01
“Our listed businesses want bookings through us.”
Sign-up for both sides and one checkout. You take a commission on each order and each business gets paid out. Refunds and partial cancellations are built in.
A marketplace needs buyers and sellers before it needs code.
Start with the smallest version that takes an order. Sign-up for sellers and buyers, listings and search, commissions, payouts and refunds that add up, and the admin tools to run it. Built on WooCommerce with Dokan, or on Laravel.
No buyers and no sellers yet? Find them by hand with a form and a spreadsheet first.
Honest before clever
Next in Build
Mobile Apps
iOS and Android, shipped and maintained.
What it is
Two sides, one checkout, and money that adds up
A marketplace is a platform where independent sellers, hosts or carriers list what they offer, and buyers pay through one checkout. We build it on WooCommerce with Dokan, or as a Laravel application.
You get sign-up for both sides, listings and search, commissions, payouts and refunds that add up, and the admin tools to run it. We start with the smallest version that can take a real order. We built and still run Outdoora, a live Turkish marketplace for outdoor event tickets and nature stays with 200+ products from independent organisers.
Marketplaces & Platforms is for independent sellers and buyers who trade through your platform, with the money split between them. If only your staff and clients sign in, see Custom Platforms & Portals. One business selling its own time slots is Booking & Reservations.
If you sell products or tickets and already run WooCommerce, Dokan plus a custom plugin is faster and cheaper. It is what Outdoora runs on. Laravel is better when your commission rules, booking rules or two very different user journeys no longer fit the plugin.
What we already know
The details that decide whether it holds up
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01
Plan for itGetting the first buyers and sellers decides the project, not the code
A marketplace with ten sellers and no buyers is a directory nobody visits. So we usually start with one side, one category or one city, with your team doing some work by hand behind the scenes.
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02
Refunds after payout are where marketplaces lose money
If a seller has already been paid when the buyer cancels, someone is left out of pocket. So we decide when sellers are paid, how long money is held, and who pays for refunds before checkout is built.
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03
Buyers and sellers will try to take the second transaction off-platform
Blocking phone numbers rarely works. Keeping payment protection, reviews and contracts on the platform gives both sides a reason to stay.
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04
Local rules shape checkout
In Türkiye that means 3D Secure (the bank's extra card check), a bank-transfer option, a distance-sales contract and buyer ID fields. In the EU, platforms must offer a way to report illegal content. Under the DAC7 rules, they must also collect seller details and report seller income to tax authorities. Small sellers below a limit are excluded.
Where this usually starts
A marketplace rarely starts from zero
Five ways a marketplace project walks in, and what we build for each.
02
“Suppliers want to sell on our WooCommerce store.”
WooCommerce with Dokan, extended with a custom plugin where it falls short, and a seller dashboard for orders, payouts and participant exports.
03
“We match shippers and carriers by phone.”
Two front doors, ‘I’m a Shipper’ and ‘I’m a Carrier’, each with its own steps, language and sign-up, as we designed for Quickload.
04
“Every organiser has its own contract and refunds.”
As on Outdoora, each order can be limited to one organiser. Then the contract, payout and refund each involve exactly one other party.
05
“The second deal happens off-platform.”
Blocking phone numbers rarely works. Payment protection, reviews tied to completed purchases and contracts on the platform give both sides a reason to stay.
Not sure yet?
WooCommerce + Dokan, or Laravel?
Tell us what you sell and what you already run. We recommend one after looking at your setup.
Start a ProjectWho it is for
Two sides, one checkout and a commission in between
A good fit
- You already have one side of the market, such as a directory audience, a store's customers or a list of vendors.
- Each order has to pay several parties, with your commission taken and refunds that still add up.
- You need two very different journeys, such as shippers and carriers or guests and hosts, on one platform.
Not a fit yet
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No Buyers and No Sellers Yet
Find them by hand with a form and a spreadsheet first, then build for proven demand.
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One Seller, Many Buyers
That is a store, not a marketplace. A well-built WooCommerce shop serves you better; see WordPress & WooCommerce.
How we work
Start small, then automate what volume has earned
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01 · Narrow start
The rule
One Side, One Category or City
We choose the first side, one category or city, and write down what not to build yet.
WooCommerce + DokanLaravel -
02 · Money
The rule
Decide Who Pays for a Refund
We settle when commission is taken, when sellers are paid and who pays for a refund. Every order then records who was paid, what was kept and what was refunded.
Stripe ConnectPayPaliyzico -
03 · Core loop
The rule
Admin Tools From the First Order
Listing, search, checkout, payout and review, plus approval queues, user reports and a record of decisions. Running the platform moves out of the inbox.
MeilisearchLaravel Horizon -
04 · Launch
The rule
Automate Only What Demand Has Proven
We launch with a small group of sellers. Steps stay manual until volume justifies code, and we keep running it after launch.
In production
Two-sided platforms we have shipped
FAQ
Questions founders ask before a marketplace
A small first version is a fixed price agreed before any code is written. The price depends on whether money flows through the platform, how many parties share each order, and whether we extend an existing store. Larger scopes are split into phases, each its own fixed-price build. Current prices are on our pricing page.
WooCommerce with Dokan if you sell products or tickets and already run WooCommerce. Laravel when your rules no longer fit the plugin. We recommend one after looking at your setup.
The buyer pays once at checkout. The platform keeps its commission, and the payment provider pays each seller on an agreed schedule. Sellers can sign up on the provider's own pages, so the provider, not your database, holds their ID checks and bank details.
An MVP is the smallest version that works with real users. For a marketplace that means one side of the market, one category or city, and the basic path of listing, checkout, payout and review. Add an admin panel for your team. The rest stays manual until volume justifies it.
