Every small business owner in India selling anything physical eventually faces the same decision: sell through marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho, build your own website, or do both. There isn't a single right answer, the two approaches solve different problems and most successful sellers eventually use them together. This post breaks down the real trade-offs so you can pick the right starting point and know when to add the other.
Marketplaces: reach without having to build an audience
Amazon, Flipkart, and Meesho give you instant access to millions of shoppers who are already there to buy, searching by category and comparing options, without you having to do any of the work of bringing them to a website first.
Advantages of marketplaces:
- Built-in traffic. You don't need to market your existence, shoppers are already searching the platform for products like yours.
- Trusted checkout and logistics. Customers trust Amazon's and Flipkart's payment and return processes more readily than an unfamiliar new website, and both platforms handle a large share of the logistics for you through their fulfilment networks.
- Lower upfront cost. Listing a product costs little beyond your inventory, there's no website to build or maintain.
- Meesho in particular has become a major channel for resellers and small sellers with minimal upfront investment, especially in fashion, home goods, and accessories, often without needing your own inventory to start.
Disadvantages of marketplaces:
- Commission fees. Marketplaces typically take a meaningful cut of each sale, often in the range of 5 to 25 percent depending on category, plus additional fees for fulfilment and advertising if you want visibility.
- You don't own the customer relationship. The buyer belongs to the platform, not to you. You generally can't email them directly, retarget them on your own terms, or build a repeat-customer relationship the way you can when someone buys directly from your own site.
- Price competition is brutal. Marketplaces make it trivial for shoppers to compare your price against ten competitors selling something similar, which compresses margins over time.
- Platform risk. Policy changes, account suspensions, or algorithm shifts can hurt your visibility or sales overnight, and you have limited recourse since you don't control the platform.
Your own website: margin, brand, and ownership
A website you own gives you a different set of trade-offs, generally slower initial traffic in exchange for better long-term economics and control.
Advantages of your own website:
- Higher margins. No marketplace commission means significantly more of each sale stays with you.
- You own the customer relationship. Every buyer's contact details, purchase history, and preferences belong to your business, letting you build repeat business through email, WhatsApp, or retargeting on your own terms.
- Brand building. A website lets you tell your story, show your full range, and build the kind of trust and recognition that a marketplace listing, squeezed between ten competitors, simply can't.
- No algorithm dependency. Your site's visibility depends on your own SEO and marketing, not a platform's constantly shifting ranking rules.
- Flexibility. You control pricing, promotions, product presentation, and checkout experience entirely.
Disadvantages of your own website:
- You have to bring your own traffic. A website with no visitors doesn't sell anything, you need SEO, social media, or advertising to drive people there, which takes time to build.
- You handle payments and logistics yourself, though this is far easier than it used to be with UPI payment gateways and third-party logistics partners now widely available even to small sellers.
- Trust has to be earned. A new, unknown website has to work harder to convince a first-time visitor it's legitimate, through reviews, clear policies, and professional design.
A realistic side-by-side
| Factor | Marketplaces (Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho) | Your own website |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Traffic | Built-in, immediate | You have to build it |
| Commission/fees | 5 to 25 percent typically, plus ad spend | Payment gateway fees only, roughly 2 percent |
| Customer ownership | Platform owns the relationship | You own it entirely |
| Brand building | Limited, templated listings | Full control |
| Setup time | Same day to list a product | Days to weeks depending on approach |
| Price competition | High, easy comparison | Lower, you set the narrative |
| Best for | Fast reach, testing demand, categories with heavy price competition | Margin, repeat customers, long-term brand value |
Why most serious sellers end up doing both
The pattern we see repeatedly among Indian sellers who've been at this a few years: start on a marketplace to validate demand and get initial sales without the risk of building a website nobody visits, then add your own website once you have proof the product sells and want to capture more margin and repeat business.
The website becomes especially valuable for:
- Your best, most loyal customers, who you can bring back directly without paying a marketplace commission or fighting for their attention against competitor ads on the same page
- Higher-margin or custom products that don't fit well into a marketplace's standard listing format
- Building an actual brand that customers seek out by name, rather than being one of many similar listings a shopper stumbles across
- Wholesale or B2B enquiries, where a professional website with clear contact details and a catalogue matters more than a marketplace presence
Many sellers also find that having a website, even a simple one, improves their marketplace performance, since shoppers increasingly Google a brand name before buying, especially for a higher-value purchase, and finding nothing beyond a marketplace listing can quietly cost you the sale to a competitor who looks more established.
Getting started with your own website
If you're ready to add a website alongside your marketplace presence, or start there directly, the basics you need are:
- A domain name that matches your brand, see our domain naming guide
- A product catalogue with clear photos, pricing, and descriptions
- A UPI or payment gateway integration so customers can pay directly
- A WhatsApp Business number for order queries and support, see our WhatsApp Business guide
- Basic local SEO and a Google Business Profile if you also have a physical location
Neweb is built specifically for small Indian sellers who want a fast, working website without needing to code or hire a developer, with a free domain included and the SEO basics handled from day one.
Frequently asked questions
Should a brand-new seller start with a marketplace or a website?
For most brand-new sellers with an unproven product, starting on a marketplace is usually faster to first sale, since you're borrowing their existing traffic rather than building your own. Add a website once you have validated demand.
How much commission do marketplaces actually take?
It varies significantly by category and platform, often somewhere between 5 and 25 percent of the sale price, plus optional advertising spend if you want better visibility within the platform. Always check the current fee structure for your specific category before committing.
Can I sell the same products on a marketplace and my own website simultaneously?
Yes, this is extremely common and generally a good strategy, as long as you manage inventory and pricing consistently across both channels.
Is it expensive to accept payments on my own website?
No, modern payment gateways in India typically charge around 2 percent per transaction, comparable to or cheaper than card payment fees elsewhere, and UPI-based payments are often even cheaper.
Do I need a company to sell on marketplaces?
Most marketplaces require GST registration to sell as a business, though the specific requirements vary by platform and product category. Check the current seller requirements before listing.
Marketplaces and your own website solve different problems, reach versus ownership, speed versus margin. The sellers who do best in India over the long run tend to use marketplaces to reach new customers and their own website to keep the best ones coming back.