The pace of growth of independent sellers on marketplaces is not waning anytime soon. Propelled by robust online sales, independent — or third-party — sellers as a segment are expected to rise by triple digits in the next year. But anyone looking to get in on the game needs a clear strategy, and an understanding of the challenges they face.
According to Amazon’s financial report released last February, the online giant had $4.8 billion in sales from independent sellers alone during the kickoff of the 2020 holiday shopping season, the four-day period between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And in data provided by Marketplace Pulse to Reuters, Walmart’s marketplace swelled to 70,000 independent sellers last year and is poised to rise 146 percent by the end of next year.
Michael Bennett, cofounder and managing director at Envoy, told WWD that Amazon’s third-party market “has offered business owners an amazing opportunity over the years to reach millions of online shoppers worldwide and increase brand awareness.”
“The year-over-year growth has been explosive and it seems everyone wants a slice of this profitable pie,” Bennett said. “Business owners and individuals new to the e-commerce world are scrambling to get their accounts set up to private label

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