What a marketplace sees in your catalog
Every seller sees a marketplace from the front: the seller panel, the requirements, the commissions. On the other side sits a team that evaluates your catalog, your data and your company against criteria most sellers have never seen. Here’s what the marketplace sees in your catalog.
Two sides of the same table
Every seller sees a marketplace from the front. On the other side sits a team that evaluates your catalog, your data and your company against its own criteria. This article describes that perspective, drawn from experience working in the marketplace industry, collaborating with operators and knowing how they make decisions. Specific commercial terms change, but the operator’s logic stays the same.
What a marketplace sees before it accepts you
Seller onboarding is a business evaluation. The operator looks at five things:
1. The catalogue: size and quality. Marketplaces need novelty: unique products that widen the choice. 50 products already sold by 10 other sellers add no value; 500+ unique SKUs in a growing category certainly do.
Red flag: a small catalogue of generic products already on the platform.
Green flag: a large catalogue of unique SKUs, your own brand or exclusive distribution.
2. Product data quality. The operator sees your feed before it sees your products. Dirty data is a signal that servicing the account will cost the platform time.
Red flag: missing EANs, incomplete attributes, photos under 1000px, no descriptions in the platform’s language.
Green flag: a complete feed with EANs, photos on a white background at 2000px+, descriptions in the target language.
3. Price and margin. A marketplace lives off commission, so it checks whether your prices are competitive and leave margin.
Red flag: prices well above the market, no pricing policy.
Green flag: competitive prices, a documented strategy, readiness to join promotions.
4. Operational capability. Whether you can fulfil orders on time, process returns and answer customers in the platform’s language often matters more than the product itself.
Red flag: no integration, manual processing, no service in DE/EN.
Green flag: Base.com or a comparable integrator, response-time SLAs, marketplace experience.
5. Brand and reputation. Premium platforms (Zalando, OTTO) care about brand fit: they check your website, social media and reviews. An unprofessional online image risks rejection regardless of product quality.
The KPIs a marketplace tracks for every seller
After onboarding, the operator monitors your performance and may cut your visibility or suspend the account:
- Delivery on Target – the % of orders delivered on time.
- Return rate – especially returns for “not as described”.
- Response time to customer messages.
- Cancellation rate – orders cancelled by the seller.
- Quality incidents – complaints, claims, negative reviews.
How to improve your chances
- Prepare a complete product feed before you apply. The operator judges readiness.
- Invest in translation and localisation. It’s the first signal of professionalism.
- Implement an integrator (Base.com, ChannelEngine). Manual processing is a red flag.
- Plan the logistics before you start selling. Delays end in suspension.
- Look after your website and social media. Operators check your online presence.
- Appoint a dedicated person or an agency. This is not a one-off project.
FAQ
How many SKUs do I need? It depends on the platform: Kaufland.de from 50+, Zalando 100+, Home24 prefers 200+.
Can I sell other brands’ products? Yes, though the producer’s authorisation (a Letter of Authorisation) is often required.
What if my products are already on the platform? You compete for the Buy Box, and the best combination wins: price + delivery + seller rating.
How long does onboarding take? From 2 weeks (Kaufland.de) to 3 months (Zalando Partner Program); on average 4 – 6 weeks.
Want to know what a marketplace sees in you?
We’ll audit your catalogue and account from the operator’s perspective, before the platform does.
