This is a word of warning to anyone looking to create an online marketplace – do NOT collaborate or work with Retavo!

After over a year of this unprofessional company constantly pushing back deadlines, leading me on with promised features, and never creating a satisfactory finished product, I cannot advise against them enough. I’ve been in the online marketplace business for about 4 years now, and have had no issues working with Sharetribe, who I wholeheartedly recommend.

Retavo made claims that they could port customers and their listings over (they could not), that my customers would be able to use PayPal as a payment method, one of the most common forms of payment on the internet (this feature was never implemented), and that all of this would be done by Spring 2023. (This did not happen.)

Retavo used a business that they only created the very basic framework of as an “example” in their portfolio of work, but when I reached out to the owner of the platform referenced, she revealed to me that Retavo had only created the framework, and that because of their limitations she ended up hiring another team to finish their work. I wish I had heard back from her sooner before I signed a contract with this team.

In the end Retavo kicked me out of the Slack we were collaborating with, claimed that I removed myself, and has refused to refund me over $1800 that I have paid with no platform to show for it.

I have consulted legal advice on this matter.

I would seek legal action, but my small business is still very much a side gig for me, and I do not have the time nor resources to do this. This warning is the very least I figured I could do to warn others about their poor business practices. They also reside in a different state than I do.

If you have any inquiries about the legitimacy of my claims or would like further evidence, feel free to DM me.

Is there anything else I can do beyond warning other people about them? Thank you!