Choose a wholesale marketplace by product category and where your retailers are, then by fee model. Faire fits broad North American indie retail, FashionGo fits women's apparel, Europe-focused marketplaces fit brands selling to European retailers, and RangeMe is a discovery service for CPG brands pitching chains. Brandboom Marketplace fits fashion brands selling from line sheets.

Key takeaways

• Faire charges 15% plus $10 on each new retailer's first order (Faire Help Center), with no commission on retailers you bring through Faire Direct.
• FashionGo charges 10-13% by category. Fee models at Europe-focused marketplaces vary by platform.
• RangeMe helps buyers find you but doesn't process orders.
• Use marketplaces to find new retailers and a wholesale ordering platform like Brandboom for accounts you already have.

What is a wholesale marketplace?

Online wholesale marketplaces are websites where retail buyers discover and compare many brands, place orders and usually pay through the platform. The platform earns a commission from the brand on each order. Wholesale ordering software works differently: buyers you already know order from your own wholesale account, and you pay a subscription instead of a per-order cut. Many brands use both. If you're new to wholesale, start with how to start a wholesale business.

Which wholesale marketplaces should a brand compare?

Fees below are as published by each platform or reported in current guides. They change often, so confirm them before you sign up.

Two things matter more than the headline rate: whether you pay commission on retailers you bring yourself, and whether the platform's buyers match your category and country.

What does each marketplace charge and require?

Faire

Most current guides start with Faire for North American independent retail. Its Help Center lists a 15% commission on first orders and reorders, plus a $10 fee on the first order from each new retailer. That fee is charged once per retailer, not once overall. A payment processing fee also applies to every order: 3.5% + $0.30 for next-day payout, 2.4% + $0.30 for 30-day payout or 1.9% + $0.30 for 60-day payout. Faire also requires your pricing to match your other channels, and penalties include reduced visibility or suspended products. Craft Industry Alliance interviewed 37 brands and found that "for every dollar of wholesale revenue on Faire, most brands keep somewhere between 70 and 82 cents."

FashionGo

FashionGo is apparel-led and strongest in women's fashion. Its seller page lists 10% to 13% commission by category, with 0% on buyers you refer through its referral link or widget.

Europe-focused marketplaces

Europe-focused marketplaces such as Orderchamp, Ankorstore and Creoate are a weak fit for most US apparel brands, and their published rates conflict or change often, so confirm current terms in writing.

RangeMe

RangeMe is a discovery and submission service, not a transactional marketplace. Retail buyers, often from chains, find your listing, and you negotiate payment outside the platform (Shopify). It fits food, beverage and other CPG better than apparel. Opener concluded paid plans pay off mainly when you have a specific retailer opportunity and someone assigned to follow up.

Brandboom Marketplace

Brandboom runs two separate things: a wholesale ordering platform for managing your own accounts and orders, and Brandboom Marketplace, an open marketplace for finding new retailers. The Marketplace commission is 10% and includes transaction fees, so the effective commission is about 6-7%. Brands on any Brandboom plan can join. Brandboom plans start at $50/month for the Basic plan (see all plans).

Should you pay commission on retailers you already know?

Usually not. Most of these marketplaces list 0% on retailers you bring yourself, but only while those retailers keep ordering through your referral link. The referral credit isn't always applied, so keep a record of every retailer you brought and check each order. For how marketplace commission can follow a retailer on reorders, see Faire vs selling wholesale direct.

How do you choose the right marketplace?

1. Match your category. Food and CPG: Airgoods and RangeMe. Gift, home and general indie retail: Faire. Women's apparel: FashionGo. Fashion brands selling from line sheets: Brandboom Marketplace.
2. Match your geography. The table above marks which marketplaces are US-led and which are Europe-focused.
3. Work out margin at the real fee. Model a first order, including any new-customer fee and payment processing, separately from a reorder.
4. Read the rules. Check pricing policies, order minimums and return terms. In Craft Industry Alliance's reporting, one retailer called a $250 minimum too high and said $100 was workable.
5. Plan the route for repeat accounts. Before your first order, decide how reorders from existing retailers will reach you without paying full commission. Run existing accounts, and any retailer leaving a marketplace, on a wholesale ordering platform like Brandboom, so their orders stay direct with no marketplace commission. For what a B2B ordering platform does, see what wholesale ecommerce is.

For trade shows, reps and direct outreach, see how to find the right buyers for your fashion line.

FAQ

Is Faire worth it for brands?

It depends on your margin and how many new retailers you need. Faire reaches North American independent retail, but 15% commission, a $10 fee on each new retailer's first order and 1.9-3.5% + $0.30 processing add up. Craft Industry Alliance found most brands keep 70 to 82 cents per wholesale dollar. Faire is strongest for retailers you couldn't reach alone; for which existing accounts belong on Faire and which on your own channel, see Faire vs selling wholesale direct.

Can I sell on more than one wholesale marketplace?

Yes, and many brands do. Check each platform's pricing rules first. Some marketplaces require consistent pricing across your channels and can reduce visibility or suspend products that break the policy. Keep inventory in sync so you don't oversell, and record which channel each retailer came from so you don't pay commission twice.

Do I still need a line sheet if I sell on a marketplace?

Yes. Marketplaces show your products in their own catalog format, but buyers you meet at trade shows, through reps or by email still expect a line sheet with style numbers, colors, size runs, case packs, wholesale price, MSRP, minimums, delivery windows, terms and returns. A line sheet is the ordering document. A lookbook tells the brand story and has no prices. See what a line sheet is for the full comparison.

Which wholesale marketplaces are most used in the US?

Shopify's wholesale marketplace guide names Faire, FashionGo, Brandboom, RangeMe and Airgoods as the most used US wholesale marketplaces. Each serves a different niche: Faire covers broad independent retail, FashionGo women's apparel, Airgoods food, RangeMe chain-retail discovery, and Brandboom Marketplace fashion brands selling from line sheets.