6 Best Marketplaces to Sell Online: Start Your Own Business

If you own a physical store and want to expand your sales to the digital world, or wish to launch your company by setting up an ecommerce business, the best marketplaces to sell online can help you to start faster.

As they already have an infrastructure in place, and a customer base, you can enjoy those and other advantages to reduce the initial costs, and reach your target audience. Besides, you won.t have to worry about building a website from scratch. 

If you already have a website, though, selling on marketplaces is an opportunity to expand, and offer your customers the possibility to choose the channel they prefer to buy at.  

What An Online Marketplace Is#

An online marketplace can be defined as an ecommerce site that sells products from different sellers. We can compare it to an online shopping mall, it's possible to visit different stores, find items from several brands, and buy from all of them in the same space. 

You are going to find online marketplaces that sell for different niches, such as Amazon, which sells tech devices to skincare products. On the other hand, there are highly targetted marketplaces that focus on only one sector, for instance focused on clothes and accessories. 

Besides, some marketplaces sell worldwide, allowing you to conquer customers from different countries, while others invest in keeping the online marketplace activities only in one country or region. 

Advantages of Selling on Marketplaces#

Launch your Store Fast#

When you choose a marketplace to sell online it's possible to start selling faster since you aren't going to need to create a website. You just have to make an account, add the items that you are going to sell, set the delivery and payment methods. 

Once your account is approved, the best marketplaces offer a very intuitive interface, so you can start selling immediately.

At the minute your products are available you already can count on the marketplace organic traffic, different from a new website where it's needed to develop strategies to gain visitors, and the process may be slower. 

Established Programs#

The best marketplaces to sell online already have established several marketing strategies to attract customers and retain them. For example, they invest in advertising on multiple platforms and have rewards programs, which you can benefit from. 

Inside the platforms, many of them, such as Amazon, provide tools to help you highlight your products on the marketplace, and appear on the top page of their search result pages. You can also count on features to develop your own, and target the audience you aim for. 

Marketplaces Credibility#

Many customers feel insecure about buying at a website they don't know. For example, if their data such as payment information and ID is protected, and if the package is going to arrive in their homes with the ordered product in perfect conditions. 

The best marketplaces to sell online have been built an image that transmits credibility, and customers who are used to buying from them feel safer because they can count on seller ratings and reviews, for instance. 

Besides, many marketplaces offer guarantees like giving the money back if the item purchased isn't sent. Another fact is that by being seen as platforms that have expertise in the ecommerce area, people tend to trust their data is protected. 

Big Customer Basis#

If you are starting your business now and don't have a customer base yet when you choose to sell on one of the best online marketplaces you can enjoy that they already have an extensive number of customers. 

According to WebRetailer report, in 2021, Amazon had an average of 5.2 billion visits per month, and eBay, 1.7 billion. 

Many customers don't even go to Google, they search for products directly on these platforms.

You can grow your brand by using them and, once you are already known, build your website, for example. 

Storage and Delivery Services#

If you think you need to have your own storage and develop a whole delivery system to create an online store, there are ecommerce models where that isn't necessary. You can use programs such as Amazon FBA where the online marketplace is in charge of picking, storing, packing, and shipping your orders. 

8 Best Marketplaces to Sell Online#

1. Amazon #

No doubt, Amazon is one of the most known marketplaces in the world. With around 300 million customers, it offers a platform for small to large companies to sell their products. To start selling, you just need to create your account, then you have 2 plan options. 

In the individual plan, you will have to pay $0,99 every time you sell a product plus the selling fees, but there is no monthly fee. It's a plan developed for those who have a small company, and you can sell only up to 40 units a month. 

The professional plan, on the other hand, costs $39 per month, there are no limits of products allowed to sell per month. It provides several features such as creating listings in bulk, on-site advertising tools, and adding multiple users to your account. 

You can count as well with the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) service, where you can enjoy Amazon's logistics network, and let them take care of storing, packing, and delivering your orders.

Another advantage of FBA is that your products become eligible for Amazon Prime, which has millions of subscribers, and use its services to buy products with free delivery. 

Key features:   

• Around 300 million customers worldwide
• Fulfillment by Amazon 
• Individual Plan
• Professional Plan
• Global selling
• Amazon Advertising

2. eBay #

With 182 million users, eBay is one of the largest marketplaces in the world and allows you to have an individual account or a business one. 

The process to sell on eBay is very simple, you will click on "List an item", select the ones you want to insert, then the platform will guide you through creating an account, and then you can set price, payment, and shipping options. You can choose when you get paid, scheduling daily or weekly payouts. 

To help its sellers to improve their business, the platform has fostered a community where you can participate in meetups, forums, and multiple events. It also gives you several tools to manage orders, develop marketing strategies, and do market research. 

Key features:

• 182 million users
• Community of sellers
• Inventory management
• Marketing tools
• Brand building tools

3. Facebook #

Facebook and Instagram no longer need to be a place only to display products, but you can sell directly on them. Having the option to click on a picture on Instagram, and make the purchase without leaving the app is an advantage that can help you turn leads into customers. 

To sell on both social media, you will need to create your shop in the Commerce Manager, where you will be able to manage your inventory and sales.

If you don't have a Facebook business page yet, while setting up your shop, you can create it. To sell on Instagram as well, it's necessary to have an Instagram business account too.

Once you created your shop, you will have access to a catalog to add your products, then configure the payment and delivery methods. 

Key features: 

• Sell on Facebook and Instagram
• Post-purchase support
• Pay-outs and financial reporting
• Creator Studio
• Order fulfillment

4. Mercado Libre #

Mercado Libre is one of the best marketplaces to sell online if you are looking for investing in the Latin American market.

Created in Argentina, the platform operates in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Spain, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Panama, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

The platform has more than 132 million users, and its Global Selling system allows you to sell in 4 different Latin American marketplaces using the same account. To start, you need to create an account, then you can list your products for free and receive payment in USD.

To communicate with Latin American buyers, the platform provides an automated translation tool. It's possible to upload your catalog via an Excel spreadsheet and integrate Mercado Libre Global Selling with your API. The platform also provides shipping solutions.

Key features:

• Global Selling
• Upload products via Excel Spreadsheet
• Receive international wire in USD
• Integrate with your platform
• Shipping solutions to Latin America

5. AliExpress #

As part of the Alibaba Group, AliExpress was founded in 2010, is available in 220 different countries, and counts on more than 150 million buyers. It supports 38 local payment channels and the payment can be done in 51 country currencies.

You can open your store in the marketplace for free, but it's necessary to have a VAT (value-added tax) number, a company operating license, and the ID number of the company representative. Once you provide all those information, the platform will evaluate them, and, if everything is correct, you can start selling. 

The commission fee per item sold varies between 5 and 8%, depending on the product and category. When the buyer confirms to have received the order, you are paid. 

Key features:

• Available in 220 different countries
• More than 150 million buyers
• Personalize your store
• Free opening of your store
• Fast and stable payment system

6. Etsy#

Etsy is a marketplace focused on selling handmade goods, craft suppliers, and vintage items. With 81.9 million active buyers, it's a great place if you are looking to specialize in one of those sectors.

To sell on the platform, you need to select your location and currency, define a shop name, add your products, set a payment method, and how you wish to be paid. You will have to pay $0,20 for the listing fee. When you sell an item, you are going to be charged a commission and standard payment processing fee as well. 

Etsy advertises your products on the web through the Offsite Ads, which you only have to pay if you make a sale from those ads. 

Key features:

• Etsy app
• Design a custom website
• Offsite Ads
• Social media tools
• Community of sellers

Choose the Best Marketplace Considering Your Target Audience#

To know which one of the best marketplaces to sell online you should make your products available, it's important to think about your target audience profile. Research their consumer behavior, for example, do they use online marketplaces? What marketplaces do they mostly buy from?

If you have these answers, it becomes much easier to choose. Also, analyze the plans offered by each marketplace, and how they can help you reach your profit goals. It's possible to use more than one marketplace too. It will depend on your sales strategies. 

Before deciding anything, make sure you have a research-based plan, and only then select the best marketplace to sell online.