An independent desk between buyer and seller

Why the desk exists

In 2024 one of our founders sold a 1970s chronograph to a buyer four countries away. The watch was right and the buyer was real. The deal still stalled for nine days on a single question: who sends first?

The buyer did not want to wire €18,000 to a stranger. The seller did not want to post a watch to one. Both positions were reasonable, and the market offered no neutral ground between them.

TrustDeal opened in Sofia in 2025 to close that gap — not by vouching for either side, but by holding the money and recording what was agreed until both parties can see the same thing. The process has barely changed since the first deal, and that is deliberate.

How we are set up

Custody

Client principal is held in segregated client accounts with a regulated payment institution, reconciled daily and never used for our own operations.

Compliance

KYC, sanctions and PEP screening on both parties before funding, with source-of-funds checks above defined thresholds. Records are kept for five years under EU AML rules.

Authentication

We do not authenticate in-house and we do not take a position on value. Reports come from independent watchmakers and gemologists.

Independence

We never buy, sell or hold stock, and we take no commission on the sale price. The fee is the same whoever is right in a dispute.

Scope and limits

What we handle

Watches, handbags, fine jewellery, art and collectable objects, between €500 and €2,000,000.

What we decline

Real property, motor vehicles, financial instruments, cryptocurrency, services-only engagements and anything with unresolved title. We say no quickly rather than slowly.

The desk

Plus a deal coordinator and a compliance analyst, supported by a network of independent authenticators.