Buying car parts online always involves a degree of trust. You're looking at a listing, chatting with a seller - but how do you know who's on the other side? Today we're rolling out a feature that adds a bit more transparency: Trader badges for business sellers.

How It Works

If you run a business that sells car parts - whether that's a breaker's yard, a parts shop, or any other registered trade - you can now register as a business seller on hank:

1. Go to your profile and find the new "Trader Status" section
2. Upload a business document (trade license, business registration, or similar)
3. Our team reviews it - you'll get an email once we're done

Once approved, you get a Trader badge that shows up on your profile and in chat conversations. Buyers will see at a glance that you're a registered business seller.

What the Badge Means (and What It Doesn't)

We want to be upfront about what this badge represents. When you see the Trader badge on someone's profile, it means:

• They have uploaded a business document such as a trade license or business registration
• Our team has reviewed the submission

It does not mean we've done a thorough identity check or verified the authenticity of the document itself. The badge is one signal among others - combine it with user ratings, communication history, and your own judgment when making a transaction.

We've deliberately chosen the word "Trader" and a store icon rather than a checkmark to make this distinction clear.

Why We Built This

Many of the sellers on hank are professional traders who deal in car parts every day. Until now, there was no way for them to distinguish themselves from casual sellers. The Trader badge gives professional sellers a way to signal their business status, while giving buyers a bit more context.

For Buyers

When you're chatting with a seller, you'll now see a banner in the conversation if they're a registered business seller. You can also spot the badge on their public profile. It's one more piece of information to help you decide who to trade with - alongside ratings, response times, and your own instincts.

Check out our Safety Tips page for more advice on trading safely.

Technical Details

We've paid attention to privacy and security in the implementation:

• Uploaded documents are not publicly visible - only our review team can see them
• Documents are archived after review and stored securely
• You can delete and reupload your document while it's still under review
• Supported formats are JPEG, PNG, WebP, and PDF (up to 5MB)

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As always, we'd love to hear your feedback. If you're a business seller, give it a try and let us know how it goes.

Happy hanking!

Robert - hank team