How money works

This release: nothing

Browsing, posting, matching, introductions, comments and proposals are free for end users and builders. Dunster takes no fee on any deal closed through an introduction made in this release, and there are no subscriptions.

What the platform asks for instead is information: both sides report where the deal stands at 30, 90 and 180 days after an introduction and leave feedback. An overdue report pauses posting, bidding and commenting rights until it is filed.

What comes in the next release

These mechanisms are designed and will be stated in the terms before they apply. Nothing below is active today.

• Priced RFQs with sealed bids. A verified end user posts a priced request with acceptance criteria. Bids are sealed (seen by the end user and Dunster only), capped at five, with a 14-day deadline adjustable per RFQ. Builders propose decompositions and form coalitions; the paying end user appoints the lead builder.
• Escrow for pilots and orders. Funds for a pilot or order are held by an escrow partner and released against milestones: deposit, pre-FAT, pilot report, FAT and SAT.
• Dunster's fee. 1 to 3 percent of the transaction (specification default 2 percent), paid by the builder on top of the escrow partner's fee. The trigger for when fees start is set after the initial release; the placeholder is the tenth priced RFQ on the platform, and it will be stated in the terms up front.
• Failed pilots. A pilot that does not pass its criteria still produces value. End users are encouraged to leave a share of the pilot fund as a Pilot Report payment, between 0 and 20 percent with 10 percent suggested in the form, released when the builder delivers the pilot report. Builders can tell the story in the Spotlight feature with the end user's consent. The end user declares pass or fail per criterion within ten business days; the builder countersigns or disputes within five; disputes go to the escrow partner's process. Dunster never adjudicates.
• Subscriptions. Full business details of the counterpart before a yes, advanced features and conveniences. The reveal after a mutual yes stays free.
• Builder ads, clearly labeled, targeted only on public card fields, never affecting matching or the safety badge.

What never changes

Dunster never acts as the integrator, never ranks for money, and never reveals an end user before a mutual yes.