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10 Online Marketplaces to sell in the UK in 2024

the best online marketplaces to sell in the UK

It’s estimated that the British public spent approximately £250 billion pounds online in 2021. While that number dropped in 2022, the UK still boasts one of the most thriving ecommerce ecosystems in the world. 

When you’re looking to sell online, there are several UK marketplaces to choose from. Which marketplace you choose will depend heavily on the size of your businesses, its products or services, location or customers you want to reach. Keeping all this in mind, we have gathered together some of the best online marketplaces in the UK to sell in 2023.

What is an online marketplace?

Online marketplaces are third-party selling platforms for individuals and businesses to sell their products and/or services online. They are a great option for small or medium ecommerce businesses who aren’t interested in building their own online store and want less financial investment. 

Online marketplaces connect sellers with buyers, providing consumers with a convenient and simple way to shop online. By leveraging online marketplaces, ecommerce businesses can have access to new customers, a global community and increase sales.

UK Marketplaces: Which one is best for you?

While there are online marketplaces all over the world, there are a handful that specifically serve the UK market, or provide a straightforward service to sell from anywhere. 

Amazon UK

Amazon Inc. is the world’s largest online marketplace, which makes it a great platform for sellers of all sizes to market the products. You can find almost anything on Amazon; from electronics to household items, clearing equipment, video games, and much more. For both buyers and sellers, Amazon UK is an easy and convenient marketplace for UK-based businesses and consumers.Amazon Marketplace

How to sell on Amazon UK

The first thing you have to do to sell on Amazon is create a seller account. Once you have registered, you can sell to consumers across the UK and Europe — and it doesn’t matter if you have a fully fledged ecommerce store or simply a great product you want to get into the world.

With just a single seller account, you can reach an enormous global audience and have access to their logistics centres and warehouses. These are just two of the biggest advantages of using Amazon UK. Amazon UK will then take over responsibility for placing orders and shipping them, allowing you to save time and money. 

eBay UK

If you’re the kind of person looking for somewhere not as controversial as Amazon, but with a similar global reach, then eBay UK might be a better option. eBay began life as a small online auction site for anyone to sell anything; from collectables to second-hand clothes. Today, eBay is so much more. The online marketplace can be used to sell all kinds of products, both new and used.

The site offers plenty of options to sellers including Auction and “Buy It Now” listings. It also offers various marketing tools and promotional opportunities to help increase product visibility and attract customers. These include promoted listings, discounts, sales events and cross-promotions.Best Marketplaces online to sell in the UKHow to sell on eBay UK

To sell on eBay UK you need to create an eBay account (Personal or Business) and set up an eBay store. You can then start listing items for sale. Make sure that when you upload the images of your listing, the picture quality is clear — this will be important for buyers browsing the product type.

From here you can start managing your listings, shipping your products and building a positive seller reputation. All of these things will help your eBay ecommerce store become more successful.

Etsy UK

Etsy is known for being the largest online marketplace in Europe for handcrafted and vintage products. If you want to share your talent with the world and start monetising your favourite hobby, then Etsy is a great place to do it.

Etsy is a great place to sell for a number of reasons. For consumers, they know that their money is being spent on handcrafted items that you won’t find on big marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. For sellers, they are able to charge a fair price for the labour involved and reach a huge community of buyers in niche markets.

How to sell on Etsy UK

Selling on Etsy is easy, allowing you to make one-off listings or building a whole store on the platform. You will need to answer some introductory questions about your product(s) and whether they are handmade, vintage or crafts items. You can then go ahead and create an Etsy account, build your shop, set up payment and billing information and start managing your listings.

Wayfair

If you’re in the business of furniture and home goods online, then Wayfair is one of the best online marketplaces in the UK to sell. It is also a massive platform, selling home decor and other household items to buyers all over North America and Europe. Wayfair offers sellers with an enormous community, expert delivery options and data to help you understand your customers.

How to sell on Wayfair

To sell on the platform all you have to do is apply to become a Wayfair Partner. To deliver orders to customers, you’ll need a warehouse or third-party logistics partner in the UK. As a result of this, Wayfair is more suited for larger, more established ecommerce businesses in the home decor goods.

Zalando

Zalando is one of the largest marketplaces in Europe for clothing, footwear and accessories. The marketplace has a selection of about 1,900 brands, and allows individual sellers partnership options to sell to their massive community. 

The Zalando Partner Program lets sellers connect to the Zalando platform to sell directly to consumers, however you are required to already have an online store to take part. It is the easiest way to build up a profitable ecommerce business and get direct access to more than 50 million active customers in 25 markets across Europe. You also get access to Zalando Fulfilment Solutions to handle logistics.

Online Marketplaces to sell in the UKHow to sell on Zalando

To sell on Zalando you will have to be part of the Partner Program. You must make sure you meet all the requirements, so it’s more suited to established businesses. You can access analytics, business insights, peer benchmarks and platform tooling through the analytics tool zDirect. The platform also offers Zalando Marketing Services to drive sales performance and brand impact.

ASOS Marketplace

Similar to Zalando, ASOS is a lifestyle brand based in the UK that offers consumers with a large and diverse range of brands and styles aimed at young adults. In 2010, the brand launched ASOS Marketplace — a platform for small businesses, independent brands and vintage boutiques. The marketplace currently boasts over 900+ unique stores based in 50+ countries worldwide. It’s ideal for vintage sellers and independent brands who want access to ASOS’s global and diverse user base.

How to sell on ASOS Marketplace

To sell with ASOS you need to sell either your own designs or a true vintage collection (Y2K or older). You must also have at least 15 items to start and you will need to create an ASOS Marketplace account when you apply. It’s also crucial that you are able to handle any customer service enquiries and maintain a feedback rating of more than 90%.

Etsy

Etsy is known for being the largest online marketplace in Europe for handcrafted and vintage products. If you want to share your talent with the world and start monetising your favourite hobby, then Etsy is a great place to do it.

Etsy is a great place to sell for a number of reasons. For consumers, they know that their money is being spent on handcrafted items that you won’t find on big marketplaces such as Amazon and eBay. For sellers, they are able to charge a fair price for the labour involved and reach a huge community of buyers in niche markets.

How to sell on Etsy.com/uk

Selling on Etsy is easy, allowing you to make one-off listings or building a whole store on the platform. You will need to answer some introductory questions about your product(s) and whether they are handmade, vintage or crafts items. You can then go ahead and create an Etsy account, build your shop, set up payment and billing information and start managing your listings.

Not On The High Street

Not On The High Street is an online marketplace specialising in unique and personalised gifts, handmade products and independent sellers. The site boats two million unique visitors a month, which puts it ahead of both Etsy and Amazon for homemade goods in the UK. As a result, the site is perfect for small businesses, independent brands and startups.Marketplace Notonthehighstreet

How to sell on NOTHS

You don’t need a website to sell on Not On The High Street, but it’s good to already have a sense of your brand and the products you want to sell. You need to apply to be a NOTHS seller, but once you’re accepted the platform will help you grow your business with the business insights and need-to-know info. Through their storefront you will be able to manage your operations, update product info or add new listings any time you like.

Gumtree

In the UK, Gumtree is a local marketplace that connects buyers and sellers within a specific region. For small, local businesses, Gumtree is perfect. Products (and services) are listed through both free and paid for classified ads, offering all kinds of items such as furniture, electronics, vehicles, jobs, housing, and more. 

Gumtree offers a platform for users to find local deals, connect with potential buyers / sellers and facilitate transactions in their community. For this reason, Gumtree is great for individuals or small brick-and-mortar businesses looking to find new customers.

How to sell on Gumtree

To sell on Gumtree all you need to do is create an account and then start creating ads. You should provide plenty of product details, high quality images and make sure you respond quickly to enquiries. 

OnBuy

OnBuy is a UK-born online marketplace that simply connects buyers with thousands of professional online business sellers. Unlike Amazon they don’t sell any of their own products, and sell millions of products from both independent businesses and established brands. It is one of the fastest growing online marketplaces due to its low service fees and global operations. 

OnBuy offers consumers a large and diverse marketplace, currently boasting 35 million+ products over 6000+ categories. OnBuy can also be integrated with various analytics tools, ecommerce platforms and APIs to help track growth, sales and trends.onbuy-homepage-marketplace-ukHow to sell on OnBuy

OnBuy offers sellers with two account packages: Standard (£19.00 per month) and Partner (£39.00 per month). The Partner package offers sellers with regular account health checks and access to assisted onboarding. To create a seller account you just need to register and wait until a member of the OnBuy sales team gets in touch. OnBuy will then support your sales and growth through unlimited listings, marketing tools and seller support.

Fruugo

A newer player in the online marketplace arena, Fruugo is seeking to become a truly international platform, selling millions of products from thousands of brands in 46 countries, 28 languages and 22 currencies. Their biggest USP is their translation technology.

Fruugo boasts a no-sale, no-fee business model to market their products, and provides access to many global shoppers worldwide. They also have partnerships with global comparison search engines and whitelisting with Google Shopping in 20+ countries. The platform also provides its sellers with a dedicated account manager and offers foreign market insight — valuable data for expanding across borders.

How to sell on Fruugo

To become a Fruugo client, you simply need to fill out a registration form and submit all the information about your business. You will need to be able to ship internationally. Fruugo is completely free to set up and to list products, but will charge commission and processing fees once you start selling your products. 

In conclusion, the online shopping landscape in the UK continues to flourish and offers a plethora of marketplaces for sellers to tap into. Each marketplace serves different niches and offers various advantages, making it crucial for businesses to understand and select the platform that aligns best with their product offerings, target audience, and business size. By making an informed decision, sellers can optimize their reach, tap into new customer bases, and drive increased sales, ensuring that they capitalize on the thriving UK e-commerce ecosystem.

List of Online Marketplaces to sell in the UK in 2024:

  1. Amazon UK
  2. eBay UK
  3. Etsy UK
  4. Wayfair
  5. Zalando
  6. ASOS Marketplace
  7. Not On The High Street
  8. Gumtree
  9. OnBuy
  10. Fruugo

 

 

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ShippyPro Team

ShippyPro is the complete shipping software for online and offline retail. With Label Creator, Track & Trace, Easy Return and Analytics features, our software simplifies your shipping operations. ShippyPro integrates with over 160 couriers and 80 sales channels, making it compatible with a wide range of products and use cases.