Multi-Vendor Marketplace on Shopify: Model, Apps, Setup
To build a multi-vendor marketplace on Shopify, you run one Shopify store and add a marketplace app that gives each vendor a dashboard, splits orders by vendor, calculates commissions and pays vendors out. Shopify itself provides the catalog, the checkout and a Vendor field on every product, but no vendor portal or commission payouts. Decide your model (commission, who ships, who approves products, how vendors get paid) before choosing the app, because those decisions rule out apps quickly.
App plans and features are as the Shopify App Store listings showed them on October 23, 2026. Shopify facts on staff accounts, filters and locations come from the Help Center pages on plan features and Search & Discovery filters, read the same day.
What Shopify does and does not do for a marketplace
What you get from Shopify:
- The Vendor field on each product, which you can filter by (Vendor is one of Search & Discovery’s standard filters) and use in collections and reports.
- One checkout for the customer, whatever mix of vendors is in the cart.
- Locations for stock and fulfillment, if vendors ship from places you track.
What you need an app for:
- A vendor portal where vendors add products, see their orders and update stock without access to your admin.
- Commissions calculated per order and per vendor.
- Payouts to vendors, which Shopify Payments does not split for you.
Giving vendors staff accounts in your admin is not a workable substitute: Basic includes no additional staff accounts, Grow 5 and Advanced 15, and a staff account shows far more of your store than a vendor should see.
Decide the model first
| Decision | Options | What it means for the app |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | Percentage per sale, fixed fee, per category, per vendor | The app must support your rule, including on discounted orders |
| Who ships | Vendors ship themselves, or you hold stock | Vendor shipping needs order routing and tracking per vendor |
| Product approval | Vendors publish directly, or you approve each product | Approval queues keep catalog quality and data consistent |
| Payouts | Monthly, on delivery, after the return window | The app’s payout methods (PayPal, Stripe, bank transfer) and schedule |
| Returns | Handled by you or by the vendor | Who refunds, and how the commission is reversed |
| Taxes and legal role | Depends on where you and your vendors sell | Check marketplace rules in your jurisdictions with an adviser |
Write these down as a one-page vendor agreement; the app setup follows from it.
Marketplace apps compared
| App | Plans (monthly) | Vendor limits | What the listing names | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shipturtle Multi-Vendor | Business $49 (1,000 orders), Peak $149, Enterprise $229, Elite $399 | 25 on Business, 100 on Peak, unlimited on Enterprise | Vendor dashboards, commission rules, 100+ shipping integrations, payouts via PayPal and Stripe | 4.8 (133 reviews) |
| Multi Vendor – Puppet Vendors | Launch $49, Growth $119, Scale $249, Enterprise from $599 | 25, 100, 400, 400+ | Vendor dashboards, commission rules, payouts via PayPal, Stripe and other methods, POS tile on Growth | 4.8 (129) |
Both list a 14-day free trial. Webkul also offers a multi-vendor marketplace app; check its current plans on its listing. Compare on your model: if vendors ship, shipping integrations matter most; if you run a consignment shop with POS, Puppet Vendors lists a POS tile.
Vendor onboarding checklist
The steps every new vendor should go through, whichever app you use:
- Agreement signed: commission, payout schedule, return rules, shipping times, product standards.
- Payout details set up in the app (PayPal, Stripe or bank account).
- Vendor account created in the app’s portal, with access only to their products and orders.
- Product data template: required fields (title format, images, product type, category, variants, weights), so listings look consistent.
- First products reviewed before publishing, if you approve products.
- A test order placed and shipped, so the vendor sees how orders reach them and how tracking flows back.
- Vendor name set consistently in the Vendor field, so filters and reports work.
If you were looking for selling your own products on Amazon or eBay instead, that is the opposite direction; see sell on Amazon and eBay from Shopify. Store routines are collected in the running a store hub. Running several separate stores is covered in manage multiple Shopify stores, and selling to businesses in the B2B and wholesale hub.
Frequently asked questions
Can Shopify be used as a multi-vendor marketplace? It can, with a marketplace app. Shopify gives you the catalog, the Vendor field and one checkout; apps such as Shipturtle and Puppet Vendors add vendor dashboards, commission rules and vendor payouts.
How do vendors get paid on a Shopify marketplace? They are paid through the marketplace app, which calculates each vendor’s share after commission and pays out by the methods it supports, such as PayPal or Stripe. Shopify Payments pays the store owner, not individual vendors.
Do vendors need their own Shopify store? No. In a multi-vendor marketplace, vendors work in the app’s vendor portal on your single store. Some apps can also sync products from a vendor’s own store or website.