April 21, 2026 · Ruslan Constantinovici · 6 min read

Why I built bănuț.md

The question every friend asks when they learn what I'm working on: "Another classifieds site? There's already 999.md and OLX." Short answer — I didn't enjoy using either.

The concrete problem

In January 2024 I was selling an old sofa. I tried 999.md. Paid 30 lei to bump the post. Got 7 messages within an hour — 6 were bots or "couriers" asking me to send them money so they could pick it up. The 7th was a real person who just wrote "Address?".

The frustration wasn't with 999.md as a site — it's a decent product for the Moldovans who've used it for 20 years. The problem was the local market hadn't evolved. Listings the same as in 2010. Slow moderation. Unchanged design. Today's AI could sort, filter and verify anything in seconds — nobody used it.

What we wanted to change

Three concrete things bothered me most on existing marketplaces, and we fixed them in the first version of bănuț.md:

1. Moderation is slow and arbitrary

On most sites, your listing sits in queue for 24h before appearing. If rejected, no reason given. At bănuț, AI checks every listing in ~2 seconds, and the user gets the decision + reason instantly.

2. Search takes too many clicks

Want a BMW diesel under 200,000 lei in Chișinău? On other sites you press 4-5 filters. At bănuț you type "BMW diesel under 200000 lei Chișinău" and the "Search with AI" button applies the filters automatically.

3. Verification is a chore

Confirmation SMS is expensive and disliked. 80%+ of Moldovans have Telegram, so we use our bot. The user taps a button, Telegram sends us the verified number — zero typing, zero cost, 10 seconds.

The business model

We don't take a sales commission. Ever. Transaction money stays between buyer and seller. We make money from two sources:

• Individual promotions (Top 24h, VIP 7 days, Boost search) — 29-99 MDL per listing.
• Pro subscription (149-499 MDL/month) — for shops, dealers, real estate agencies.

What's next

1. Mobile app (iOS + Android) — backend is ready, writing the React Native client now.
2. Russian version — Moldova is bilingual de facto; no excuse to stay Romanian-only.
3. District-specific pages.
4. Secure on-site payment (escrow) for items under 1000 MDL — Q3 2026.

How you can help

If you have feedback, bugs, ideas — write to ajutor@banut.md. We read every email personally.

Want to work with us — Careers.

Article by Ruslan Constantinovici, founder of bănuț.md.