Marketplace Building

Overview

A multi-vendor marketplace lets independent sellers list products on your platform, collects payment from buyers, deducts your commission, and pays out the remainder to sellers. The key components are: seller onboarding with KYC verification, product listing management per seller, commission calculation, and automated payouts. For Shopify and WooCommerce merchants, purpose-built marketplace apps handle most of this — custom development is needed primarily for highly specific commission structures or white-label marketplace platforms.

When to Use This Skill

• When building a platform where third-party sellers list and sell their own products (not your inventory)
• When you need the platform to collect payment from buyers and distribute funds to sellers minus a commission
• When sellers need their own dashboard to manage listings, view orders, and track earnings
• When complying with KYC (Know Your Customer) requirements for seller identity verification
• When designing the commission structure (percentage, tiered, category-based) and payout schedule

Core Instructions

Step 1: Determine your platform and choose the right marketplace tool