace?

Due to the current stage of development of the Particl Marketplace (Beta), this feature is currently not supported. Direct messaging and a resolution center will be added at a later time during the Beta phase of development. To know what next features are planned for the marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

How can I directly contact a customer?

Due to the current stage of development of the Particl Marketplace (Beta), directly messaging a customer is not yet supported. You can, however, send a tracking number or note to your customer as part of the marketplace’s transaction flow.

A complete messaging system will be added at a later time during the Beta phase of development. To know what next features are planned for the marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.

How can I cancel an order?

Due to the current stage of development of the Particl Marketplace (Beta), it’s currently not possible to cancel an order once you have fully locked your security deposit in escrow.

Direct messaging and escrow management/negotiations will be added later during the Beta phase of development. This will let you communicate with your buyer and cancel, update, or resolve orders.

To know what next features are planned for the marketplace, refer to Particl’s development roadmap.