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Can you scale a marketplace using Sharetribe?
Plus, essential reading for any marketplace founders looking to scale their business
Fiona Burns
February 27, 2025
Hey - it’s Fiona
This week I’ve been working with a well-established marketplace in Europe who are moving over to Sharetribe, and it got me thinking about marketplace scalability.
When I meet with founders who are considering what tech to use to build their marketplace, a lot of them ask me whether Sharetribe can scale sufficiently. So I thought it would be a great topic to discuss in this issue.
In today’s issue I cover:
How you can scale a marketplace a marketplace using Sharetribe
Examples of Sharetribe marketplaces who have successfully scaled their businesses
Some additional resources to help you scale your marketplace
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Can you scale a marketplace using Sharetribe?
The short answer is Yes!
Many early-stage marketplace founders a drawn to Sharetribe because of its awesome no-code capabilities. However, the most ambitious founder often worry about what happens when they gain traction.
The reality? Sharetribe can take you much further than you might think.
Robust payment & transaction handling
A scalable marketplace needs reliable payment infrastructure. Sharetribe uses Stripe Connect, making it easy to handle large volumes of transactions securely. It also includes escrow functionality, which is essential for trust and safety as your platform scales.
Extend your marketplace with code and third-party integrations
As your marketplace grows, you may need custom features or external tools. Sharetribe’s allows you to integrate third-party services such as analytics, automation, CRM tools, and custom workflows, making it easy to expand your platform’s capabilities.
Multi-currency and multi-language support
For later stage marketplaces, scaling often means going global. Sharetribe supports multiple languages and currencies, allowing you to expand into international markets without rebuilding your entire platform. This is a key advantage when targeting a diverse user base.
Investors love marketplaces on sharetribe
It be surprising to learn that more than 30 Sharetribe-powered marketplaces have raised a combined $66M in venture funding. This is very encouraging news! The fact that investors back startups using no-code platforms is proof that Sharetribe is more than just an MVP tool.
Scaling your marketplace doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Sharetribe provides the flexibility to start quickly, validate demand, and scale strategically. Whether you're keeping it no-code or extending with custom features, Sharetribe has the infrastructure to support your growth.
—> ✉️ Reply with your questions and I’ll answer them in a future issue.
DESIGN SPOTLIGHT
Examples of Sharetribe marketplaces that have successfully scaled their businesses.
Here are three successful marketplaces that have scaled their businesses using Sharetribe:
1. Landtrust
Landtrust is a marketplace that connects landowners with people looking for private land for recreation, such as camping, hunting, and fishing.
As Landtrust have gained traction, they’ve used Sharetribe customise their user experience to better fit their niche, as well as integrating advanced search filters and a streamlined booking process.
They’ve also leveraged Sharetribe’s transaction infrastructure to handle high volumes of payments securely.
By focusing on trust and reputation mechanisms (e.g. verified reviews and host guarantees), Landtrust has successfully scaled while maintaining a strong user experience.
2. Drive lah
Drive lah is a car-sharing marketplace that enables people to rent cars from private owners, like an Airbnb for vehicles.
Operating primarily in Singapore, the platform has expanded rapidly thanks to Sharetribe’s robust transaction handling and API integrations.
By integrating third-party insurance services and optimising trust mechanisms, Drive lah has built a strong, scalable marketplace that allows users to confidently rent and share vehicles.
Nomady
Nomady caters to adventure seekers looking for off-the-beaten-path camping experiences.
I love their visually distinctive branding. They’ve also done a fantastic job of creating a enhancing the user experience, and ensuring smooth bookings, secure payments, and easy communication between hosts and guests.
Sharetribe’s ability to handle high demand and its user-friendly design have certainly contributed to Drive lah’s success.
DESIGN SNIPPETS
Here are some great resources to help you learn more about scaling a marketplace:
How to Kickstart and Scale a Marketplace Business: This comprehensive, 8-part guide by Lenny Rachitsky discusses effective strategies for launching and growing a marketplace. It’s an essential read for any marketplace founder, no matter what stage they’re at in their journey.
How to Scale Your Marketplace: This guide from Sharetribe Academy is aimed at very early stage marketplace founders. It provides a step-by-step approach to scaling your marketplace, covering essential aspects like choosing the right market and creating a playbook for expansion.
Build a Successful Marketplace Business with Juho Makkonen: In this podcast episode, Juho Makkonen, CEO and Co-Founder of Sharetribe, shares his own insights on building and scaling a successful marketplace business.
Fiona Burns
Whenever you’re ready, there are two ways I can help you:
Sharetribe configuration - Feeling bamboozled by the Console, or simply lacking time? Leave it to me. I can set up, configure and customise your Sharetribe marketplace in no time.
UX/UI design - Whether you want to design some additional features, or redesign your entire marketplace with your own unique style, I'm here to help.
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