Marketplace or Own Product? The Best Path to Sell Online in 2025

Marketplace or Own Product? The Best Path to Sell Online in 2025

If you're planning to sell online in 2025, one of the first decisions will be: to use an established marketplace like Mercado Livre, Amazon, or Shopee, or to create your own product/digital store? The ideal answer depends on factors such as long-term goals, control over the brand, profit margin, and investment capacity.

In this article, you'll understand the main differences between the two models, with clear pros and cons to help make the best decision.

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What is a Marketplace?

Marketplaces are platforms that bring together multiple sellers in the same virtual environment, offering great visibility and a ready customer base. Examples include Amazon, Mercado Livre, Shopee, and Magalu.

Advantages of Marketplaces

• Guaranteed traffic: Millions of monthly visitors.
• Ready infrastructure: Payments, logistics, and customer service already integrated.
• Speed to start: Simple registration and immediate start of sales.

Disadvantages of Marketplaces

• High fees per sale: Commission can reach 20% or more.
• Direct competition: Many selling the same product.
• Less brand control: The customer remembers the marketplace more than your company.

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What is an Own Product?

Creating your own product or virtual store means having total control over the customer experience. You can use platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix, or develop it custom with the help of a FullStack developer.

Advantages of Own Store/Product

• Branding and authority: Your brand stands out.
• Total profit per sale: No third-party commissions.
• Complete customization: From design to checkout flow.

Disadvantages of Own Product

• Need for paid or organic traffic: You need to attract visitors.
• Higher initial investment: In technology, marketing, and infrastructure.
• More responsibilities: Management of payments, deliveries, and support.

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Direct Comparison

Criteria	Marketplace	Own Product
Initial investment	Low	Medium to high
Brand control	Limited	Total
Immediate visibility	High	Low (depends on marketing)
Profit margin	Reduced by fees	Higher
Scalability	Limited	High

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Practical Cases

Case 1: Beginners without structure

If you're starting now, without budget for paid traffic or development, marketplaces can be the ideal entry point. They allow you to validate your products quickly.

Case 2: Growing brands

Businesses that have already validated their products and have loyal customers should consider migrating to their own product. In the long run, this ensures control, scalability, and brand value building.

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What is the best model for 2025?

There is no single answer, but rather a recommended hybrid strategy:

1. Start with the marketplace to validate your product and generate cash.
2. In parallel, develop your own product or store with branding.
3. Use marketplace data to boost your direct channel.

This gradual transition can be accelerated with the support of a FullStack developer, who helps set up your platform, integrate systems, automate processes, and reduce operational costs in the long run.

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Conclusion

In 2025, selling online requires more than just "being on the internet". It's necessary to evaluate the most advantageous business model, considering cost, autonomy, branding, and growth. Marketplaces work well in the short term, but having your own structure is essential to scale with freedom and profitability.

If you want to turn your idea into a real digital business, start planning your own presence today.

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Want to create your own virtual store or digital product?

Get in touch and discover how we can bring your project to life with more autonomy and lower costs in the long run.

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