Glossary: Basics

B2B marketplace

A B2B marketplace is an online platform where many sellers list products for business buyers, who browse and order from several suppliers in one place. The marketplace handles discovery and often payment, in return for a fee.

Reviewed by Hoa Nguyen, Senior Marketer. Last reviewed October 4, 2026
Last updated October 4, 2026

In detail

Well-known examples include Alibaba, Amazon Business and Faire, which serves independent retailers. Buyers use them to find new suppliers and compare prices without opening a separate account at each one.

For a seller the benefit is reach: new buyers arrive without your own marketing, and some platforms handle payment and offer terms to buyers. The costs are a commission on each order, price comparison against other sellers, rules on how you price and ship, and the fact that the marketplace usually owns the buyer relationship and the data.

A marketplace and your own store are not either-or. Many brands use a marketplace to find retailers, then keep repeat orders on their own wholesale store, where they set the terms and keep the margin. Read the marketplace's rules first, because some limit taking buyers off the platform.

Before you join, compare the commission, the payout schedule, minimum order rules, who pays shipping and returns, and how inventory syncs, so you do not sell the same stock twice.

Example

A candle maker lists wholesale prices on a marketplace and wins 15 new retailers in a season. It pays commission on the first orders, then invites the retailers to reorder from its own wholesale store, where it keeps the full margin, if the marketplace terms allow it.

On Shopify

Shopify connects to wholesale marketplaces through sales channels. The Faire channel lets brands sell wholesale to independent retailers on the Faire marketplace, and products, inventory and orders sync from Faire to Shopify. Shopify Collective lets Shopify stores connect and sell each other's products inside Shopify: a retailer's order is forwarded to the supplier, who ships to the retailer's customer. Collective is free for stores in supported countries and currencies that meet its eligibility requirements.

Sources: Shopify Help Center: Faire sales channel (read October 4, 2026); Shopify Help Center: Shopify Collective for retailers (read October 4, 2026).