Marketplace Guide
Everything you need to know to buy, sell, and trade NFTs on Zaphod.
Getting Started
Connect your wallet using the button in the top right. We support MetaMask, WalletConnect, and most EVM wallets. Pick your network with the chain selector in the top right.
You'll need [42] (the network's native token) for gas fees and transactions. For offers, you'll use a wrapped/ERC-20 token which the offer form can wrap for you automatically.
Buying an NFT
Browse collections on Explore, check active listings on Market, or go directly to a collection page.
Find an NFT with a listed price and click it to open the detail page.
Click Buy Now.
If the listing is in an ERC-20 token (a stablecoin or wrapped token), you'll first need to approve the marketplace to spend your tokens. This is a one-time approval per token.
Confirm the purchase transaction. The NFT transfers to your wallet instantly.
Selling — Fixed Price Listing
List your NFT at a fixed price. Buyers can purchase it instantly.
Go to the NFT you own (via your Profile or the collection page).
Click List for Sale.
Set your price, choose the currency ([42] or a supported token), and set a duration (how many days the listing stays active).
Approve the marketplace to transfer your NFT. This lets the contract hold it in escrow while listed. One-time per collection.
Confirm the listing transaction. A small listing fee may apply when creating a listing.
Once listed, your NFT is held by the marketplace contract until sold or cancelled. You can cancel anytime to get it back.
Selling — English Auction
Start an auction and let buyers compete. The highest bidder wins when time runs out.
Go to your NFT and click Create Auction.
Set the starting bid (minimum first bid), buyout price (instant purchase price), and duration.
Approve the marketplace if not already done, then confirm the auction transaction.
Your NFT goes into escrow. Bidders compete until the auction ends.
Bidding on an Auction
Find an active auction and click into it.
Enter your bid amount. It must be at least 5% higher than the current bid (or meet the minimum bid if you're first).
Confirm the bid transaction. Your bid amount is held in escrow.
If someone outbids you, your funds are returned automatically. You can withdraw them via the Withdraw Bid button.
If your bid reaches the buyout price, you win instantly — no waiting.
Settling an Auction
After an auction ends, someone needs to settle it. Either the seller or the winning bidder can do this.
Go to the auction page after it has ended.
Click Settle Auction.
The NFT transfers to the winner, and the seller receives payment (minus fees).
If no one bid, the seller can settle to get their NFT back.
Making an Offer
Want an NFT that isn't listed? Make an offer to the owner.
Go to any NFT detail page and click Make Offer.
Offers use a wrapped/ERC-20 token. If you only have [42], the form will wrap it for you automatically.
Set your offer price and expiration.
Approve token spending (one-time), then confirm the offer.
Your funds stay in your wallet — they're not locked. But if you spend them before the offer is accepted, it will fail.
Accepting an Offer
When someone makes an offer on your NFT:
Go to the NFT detail page or your Profile > Offers Received tab.
Review the offer and click Accept.
If your NFT is currently listed, the listing will be cancelled first (returns NFT from escrow).
Approve the marketplace to transfer your NFT if needed, then confirm.
The NFT goes to the buyer and you receive payment instantly.
Cancelling
Cancel a listing: Your NFT returns from escrow to your wallet. 1 tx
Cancel an auction: Only possible if no bids have been placed. NFT returns to you. 1 tx
Cancel an offer: Your offer is removed. No funds to reclaim since offers aren't escrowed. 1 tx
Transferring an NFT
Send an NFT directly to another wallet without going through the marketplace.
Go to your NFT and click Transfer.
Enter the recipient address.
Confirm the transaction. No fees, no approval needed — direct wallet to wallet.
Creating a Collection
Launch your own NFT collection in three steps.
Deploy: Go to Create > Collection. Set your collection name, symbol, and creator royalty (up to 10%). This deploys your ERC-721 contract.
Upload NFTs: Upload your artwork and metadata. The system lazy-mints them — metadata is registered on-chain but tokens aren't minted yet.
Set Claim Conditions: Set the mint price (or free), max supply, and max per wallet. This opens minting to the public.
Minting from a Collection
Go to a collection with available supply.
Click Mint on an available token.
Pay the mint price (if any) and confirm. The NFT is minted directly to your wallet.
Cart — Batch Buying
Buy multiple listed NFTs at once.
Click the + button on any listed NFT card to add it to your cart.
Open the cart from the sidebar and review your items.
Click Buy All. If items use ERC-20 tokens, you'll approve once per token type, then each purchase is executed sequentially.
Your Profile
Visit your profile by clicking your wallet address in the header. You'll find:
- Owned — All NFTs in your wallet
- Listed — Your active fixed-price listings
- Auctions — Your active auctions
- Bids — Auctions you've bid on
- Offers Made — Offers you've sent
- Offers Received — Offers others made on your NFTs
- Activity — Your full trade history
Fees
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Listing fee | Set on-chain | Paid when creating a listing or auction |
| Platform fee | 5% | Deducted from sale price on every trade |
| Creator royalty | Up to 10% | Set by collection creator, deducted from sale price |
| Launchpad fee | 5% | Deducted from mint revenue (collection creators) |
| Transfer | Free | Direct wallet-to-wallet, only gas |
Understanding Approvals
Blockchain requires you to approve contracts before they can move your tokens. This is a security feature.
- NFT approval — Lets the marketplace hold your NFT in escrow when listing. One approval per collection.
- Token approval — Lets the marketplace spend your ERC-20 tokens (stablecoins / wrapped native) when buying or making offers. One approval per token type.
Approvals are one-time per collection or token. Once approved, future transactions with the same contract skip the approval step.