When major marketplaces opened up to business-to-business sellers, many distributors saw it as a quick way to enter the digital world. The storefront already existed, the traffic was concentrated, and the operation seemed simple enough to justify the investment. The problem arises after the entry, when the distributor realizes that this environment was designed for a sales logic very different from its own.
In wholesale distribution, sales depend on relationships, recurring payments, credit, payment terms, minimum order quantities, and conditions negotiated with the client. The marketplace reduces this complexity to a single screen for comparing prices, shipping costs, and reputation, in a dynamic that favors those operating with lower margins, larger logistical scale, or a greater willingness to finance discounts.
The cost also appears in the loss of control over the commercial relationship. Within the platform, the buyer interacts first with the channel and only then with the seller. Search history, purchase frequency, and preference data are concentrated in the marketplace. When the distributor decides to reduce its dependence on that environment or loses position in the algorithm, it discovers that a good part of the relationship built there never actually entered its own commercial assets.
Commissions also put pressure on the bottom line. In Brazil, Amazon reports sales fees between 10% and 15%, depending on the category, while Mercado Livre states that its fees vary according to the type of listing and the product category. In retail, this cost can be treated as customer acquisition. In wholesale, where margins are tighter, the weight of the commission, added to logistics, price competition, and loss of repeat business, tends to be much more significant.
This dependence is further aggravated by the platforms' own rules, which can change according to each marketplace's strategy. A study published in 2024 on arXiv about Amazon marketplaces showed that, when several sellers offer the same product, the buyer's choice can be influenced by the offer selection algorithm and by metrics such as price, performance, and number of reviews. The commercial decision then also depends on how the platform organizes the bidding process.
This doesn't invalidate the digitalization of B2B. In a 2026 study, McKinsey points out that business buyers use, on average, ten channels throughout the buying journey and expect seamless transitions between them. The same survey indicates that inconsistent information and lack of qualified support are among the main reasons for switching suppliers. This data confirms the need to sell digitally, but it doesn't make every channel a good solution.
B2B buyers want autonomy, a track record, consistent commercial terms, credit, recurring payments, and support. A generic marketplace can broaden reach, but it rarely replicates the commercial logic that underpins recurring wholesale sales. A marketplace can function as a one-off acquisition tool, for liquidating specific items, or for testing demand. The risk arises when the distributor treats it as a central growth channel and transfers margin, data, and predictability to a platform that controls the buyer's experience.
Distributors need to enter the digital world while preserving what makes B2B sales work. This means creating channels connected to the ERP system, commercial policies, inventory, credit limits, and the salesperson's performance. Marketplaces deliver traffic, but traffic alone doesn't build a customer base. In wholesale distribution, sustainable growth depends less on being in a busy storefront and more on controlling the relationship with the customer.
Rafael Calixto is a B2B sales specialist with extensive experience in modernizing commercial processes and integrating technology into sales. He is the creator of solutions using Intelligent Order Agents for scalable B2B sales and CEO of Zydon.
