How selling works
Picela is a marketplace. We don't buy ideas ourselves: we connect you with buyers, investors and businesses, hold the payment safely, and give both sides a clear written agreement.
List your idea
Write a short public summary and a full description, choose the countries and set your price. Listing is free.
Choose how you sell
Exclusive: sold once, to one buyer, who takes over your rights in the idea. Non-exclusive: several buyers can each use it for their own business, while you keep ownership.
Buyers find you
Buyers browse the Marketplace, message you, and can bring their advisers into a private deal room. You can also answer investors' Idea Requests.
Buyer pays into escrow
When someone buys, the money is held by Picela before you hand anything over. Both of you accept the Idea Transfer Agreement.
You deliver, you get paid
The buyer gets the full details and your files. When they confirm, the money goes to your wallet. If they don't respond or dispute it within 7 days of delivery, it is released to you automatically.
Withdraw
Withdraw from your wallet to a Sri Lankan bank account, a foreign bank account or PayPal.
Fees
Listing is free. When your idea sells, Picela's 8% fee is added on top of your price and paid by the buyer, so you receive the full price you set.
Extras you offer at a fixed price (for example a call or ongoing support) work the same way: the buyer pays the 8% fee on top. Your own bank or PayPal may charge to receive the money, especially for international transfers.
Getting paid
Sales are one-time payments. Your earnings go to your Picela wallet when the buyer confirms delivery, and you can withdraw them to one saved payout method.
Any Sri Lankan bank. Paid in batches by local bank transfer.
For sellers outside Sri Lanka. You need your account number or IBAN and your bank's SWIFT code.
Paid to the email of your PayPal account.
To keep your money safe, withdrawing needs your password and a WhatsApp-verified phone number. Adding or changing a payout method needs a code sent to your email, and a changed method can be used 48 hours later. Picela doesn't pay out in cryptocurrency.
Protecting your idea
You decide how much people see before they buy.
Summary only, by default
Everyone sees your title, summary and pictures. The full description is shown only to buyers who have paid into escrow.
Confidentiality agreement
If you choose, verified members can read the full description before buying after they type their name to accept a confidentiality agreement. You're told who signed and when.
Who can see the listing
Show it to everyone, to verified members only, or keep it private and share it by direct link.
Proof of listing
Download a dated certificate with a unique fingerprint of your idea's content. Anyone can check it at picela.co/verify.
A written agreement
Every sale uses the Idea Transfer Agreement, which you accept when listing and the buyer accepts when paying.
Disputes
If something goes wrong after a payment, either side can raise a dispute and Picela reviews it before any money moves.
Picela's protection is a record and a contract, not a patent. If your idea is an invention, think about patenting it before you share the full details publicly. You can find a patent attorney on Picela.
How to price your idea
You set the price. When you choose an industry on the listing form, we show the price range of similar ideas on Picela to help you decide.
What raises the value
- A stage beyond concept: a prototype or a market-ready product
- Evidence: research, customer interest, costs and revenue estimates
- A granted or pending patent
- Exclusive rights, or more countries covered
- Your help after the sale (calls, support, introductions)
Practical tips
- Look at the range for your industry and place yourself honestly within it
- Price exclusive ideas higher than non-exclusive ones
- Offer extras at fixed prices so buyers can add them at checkout
- You can change the price any time before a buyer pays
What to submit, and how ideas are checked
The listing form asks for
- A title and a short public summary
- The full description (private by default)
- Industry, type and development stage
- The countries you offer it in, and your price
- Pictures and patent details, if you have them
- The ways you're willing to help the buyer
Before it goes live
- A quality check points out anything missing or unclear
- An AI originality check scores the idea from 0 to 100 against other listings and known products; buyers see the result
- Ideas that look very close to existing ones are held for a quick review by our team, and you can appeal
Who can sell
Individuals and companies can sell on Picela. Companies and partnerships can upload their Business Registration certificate to get a Verified Company badge. A Virtual Manager can also list ideas on your behalf with your permission.
Questions
Does Picela buy ideas itself?
Can I sell my idea outright, with full ownership going to the buyer?
How much will I receive?
When do I get paid?
Can buyers see my full idea before paying?
Do you pay in cryptocurrency?
Can I sell an idea I've patented?
Ready to list your idea?
It takes about ten minutes, and listing is free.