Question
I have experience with creating a marketplace that sells intangible products (software, media, etc.) but have wondered about what pitfalls might exist for a similar marketplace where vendors could sell their own tangible/shippable products. Could it be as simple as having them create an account and start selling and then fulfilling the products themselves?
I suppose that is how Amazon does it?
Various vendors end up fulfilling their own products, but Amazon just takes care of the order process?
Any other issues I should think about with this model?
Answer
Challenges that I've seen include:
- having orders placed but not fulfilled
- having vendors work around the payment process
- having shopping cart/marketplace software that handles shopping carts + shipping fees from various locations
A few other hurdles but worth the challenge :)
