E-Commerce vs. Marketplace

Where should you sell your products online? Entrepreneurs are always looking for the most efficient sales channels for their businesses, and more often than not, they find themselves having to choose.

If your business involves selling products online, how do you choose between an e-commerce website and a marketplace, especially when both have their own advantages and disadvantages?

What Is an E-Commerce Store?

Your own e-commerce website is your platform, where:

  • You have complete control
  • You build your own brand
  • You manage customer relationships
  • You set the rules

Advantages of Your Own E-Commerce Store

  • Branding - Your own visual identity
  • Customer data - Full access to information
  • Better margins - No marketplace commissions
  • Flexibility - Unlimited customization
  • Loyalty - You build a community

Disadvantages of Your Own E-Commerce Store

  • Initial investment - Development and maintenance
  • Marketing - You have to drive traffic yourself
  • Time - Building an audience takes time
  • Trust - Must be earned from scratch

What Is a Marketplace?

A marketplace (eMAG, Amazon, etc.) is a platform where many sellers list their products:

  • Existing audience
  • Ready-made infrastructure
  • Established trust

Marketplace Advantages

  • Instant traffic - Millions of visitors
  • Trust - The platform's reputation
  • Infrastructure - Integrated payments and shipping
  • Quick start - You can start selling in a few days
  • Visibility - You appear in search results

Marketplace Disadvantages

  • Commissions - 10-20% of sales
  • Competition - You are alongside competitors
  • Limited control - The platform's rules
  • Restricted data - No full access
  • Dependency - Risks if policies change

The Solution: Omnichannel

Why choose when you can have both?

Recommended Strategy:

  1. Start with a marketplace - Validate your products, generate cash flow
  2. Build your own website - In parallel, for branding
  3. Diversify - Multiple marketplaces
  4. Migrate customers - From the marketplace to your own website
  5. Balance - Find the optimal mix

Conclusion

It is not an either-or choice. The most successful online businesses use both channels strategically, maximizing the advantages of each.