A marketplace MVP must complete both sides of one transaction
A two-sided marketplace is harder than a standard directory because supply and demand must meet, trust each other, and complete an exchange.
First workflow
Choose one narrow market and support:
- supply creates a usable listing
- demand can discover and evaluate it
- both sides can agree to the transaction
- payment or commitment is recorded
- disputes or cancellations have a basic path
Decide what to do manually
Early marketplaces often handle verification, matching, support, refunds, or onboarding manually. That can be sensible if the process is documented and users are not misled.
Payments and regulation
Marketplace payments can involve identity checks, payout rules, refunds, taxes, chargebacks, and platform terms. Use the payment provider's current marketplace documentation and obtain legal advice for the jurisdictions involved.
Metrics
Track supply quality, time to first match, completed transactions, cancellation, repeat use, support burden, and contribution margin. Do not rely on universal liquidity or take-rate benchmarks.
The MVP should prove that one focused group of buyers and sellers can repeatedly complete the exchange. Geographic or category expansion comes later.
Fact-check sources
- Editorial framework; no external benchmark asserted
- NIST Secure Software Development Framework
Sources and product documentation can change. Recheck time-sensitive pages on the publication date.