Top 6 Wholesale Marketplaces: Which is Right for You? (2024)

Written by Hannah | Feb 3, 2023 4:52:47 PM

Wholesale marketplaces. There are a fair few about these days!

Whether you’re looking to shop wholesale products, or start selling wholesale to retailers, stick around for an overview of some of the best wholesale marketplaces.

Because not all wholesale marketplaces are created equal.

Some are completely integrated solutions, capable of processing orders, arranging shipping, and even providing built-in finance. Hell, if you asked, they'd probably do the washing up. Others are more ‘networking’ platforms, helping you to make those all-important initial connections, but with the onus on you to take things from there.

Many fall somewhere in the middle.

All have their own requirements and terms, which we’ve done our best to helpfully summarise below. This list is in no particular order (other than the top spot, of course 👀) — these are all great, established wholesale platforms, with a unique offering for retailers and brands alike.

1. CREOATE

📍Based in: London, UK

Hi, it's us!

Here at CREOATE, we’re on a mission to make wholesale work for independents. We provide a centralised wholesale platform for small retailers to buy stock directly from independent brands according to their values; whether that’s prioritising sustainability, spotlighting women-owned businesses, or committing to being plastic-free.

Having started as a store itself, the CREOATE team understands first-hand the difficulties small retail and product businesses face; from the challenge of sourcing unique products (and the right amount of them!), to managing cash flow, and trying to wear the many hats of a small business owner all at once.

We designed our platform to solve many of these challenges. So while you can use it only to buy wholesale, you can also take advantage of perks like interest-free 60-day payment terms, and the other inbuilt features designed to help your business thrive.

Buying with CREOATE:

Requirements: You need to be a business in order to shop on CREOATE.
Payment terms: Up to 60-day interest-free payment terms with personalised limits (or you can always pay upfront)

Shipping: Free delivery on most orders over £300. Otherwise, a flat fee per supplier of UK (£8.99). See the full breakdown here.
Cross-border: Any charges are correctly calculated and clear at the point of purchase

Returns: You can return unsold stock within 60 days provided it’s the first time you’ve bought from that brand. Some items are excluded from returns — you can find more info here. If you're in the UK or US, we'll even collect your returns for free.

👋 Create your free CREOATE account to start browsing over 200,000 wholesale products, and see wholesale prices.

Selling with CREOATE:

Requirements: Minimum of five distinct, permitted products, sufficient margins and a business email domain. We still carefully evaluate each brand by hand.

Fees: No joining or ongoing fees

Commission: 20% on first-time orders, 15% on reorders, 0% on orders from your ‘referred retailers’ (i.e. stockists you bring to the platform)

Shipping: You typically pay nothing for shipping or duties — this is covered by CREOATE and/or your buyer. Sellers sending unusually large or heavy products may incur a small extra charge.

👋 Apply to sell on CREOATE. It only takes a few minutes to get set up, and we can even import your products straight from Shopify.

2. Faire

📍Based in: San Francisco, USA

Faire launched in the US in 2017 with the vision of becoming a marketplace of local products, and a place to help small brands find their place outside the huge Amazon or Walmart.

It remains the largest wholesale marketplace and — like CREOATE — takes care of logistics like shipping. Faire launched in the UK in early 2021.

Buying with Faire:

Payment terms: Up to 90-day interest-free payment terms, credit limit decided on a case by case basis
Shipping: Calculated at checkout
Cross-border: Fees are estimated at checkout

Returns: You can return unsold stock within 60 days provided it’s the first time you’ve bought from that brand. There are some things you can’t return (including seasonal products) — check here for more info. Faire covers the cost of the returns. Once requested, you’ll be sent a shipping label.

Selling with Faire:

Requirements: Unclear

Fees: No joining or ongoing fees

Commission: 25% on first-time orders, 15% on reorders, 0% on orders from your ‘referred retailers’ (i.e. stockists you bring to the platform)
Shipping: You pay nothing for shipping or duties — this is covered by Faire or your buyer

3. Ankorstore

📍Based in: Paris, France

Let’s swim/sail/surf back across the pond to meet Ankorstore, which was started by two ex-Etsy employees in France, and is now present in 33 countries across the globe.

Over 20,000 brands sell through Ankorstore across lifestyle and fashion categories, and food and drink. It makes money by charging commission on orders placed through the platform.

Buying with Ankorstore:

Requirements: Only available to retailers, and not to those reselling on Amazon or equivalent sites
Payment terms: You can pay up to 60 days later, or 90 days with Ankorstore Plus
Shipping: Free for your first order, for orders over the free order threshold, or if you pay for Ankorstore Plus and are based within the 'Europe 8' zone
Cross-border: You deal directly with customs and pay any fees directly to them, which Ankorstore later refunds when you provide proof. Ankorstore now also charges an extra €20 shipping charge for orders that are far away (which is non-refundable)

Returns: Not allowed

Selling with Ankorstore:

Requirements: Minimum order value of €100, no other requirements found
Fees: No joining or ongoing fees
Commission: 24% commission + service fee on new orders (if the connection was made on Ankorstore), 4% service fee on reorders, 0% commission or service free for orders from retailers added within 'My Network'
Shipping: Ankorstore covers shipping for your first order, and 'contributes' towards shipping costs otherwise

4. JOOR

📍Based in: New York City, USA

JOOR is a luxury fashion marketplace which is used by large retailers — think Farfetch, etc. It has powerful inventory and order management software to help brands process lots of large orders.

Unlike almost all other wholesale marketplaces, JOOR charges a subscription fee for brands looking to sell on its platform. With plenty of built-in analytics and tools, it’s a powerful tool for the right brands and retailers, but is definitely more suited to established fashion brands looking for a way in with larger retailers.

Buying with JOOR:

Requirements: You must be an operating retailer with existing wholesale relationships with brands similar to the ones on JOOR
Payment terms: Up to 60-day payment terms
Shipping: Terms set by the brand
Cross-border: Terms set by the brand

Returns: Terms set by the brand

Selling with JOOR:

Requirements: Unclear
Fees: Subscriptions start at ~£9,000 per year
Commission: 3% of every order
Shipping: Handled by you, not by JOOR

5. Alibaba

📍Based in: Hangzhou, China

Alibaba is a Chinese wholesale marketplace with two key calling cards: low price and variety. And on both, it delivers in spades.

It wouldn’t be your first port of call for artisan soap or a locally-made ombre candle, but it does cover almost every category of ‘stuff’; from car parts to wedding dresses. And having been in business since 1999, it’s a wholesale marketplace veteran.

Alibaba has a simple fee structure, taking 7% commission on all orders made through the site. While that may sound refreshingly low compared to other wholesale websites, keep in mind that it’s a highly price-competitive site, and you’ll need to be prepared to price your products accordingly.

Buying with Alibaba:

Requirements: Anyone can buy from Alibaba, but keep in mind that the minimum number of units you need to buy is often in the thousands
Payment terms: Up to 60-day payment terms
Shipping: Option to ship via freight (slow, cheap) or courier (faster, 4-8 times more expensive), but price dependent on order
Cross-border: Applicable duties and taxes will need to be covered by you

Returns: Not allowed

Selling with Alibaba:

Requirements: None specified
Fees: None
Commission: 7% on all orders
Shipping: Arranged by brand

6. Fairling

📍Based in: Hamburg, Germany

Fairling flips the switch on wholesale marketplaces, putting the onus on the brands to reach out to retailers on the platform which seem to be a good fit for their products. Brands pay a monthly subscription fee of between $99 and $119 per month, and all plans include a number of ‘performance calls’ with the Fairling team.

Fairling doesn’t facilitate the placing of orders between brands and retailers; it’s simply there to help brands make that first contact with retailers who are actively looking for new suppliers.

Buying with Fairling:

Requirements: None listed
Payment terms: N/A
Shipping: N/A
Cross-border: N/A

Returns: N/A

Selling with Fairling:

Requirements: Sufficient stock to handle wholesale orders, should not be looking for stockists with a ‘the cheaper the better’ mindset
Fees: Subscription required — $99 - $499 per month
Commission: N/A
Shipping: N/A

Thanks for sticking with us as we covered some of the best wholesale marketplaces available right now! We'd love to add some more niche recommendations to this list. If there's any you'd recommend, let us know in the comments below.

In the meantime, come see what all the fuss is about. Sign up to shop, or to start selling wholesale with CREOATE. We can't wait to meet you! 👋

1. What is a wholesale marketplace?

A wholesale marketplace connects retailers looking for products to resell, and brands selling products wholesale, in one place. From there, things vary by platform; some allow you to shop directly through the platform, whereas others are there only to introduce you to other brands or retailers. Of the platforms you can shop through, some arrange shipping and have their own delivery and returns policy, whereas on others shipping is organised by the seller, who also sets their own shipping and returns policies.

2. CREOATE vs Faire: which should I choose?

CREOATE and Faire are both popular wholesale marketplaces with different strengths. Faire is the largest wholesale marketplace, and is based in the US, with a bigger network of US brands. CREOATE is smaller and based in the UK, with a more established base of UK brands. As a seller, CREOATE commission should come in a little lower than on Faire. As a buyer, we also offer a more flexible returns policy, with the chance to return unsold stock for free, even if it's a brand you've bought from before. As a seller, there's less competition on CREOATE. But as a buyer, there's less product choice. Ultimately, there's no need to choose between the platforms; you can easily shop or sell on both.

3. Why did Tundra, Handshake and Orderchamp longer on this list?

Tundra ceased to operate as a wholesale marketplace on 17th July 2023, taking our list of the best wholesale marketplaces down from eight to seven. Handshake also ceased trading later the same year, taking the list down to the best six wholesale marketplaces. Meanwhile, Orderchamp pivoted to be a dropshipping-only company.

4. What are some other wholesale marketplaces to consider?

This is not an extensive list of wholesale marketplaces. Depending on your needs, you might want to take a look at IndieMe for handmade products (US/Canada only), Wholesale Clearance UK for budget stock, or Mable for food products.

5. Have wholesale marketplaces replaced trade shows?

No, wholesale marketplaces and trade shows offer two alternative and complementary ways for retailers and brands to connect, and exist happily side by side! Take a look at our guide to 13 of the most popular trade shows within our community to see what's coming up.

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