Services is live: local businesses can now list on The Spool List

Update, November 2026: businesses can now take bookings. Customers can book and pay through a listing, and their payment is held safely until the job is done. A 12% platform fee applies to booked jobs only and comes out of the business's payout. Calls and emails stay free. The sections below describe how it works now.

Updated 11 October 2026: Services is now live. This post first announced a waitlist; it now describes Services as it works today.

The Spool List has launched Services: paid local listings for physical, hands-on trades. It went live on 11 October 2026.

You can browse the local services directory now. If you run a local trade business, sign up at app.thespoollist.com/business. Your listing usually goes live within minutes of paying.

What Services is

Services starts with a paid listing. A business pays a flat fee to show a listing to buyers and makers in its area.

There is no bidding. Customers tap to see your phone number or email and contact you directly, at no extra cost, and you agree the work and the price with them. Customers can also book and pay through your listing: the payment is held safely until the job is done, and a 12% platform fee comes off that job's payout.

That is a different model from the main marketplace:

Where listings appear

Listings show in The Spool List apps for iOS and Android and in the web app at app.thespoollist.com:

• "Services near you" on the Discover tab
• the Services layer on the map
• the Services directory

Each business also gets its own public page on thespoollist.com, which search engines can index. The local services directory groups these pages by trade and by city. Public pages never show your phone number or email; people tap Contact in the app or web app to see them.

Who sees a listing? People inside your coverage area: a radius around your base, or your city. Buyers and makers both see it.

Paying does not buy a higher position. Listings are ordered by whether they cover the viewer's area, then by distance, and ties rotate daily.

Who can list

Physical, hands-on local trades only. AI, apps, web design, marketing and other online-only services cannot be listed. These are the open categories:

Design & CAD and Product photography are accepted for on-site, physical work only, such as measuring up and fitting or in-person product shoots.

Licensed trades can list too: Plumbing, Electrical, Heating & air conditioning, General contracting, Roofing, Pest control, Locksmith, Architecture and Engineering. You must give a licence number and the region that issued it. The licence number is shown on your listing.

Not allowed: firearms and weapons, defence work, medical, legal, financial and immigration services, gambling, cannabis and tobacco, adult services, and anything illegal where it is offered.

Price and billing

• US$5 per listing per month, or US$60 per listing per year, billed to your card by Stripe. Tax is added where applicable.
• Launch offer: US$50 per listing for the first year on your first yearly plan, then US$60 a year. The offer runs until 11 October 2027.
• No per-lead fee, no contract. Jobs booked and paid through your listing carry a 12% platform fee, taken from your payout. Calls and emails stay free.
• Need more trades or locations? Add more listings at the same price each.
• Yearly plans renew every year and monthly plans every month until you cancel. You can cancel online at any time, and your listing stays live until the end of the period you have paid for.
• You can switch any listing off and on from your dashboard. Switching off hides the listing; it does not stop billing.

Coverage. One listing payment covers up to 50 miles (80 km) around your base. Wider coverage counts as more listing payments:

You manage everything at app.thespoollist.com/business with your own username and password. You do not need the app.

Checks before a listing goes live

1. You confirm your phone number with a code.
2. You confirm your email address with a link.
3. You pay by card. Automatic checks run as soon as you pay, and your listing usually goes live within minutes. Some listings also get a quick look from our team.

Every listing is marked as paid. The "Phone verified" and "Email verified" badges mean those contact details were confirmed, nothing more. The Spool List does not vet businesses or guarantee their work, so customers should check licences and insurance themselves. Anything arranged directly is between the customer and the business.

What advertisers see

Each listing gets day-by-day stats: impressions, listing views, calls, emails, website visits and directions taps. You also get a monthly summary by email.

What this means for buyers and makers

Nothing changes in how you post jobs or bid. Services sits alongside the marketplace. A maker who needs a finishing shop, a buyer who needs a sign fitted, or anyone who needs a plumber can find one nearby in the same app, or in the directory.

How to list your service

1. Sign up at app.thespoollist.com/business with your email, a username and a password.
2. Build your listing: your logo, what you do, your coverage area, your phone and your email.
3. Choose monthly or yearly and pay by card.

Run a local trade business? List your service. Pricing and answers to common questions are on the Advertise page.

Sources

• The Spool List: Advertise your local service
• The Spool List: Local services directory
• The Spool List: Terms of Service