How to choose the best marketplace for your online business in 2025

To choose the best marketplace for your online business in 2025, focus on these key factors:

1. Audience Match: Select a marketplace that aligns with your target customers and product type. For example, Amazon suits a broad range of products and audiences, while niche platforms like Etsy cater to handmade or vintage items.

2. Marketplace Popularity and Reach: Consider marketplaces with high traffic and strong buyer engagement. Amazon.ca leads with over 160 million monthly visitors, followed by Walmart.ca and eBay.ca, which also have millions of active Canadian shoppers.

3. Fee Structure and Costs: Analyze listing fees, commission rates, and subscription models. Walmart.ca offers no setup fees and commissions around 10-15%, which can be attractive for new sellers, while Amazon and eBay have different fee models that impact profitability.

4. Logistics and Fulfillment Support: Evaluate the shipping and fulfillment options. Walmart’s “Ship With Walmart” program simplifies cross-border logistics, and Amazon’s fulfillment services are highly developed, which can reduce operational complexity.

5. Competition and Product Fit: Assess the level of competition and how your products fit the marketplace’s strengths. eBay is strong for niche, collectible, or second-hand items, while Amazon and Walmart cater to mainstream products with high volume.

6. Seller Tools and Platform Features: Look for marketplaces offering robust seller tools for inventory management, pricing insights, and marketing support. Amazon generally provides the most sophisticated tools, followed by Walmart and eBay.

7. Emerging Trends: Consider opportunities in hyperlocal marketplaces that focus on local consumer needs, quick delivery, and community engagement, which are growing trends in 2025 e-commerce.

In summary, Amazon.ca remains the dominant marketplace for broad product categories and high traffic, Walmart.ca offers growing opportunities with lower entry barriers and strong logistics support, and eBay.ca is ideal for niche or unique products with flexible selling formats. Your choice should balance your product type, target audience, cost structure, and logistics capabilities to maximize success in 2025.