You probably use marketplaces more often than you realise. From buying second-hand products to sourcing stock for a store, marketplaces have become one of the most common ways for buyers and sellers to find each other online.

But what is a marketplace, exactly?

A marketplace is a platform where multiple sellers offer products or services to a group of buyers.

The marketplace brings supply and demand together and provides the environment in which buyers can discover sellers, compare products and complete transactions.

This is what separates a marketplace from a conventional webshop. A webshop generally represents one business, while a marketplace gives buyers access to products from multiple independent sellers.

What types of marketplaces are there?

The main marketplace types are based on who is buying and selling.

A B2C marketplace connects businesses with individual consumers. Amazon is one of the best-known examples.

A B2B marketplace connects businesses with other businesses. In wholesale, this usually means brands and suppliers selling products to retailers.

A C2C marketplace connects individual consumers with each other. Examples include Vinted, Marktplaats and Facebook Marketplace, where private individuals can buy and sell products directly.

Marketplaces can also be vertical, focusing on a specific industry or category, or horizontal, covering a much broader range of products.

What is a B2B marketplace?

A B2B marketplace is an online platform where businesses buy products or services from other businesses.

Imagine you run an independent concept store and want to refresh your assortment. You may need candles from one supplier, home accessories from another and jewellery from a third.

Without a marketplace, this could mean discovering each supplier separately, requesting catalogues, creating multiple accounts and ordering through different systems.

A B2B marketplace brings those suppliers together, allowing retailers to discover brands, compare wholesale conditions and place orders through one digital environment.

For brands, it creates an additional way to be discovered by professional buyers who are already actively sourcing products.

What is a wholesale marketplace?

A wholesale marketplace is a type of B2B marketplace specifically designed for wholesale buying and selling.

Brands, manufacturers and distributors offer products at wholesale conditions, while retailers purchase them with the intention of reselling them.

This means buyers need more than just a product price. They also care about margins, minimum order values, shipping costs, availability and delivery times.

Orderchamp is one example of a wholesale marketplace. Retailers can discover thousands of brands and products in one place, making it easier to source new suppliers and expand their assortment.

Why marketplaces are valuable for buyers

One of the biggest advantages of a marketplace for buyers is the combination of choice and convenience. Instead of visiting dozens of websites, buyers can explore products from many different suppliers through one platform.

That makes it easier to compare assortments, prices, minimum order amounts and other purchasing conditions.

For retailers, marketplaces can also reduce the risk of testing something new. It is difficult to know in advance which unfamiliar brand or product will become a bestseller, so high minimum orders can make experimenting expensive.

Wholesale marketplaces with accessible order minimums give retailers more flexibility to test products in smaller quantities before committing more capital.

Why marketplaces are valuable for sellers

For sellers, the main attraction of a marketplace is access to existing demand.

Launching a webshop does not automatically bring customers. A brand still needs marketing and sales activity to generate awareness and traffic.

A marketplace already has buyers actively searching for products, giving sellers another way to reach customers who may never have discovered them otherwise.

This can be especially valuable for smaller brands or businesses expanding internationally, where building awareness in every new market independently can take significant time and budget.

Marketplace or your own webshop?

A marketplace and your own ecommerce environment solve different problems, so businesses do not necessarily need to choose between them.

A marketplace is particularly useful for discovery and customer acquisition. Retailers who have never heard of your brand can come across your products while searching or browsing.

Your own B2B webshop or B2B Portal is more useful for managing direct and repeat customer relationships. Existing buyers can access your full catalogue, see their relevant pricing and place orders directly.

A strong wholesale strategy can therefore combine both: use a marketplace to get discovered and acquire new customers, then use your own digital sales channel to strengthen those relationships over time.

How Orderchamp connects the marketplace with other B2B sales channels

The marketplace is only one part of a modern wholesale operation.

With Orderchamp, brands can use the Marketplace to reach and acquire new retailers, while Orderchamp Cloud supports the channels that come after or alongside that first relationship.

A B2B Portal gives existing customers a branded environment where they can browse products and place orders directly. The Sales App allows sales representatives to take orders at trade shows, in showrooms or during store visits. AI Order Convert helps automate orders that still arrive through files such as PDFs, CSVs or XML.

Retailers can also use Dropshipping by Orderchamp to expand their online assortment without purchasing every product into stock first.

Together, these solutions allow brands to sell across different channels without relying on one single way of receiving orders.

What should you look for in a marketplace?

For buyers, assortment size is only one part of the picture. The quality and relevance of the suppliers matter just as much.

Look for transparent pricing and purchasing conditions, useful discovery tools, reliable suppliers and features that make B2B buying easier, such as clear minimum order values and flexible payment options.

Sellers should focus on the quality of the buyer network. Consider whether the marketplace reaches the right types of retailers, which markets it serves and how it helps brands get discovered.

A strong marketplace should create value for both sides: relevant supply for buyers and qualified demand for sellers.

Orderchamp: a marketplace built for wholesale

Orderchamp is an online B2B wholesale marketplace connecting brands with professional retailers.

Unlike a consumer marketplace, the products available on Orderchamp are intended for resale, and businesses are verified before gaining access to wholesale pricing.

Retailers can explore thousands of brands across categories such as Home & Living, Kitchen & Dining, Food & Beverages, Kids & Baby, Health & Beauty, Jewelry, Stationery and Fashion.

For brands, the marketplace creates an additional channel for reaching professional buyers domestically and internationally.

Orderchamp also goes beyond marketplace discovery. Through Orderchamp Cloud, brands can manage direct B2B ordering through a Portal, take offline orders with the Sales App and automate incoming orders with AI Order Convert.

This makes the marketplace part of a broader B2B sales ecosystem designed to make it easier for brands and retailers to do business together.

Frequently asked questions about marketplaces

What is a marketplace in simple terms?

What is an online marketplace?

What is an example of a marketplace?

How does a marketplace work?

What is the difference between a marketplace and ecommerce?

What is the difference between a marketplace and a webshop?

What is a wholesale marketplace?

Why do businesses sell on marketplaces?

Why do retailers buy through marketplaces?

Is a marketplace better than having your own webshop?

Can anyone buy from a B2B marketplace?

How do marketplaces make money?

What makes a good marketplace?