Selling to British digital shoppers is made easier with high-traffic
online marketplaces. These websites have millions of visits per month,
which allows sellers to get their products in front of a large buying
audience.
According to Statista, the UK has the most advanced ecommerce market in
Europe. With 60 million online shoppers in 2023, dropshipping in the UK is
an appealing business idea.
Data from ecommerceDB in 2023 shows that fashion is the biggest online
market niche with 30% of the overall revenue. This is followed by food and
personal care (24%), electronics and media (18%), toys, hobby and DIY
(15.7%), and furniture and appliances (11.6%).
Table of Contents
What is an online marketplace?
An online marketplace, sometimes called an electronic marketplace, is an
ecommerce site. Two criteria define it:
A wide variety of products available to purchase
There are third-party sellers
Which online marketplaces are popular in the UK?
Dropshipping on an online marketplace is a great alternative to selling
from your own ecommerce website. These are some of the most-visited online
marketplaces you might use for dropshipping with
dropshippingXL in the
UK. Data has been taken from Similar Web statistics for September 2023.
1. Amazon.co.uk
The British domain for Amazon tops the charts as the number one place for
online shopping. Amazon UK has localised its platform for British users
and is a trusted, super-fast supplier of goods.
Global rank
#80
Country rank
#4 in the UK
Category rank
#1 in the UK
(Ecommerce & Shopping > Marketplace)
Monthly visits
349.2 million
Share of visitors
86% UK
3% Ireland
1.5% USA
Annual revenue
Greater than $1 billion
2. eBay.co.uk
American-born eBay is one of the world's biggest online marketplaces. The
UK domain is popular for buying and selling products including furniture,
cars, electronics, home appliances, sports, and leisure.
Global rank
#120
Country rank
#8 in the UK
Category rank
#2 in the UK
(Ecommerce & Shopping > Marketplace)
Monthly visits
227.6 million
Share of visitors
89% UK
1% USA
0.5% France
Annual revenue
Greater than $1 billion
3. Not On The High Street
Not On The High Street specialises in selling gifts, flowers, jewellery,
hobby and leisure, pet care, and beauty items. It is a British company
that has a selling programme for interested entrepreneurs.
Global rank
#218,046
Country rank
#633 in the UK
Category rank
#2 in the UK
(Lifestyle > Gifts & Flowers)
Monthly visits
3.2 million
Share of visitors
88% UK
3.5% USA
0.9% France
Annual revenue
$25-50 million
4. OnBuy.com
One of the fastest-growing online marketplaces is OnBuy. It is a British
business that operates in over 51 countries. Sellers offer products across
a range of categories.
Global rank
#15,014
Country rank
#562 in the UK
Category rank
#17 in the UK
(Ecommerce & Shopping > Auctions)
Monthly visits
4.5 million
Share of visitors
87% UK
2.9% Pakistan
2.4% Turkey
Annual revenue
$5-10 million
5. Manomano.co.uk
With headquarters in Paris, France, ManoMano specialises in the home and
garden retail sector. The ecommerce site sells products for home
improvement and renovation.
Global rank
#21,365
Country rank
#757 in the UK
Category rank
#16 in the UK
(Home & Garden > Other)
Monthly visits
2.8 million
Share of visitors
88% UK
1.5% France
1.4% USA
Annual revenue
$200-500 million
6. Fruugo.co.uk
Fruugo is a British online marketplace. It operates in 42 countries and 31
currencies around the world. Over 3,000 retailers sell more than 100
million products on the platform.
Global rank
#33,976
Country rank
#1,432 in the UK
Category rank
#23 in the UK
(Ecommerce & Shopping > Marketplace)
Monthly visits
2 million
Share of visitors
86% UK
2% China
1.5% USA
Annual revenue
$10-15 million
7. eBid.net
Popular in the UK and the USA is the British auction site, eBid. It is a
large marketplace, user database, and free listings. There are buyers and
sellers in more than 100 countries worldwide using the ecommerce platform.
Global rank
#112,265
Country rank
#59,949 in the USA
Category rank
#78 in the USA
(Ecommerce & Shopping > Auctions)
Monthly visits
374,600
Share of visitors
42% USA
40% UK
2% Canada
Annual revenue
Greater than $1 billion
How do I sell on an online marketplace?
With a dropshipping supplier, you can list products on British online
marketplaces without sending the customer orders yourself. When you sell a
vidaXL item, we take care of order fulfilment from our warehouses. Your UK
customers can benefit from fast and free delivery thanks to our warehouses
in Europe.
Top tip: Make sure to check the latest terms and
conditions of each online marketplace. Some don't allow dropshipping
whereas others do.
Start an ecommerce store with dropshippingXL
Sell in the UK ecommerce market with dropshippingXL.
Sign up to access over
90,000 SKUs across product categories such as home and garden furniture,
pet supplies, baby items, sports goods, and children's toys.
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Sophie Lockyer
Sophie Lockyer is a British marketing writer with expertise in ecommerce, digital marketing, and B2C business strategy. She has over eight years of marketing experience in Europe.