online marketplaces
Internet shopping platforms
Online marketplaces are websites or platforms where multiple sellers offer goods or services to buyers.
Unlike traditional retail sites, the platform operator typically doesn't own the inventory—it connects independent sellers with customers and takes a cut of transactions: Amazon, eBay, and Etsy are the dominant online marketplaces.
The model extends to services like Airbnb for lodging and Uber for rides.
- dropshippingSelling goods you never handle
- e-commerceInternet-based buying and selling
- privacy policiesRules for personal data handling
- payment gatewaysSystems processing online purchases
- APIsSoftware communication protocols
retail · auction houses · tax compliance · pricing strategies · buy now · add to cart · shopping cart · secure checkout · customer feedback · seller ratings · search algorithms · price comparison · consumer protection laws · Amazon · wholesalers · virtual storefronts · mobile apps · ratings
- e-commercecheckout, shopping cart, cart, checkout system, shopping carts
- online shoppingAmazon, cart, checkout, e-commerce, Walmart
- online spaceswebsite, websites, webpage, web pages, web page
- retail channelsretail stores, e-commerce, wholesale, direct sales, franchises
- E-commerce teche-commerce, payment processing, digital payments, mobile payments, shopping carts
- Furniture ShoppingIKEA, Wayfair, showrooms, outlet stores
online marketplacesbrick-and-mortar stores
Shops with street addresses
in-store shopping · shopping malls · department stores · corner shops · local shops
online marketplacesdirect-to-consumer
Selling without retail intermediaries
factory outlets · company stores · artisan workshops · door-to-door sales · farm stands
online marketplacessubsistence economy
System without market surplus
gift economy · barter systems · food banks · rationing systems