Public. Everyone watching sees it, the host sees it, and it stays on the show afterwards.
There is no private channel inside a show. If you want a quiet word, that is a message to the store, not the chat.
What that means practically
Do not type anything you would not say out loud in a shop. Including your phone number, your address, or anything about another buyer.
Your name is on it. The same display name the room sees when you are the top bidder. Can I bid without my name showing?
It is moderated. A host can moderate their own chat, and words not allowed anywhere on Metzee are blocked everywhere. How moderation works
The limits you will meet
300 characters a message. Long enough for a question, short enough that nobody holds the floor.
A few messages every few seconds. Go faster and you are asked to slow down. It is not a punishment — it is what stops one person flooding a room.
It stays open for an hour after the show ends, so a conversation does not get cut off the moment the seller stops broadcasting.
What the chat is good for
Asking for the item to be shown properly. "Can you turn it over?" is the most valuable thing you can type. Can I ask for more photos before bidding?
Asking about condition, size, materials. Publicly, because the answer helps everyone and because an answer in the open is one the seller has to stand behind.
Saying hello. Rooms where people talk sell more than silent ones, and sellers remember regulars.
What to take elsewhere
Anything personal. Address, number, payment.
A complaint about an order. Raise it from the order, where there is a record and a route. The chat is the wrong place and the seller is mid-show. How to raise an issue
A dispute with another viewer. Report it rather than arguing in front of the room.
If somebody is abusive
Report it. Harassment and sharing other people's personal details are both against the rules, and a host can act immediately in their own room. Dealing with rude comments
For sellers
Read the chat out loud. A question answered by name is the single cheapest thing that makes a room feel like a place rather than a broadcast, and it is most of what turns a viewer into a follower. How to go live
More: how a live show works, dealing with rude comments, chat is not sending.