The top e-commerce marketplaces in the US now force sellers to make a strategic choice: Amazon's massive reach, Shopify's brand control, or the viral, content-driven sales model of TikTok Shop.
The question for every US seller in 2025 is simple: Where are the customers? Today, they are everywhere. A significant number of shoppers, 43% of women and 32% of men, regularly buy from third-party marketplaces, and they use everything from voice commands to Instagram feeds to do it.
This shift means your selling strategy needs to be as adaptable as your customers are. Sticking with a single platform is no longer enough to succeed.
E-Commerce Marketplaces US Sellers Are Flocking To: TikTok and Shopify
AMZ Scout"Stats have shown that 58% of TikTok users shop directly on the platform. meaning that over 1 billion people in the world, and around 70 million in the United States alone, engage in TikTok shopping."
But which is the better choice?
For sellers mapping out their 2025 strategy, the choice of platform is a critical decision point between quick market access and long-term brand building. An article from Avada compared TikTok Shop and Shopify, highlighting the distinct advantages each offers to online businesses.
The fundamental difference lies in their approach to e-commerce. TikTok Shop provides immediate access to a massive, engaged audience through its social platform, while Shopify offers the tools to build a fully independent and customizable online store.
Marketing and Customer Reach
Success on TikTok Shop is closely tied to its powerful algorithm, which can push products into users’ feeds organically through viral videos and livestreams. This provides a built-in discovery engine without requiring external ad spending.
Conversely, Shopify sellers are responsible for driving their own traffic through integrated marketing tools. The platform supports sophisticated strategies including SEO, email marketing, and paid advertising across channels like Google and Meta.
Yaguara"Shopify ranked 4th among the top 5 eCommerce platforms worldwide, with a market share of 10.32%."
Branding, Control, and Scalability
When it comes to building a lasting brand, the two platforms offer very different capabilities. Shopify is designed for customization and scalability, whereas TikTok Shop prioritizes content-driven sales within a fixed ecosystem.
Shopify’s Strengths:
- Full control over website design, branding, and the customer experience.
- Ownership of customer data, enabling powerful email and CRM marketing.
- Access to thousands of third-party apps for enhanced functionality.
- Built to scale from small businesses to large enterprise operations.
TikTok Shop’s Strengths:
- Unmatched potential for organic reach and viral product discovery.
- Seamless in-app purchasing experience for impulse buys.
- No upfront monthly costs, making it accessible for new sellers.
- Excellent for testing products and capitalizing on social trends.
Ultimately, the choice depends on a seller’s primary goal. For those aiming for rapid sales through trending content, TikTok Shop is a strong contender, but sellers focused on building a scalable, independent brand will find Shopify’s toolset more suitable.
A Global Power Shift in E-commerce Marketplaces
Top Global Marketplaces by GMV
Amazon continues to lead the global online marketplace industry with nearly $800 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in 2024. According to Statista, GMV is considered a more accurate metric than revenue for platforms dominated by third-party sellers.
Following Amazon are five Chinese marketplaces that dominate GMV rankings with figures well over $500 billion each. These include Pinduoduo, Douyin (TikTok’s Chinese counterpart), JD.com, Taobao, and Tmall; all of which cater primarily to domestic consumers in China.
Despite being major players in the Western market, Walmart and eBay fall far behind in GMV rankings. This shift reflects the increasing strength of Chinese platforms in terms of both user engagement and transaction volume.
Chinese Platforms Are Outpacing US Counterparts?
Temu and AliExpress, both based in China, have surged in global visibility by aggressively targeting international audiences. In 2024, Temu became the most downloaded shopping app globally, just two years after its launch.
In terms of website traffic, Temu reached over one billion monthly visits in 2025, highlighting its fast-growing consumer base. While the platform’s growth is notable, it has also attracted scrutiny over data privacy concerns and forced labor allegations.
Traditional Retailers Move to Online Marketplaces
Traditional U.S. retailers are adapting by opening their online platforms to third-party sellers. Walmart, which launched its online marketplace in 2009, saw a major uptick in seller registrations following the pandemic.
By early 2023, Walmart had become the fourth most visited online marketplace in the U.S., significantly outperforming Target, which has seen slower marketplace growth. This suggests that legacy retailers must prioritize digital seller ecosystems to remain competitive.
Etsy Carves Out a Niche
Unlike mass-market giants, Etsy stands out by targeting a specific segment: handmade and vintage items. This approach has created a loyal buyer base seeking unique and personalized products.
According to Statista, Etsy’s active buyers more than doubled from 46 million in 2019 to approximately 95 million in 2024. The platform’s differentiated model positions it as a serious competitor in the C2C and B2C space.
A Detailed Look at Top Platforms for US Sellers in 2025
Choosing the right sales channel is a defining decision for any e-commerce business, with each platform offering unique audiences and tools. Taxually discussed in an article about The Top 13 Online Marketplaces for US Sellers in 2025 with insights that can help sellers identify the best platforms to sell on.
The Established Giants
Amazon remains the leader in the US market, offering sellers access to a massive customer base and powerful logistics through its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program. The platform’s complexity often leads sellers to work with an Amazon agency to manage advertising and scale operations effectively among its more than two million active sellers.
Walmart Marketplace is a fast-growing alternative, providing access to its large retail customer base with less competition than on Amazon. Meanwhile, eBay continues to be a dominant force with approximately 19 million sellers worldwide, offering flexibility with its auction and fixed-price listing formats.
The Surge in Social and Niche Commerce
A significant shift in e-commerce is the rise of social platforms as major sales channels. TikTok Shop, with over 100,000 active sellers, and Facebook Marketplace, with over one billion monthly users, allow brands to sell directly through content and community engagement.
Beyond broad-appeal platforms, many sellers find success in niche marketplaces that cater to specific consumer interests. These platforms often feature lower competition and a more targeted, engaged customer base.
- Etsy – A hub for handmade and vintage goods, serving over 7.5 million active sellers.
- Newegg – The premier marketplace for electronics and tech gear, with around 40,000 sellers.
- Wayfair – A leader in furniture and home decor, generating $14 billion in net revenue in 2024.
- Reverb – A dedicated platform for new and used musical instruments with over 600,000 active listings.
- Poshmark & Vinted – Two powerhouses in the secondhand fashion space, with millions of users focused on sustainable shopping.
- StockX – A unique “stock market” for high-demand sneakers and luxury items, valued for its authentication process.
The Exclusive Marketplace Model
For established brands, invitation-only platforms like Target Plus provide another path to market. While entry is limited to approximately 1,000 approved sellers, it offers the benefit of aligning with a trusted retail name and facing minimal direct competition.
The Case for Diversification - Why Selling on Multiple Marketplaces is Crucial
Selling on multiple marketplaces has become a key growth driver for brands in 2025. This strategy allows sellers to unlock new revenue streams and connect with a larger, more diverse customer base.
Relying on a single platform, however, exposes a business to significant risks like fluctuating fees, sudden policy changes, and ever-increasing competition. This dependency means sellers often spend more time reacting to platform-specific issues, a challenge many try to solve by hiring an Amazon agency, rather than proactively building their brand across multiple fronts.
To reduce this dependency, expanding to several marketplaces is an essential strategy for stable growth. By doing so, sellers can achieve more consistent revenue and enhance their overall brand visibility.
The advantages of a multi-platform strategy include the ability to:
- Access entirely new customer segments.
- Increase brand recognition across different channels.
- Build more resilient and stable revenue streams.
- Reduce the risk of dependency on a single platform’s policies.
Data from Mirakl validates this approach, showing that leading brands selling on three or more marketplaces experience an average 104% growth in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). This demonstrates the powerful effect of a well-executed multichannel selling strategy.
The intimate apparel brand Adore Me provides a compelling example of this model’s potential. The company achieved an impressive 2x net revenue increase after expanding its presence to additional marketplaces.
Demonstrating remarkable agility, the brand successfully launched on multiple new platforms in just three weeks. This expansion allowed them to significantly reduce customer acquisition costs while tapping into previously unreached market segments.
SellerChamp"According to research, businesses see an average revenue increase of 38% when they add a single new sales channel, and up to 190% when adding three."
