Launch your marketplace without overbuilding it
Buyers, sellers, listings, search, payments, commission and payouts. We build a lean first version you can put in front of real users, then grow it with what they actually do.
Both sides, one platform
Switch between buyer and seller views, then move the slider to set your commission.
Interactive example with sample data.
The real risk is not the code
Most marketplaces that fail do not fail because the software was bad. They fail because one side never shows up: no sellers, so no buyers, so no sellers. Spending months and a big budget on a full platform before you know people will use it is a common and expensive mistake.
So we build marketplaces in two stages. First, the smallest version that lets real transactions happen. Then, once there is activity, the features your users ask for.
What goes into a first version
- Accounts for buyers and sellers (or clients and providers)
- Listings with photos, prices and categories
- Search and filters that match how buyers think
- Checkout with your commission taken automatically
- Payouts to sellers through Stripe Connect
- Messages between both sides, tied to an order or listing
- An admin view to approve sellers, manage disputes and see revenue
Reviews, subscriptions, advanced search, mobile apps and promotions usually come later.
Types of marketplaces we can build
- Product marketplaces. Sellers list physical goods, you take a commission on each sale
- Service marketplaces. Clients book providers such as photographers, tutors, trades or freelancers
- B2B marketplaces. Businesses order from vetted suppliers, often with quotes and minimum quantities
- Rental marketplaces. Equipment, spaces or vehicles booked by date
- Niche directories that take bookings. A directory that earns per lead or per booking instead of only selling ads
Sharetribe, Shopify apps or custom?
Sharetribe is a strong option for a standard service or rental marketplace, and we will recommend it when it fits. Shopify with a multi vendor app can work for product marketplaces where you control the catalogue.
Custom makes sense when your matching, pricing or approval logic is the core of the idea, when platform fees eat your margin, or when you need full control of the data and the experience. We will explain which route fits your case before you spend anything. See what a marketplace MVP costs for more detail.
We have built a two sided platform for our own business
KLM Studio connects clients with independent photographers. The portal we built for it handles both sides: clients request, photographers sign up and receive jobs, quotes are calculated from each photographer's rate and conversations are kept with each job. That is the core loop of a service marketplace.
Questions, answered
Can I start with only one city or one category?
We recommend it. A marketplace that is busy in one niche beats an empty one that covers everything.
How do commissions and payouts work?
With Stripe Connect, the buyer pays once, your commission is kept and the seller's share is paid out to their account on a schedule.
Do I need a mobile app?
Almost never for the first version. A fast mobile website works on every phone and you can test the idea without app store reviews.
Can you help with the business side?
We can help you think through pricing, commission and the first users, because we run referral businesses ourselves. But we are builders, not investors.
Keep reading
Tell us about your marketplace idea.
A short message is enough. We reply within 48 hours with questions or a first plan, and a clear quote before any work starts. Prefer to answer a few questions? Use the project builder.
- Fixed quote before anything starts
- 50% to start, 50% at launch
- Plain language, no jargon