Guest post provided by InterCultural Elements

Expanding your e-commerce business internationally is almost a no-brainer these days, and what’s a better time to put it into action than the beginning of the new year! Marketplaces like eBay and Amazon are often the biggest online marketplaces that every retailer tries to get onto, but the online world is competitive, and as you might have heard, “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” Selling solely on eBay and Amazon can be risky and certainly limits the audience you want to reach.

There are multiple factors you need to consider before expanding into new countries and relevant marketplaces. In order to give you a running start, here are seven marketplaces to check out beyond eBay and Amazon to gain more customers and increase your sales worldwide in 2020.

In no particular order, we’ll begin with a few competitive marketplaces available in Europe.

Starting close to home is OnBuy, one of the fastest-growing marketplaces in the UK. Recently celebrated a record-breaking £1m sales on Black Friday 2019, the marketplace reports November 2019 trading up 5 times the same period the year before. OnBuy charges a rather competitive selling fee that allows the sellers to attract more buyers with lower product price without minimizing margins. And if standard sellers don’t hit the £500/month sales mark, OnBuy offers an exclusive Sales Guarantee and waives the subscription fee for the next month.

Moving on to Germany, the second biggest e-commerce market after the UK. real.de is an up-and -coming, highly competitive marketplace with around 19 million users a month. One of the biggest retailers in Germany, real.de offers an easy set-up process with a full range of categories including: home and garden, electronics, baby and children, groceries, beauty and more. Sellers can integrate with a number of listing tools, but please note that you should be able to offer professional German translations and customer service.

Cdiscount is the second largest online marketplace in France, and boasts a loyal customer base. It’s fully integrated with a number of listing tools, has outstanding seller services, and even offers a Fulfilled by Cdiscount shipping option. You can list new and used items in every category imaginable. Like many international marketplaces, you must be able to provide French customer support, and listings should be in French. Cdiscount should be a top priority for companies worldwide looking to expand to France.

Allegro is one of Poland’s largest online marketplaces. Without the local presence of Amazon, there’s very less competition and lots of room for opportunity for international sellers. Sellers don’t require an invitation to join. Allegro supports nearly all product categories and offers an easy setup with customizable listing options. One downfall is that the platform is only available in Polish, which may be limiting for some international sellers. You must also be able to ship to Poland, offer Polish customer service and provide professional translations for your listings.    

Moving outside of Europe, Rakuten is Japan’s largest online selling platform and is expanding their reach worldwide. Rakuten is nothing like many of its competitors. Unlike Amazon.com, sellers compete only with other sellers for sales in a wide variety of categories. They are fully integrated with Hub (Shopping Cart Elite) and you’ll be assisted by an Account Manager and a support team every step of the way.

The amount of flexibility sellers enjoy is unparalleled in most major e-commerce platforms. Traditionally Japan websites are set up to be more engaging and stimulating, and sellers will need to create an individual store front that reflects this preference.

It’s important to note that Rakuten is highly selective about who is permitted to sell, but it’s a very promising marketplace once you’re on it.

Beyond eBay, sellers interested in the Southern Hemisphere can also benefit from a number of intriguing marketplaces. These all allow sellers to list comfortably in English with various listing tools.

Aside from Amazon Australia, Catch (formerly known as Catch of the Day) is also available to your potential Australian audience. This marketplace can be challenging to get your foot in the door in the beginning. However once in, sellers are able to list in a full range of categories, and the marketplace is fully integrated to ChannelAdvisor and Linnworks. Catch is set up differently to offer products at a low price in order to move stock quickly, and items can be included in fast-paced campaigns. This is a great option for sellers looking to move products swiftly if they can ship to Australia efficiently.

Last but not least on our list, Trade Me is the largest local marketplace currently in New Zealand, and is available to regional and international sellers of all sizes. Sellers can create their own storefronts and choose from a variety of payment methods. Trade Me is set up quite differently from Amazon and eBay in that sellers can control the listing process much more. Listings can be set at a fixed-price or as a traditional auction throughout a full range of categories. Sellers also have the option to list local classified ads to advertise for jobs, local sales, share rooms and other service.

This list is not exhaustive of course, but it should provide you with a good overview of potential marketplaces to branch out to. In addition to those listed above, there are many other online marketplaces which could suit your needs perfectly such as Fruugo, Ricardo, Mercado Libre, Otto, Flubit, Etsy, and more! The next best step before expanding would be to evaluate your individual business needs and targeted goals. Follow-through diligently with detailed research for each potential marketplace(s) to decide what matches your needs the best—and then expand!