How to choose the right marketplace (and marketplace software) for your products

The right eCommerce marketplaces help you reach more customers and grow your sales. But realistically, you can’t launch your product catalog on every existing marketplace, all at once. Before you settle, you need to compare who shops there, what competing sellers offer, and how much you’ll keep after fees and fulfillment costs.

In this article, we look at how to choose the right online marketplace for your products. We also explain how to choose the best marketplace software to support your product listings, inventory management, and order management.

Key takeaways

• Select marketplaces where your target customers shop, your products can compete on price and delivery, and you meet seller requirements.
• Calculate margins after product costs, marketplace fees, fulfillment, advertising, and expected returns before listing.
• Selling on multiple marketplaces reduces the revenue at risk if one platform’s sales fall or your seller account is suspended.
• Channable connects your store to multiple marketplaces, helps adapt listings, and syncs inventory and orders. Test it with your own products and assess total costs before committing.

What is marketplace software?

Marketplace software (also called marketplace integration software) connects your product catalog to multiple online marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay. It helps you optimize product listings for each channel, sync inventory, and manage orders through a central system.

Marketplace software helps you:

• Adapt product listings: Adjust titles and product details to meet each marketplace’s requirements.
• Update stock: Send changes from your store to connected marketplaces to keep listings accurate.
• Manage orders: Bring marketplace orders into your store or ERP so your team can process them in one place.
• Share shipment updates: Send tracking information back to the marketplace after dispatch.

For example, if you sell through Shopify and Amazon, an order connection can bring Amazon orders into Shopify for your team to fulfill. This reduces manual order entry as you expand to more marketplaces.

How to choose the right marketplaces

Each online marketplace attracts different customers and sets its own terms for sellers. Here are a few checks to compare sales channels and choose the right ones for your eCommerce business.

Find where your target customers shop

Understanding why shoppers choose a marketplace helps you judge whether your products belong there. Are they comparing prices for everyday purchases or seeking something specific, such as handmade gifts?

Moritz Heller, CEO & Founder at eFly, emphasizes the fit between your products, your brand, and how buyers shop. He describes the opportunity on a smaller, specialized marketplace as being a “Big Fish in a Small Pond.”

A smaller, specialized marketplace where you are the leading supplier in your category ("Big Fish in a Small Pond") can be more profitable than a global giant where you get lost in the crowd.
— Moritz Heller, CEO & Founder at eFly

His advice focuses on two considerations.

1. Purchase intent: A specialized marketplace may attract shoppers looking specifically for products like yours. Becoming a leading supplier in that category could be more profitable than competing for attention on a larger marketplace.
2. Room to build your brand: Consider how you can communicate your product’s value beyond its price. If shoppers mainly compare the lowest offers, you may have less opportunity to distinguish your brand through its design, quality, or story.

Customer surveys can help you learn where your audience shops and why. Comparing similar listings and customer reviews can then help you assess what buyers value on each marketplace.

Check seller eligibility and product requirements

Check whether the marketplace accepts sellers from the country your business is registered in and allows your product category. Review the documents needed to open seller accounts, including identity verification, business registration, and bank details. Some categories or brands may require separate approval.

Then check what you need to list your products.

• Product documentation: Identify any required safety certificates, compliance documents, or brand authorization.
• Product identifiers: Check barcode requirements, such as GTINs, and whether exemptions apply.
• Listing content: Review required attributes, image specifications, and language requirements.

Compare these requirements with your catalog’s product data quality to identify missing information. Factor in the time and cost of preparing documents and updating listings when deciding whether to sell on that marketplace.

Assess competition and how your products compare

Search each marketplace for your main products and compare the leading listings on price, customer reviews, and delivery times. Sponsored listings can also push unpaid results farther down the page, making your products less visible without advertising.

You can make the comparison manageable by focusing on five to ten competing listings for a priority product.

• Compare similar offers: Record each product’s price, delivery promise, and review rating. Include pack sizes and shipping charges so you’re comparing what customers receive for the total price.
• Use a tool to analyze reviews: For Amazon, Jungle Scout’s Listing Analyzer accepts product identifiers called ASINs and summarizes common praise and complaints. It analyzes a sample of reviews, so check the original comments behind any finding you plan to use. For other marketplaces, confirm that your review analysis tool supports the relevant website and country.
• Match recurring complaints to your products: If buyers repeatedly mention leaking lids, check whether your bottle addresses that problem. If it does, your listing can explain the lid’s design and include a demonstration. A complaint only represents an opportunity if your product can resolve it.

This gives you a specific basis for judging whether your products can compete at your intended price—and what your listings need to communicate.

Calculate your margin after selling costs

Check the marketplace’s local fee schedule for your product category. Confirm whether its commission applies only to the item price or also includes shipping charges and taxes.

Amazon charges category-based referral fees, with additional fulfillment and storage fees if you use FBA. Comparing FBA vs. FBM can help you assess the costs of Amazon fulfillment against handling orders yourself. On eBay’s US marketplace, the final value fee generally combines a percentage of the total sale with a per-order charge.

Calculate your margin using this formula, with all amounts measured per order.

| Margin (%) = [(Revenue − product cost − selling costs) ÷ revenue] × 100 |

In this formula, revenue excludes sales tax or VAT, while selling costs cover marketplace fees, fulfillment, storage, advertising, and expected returns. Any monthly subscription fee is divided by your expected monthly orders to estimate its cost per order.

For example, if you earn $100 from an order, excluding tax, and spend $40 on the product and $35 on selling costs, you retain $25. Dividing that $25 by the $100 revenue and multiplying by 100 gives you a 25% margin. That amount still needs to cover general business expenses, such as salaries and rent.

Choose a marketplace mix that reduces channel dependency

Relying on one marketplace for most of your revenue leaves your business exposed if sales fall or your seller account is suspended.

Let’s say your business earns $10,000 a month, with $8,000 coming from one marketplace. If sales on that platform fall by 25%, you lose $2,000. Even if your other channels keep performing as usual, your total revenue drops to $8,000—a 20% decline, while rent and salaries still need paying.

Now suppose that marketplace contributes $4,000 of the same $10,000 monthly revenue, with the rest coming from other channels. The same 25% decline would cost you $1,000, reducing total revenue by 10%. That's how spreading sales across marketplaces limits how much a slowdown on one can affect your business.

Top 6 global eCommerce marketplaces

Once you know what to look for in a marketplace, you can compare specific platforms. Here’s a closer look at 6 eCommerce marketplace platforms, who they’re best suited for, their main markets, and key considerations for sellers.

Marketplace platform	Best for	Region	Key consideration
Amazon	International reach across a wide range of product categories	North America, Brazil, Europe, and selected markets across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa	Selling-plan and referral fees vary by market and category. FBA adds fulfillment and storage costs; some products and categories require approval.
eBay	Collectibles, pre-owned and refurbished goods, and vehicle parts and accessories	North America, Europe, and Australia	Listing and final value fees vary by category, country, and Store subscription. International sales may incur additional fees and currency conversion charges.
Walmart	Everyday consumer goods, including homeware, electronics, beauty, and apparel	North America and Chile	US Marketplace has no setup or monthly fees; category-based referral fees apply. Sellers need eCommerce experience and US fulfillment and returns capabilities, through WFS or another provider.
Bol	Reaching Dutch and Belgian shoppers across everyday and premium product categories	Netherlands and Belgium	Commission combines fixed and percentage-based charges. European sellers outside the Netherlands and Belgium need an invitation and must provide Dutch-language customer service.
TikTok Shop	Beauty, fashion, gadgets, books, and media	Southeast Asia, North America, Europe	Selling-plan has no monthly subscription costs. Marketplace referral fees are 6 percent in the US and 9 percent in the UK and EU, while creators require an extra 10 to 15 percent affiliate commission to drive sales. Fulfilled by TikTok or Seller Shipping must meet strict dispatch deadlines.

Which marketplaces should you consider in the DACH region?

You may find several marketplaces that sell your type of product, but your choice of marketplace also depends on where your customers live. For example, in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland—the DACH region—you’ll need to weigh the sales opportunity against local requirements and the cost of meeting buyers’ expectations.

Luis Schreiber, the founder of Unhooked Marketing, says that the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) is one of the most attractive eCommerce regions but also the most regulated and unforgiving marketplace ecosystems in Europe. This section gives you a practical framework to choose marketplaces that fit your brand, margins, and operations instead of just “being everywhere.”

DACH is not “just another region,” and if you treat DACH like a copy-paste of your EU strategy, you pay for it in:

• Blocked listings (compliance),
• Broken margins (fees + returns + ads),
• Damaged brand (wrong channels, wrong positioning).

Start from one question: “Where can we win, repeatedly, with our current capabilities?” Not “Where is the most traffic?”

For a practical example of how to approach marketplace selection in the DACH region, our Selling on Kaufland internationally podcast episode explores how sellers grow on platforms like Kaufland.

Check out what Luis Schreiber, the founder of Unhooked Marketing, suggests as the best DACH marketplaces:

Marketplace	DACH Coverage	When to Consider It
Amazon	Germany and Austria; eligible products can also reach Switzerland through cross-border delivery	You sell across mainstream product categories and can price competitively after selling and fulfillment costs. Swiss delivery availability depends on the product and seller.
Kaufland	Germany and Austria	You want to sell through dedicated German and Austrian marketplaces, with the option to expand into other European markets through the same seller portal.
OTTO Market	Germany	You want another channel for German customers and can meet its seller eligibility requirements, including German-language customer service and shipping from an EU warehouse.
Galaxus / Digitec	Switzerland through galaxus.ch and digitec.ch	You want a marketplace serving Swiss customers across general merchandise and electronics. Participation requires acceptance into its merchant program and a product data connection.

How to choose the right marketplace software

Once you’ve chosen where to sell, the next step is finding marketplace software that works with your existing systems. Here’s a quick checklist:

Criterion	What to check
Marketplace and system connections	Support for your target marketplaces, country-specific stores, webshop, and ERP, plus API access
Product data and localization	Channel-specific rules, category mapping, translated listings, currencies, and required attributes
Inventory and order management	Update frequency, stock buffers, order processing, shipment tracking, and alerts when synchronization fails
Security and data protection	Access permissions, protection of customer and order data, and GDPR responsibilities
Implementation and support	SaaS versus a custom-built integration, setup time, maintenance responsibilities, onboarding help, and support availability
Total cost	A 12-month estimate covering subscriptions, setup, development, connectors, usage limits, and paid extras

Check connections to your marketplaces and eCommerce platform

Your marketplace software needs to connect the system that stores your product catalog with the channels where you want to sell.

For example, if you use Shopify and want to sell on Amazon Germany, test that connection during a trial or demo. Can you publish product listings on Amazon and import orders into Shopify for fulfillment?

Channable’s multichannel eCommerce platform offers key marketplace integrations, including Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and TikTok Shop, alongside specialist channels such as Decathlon and Douglas. This gives you scope to add marketplaces as your product range or target markets change, while managing those connections in one platform. Its Amazon integration, for example, supports product listings and order synchronization, connecting marketplace sales with your existing eCommerce operations.

Assess product data controls and localization support

Each marketplace has its own requirements for product information. Software with eCommerce feed management capabilities should let you adapt your catalog for each channel without changing the original data in your store.

Ask these questions when comparing marketplace software:

• Can you edit multiple listings at once? For example, can you use existing product fields to add dimensions to furniture titles? Applying a rule across selected products saves you from editing each listing individually.
• Can you identify and correct missing information? The software should flag missing attributes and explain which listings need attention. A preview lets you review changes before publishing.
• Does it generate translations or import translated content? This determines whether you need to prepare translations separately. You should also be able to review and edit each language version.
• Can you set different prices for each country? Check whether the tool converts currencies or imports prices you’ve already set. Country-specific prices let you account for differences in selling costs.

Check how inventory and orders sync across channels

When you sell a product on one marketplace, the available quantity should update on your other sales channels. The order should also reach your store or ERP automatically, so your team can process it.

Check how the tool handles:

• Stock updates: How quickly do changes in your store’s inventory reach each marketplace? Check the update frequency for your specific setup, as delays can leave unavailable products listed for sale.
• Order processing: Can your team handle marketplace orders in its usual fulfillment system? Effective marketplace order management should reduce the need to log into separate seller accounts.
• Tracking and returns: Does tracking information go back to the marketplace after dispatch? Confirm which return and cancellation updates transfer automatically.
• Failed updates: Does the software alert your team when an order or stock update fails? Ask how to identify affected orders and retry the transfer.

Channable’s multichannel order manager brings marketplace orders into your eCommerce platform and sends shipment updates back. It checks for stock changes every five minutes on supported connections.

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Review security and customer data protection

Software that imports marketplace orders may also handle customer names and delivery addresses. Your evaluation should cover who can access that information and what happens to it after an order is completed.

The tool’s security documentation and data processing agreement should help you assess these points:

• Account access: Can you enable two-factor authentication and limit permissions by role? Someone editing product listings may not need access to customer details.
• Data protection: Is customer information encrypted during transfer and storage? Check where it is processed and which other companies can access it.
• Retention and deletion: How long are order details stored? Confirm how customer data can be deleted or returned when you stop using the software.
• Incident handling: How will you be notified if customer data is exposed, and what assistance will you receive to investigate and respond?

Channable’s data security measures help protect customer information and support your data protection responsibilities.

• Encryption: Channable encrypts stored data and uses TLS to protect data during transfer. This helps prevent unauthorized parties from reading customer information.
• Backups and activity logs: Regular backups help restore data after a failure. Activity logs provide records that can support audits and investigations.
• European hosting: Channable hosts its main database and product feeds in European Google data centers. Knowing where data is stored helps you assess whether the service meets your organization’s data residency requirements.
• Automatic anonymization: Customer data is anonymized after 90 days by default, or 30 days for Amazon. This limits how long identifiable customer details remain available, reducing exposure if someone gains unauthorized access. Certain information remains for operational purposes.
• Documented responsibilities: The data processing agreement for Order Sync sets out how Channable processes customer information on your behalf. It helps you assess the service alongside your own GDPR obligations.

Calculate the total cost as your business grows

The right software plan should cover your current requirements and leave room for growth. Comparing costs over 12 months helps you see how expanding your product range or selling on more marketplaces would affect your budget.

• Pricing structure: Check whether the subscription is based on product count, order volume, or connected marketplaces. Calculate the price for your current setup and what you expect to need over the next year.
• Features and add-ons: Confirm which features the plan includes. If order synchronization or other functions cost extra, include those add-ons when comparing software.
• Onboarding and support: Check whether setup assistance is included and whether additional training or priority support costs extra. Your team’s experience will help you decide which services are worth paying for.
• Plan limits and upgrades: Find out what happens when you exceed your allowance. Will you pay an additional usage fee or move to a higher plan? Also review the billing period and cancellation terms before committing.

Compare SaaS with custom development and assess support

SaaS marketplace software gives you an existing tool to configure, while custom development means building integrations around your own systems.

The choice between building your own marketplace integrations and using SaaS software depends on whether an available tool supports your workflows and whether you have developers to maintain an alternative.

• Setup: Can you configure existing connectors and rules, or does your workflow require functionality the tool cannot support? Custom development may address that gap, but building and testing it adds time before launch.
• Maintenance: Who updates the connections when marketplaces change their APIs or listing requirements? With SaaS, confirm what the subscription covers. With a custom integration, your team owns that ongoing work.
• Daily use: Can your team change product rules and resolve routine errors themselves? If every adjustment needs a developer, their availability becomes part of your operating costs.
• Support: Check support hours and whether onboarding includes help with your actual setup. A promised response time tells you when someone will acknowledge a problem, not necessarily when they’ll fix it.

For a custom build, you’ll also need documentation and someone who can take over if the original developer leaves.

5 Things you can implement this week

Here are five manageable tasks to help you choose where to sell and what you need from marketplace software this week.

1. Shortlist two marketplaces: Focus on channels where shoppers buy your type of product and where you can meet delivery requirements. Confirm that both accept sellers from your country before spending time on applications.
2. Estimate margins for your top 20 products: For each shortlisted marketplace, subtract product costs and selling expenses from your expected selling price. Include marketplace fees, fulfillment, advertising, and an allowance for returns. You’ll see which products leave enough margin to justify listing.
3. Check for recurring listing errors. If you already sell on marketplaces, review rejected listings for missing information or incorrect formatting. Fixing a shared issue, such as missing product identifiers, could help you correct several listings at once. If you haven’t launched anything new yet, check those 20 products against your shortlisted marketplaces’ required fields.
4. Note your must-have software requirements: Describe the tasks you need the tool to handle. Include any country-specific pricing or language requirements so you can rule out unsuitable tools early.
5. Arrange a trial or demo using sample products: Choose products that reflect your setup, including items with size or color variants. Map their attributes to a marketplace’s required fields and correct missing information.

Sell on more marketplaces without more spreadsheets

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to choosing the right eCommerce marketplaces. Success depends on understanding your customers, analyzing marketplace costs and features, and leveraging the right software to stay competitive.

With Channable’s marketplace integrations, you can manage multiple marketplaces seamlessly, scale your business faster, and unlock new revenue opportunities.

Explore Channable's marketplace integration