B2B Marketplace Builder
The B2B Marketplace Builder
B2B transactions still happen through emails, phone calls, and spreadsheets. That inefficiency is your opportunity.
Build a B2B marketplace that brings business buyers and sellers online - without enterprise development costs.
No coding required. Launch in days, not months.
What Is a B2B Marketplace?
A B2B (business-to-business) marketplace is an online platform where businesses buy from and sell to other businesses, with the platform handling discovery, payments, and procurement workflows.
Examples include Alibaba (global wholesale), Faire (independent retailers buying from indie brands), Knowde (chemicals and ingredients), Joor (fashion wholesale), and Mirakl (enterprise retailer marketplaces).
Unlike B2C marketplaces, B2B platforms typically handle higher order values, longer sales cycles, NET 30/60 payment terms, RFQ (request-for-quote) flows, bulk pricing, and approval workflows.
Quick answer: how to start a B2B marketplace in 2026
Follow these 5 steps:
- Pick a niche industry with real B2B pain - chemicals, construction, food service, fashion wholesale, or any sector where buyers currently use phone, email, or spreadsheets to procure.
- Validate with 10 buyers and 10 sellers before writing code. B2B sales cycles are long; you need both sides to commit before launch.
- Set up your platform with B2B features - seller approval, custom business fields (VAT, business license), a private catalog with buyer approval, minimum order quantities and quotes.
- Connect Stripe Connect for split payments between buyers and your approved sellers. Every order is paid at checkout, so decide early whether your market can live without NET terms.
- Recruit your first 10 verified sellers manually. In B2B, quality of supply matters more than quantity - one large verified supplier beats fifty unverified ones.
Each step is covered in more depth below.
Feature checklist
What Prometora Does for B2B, and What It Does Not
Check this against your own requirements before you start a trial. Everything marked Built in is a setting in Store Settings, with no code. Everything marked Not available is not on the platform today, and we would rather you know now than two weeks in.
| Feature | Status | In Prometora | Docs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seller approval before listing | Built in | You review every seller application and approve or reject it with a reason. Listing approval is a second, optional gate. | Read |
| Custom seller application fields | Built in | Add VAT ID, business type, certifications and document uploads to the seller signup form. Qualifying questions can turn applicants away automatically. | Read |
| Private catalog | Built in | Listings, prices, search and seller pages are only visible to signed-in buyers. The homepage, signup and seller application stay public. Pro plan and up. | Read |
| Buyer account approval | Built in | New buyers land in a queue and cannot browse, message or buy until you approve them. Pro plan and up. | Read |
| Minimum order quantity | Built in | A switch per listing type. Sellers set the MOQ on each listing, and the quantity picker, cart and checkout enforce it. Pro plan and up. | Read |
| Minimum price, order cap and commission per listing type | Built in | A price floor, a maximum order value and a separate commission rate for each listing type. | Read |
| Custom listing fields | Built in | Lead time, pack size, certifications, spec sheets, sample requests. Fields are per listing type and can double as filters on the listings page. | Read |
| Quotes | Built in | The buyer messages the seller, the seller sends a custom offer in the conversation, and the buyer pays it through the platform. Offers from several sellers can be paid in one cart. | Read |
| Offer-only listings | Built in | Hide Buy now and Add to cart for a listing type so every sale starts as a conversation and ends with a quote. | Read |
| Request to purchase | Built in | The seller accepts or declines each buyer before the order is paid. Turned on per listing type, then per listing. | Read |
| Split payments and payouts | Built in | Stripe Connect splits every payment between your commission and the seller. Sellers onboard to Stripe once and get paid out on your schedule. | Read |
| Bulk listing import | Built in | Upload a CSV with listings, sellers and custom fields. Business plan. | Read |
| Webhooks | Built in | Signed, retried events for orders, refunds, bookings and sellers, for Zapier, Make or your own endpoint. | Read |
| Volume price breaks per unit | Workaround | Not per unit. Sellers list pack sizes as price options instead, for example a case of 6 and a case of 12 at different unit prices. | Read |
| Per-buyer price lists | Workaround | No contract pricing per buyer account. Sellers quote individual buyers with a custom offer. | Read |
| NET 30 / NET 60 and pay by invoice | Not available | Every order is paid at checkout through Stripe. There is no deferred payment or invoice-later option. | - |
| Buyer invitations | Not available | You cannot invite a buyer by email. Buyers sign up on your store and you approve them. | - |
| Purchase orders, multi-user buyer accounts, ERP integration | Not available | Not on the platform. These are enterprise procurement features and a custom build on top of Prometora. | - |
Checked against the product on October 12, 2026. Plans are $175 and $249 a month, each with a 14-day trial. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.
Built-In Features
Everything You Need for a B2B Marketplace
Prometora includes the features B2B buyers and sellers need - out of the box, no custom development.
Approve Sellers Before They List
Review every supplier application with custom fields - VAT ID, business type, certifications, document uploads. Approve or reject with a reason, and gate listings a second time if you want.
Learn morePrivate Catalog + Buyer Approval
Hide listings, prices, search and seller pages from the public. New buyers land in a queue and cannot browse, message or buy until you approve them.
Learn moreMinimum Order Quantity + Price Rules
Turn on MOQ per listing type and the quantity picker, cart and checkout enforce it. Add a price floor, a maximum order value and a commission rate per listing type.
Learn moreQuotes with Custom Offers
Bigger orders get negotiated. The buyer messages the seller, the seller sends an offer in the conversation, and the buyer pays it through the platform. Several quotes can go in one cart.
Learn moreStripe Connect Split Payments
Automatic payment splitting between you and your approved sellers. Commission collected per transaction, payouts run on your schedule.
Learn morePer-Vertical Custom Listings
Lead times, pack sizes, compliance docs, sample-request toggles, certifications - configure the listing form per listing type for the B2B vertical you serve.
Learn morePlatform comparison
B2B Marketplace Software & Builders Compared
Six honest options across the B2B marketplace software landscape in 2026 - SaaS builders, self-hosted licenses, and enterprise platforms. Pricing and feature coverage side by side, so you can pick by fit, not by hype.
Last updated October 12, 2026
| Platform | Starting price | Time to launch | B2B features | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prometora (this page) | $175–$249/mo Recurring SaaS | 1–7 days | Native: seller approval, private catalog, buyer approval, MOQ, custom listing fields, quotes via custom offers. No NET terms | SMB founders, niche verticals, non-technical operators |
| Mirakl | Custom enterprise Six-figure annual contracts typical | 3–6 months | Enterprise-grade: native NET, RFQ, MOQ, multi-buyer accounts | Enterprise retailers (Best Buy, Macy's, Carrefour scale) |
| Sharetribe | $259/mo Recurring SaaS (monthly billing; $199/mo yearly) plus usage fees | 4–12 weeks | Not B2B-native: no NET, no RFQ, MOQ requires custom fields | General-purpose marketplaces, not built specifically for B2B |
| CS-Cart Multi-Vendor B2B | $61/mo SaaS or $3,590 license B2B add-ons extra | 2–8 weeks | MOQ + seller approval native, NET and RFQ via add-ons | Self-hosted setups with developer support |
| Yo!Kart B2B | $1,999 one-time GoQuick license + your hosting | 4–10 weeks | Native RFQ and MOQ; NET requires custom integration | Owner-license setups with technical comfort |
| Custom development | $50,000–$200,000+ Project-based, plus ongoing dev + hosting | 6–12 months | Whatever you scope and build | Enterprises with workflows no platform supports |
Pricing as of October 2026, US dollars. Mirakl and custom-development figures based on publicly reported enterprise contracts and industry estimates - both vary widely by scope.
Step-by-step playbook
How to Build a B2B Marketplace in 2026
Six concrete steps from idea to live B2B marketplace. B2B has different mechanics from B2C - longer sales cycles, larger orders, procurement workflows. Each step below is tailored to that.
- 1
Pick a vertical industry, not a category
Generic "B2B marketplace" doesn't work. The B2B platforms that win pick a specific industry and go deep: Faire (independent retailers), Knowde (chemicals), Joor (fashion wholesale), Tundra (consumer brands). Pick a vertical where buyers and sellers have specific needs (compliance docs, sample requests, RFQs, NET terms) that horizontal marketplaces can't replicate.
- 2
Configure listings for B2B (MOQ, lead time, bulk pricing)
B2B listings need different fields than B2C. Add minimum order quantities (MOQ), lead times, pack sizes as price options, product specifications, and compliance documents. Buyers in B2B filter by these specs - not by color and size. MOQ is a switch per listing type on Prometora, and the rest are custom listing fields you configure per marketplace.
- 3
Decide how buyers pay, and verify both sides
B2B buyers often expect NET 30 or NET 60 terms, meaning they pay 30 or 60 days after delivery. Faire built its wedge on this, and it carries credit risk. On Prometora every order is paid at checkout through Stripe Connect, which splits the payment between you and the seller. If your market cannot live without NET terms, that is a financing layer on top, not a platform setting. Verification is built in on both sides, with seller approval and buyer account approval behind a private catalog.
- 4
Set up quotes for larger orders
For larger or custom orders, B2B buyers expect to negotiate. On Prometora the buyer messages the seller, the seller sends a custom offer in the conversation, and the buyer pays it through the platform. Offers from several sellers can be paid in one cart. Make a listing type offer-only to hide Buy now, so every sale of that type starts as a conversation.
- 5
Recruit suppliers AND buyers separately
B2C marketplaces solve the cold start by stacking supply first. B2B is harder - both sides need higher trust, longer sales cycles, and verification. Recruit your first 5-10 suppliers personally. Then recruit buyers who specifically want what those suppliers offer. The first matches need to be hand-curated, not algorithmic.
- 6
Drive your first 10 transactions (with high-touch onboarding)
B2B transactions are bigger and slower than B2C. Don't expect viral growth - expect 3-6 month sales cycles for the first cohort. Treat every early buyer like a strategic account. Hop on calls, walk them through the platform, fix bugs they find. The first 10 deals are gold - they generate the case studies and references that close the next 100.
The Problem
How Trillions of Dollars Still Change Hands
This is what a typical B2B transaction looks like today. Companies aren't moving online because it's trendy - they're doing it because staying offline is inefficient and expensive.
Email-Driven Ordering
Orders placed via email threads, attachments, and back-and-forth
Slow, error-prone, and impossible to scale
Phone-Based Sales
Buyers call suppliers one-by-one to compare and negotiate
No transparency, no easy comparison
Spreadsheet Catalogs
Product lists shared as Excel files or PDFs
Always outdated, hard to search, no real-time stock
Manual Processes Everywhere
Invoicing, follow-ups, and reorders handled manually
High overhead, limited growth capacity
The Opportunity
One wholesale order can be worth $2,000+. One B2C order averages $30. You don't need millions of users - you need a small number of high-value, repeat customers. You do the math.
Core Framework
The 3 Levels of B2B Marketplaces
B2B marketplaces are not all the same - they range from simple to enterprise. Most founders should start simple and only add complexity when real demand requires it.
B2B-Lite Marketplace
Where most founders should start
- Wholesale platforms
- B2B services marketplace
- Lead-driven marketplace
- Supplier directories with transactions
- Simple pricing
- Card or bank transfer payments
- Manual onboarding
- Seller approval
B2B-Plus Marketplace
Scale when demand requires it
- Company accounts
- Tiered or volume pricing
- Light approval flows
- Custom catalogs per buyer
- Business verification
- Recurring orders
- Account management
- API integrations
Enterprise B2B Marketplace
Prometora as your foundation + custom integrations
- RFQ / RFP workflows
- Purchase orders
- Net-30 / Net-60 terms
- ERP integrations
- Procurement systems
- Complex approval chains
- Custom invoicing
- Compliance requirements
Built on Prometora with custom integrations - talk to us
You can build all three levels with Prometora - self-serve for Level 1–2, custom builds for Level 3
Most successful B2B marketplaces started at Level 1.
Watch the Full Build
I Built a B2B Wholesale Marketplace in 15 Minutes
Pantry Wholesale, indie food and drink brands selling to cafés and delis. Private catalog, approval on both sides, MOQ, a 400-listing CSV import and a full test order.
3:14
Private catalog and approvals
6:29
Min price and order cap
10:28
400 listings from a CSV
12:35
Test order and payout
Read the full video transcript▼
B2B marketplaces are backwards (0:00)
The interesting thing about B2B marketplaces is that it's all backwards. On Etsy you want zero friction. On a B2B marketplace you want friction on purpose. Nobody lists without first being checked, and nobody sees a price before they are checked. Orders are typically big. In this video I'll show you how to build a proper B2B marketplace.
The plan, five rules (0:25)
Five rules, and each one is a settings page.
- Brands get vetted before they can list. Both sellers and buyers go through an application before they are let in.
- The catalog is private. Without an approved buyer or seller profile you cannot see any listings.
- Orders are wholesale orders. Minimums, lead times, and a way to negotiate through messaging.
- Sellers won't add every listing themselves. The import feature adds 400 SKUs for one seller in a couple of seconds.
- Hold the money until the seller ships. Commission, and a word on brand memberships.
The marketplace is Pantry Wholesale, indie food and drink brands selling wholesale to cafés and delis. Commission is 8%, the plan is Business, and the aim is under 15 minutes.
Template, name, and Retailer / Brand labels (1:37)
On prometora.com I pick the Product Marketplace template, because this marketplace needs shipping. Name and description go in, and the marketplace is generated with a hero, some categories and four listing types on the all-listings page. Coffee and tea, baked goods, sauces, snacks.
In Store Settings I start with the signup form. I don't want to call a buyer a "buyer" and a seller a "producer", so the terminology becomes Retailer and Brand, and the "sold by" label on listing pages is now Brand.
Private catalog, buyer and seller approval (3:14)
To make it a private catalog I turn on buyer approval and seller approval, and private catalog itself. Further down I add seller fields. Registration number, VAT number, product category as a dropdown with nine options, and "Where do you sell wholesale today?". VAT number and product category are required. A retailer only gives first name, last name, email and optionally a phone number, but still has to be approved by me before they can do anything or even see the catalog.
Stripe test keys, commission, maximum order value (4:50)
On the payments tab I add my Stripe test keys so everything runs in a sandbox first, set the commission to 8%, and turn on a maximum order value of 5,000. On a B2B marketplace that protects sellers from chargebacks on large orders they may not be able to deliver. This is the store default, and a seller can set their own on their settings page.
Minimum price and order cap per listing type (6:29)
On the listing form, each listing type has its own minimum listing price and maximum order value, or it uses the store default. For coffee and tea I set 4,000 as the cap and 100 USD as the minimum price, because a seller won't really earn anything on an order below that.
Signing up as a brand and getting approved (7:58)
Logged out, the all-listings page says this catalog is for approved retailers only, and the front page shows nothing under new suppliers. The owner always sees everything. I create a seller profile with the mandatory VAT number and product category, get the magic link, and land on "application pending". As the owner I get an email with a link to review it, see every detail including the VAT number, and approve. If something isn't right I can message the pending seller about what to fix.
Back on the seller dashboard I'm in. Under settings I set my own maximum order value, 3,500, and create a coffee and tea listing. It went live immediately, but listing approval can be turned on too. Then I sign up as a retailer, and because buyer approval is on, I approve that account under sellers and buyers as well. On the listing form I also turn on minimum order quantity, stock quantity and SKU.
Importing 400 listings from a CSV (10:28)
Under import data I drag in a CSV, assign the batch to the seller we just made, tick "publish all listings immediately" and import. 400 rows, 400 listings created, 405 in total. On the marketplace, coffee and tea now has a lot of listings and I can filter on pack size, lead time and so on.
Shipping, ship deadline, delivery confirmation
Under shipping I enable flat rate, allow per-listing shipping costs with a 50 USD default, pick the USA as the shipping country, and give sellers a 7-day deadline to ship. I also enable buyer delivery confirmation. Five days after shipping the buyer gets a "please confirm" email, and if they don't confirm within 14 days the money is auto-released to the seller.
Test order, checkout, ship, confirm, payout (12:35)
Logged in as the buyer I buy the listing we made. Stripe checkout, still in the sandbox, 900 plus 50 shipping. Order confirmed. The buyer gets the confirmation email, the seller gets a "you made a sale" email saying they have to ship to get their 851 dollars after the platform fee.
Under my sales, as the seller, I add a tracking number and carrier and mark it shipped. The payout is still held. The buyer confirms delivery, and the money is released to the seller once they have onboarded on Stripe with bank details and ID.
Seller subscriptions and brand memberships (13:57)
We could also have set up subscriptions. A seller gets 20 free listings and then pays per listing, with a token cost per listing type, or a monthly fee, say 100 dollars a month to be a brand on the marketplace. It needs live Stripe keys first.
Wrap up (14:40)
That's it. I hope it gave you some inspiration for your own B2B marketplace on Prometora. There's a 14-day free trial, so go ahead and test it.
Earlier video on where the B2B opportunities are and the three levels of B2B marketplaces: How to Build a B2B Marketplace (Hidden Opportunities Founders Ignore)
Hidden Opportunities
6 B2B Niches Where Money Already Moves Offline
The best B2B marketplace opportunities don't sound exciting at a startup meetup. They sound boring to explain at a dinner party. That's usually a good sign.
Wholesale Food & Beverage
Connect restaurants, cafes, and retailers with wholesale food suppliers and distributors.
Think: a Faire for local restaurant suppliers
Who's already paying for this: Restaurants, cafes, grocery stores
Industrial Parts & Equipment
Spare parts, components, and industrial supplies for manufacturing and maintenance.
Think: an Amazon Business for machine parts
Who's already paying for this: Manufacturers, maintenance teams, contractors
Professional B2B Services
Accounting, compliance, marketing, and operations services - verticalized for a specific industry.
Think: an Upwork for accounting firms
Who's already paying for this: SMBs needing specialized business services
Business Equipment Rentals
Construction equipment, event infrastructure, office furniture, and commercial vehicles.
Think: a Fat Llama for construction equipment
Who's already paying for this: Contractors, event planners, growing businesses
Trade-Specific Suppliers
Niche materials and supplies for specific trades - plumbing, electrical, HVAC, or beauty.
Think: a niche Alibaba for plumbing supplies
Who's already paying for this: Tradespeople, salon owners, specialized buyers
Private Buying Groups
Closed marketplaces for franchises, associations, or cooperatives to source from approved vendors.
Think: a Costco-style marketplace for franchise networks
Who's already paying for this: Franchise networks, co-ops, industry associations
Pick one niche. Find 10 sellers. That's your starting point.
B2B Revenue Model
Calculate Your Marketplace Revenue
In B2B, you don't need millions of transactions. Higher order values mean even a small commission adds up fast.
Net monthly revenue
$250
After Prometora's fee and subscription
Annual projection
$3,000
Net revenue at this volume × 12
Above break-even
42 orders
58 above, subscription covered
Your numbers
Where each sale goes
The buyer pays $50.00
Billed to you once a month with your subscription
Deducted from the seller, not from you · US card rate
Per sale, before your monthly subscription
Projections
Profit margin5.0% of GMV
Like the look of $250/month?
Start a free 14-day trial and turn this projection into a real marketplace.
As you grow
Net revenue per month at different order volumes, based on $50 AOV, 10% commission and the Professional plan
Monthly orders → net revenue per month
| Orders | GMV | Commission | Fees | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $2,500 | $250 | -$213 | $38 |
| 100You | $5,000 | $500 | -$250 | $250 |
| 250 | $12,500 | $1,250 | -$363 | $888 |
| 500 | $25,000 | $2,500 | -$550 | $1,950 |
| 1,000 | $50,000 | $5,000 | -$925 | $4,075 |
Ready to Start Earning?
With 100 orders at $50 AOV, you could be earning $250/month. Start building your marketplace today.
Why B2B Math Works
B2C marketplace (typical):
- $30 average order
- 10% commission = $3 per transaction
- Need thousands of orders/month
- High marketing cost per user
B2B marketplace:
- $500–$5,000+ average order
- 5% commission = $25–$250 per transaction
- Dozens of orders can sustain the platform
- Repeat buyers = compounding revenue
Real-world examples
Niche B2B Marketplaces Worth Studying
These aren't platforms you build *on* - they're marketplaces you should *study* before building your own. Each one picked a focused vertical and built B2B-specific workflows (RFQs, NET terms, sample requests, compliance) that horizontal marketplaces can't replicate.
Wholesale for independent retailers
B2B niche - independent retailers buying from indie brands. NET 60 payment terms and free returns gave brick-and-mortar shops a way to compete with Amazon. $12B valuation.
Global wholesale and trade
The largest B2B marketplace on Earth, processing over $1 trillion in GMV across its platforms. Made global wholesale accessible to small importers - SKUs, MOQs, and supplier verification all built in.
Chemicals and ingredients
Vertical-specific B2B for chemicals, ingredients, and polymers. Solved the spec-sheet and sample-request workflow that Alibaba can't replicate at chemical-industry scale. Backed by Sequoia and Coatue.
Wholesale for fashion brands
B2B platform for fashion - brands selling to retailers. Built for the seasonal order cycle, line sheets, and trade-show workflow that fashion wholesale runs on. Standard for over 13,000 retailers.
Enterprise marketplace platform
Enterprise-grade marketplace SaaS used by major retailers (Best Buy, Macy's, Carrefour) to add multi-vendor channels. Closest peer to Marketplacer at the very top of the market - not for SMB.
European B2B wholesale for indie brands
European competitor to Faire focused on independent retailers buying from indie brands. Free shipping over a threshold and NET 60 payment terms gave brick-and-mortar shops in France, Germany, and the UK a way to compete with Amazon. Backed by Tiger Global and Bain Capital.
The pattern: pick one industry vertical and build the procurement workflows that vertical actually needs.
How It Works
Launch Your B2B Marketplace in 3 Steps
Pick Your B2B Niche
Focus on one buyer type, one seller type, and one core workflow. Wholesale food, industrial parts, professional services - the more specific, the easier to win.
Build with AI
Describe your B2B marketplace to Prometora's AI. It generates your pages, categories, listing fields, and content. Add B2B-specific fields like MOQ, lead times, and business type. No code required.
Onboard Suppliers
Invite suppliers to apply. Review and approve each one. They create their storefronts, list products, and start selling. You earn commission on every transaction.
Build It Yourself
Start Free Trial
Perfect for founders who want to move fast. Build, test, and iterate your B2B marketplace on your own terms.
View All PlansDone With You
White Glove Setup, $499
Already running a business? The founder sets up your B2B marketplace with you - listing types, pages, payments, domain and your first listings.
Learn MoreStripe Connect
Secure payments
SSL Encrypted
All data protected
14-Day Free Trial
Test everything first
Custom Domain
Your brand, your URL
Related guides
Keep going
More videos and guides on building marketplaces from scratch.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Pick a niche industry with real B2B pain - chemicals, construction, food service, fashion wholesale, or any sector where buyers currently use phone, email, or spreadsheets.
2. Validate with 10 buyers and 10 sellers before writing code - B2B sales cycles are long, so you need both sides committed before launch.
3. Set up B2B-specific features - seller approval, custom business fields (VAT, tax ID), a private catalog with buyer approval, minimum order quantities and quotes.
4. Connect Stripe Connect for split payments. Every order is paid at checkout, so decide early whether your market can live without NET terms.
5. Recruit 10 verified sellers manually - in B2B, one large verified supplier beats fifty unverified ones.
For the full step-by-step playbook with examples, read how to start an online marketplace.
• No-code (Prometora): $175-$249/month subscription. Live in days to weeks. Best for non-technical founders validating an idea.
• White Glove Setup (Prometora): $499 one-time, hands-on setup with the founder. Expert setup without enterprise pricing.
• Custom development: $50,000 to $200,000+ and 6-12 months. Only makes sense if you need workflows no platform supports (heavy enterprise procurement, deep ERP integrations).
The right path depends on your stage. Pre-validation? No-code. Validated and scaling? Custom may eventually pay off - but most B2B marketplaces never need to migrate. See the full marketplace software comparison.
The reason: B2B niche industries have specific workflows (certifications, lead times, MOQ, regulatory requirements) that horizontal platforms can't match. Prometora supports custom listing fields, seller approval workflows, and custom branding so you can configure the marketplace exactly to your niche - whether that's a Faire for industrial parts or a Knowde for specialty ingredients.
For B2B, this handles card and bank transfer payments. If your market requires invoicing or net-30/60 terms, those fall into enterprise territory. Learn more in our revenue guide.
We also offer White Glove Setup ($499 one-time, Professional and Business) where the founder sets up your B2B marketplace with you - ideal if you want expert setup without the enterprise price tag.
We offer enterprise solutions for larger operations - reach out and we'll find the right fit.
Most wholesale platforms are B2B, but not all B2B marketplaces are wholesale. If your buyers are businesses but they're buying services or rentals rather than goods, you're B2B but not strictly wholesale.
• No-code SaaS ($175-$249/mo, 1-7 days to launch, B2B features native) - best for SMB founders and niche verticals.
• General-purpose SaaS ($199-$259/mo) - works if B2B isn't the core use case, but you'll bolt on NET terms and RFQ.
• Self-hosted licenses ($61/mo or $1,999-$3,590 one-time) - for technical teams with developer support.
• Enterprise platforms (custom, six-figure annual contracts) - for Best Buy or Carrefour-scale retailers.
• Custom development ($50k-$200k+) - only for unique workflows no platform supports.
Startups should almost always start with no-code SaaS and migrate later if needed. See the full comparison table above.
• Marketplace-native SaaS - Prometora (from $175/mo, with seller approval, a private catalog, buyer approval, MOQ and quotes built in) or Sharetribe ($199+/mo, B2B via workarounds).
• Self-hosted software - CS-Cart B2B ($61/mo SaaS or $3,590 license) and Yo!Kart B2B ($1,999 one-time) - full code ownership, developer required.
• Enterprise software - Mirakl and similar, custom-priced contracts for retailer-scale operations.
Pick by stage: founders validating a niche want SaaS speed; enterprises with procurement teams want Mirakl-class platforms. The comparison above covers all six options side by side - or see the broader marketplace software comparison.
Pulling data back into Prometora, two-way inventory sync and purchase orders from a procurement system are not supported. See the webhooks documentation for the full event list.
For negotiated or contract pricing, the buyer messages the seller and the seller responds with a custom offer at the agreed price. Offers from several sellers can be paid together in one cart.
The bottleneck is rarely the technology - it's recruiting your first 10 verified suppliers, which takes weeks regardless of platform. Pick the path that lets you start that conversation soonest. See the comparison table above for the full breakdown.
Common pattern: a wholesale marketplace where suppliers also sell direct-to-consumer at retail prices, with a listing type per segment. Configure listing types, payment methods, and approval workflows independently per segment.
Have questions? Let's chat
Book a free call with me to discuss your marketplace idea, get a demo, or ask any questions about Prometora.
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