How Piston Marketplace Works
1. How Piston Marketplace Works
Piston Marketplace works the way most aircraft marketplaces do. We're a place for sellers and buyers to find each other, nothing more. Once you post a listing, buyers can browse it, check out the photos and details, and reach out to you directly. If it's a part, you'll link out to wherever you're actually selling it, whether that's eBay, Facebook Marketplace, or somewhere else. We never touch the sale itself, and no money for the aircraft, engine, or part ever runs through Piston Marketplace.
What you're paying for is visibility. We give your listing a spot on the site, organize your documentation and photos so buyers can find what they need without digging, and keep the listing up for as long as you've paid for (or as long as your subscription stays active for Parts). That's it. There's no commission, no cut of the sale, and no hidden fees waiting down the line. Once you've paid to list, the only other cost you'll ever see is if you choose to renew or upgrade later.
2. Aircraft & Engine Listings
These are one-time payments, not subscriptions. You pay once when you create the listing, and it stays up for the length of that plan.
Aircraft
| Tier | Price | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $30, 30 days |
|
| Featured | $50, 60 days |
|
| Premium | $65, 90 days |
|
Engines
| Tier | Price | What it gets you |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $30, 30 days |
|
| Premium | $65, 90 days |
|
What happens when your listing's time runs out
Once your paid period ends, the listing comes down automatically and moves into your My Listings tab, where it stays saved. Buyers won’t see it again until you pay for another listing period.
To help you stay ahead of that, you'll get an email 24 hours before your Aircraft or Engine listing is set to expire. Parts listings don't have an expiry date, so they don't get a reminder email.
3. Parts Listings
Parts are the one subscription-based listing type for individual sellers. You pay monthly, and your listings stay up only as long as you keep paying.
| Tier | Price | Listing cap |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $10/mo | 30 listings |
| Bulk | $20/mo | 75 listings |
| Unlimited | $35/mo | No cap |
Each part listing: one photo only, a required price field, and a required external link (eBay, Facebook Marketplace, your own site, etc.) where the actual sale happens.
How your listing limit works
Inactive still counts. If you mark a part "Inactive" (e.g., it sold or you're out of stock), it still counts against your plan's listing cap. Only deleting a listing frees up a slot.
Hitting your cap blocks new listings. Once you're at your plan's limit, you can't create another Parts listing until you delete one or upgrade.
Downgrading removes listings at random. If you drop from Unlimited or Bulk to a smaller tier and you're over the new cap, Piston Marketplace keeps as many listings as your new plan allows and randomly takes down the rest to get you under the limit. There's no way to pick which ones stay, so delete down to your new limit yourself before downgrading if you want control over which listings survive.
Canceling doesn't delete your listings, it freezes them. If your Parts subscription lapses or is canceled, your existing listings are frozen (hidden from buyers), not deleted. If you resubscribe, they come back.
Upgrading mid-cycle is prorated. Moving from a lower Parts tier to a higher one through the Billing Portal charges you the prorated difference immediately, not the full new price.
4. Managing Your Billing
All subscription management happens through the Stripe Billing Portal, a secure page hosted by Stripe, not on Piston Marketplace itself. You get there by clicking "Manage / cancel subscription" on your Billing card in the dashboard.
What you can do in the Billing Portal
- Switch plans (upgrade or downgrade your Parts tier)
- Update your payment method
- View invoice history
- Cancel your subscription
Upgrading
Takes effect immediately. You're charged a prorated amount for the rest of the current billing period at the new, higher rate.
Downgrading
Plan changes take effect immediately, not at the end of the billing period. If you’re over your new plan’s listing limit, see ‘How your listing limit works’ in Section 3. Listings over the limit are removed at random until you’re back under it.
Canceling
Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. You keep full access until then, and you're not charged again after. Either way, your listings are frozen, not deleted, and resubscribing brings them back.
Email notifications
You'll get an automatic email when your subscription activates and when it's canceled, so you always have a paper trail of what happened and when.
5. Creating, Editing, and Deleting a Listing
To create a listing
- Go to "Sell" and choose a category: Aircraft, Engine, or Parts.
- Pick a plan/tier (one-time payment for Aircraft/Engines, subscription for Parts).
- Fill out the wizard for your listing type.
- Pay (if required) and publish.
To edit a listing
- Go to My Listings in your dashboard.
- Find the listing and click Edit.
To delete a listing
- Go to My Listings.
- Find the listing and choose Delete.
For Parts sellers: deleting is the only action that frees up a slot in your quota. Marking something "Inactive" does not. Deletion is permanent, and there's no way to restore a deleted listing.
Marking a Parts listing Inactive (instead of deleting)
Use this when an item is temporarily out of stock but you plan to restock it. It hides the listing from buyers but keeps it (and its quota slot) reserved for you. Toggle it back to Active any time.
Still have a question?
That’s the end of the guide. For anything else, our support team is here to help.
Contact us