Since online wholesale marketplaces have democratized business-to-business ecommerce, independent brands and smaller retailers can now benefit from buying and selling wholesale.
When you sell your products in this $12 trillion wholesale market, it helps you grow your brand, better understand what retailers are looking for, and generate more revenue.
Unsure where to start? Here are 14 popular options depending on your location, and advice on how to choose the most suitable wholesale marketplace for your business.
14 best wholesale marketplaces to list your products
- Faire
- Orderchamp
- Creoate
- Go Wholesale
- Wholesale Clearance UK
- Direct Liquidation
- Alibaba
- Made-in-China
- Global Sources
- RangeMe
- IndieMe
- Mable
- Joor
- TradeIndia
1. Faire
Used by more than 100,000 independent brands, Faire connects sellers to retailers in the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe. With the Faire app, retailers can automatically sync the products they order on Faire to Shopify.
Makers and manufacturers on Faire’s marketplace can list their products among a range of fashionable items in home, lifestyle, clothing, beauty, and food and drink categories.
Sellers can accept pre-orders, offer samples, and get pre-filled shipping labels with low carrier rates. You can also communicate with customers and approve orders through the Faire mobile app.
When a retailer orders from you through its marketplace, Faire will charge 15% commission, plus a $10 one-time fee for new customers.
Retailers with an online, brick-and-mortar, pop-up, or subscription box business can sign up for a free buying account. Faire will cover costs of first-time returns, so stores can order products from the marketplace and check their quality. It also offers buy now, pay later terms to help retailers keep items in stock.
Shopify merchant Tiffany Riffer found Shopify’s Faire app allowed her to “import entire product catalogs, change lead times from four weeks down to one to three days, and provide retail customers with the most up-to-date picture of inventory.”
Shipping costs and marketplace fees
- 15% commission on orders from retailers found through Faire.
- Low carrier rates and no upfront shipping costs when using Ship With Faire.
Faire’s integration with Shopify let me change my lead times from four weeks down to one-to-three days.
2. Orderchamp
Orderchamp is an online wholesale marketplace designed to help smaller stores connect with independent brands.
After signing-up for free, sellers can access a marketplace of more than 150,000 international retailers, mostly located in Europe. The platform has “smart-matching” features to help identify potential buyers, and offers discounted shipping fees when you choose a preferred carrier.
Orderchamp charges a 25% first-order fee for new retailers you find through its marketplace, then takes 10% commission on re-orders. It also supports dropshipping for sellers with the capacity to ship products directly to consumers.
Shipping costs and marketplace fees
- 10% commission on orders from retailers found through Orderchamp.
- Orderchamp covers shipping costs up to 10% of the order value.
3. Creoate
Reach 50,000 active buyers across the US, UK, and Europe by listing items to sell on the online wholesale marketplace Creoate. The platform specializes in home, lifestyle, and outdoor products, and covers the price of shipping and duties in exchange for a 15% commission on each order.
For retailers, one of the biggest benefits of buying inventory through Creoate is that it handles returns. If you purchase inventory from wholesale suppliers that you can’t resell, simply ship the items back to Creoate within 60 days for a refund.
Shipping costs and marketplace fees
- 15% commission on orders from retailers found through Creoate.
- Shipping costs and customs duties are covered for orders shipped through Creoate.
4. Go Wholesale
Go Wholesale is a US-based online marketplace that sources “refurbished, reconditioned, and overstock products from premium brands.” Its catalog consists mainly of consumer electronics, such as smartphones and laptops, however the site also lists items in clothing, furniture and other categories.
Go Wholesale does most of its business with large companies like Walmart, but you can apply to sell through the platform. Wholesalers are required to ship their items to one of 13 North American warehouses. Go Wholesale then handles fulfillment in return for a commission. Buyers can purchase items instantly or submit an offer.
5. Wholesale Clearance UK
Wholesale Clearance is an online wholesale marketplace for retailers looking to buy products from stock clearance and liquidation sales. The platform purchases stock pallets from bankrupt companies, mainly in the UK, and sells them globally for low wholesale prices.
Alongside selling pallets of liquidated inventory, Wholesale Clearance features a marketplace where sellers can list electronics, clothing, tools and hardware, and other items. For products sold on the marketplace, Wholesale Clearance will add a commission on to the asking price.
6. Direct Liquidation
Like Wholesale Clearance, Direct Liquidation specializes in liquidized inventory. The US-based platform purchases surplus inventory from retailers like Walmart and Lowe’s and sells it for wholesale prices. Buyers bid in auctions to win the inventory at a discount.
7. Alibaba
Alibaba is one of the largest B2B marketplaces in the world, with more than 14 million buyers looking for products to stock in their own stores. Opening a seller account gives you the opportunity to interact with a global directory of retailers.
Alibaba suppliers stock almost everything a buyer could imagine. With so many retailers sourcing inventory through the marketplace, it’s a great way to find trending products to buy from Alibaba to stock your own store with.
8. Made-in-China
Made-in-China is an online wholesale marketplace designed to connect B2B buyers with Chinese suppliers and distributors. Source everything from consumer electronics to beauty products—all listed at trade price and shipped globally to ensure healthy profit margins when reselling to customers.
9. Global Sources
Global Sources is a Hong Kong–based wholesale marketplace. You can sell anything from electronics to fashion apparel through the platform. Buyers can take advantage of suppliers’ low minimum order quantities if sourcing wholesale inventory for the first time.
Niche wholesale marketplaces
Many of the wholesale marketplaces listed so far are designed for any retailer, regardless of the products you buy and sell. But if you’re only operating in one industry, it can be difficult to source and sell inventory through a crowded platform.
Here are five niche wholesale marketplaces to consider:
10. RangeMe
Big-box retailers
Source products from big-box retailers like Walmart and CVS through the RangeMe wholesale marketplace. Identify trending products across Instagram and Nielsen category sales so your inventory is always positioned to capture trend-savvy shoppers.
11. IndieMe
Handmade products
From artisan food to fine crafts, IndieMe is a wholesale marketplace for exchanging handcrafted goods. Source more than 250,000 wholesale products made in the US and Canada. You’ll be buying high-quality inventory at trade prices directly from the makers themselves.
12. Mable
Food-based
Mable is a B2B wholesale marketplace created for food and beverage brands. With a special focus on helping local brands thrive, you can buy and sell inventory via the marketplace and support other store owners in local communities. Mable takes 12.5% commission on any new wholesale accounts.
13. Joor
Luxury fashion
Selling luxury fashion goods? Retailers like Farfetch and Harrods source items from Joor’s wholesale marketplace. Designer brands like Balmain, Alexander McQueen, and Valentino sell wholesale products through the platform.
14. TradeIndia
Indian B2B
Buy and sell wholesale products in India through B2B marketplace TradeIndia. As an added benefit, the marketplace regularly hosts and attends trade shows, serving those B2B buyers who prefer hybrid and in-person sales approaches.
How to choose the best wholesale marketplace for your business
The benefits of selling and buying through wholesale marketplaces are clear. But not all platforms are created equal. Here’s how to find the right one for your business.
Align your marketplace to your audience
Expanding into wholesale marketplaces is made easier if you know why you’re doing it.
Tie your new strategy in with overarching business goals. If that’s to expand your brand footprint, for example, look for wholesale platforms with a large existing customer base. Allbirds, a DTC-only brand, had a goal of increasing its brand footprint, so it decided to sell products through Nordstrom's wholesale marketplace in order to reach new customers that didn’t directly overlap with its existing audience.
Similarly, look to sell on marketplaces within close proximity to both your business’s warehouse and target market, which will ensure that buyers get their products as soon as possible.
Ease of use and integration
It’s easier to scale an ecommerce business if systems are in place to handle repetitive, time-consuming tasks. Automation not only saves time, but improves accuracy. Human error can’t wreak havoc with customer orders.
Look for a wholesale marketplace with systems to take the following tasks off your plate:
- Inventory management. Combine inventory levels across all sales channels, wholesale marketplaces included, so you never sell an out-of-stock product.
- Payment processing. Most marketplaces take payment from wholesale customers, take their cut, and send the money to your bank account. Look for a marketplace that can sync these payments with purchase orders, invoices, and order confirmations.
- Order fulfillment. Marketplaces like Faire automatically integrate with Shopify stores to make order fulfillment easier. Spot which orders need to be fulfilled and send tracking information to your wholesale customers.
Quality of suppliers and buyers
Wholesale suppliers and buyers are critical to your success with this B2B sales channel. Poor communication on either side, or simply partnering with a high-risk buyer, can cause problems.
Donna Johnson, owner of Whyte Quartz, recommends building relationships with suppliers and buyers on several platforms.
“Being on multiple platforms expanded my reach, and some of my buyers purchase on multiple sites too, so I’m there wherever they are buying," she says. "The key is to develop a relationship with your retailers. You want them to know you and come back for more.”
When vetting buyers on a wholesale marketplace, ask how the buyer intends to resell your product. Some retailers place strict rules on where their inventory can be sold, with a minimum advertised price (MAP) to maintain a positive brand image.
Getting your first sale might be easy, but following up and building a relationship with each customer will go a long way. Look for wholesale marketplaces that allow open lines of communication.
The key is to develop a relationship with your retailers. You want them to know you and come back for more.
Payment terms and commission
The end goal of wholesale ecommerce is to generate more money. When looking for new online marketplaces to sell through, consider:
- Payment methods and terms. How long will it take to receive your money? Will the money be sent by cheque, bank transfer, or something else? This impacts how you’ll manage cash flow.
- Currency exchanges. If you’re selling through international marketplaces, platforms may charge fees to exchange currencies prior to payout.
- Sales commission. Many wholesale marketplaces get paid by taking a commission on every product sold through their platform. With commission fees reaching 25% on some marketplaces, it’s important to check sales terms thoroughly.
Shipping methods
Positive customer experiences are no longer defined by the price or quality of a product. How fast the item arrives—and whether the shipping is free for the customer—is a major factor in purchasing decisions.
Consider the role shipping plays in your wholesale marketplace selling. Does the platform print shipping labels on your behalf? Is the price of shipping baked into your wholesale price? These all must be considered when deciding how to ship products to customers.
Returns management
Unfortunately, not every product you sell through a wholesale marketplace will be resold by your buyer. The current average retail return rate is 14.5%. Reasons for returns often include incompatible clothing sizing, damage during shipping, or a mismatch between the product description and its reality.
Look at whether your wholesale marketplace handles this returns process for you. Some allow buyers to ship inventory back to the marketplace’s warehouse and process returns on your behalf. Others insist vendors themselves handle returns outside of the marketplace.
Read more
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- AliExpress Dropshipping- How to Dropship From AliExpress
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- Amazon Dropshipping Guide- How To Dropship on Amazon (2024)
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- Shopify Buy Buttons- Add Ecommerce to Your Website or Blog
- Hit the Shelves- 6 Steps to Getting Your Products Into Retail Stores
Wholesale marketplaces FAQ
What are wholesale marketplaces?
Which market is best for wholesale?
What are marketplace examples?
- Faire
- Wholesale Clearance UK
- Go Wholesale
- Made-In-China
- Global Sources
- Alibaba
- RangeMe
- IndieMe
- Orderchamp
- Joor
