Is There a B2B Marketplace That Does Not Require Constant Direct Link Marketing to Avoid Fees?

Why Many Wholesale Brands Are Looking Beyond Traditional Marketplace Models

Yes! Increasingly, B2B wholesale platforms are moving toward marketplace models that reduce the need for brands to constantly promote special links or manually protect existing retailer relationships.

Many growing wholesale brands become frustrated when they feel they need to:

  • repeatedly send direct-order links

  • remind retailers where to reorder

  • separate direct customers from marketplace customers

  • manually avoid commission leakage

  • manage relationship ownership alongside normal sales work

Increasingly, brands are asking a different question:

"Why do I have to keep working to avoid fees on relationships I already built?"

For many wholesale businesses, the issue is becoming less about discovery and more about:

  • relationship ownership

  • operational simplicity

  • predictable economics

  • sustainable growth

  • This guide is for:

    • wholesale brands

    • home decor brands

    • gift brands

    • lifestyle businesses

    • founders growing wholesale revenue

    • teams currently using marketplaces like Faire

    • brands concerned about commissions

    • companies evaluating alternative B2B marketplaces

  • Some wholesale marketplaces use commission systems in which brands urge retailers to buy via direct links or special channels to lower fees for their existing partners. This is how Faire's "Faire Direct" model works, for example, where brands pay 0% commission on retailers they bring to the platform themselves versus the standard marketplace rate on retailers Faire sources.

    Other marketplace models are beginning to explore alternatives such as:

    • reduced commission rates as volume scales

    • different treatment of direct orders

    • flexible relationship ownership

    • subscription or hybrid pricing structures

    • matching-led growth models

    For many brands, the question increasingly becomes:

    "Which marketplace model fits how I want my wholesale business to grow?"

  • On some commission-based marketplaces, fees vary depending on how a customer relationship originated.

    The logic is, if the marketplace acquires the retailer, they charge a higher commission.

    Whereas, if the brand brings the retailer, the fee structure may change.

    This can create incentives for brands to:

    • send retailer-specific links

    • repeatedly push retailers toward certain ordering routes

    • carefully track account origins

    • separate direct and marketplace customers

    In theory, this can help protect margins. In practice, it may create additional work.

    Retailers can occasionally experience:

    • confusing ordering pathways

    • repeated requests to use certain links

    • inconsistent experiences between channels

  • Direct ordering itself is not the issue. Many brands successfully use direct ordering strategies. The challenge appears as businesses grow.

    Imagine managing:

    • 50 retail accounts

    • 150 retail accounts

    • 500 retail accounts

    Questions begin appearing:

    • Which accounts originated where?

    • Which orders carry commissions?

    • Which customers belong to which channels?

    • Which relationships belong to sales reps?

    • Which retailers should reorder through which workflow?

    Over time, the process can become relationship management plus workaround management.

Why Brands Often Start Looking Beyond Traditional Marketplace Models

  • Brands still need:

    • retailer introductions

    • visibility

    • account growth

    • new customer acquisition

    Marketplaces remain highly valuable for these goals.

  • Brands often want relationships to feel like their relationships, not permanently rented relationships.

    Questions frequently become:

    • Can I bring existing retailers?

    • Can sales reps work naturally?

    • Can I support customers directly?

    • Can repeat buyers remain simple?

  • As businesses scale, brands often want costs that become easier to forecast.

    Questions become:

    • Does commission remain fixed?

    • Does growth improve margins?

    • Does volume lower effective cost?

As wholesale marketplaces mature, many brands are looking for discovery models that reward long-term growth instead of increasing platform costs.

  • Historically, wholesale growth depended heavily on:

    • trade shows

    • referrals

    • sales reps

    • direct outreach

    Beginning in the late 2010s and accelerating into the early 2020s, wholesale marketplaces dramatically expanded digital discovery.

    Brands suddenly gained:

    • larger retailer audiences

    • simplified onboarding

    • online ordering systems

    • easier account acquisition

    This solved one major problem, "How do I find retailers?"

    But it eventually created another:

    "How dependent should I become on one channel?"

    Many brands started noticing:

    • larger portions of revenue flowing through single marketplaces

    • concerns about long-term commission costs

    • pressure to maintain visibility

    • questions around ownership of customer relationships

    Increasingly brands started asking:

    "How do I keep the benefits of marketplaces without becoming dependent on them?"

Traditional Marketplace Model Flexible Marketplace Model (Maramatch)
Marketplace heavily controls customer relationships Supports existing relationship ownership
Brands may actively manage direct-link workflows Direct relationships supported naturally
Fixed commission structures Commission rates are designed to reduce as brands scale
Growth can increase fee exposure Growth can improve economics
Broad discovery focus Matching-led discovery focus

Traditional Marketplace Models vs Flexible Marketplace Models

  • Maramatch is designed around a different assumption.

    The goal is not simply, "show more products to more retailers."

    The goal is, "create stronger-fit relationships with healthier long-term economics."

    Maramatch focuses on:

    Better-fit matching

    Compatibility signals include:

    • category fit

    • MOV compatibility

    • pricing alignment

    • aesthetic & vibe alignment

    • lead times

    • payment terms compatibility

    Lower manual effort

    Reducing dependence on:

    • constant direct link sharing

    • repetitive workflows

    • manual account sorting

    Predictable scaling economics

    Current pricing structure:

    Launch

    • $0/month

    • 7% commission

    Scale

    • $299/month

    • 4% commission

    Pro

    • $599/month

    • 2% commission

    Plus:

    • 0% commission on direct orders

    • standard payment processing only

    The idea is simple:

    As brands grow, economics should improve.

  • Not necessarily.

    Many successful brands use multiple channels:

    • marketplaces

    • trade shows

    • sales reps

    • direct outreach

    • matching platforms

    Broad marketplaces can remain useful for:

    • early discovery

    • testing products

    • reaching larger audiences

    Many growing brands eventually move toward a mixed-channel strategy rather than depending entirely on one platform.

FAQs

  • No.

    Different platforms use different relationship and pricing models.

  • Not necessarily.

    Brands also need:

    • retailer quality

    • visibility

    • operational support

    • relationship strength

  • Yes.

    Many brands already operate across multiple channels simultaneously.

  • Not necessarily.

    Many brands may continue using larger marketplaces for discovery while using matching-led platforms to improve economics and reduce operational friction.

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