CodeMerchant: what owners are paid through this broker
CodeMerchant scans private GitHub repositories, helps founders fix privacy and quality issues, and brings selected code and engineering history to AI labs and data vendors. Instead of a fixed upfront payment, the owner earns a negotiated share of each completed sale, including repeat sales of the same data, paid within one calendar month of each sale. It publishes no price, and its sample range of $5K to $20K is labeled illustrative.
What does CodeMerchant buy?
- Private GitHub repositories
- Commit history, pull requests and issues
- Project context such as task-tracker exports and documentation
- Runnable training tasks built from authorized code
How it works
As CodeMerchant describes it on its own pages.
- Get a data quote: connect GitHub and scan one repository you have reviewed, or answer a questionnaire without sending code.
- Review and fix: check flagged personal information, credentials and quality issues.
- Submit for buyer consideration: CodeMerchant talks to buyers and can package code and issues into runnable training tasks.
- Review each deal: you are told the buyer, materials, intended use, price and your split, and have 24 hours to veto.
- Get paid: within one calendar month after each completed sale.
What we know about CodeMerchant
Each fact links to its source below.
- CodeMerchant says the owner earns a negotiated percentage of each completed sale, including repeat sales of the same data, instead of a single fixed upfront payment. It says repeat sales are not guaranteed.1
- Before each deal it discloses the buyer, materials, intended use, price and split, and the owner has 24 hours to veto. Under its Data License, a sale is authorized by default if no veto arrives in that window.13
- Its Data License pays the owner within one calendar month after each sale or commercial license. Scans, samples and estimates do not earn a payment.3
- The license to CodeMerchant is non-exclusive, so owners can keep using and licensing their work elsewhere. Any exclusive deal needs written consent.13
- Buyers may use purchased material for any lawful purpose, including training, evaluation, resale and sublicensing, but may not release it publicly. The owner authorizes resale by default.3
- The owner can terminate at any time. CodeMerchant then stops new sales and deletes operational copies within 30 days and backups within 90 days. Buyer licenses completed before termination survive.3
- The Data License caps the owner's total indemnity at $1,000. CodeMerchant says it has a quote for insurance of up to $10 million and that a quote is not active coverage.3
- Its homepage shows an "illustrative portfolio range" of $5K to $20K for 12 repositories. CodeMerchant says a valuation is an indicative estimate, not a purchase offer, and that there is no guaranteed buyer, minimum payout or sale price.12
- Chris Barber's Frontier List page on private dataset buyers (checked October 2026) names CodeMerchant among the voters' own companies that also buy data. Voters could not pick their own company.4
Is it a good fit?
Good fit
- Founders with private repositories that have real pull request and issue history
- Owners who prefer a share of repeat sales to a single fixed payment
- Companies that are growing, pivoting or winding down and want to keep their IP
Worth checking
- Payment depends on actual sales, and none is guaranteed. Compare with buyers that pay a fixed amount up front.
- Sales go ahead by default unless you veto within 24 hours of notice. Make sure someone watches for those notices.
- Buyers may resell and sublicense what they buy. Decide whether that is acceptable for your code.
- Ending the license does not undo sales already completed. Read the Data License with counsel before submitting.
CodeMerchant FAQ
How much does CodeMerchant pay for a codebase?
CodeMerchant publishes no price (checked October 2026). The owner earns a negotiated share of each completed sale, and the $5K to $20K range on its homepage is labeled illustrative, not an offer.
When does CodeMerchant pay?
Its Data License says it pays the owner within one calendar month after each sale or commercial license (October 2026).
Can I choose who buys my code through CodeMerchant?
You are told the buyer, price and split before each deal and have 24 hours to veto it. If you do not reply in that window, the sale can go ahead.
Alternatives to CodeMerchant
Other companies that pay for, broker or resell the same kinds of records. Sorted by name.
Sources
Numbers in the text link here. See every player in the buyer index and reported deals in the deal ledger.
- Private repository valuation and licensingCodeMerchant · Publish date not shown · Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- How repository valuation and licensing workCodeMerchant · Publish date not shown · Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Data LicenseCodeMerchant · Publish date not shown · Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Private dataset buyersFrontier List · Publish date not shown · Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Some companies listed here may pay us a referral fee. This page is written from public sources and was checked on 29 Oct 2026. Something wrong or out of date? Email hello@datalicensors.com and we will correct it.
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