Data & Research March 24, 2026 • Updated: 9 November 2026

Marketplace
statistics 2026

50+ verified data points on online marketplaces. From Amazon, eBay, Etsy and bol figures to seller fees, consumer problems, retail media advertising and fulfillment. Every figure links to the source we opened: company filings, Eurostat, IAB, the European Commission and more.

61%

of units sold on Amazon came from third-party sellers (Q3 2026)

Source: Amazon Q3 results, 2026

$79.6B

eBay gross merchandise volume in 2025 (+7%)

Source: eBay, 2025

€13.3B

retail media spend in Europe in 2025 (+16.7%)

Source: IAB Europe, 2026

Statistics overview

Online marketplaces are a core sales channel for brands and retailers. On Amazon, third-party sellers accounted for 61% of all units sold in the third quarter of 2026, and Amazon earned $172.2 billion in 2025 from services to those sellers. In Europe the picture is more nuanced: 9.3% of EU enterprises sell via an e-commerce marketplace, against 7.9% in the Netherlands. For Dutch online stores, how these figures feed into marketing: more on ecommerce marketing (in Dutch).

This page compiles 50+ verified statistics on online marketplaces, each linked to the source we opened: annual and quarterly reports of Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, Mercado Libre and Ahold Delhaize (bol), Eurostat, the European Commission, IAB, Jungle Scout, NRF and others. Updated on 9 November 2026: figures we could not trace to a source have been removed. Whether you're evaluating a marketplace strategy, preparing a business case, or briefing a Google Shopping agency: this data hub gives you the numbers you need.

Section 1

Global marketplace revenue

$172.2B

Amazon revenue from third-party seller services (2025)

Source: Amazon 10-K, 2025

$79.6B

eBay gross merchandise volume 2025 (+7%)

Source: eBay, 2025

$65.0B

Mercado Libre gross merchandise volume 2025

Source: Mercado Libre, 2025

$10.5B

Etsy marketplace gross merchandise sales 2025

Source: Etsy, 2025

Monthly active users in the EU at designation under the Digital Services Act

Amazon Store 181.3M
Shein 108M
AliExpress 104.3M
Temu 75M
Zalando (retail) 74.5M
Google Shopping 70.8M

Source: European Commission, 2026

  • 61% of units sold on Amazon came from third-party sellers in Q3 2026; that share has been between 60% and 62% in every quarter since Q2 2025 (Amazon Q3 results, 2026)
  • Amazon's third-party seller services reached $172.2 billion in 2025, up from $156.1 billion in 2024; in Q3 2026 they grew 9% to $46.5 billion (Amazon 10-K, 2025; Amazon Q3 results, 2026)
  • eBay ended 2025 with 135 million active buyers and $79.6 billion in GMV; fourth-quarter GMV rose 10% to $21.2 billion (eBay, 2025)
  • Etsy had 5.6 million active sellers and 86.5 million active buyers at the end of 2025; 46% of fourth-quarter GMS was transacted in the Etsy app (Etsy, 2025)
  • Mercado Libre reached $65.0 billion in GMV in 2025 (2024: $51.5 billion), with 121 million unique active buyers and 2.43 billion items sold (Mercado Libre, 2025)
  • Walmart's global e-commerce sales grew 23% in the quarter to 31 July 2026, led by store-fulfilled pickup and delivery and marketplace (Walmart, 2026)
  • Global retail e-commerce is forecast at $6.88 trillion in 2026 (21.1% of all retail), after $6.42 trillion in 2025 (eMarketer via Shopify, 2025)

Also explore our e-commerce statistics 2026 for the full picture of online retail, or learn how we run high-ROI accounts as a Google Ads agency for marketplace-heavy brands.

Section 2

Seller statistics

Netherlands
7.9%

of Dutch enterprises (10+ staff) sell via a marketplace

EU: 9.3% Germany: 10.2%

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_eseln2, 2025

Small firms
49.3%

of small Dutch web sellers (2-9 staff) use a marketplace

All small firms: 9.6% 2025

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_esels, 2025

bol
43,095

sales partners on bol (30 June 2026)

2022: 50,000+ March 2026: 43,300

Source: bol, 2026

Amazon.nl referral fee by category (examples)

Jewellery (first €250) 20%
20%
Books 15%
15%
Toys & games 15%
15%
Other categories 15%
15%
Consumer electronics 7%
7%
Computers 7%
7%

Source: Amazon.nl, 2026

  • Amazon.nl referral fees are "in most cases between 8% and 15%" of the sales price, plus €39 per month (excl. VAT) for a Professional plan or €0.99 per item sold on the Individual plan (Amazon.nl, 2026)
  • bol charges a percentage plus a fixed fee per item: for kitchen items 5% to 12.5% plus €0.05 to €0.95; a pasta machine sold for €206.50 costs €26.55 in commission (bol, 2026)
  • Rising costs top sellers' worries: 38% of Amazon sellers and brands cite higher shipping costs as a top challenge, 34% the rising cost of goods and 32% growing advertising expenses (survey of nearly 1,500 businesses) (Jungle Scout, 2025)
  • Marketplace selling among Dutch firms has declined: from 10.0% of enterprises in 2023 to 7.9% in 2025, while the EU average stayed at 9.3% (Eurostat isoc_ec_eseln2, 2025)
  • Etsy's seller base shrank 1.5% to 5.6 million, while Depop, which eBay is buying for about $1.2 billion, grew its active sellers 41.1% to 3.2 million (Etsy, 2025; eBay, 2025)
Section 3

Consumer behavior on marketplaces

86.4%

of Dutch people (16-74) bought online in the last 3 months (EU: 62.4%)

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_ib20, 2025

57.9%

of Dutch online buyers had a problem with a purchase (EU: 35.4%)

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_iprb21, 2025

19.3%

of US online sales are returned

Source: NRF / Happy Returns, 2025

40%

of US shoppers who abandon checkout cite extra costs

Source: Baymard Institute, 2026

Problems when buying online in 2025: Netherlands (EU in brackets), % of online buyers

Delivery slower than indicated (EU: 19.9%) 35.3%
Website too difficult to use (EU: 11.5%) 23.7%
Hard to find guarantee information (EU: 8.2%) 18.3%
Complaints difficult or unanswered (EU: 6.3%) 16.2%
Wrong or damaged goods delivered (EU: 10.4%) 15.5%
Foreign seller did not sell to the country (EU: 5.4%) 10.8%
Fraud (EU: 3.9%) 5.0%

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_iprb21, 2025

  • Smartphones handled 56.4% of US online transactions in the 2025 holiday season, up from 54.5% (Adobe Analytics, 2026)
  • In the Netherlands, 45% of online purchases were made on a smartphone in the first half of 2026, against 42% on a laptop or desktop (Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor H1, 2026)
  • Free returns drive purchases: 82% of US consumers call free returns a major consideration (up from 76%), and 76% are more likely to choose an instant refund or exchange (NRF / Happy Returns, 2025)
  • US shoppers sent back $849.9 billion in merchandise in 2025, 15.8% of sales (2024: 16.9%); 9% of all returns are fraudulent (NRF / Happy Returns, 2025)
  • Slow delivery costs sales: 20% of US shoppers who abandoned a checkout did so because delivery was too slow, 13% because of the returns policy (Baymard Institute, 2026)
  • Cross-border shopping keeps rising: 13% of Dutch online spending (€4.5 billion) went to foreign webshops in 2025, and China accounted for 31% of cross-border purchases (Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, 2025)
Section 4

Retail media advertising

$68.6B

Amazon advertising revenue 2025

Source: Amazon 10-K, 2025

$63.4B

US commerce media ad revenue 2025 (+18.0%)

Source: IAB / PwC, 2026

€13.3B

retail media in Europe 2025 (+16.7%)

Source: IAB Europe, 2026

+19.1%

growth of retail search ads in Europe (standard search: +6.8%)

Source: IAB Europe AdEx, 2026

Reported marketplace and retail media advertising

Platform / marketAd revenueComparisonPeriod
Amazon Ads (worldwide)$68.6B2024: $56.2BFY 2025
Amazon Ads (worldwide)$19.6B+11% YoYQ3 2026
eBay advertising$544M2.6% of GMVQ4 2025
Walmart global advertisingnot disclosed+38% YoYQ2 FY27
US commerce media (IAB)$63.4B+18.0% YoY2025
Europe retail media (IAB Europe)€13.3B+16.7% YoY2025

Sources: Amazon 10-K, 2025, Amazon Q3 results, 2026, eBay, 2025, Walmart, 2026, IAB / PwC, 2026, IAB Europe, 2026

  • Retail media passed 10% of European digital ad spend for the first time in 2025 (10.2%, up from 9.6%), in a market of €131.1 billion (IAB Europe, 2026; IAB Europe AdEx, 2026)
  • Retail search grew nearly three times as fast as standard search in Europe: +19.1% to €10.0 billion versus +6.8%, reaching 17.8% of all search ad spend (excluding Google Shopping) (IAB Europe AdEx, 2026)
  • Walmart Connect grew 43% (excluding VIZIO) and Walmart's global advertising business 38% in the quarter to 31 July 2026 (Walmart, 2026)
  • eBay's first-party ads grew 19% to $517 million in Q4 2025 (eBay, 2025)
  • Advertising is a growing cost line: 32% of Amazon sellers and brands name growing advertising expenses as a top challenge (Jungle Scout, 2025)
  • Amazon expects advertising growth "in the high teens" in Q4 2026, after 12% (excluding currency effects) in Q3 (Amazon Q3 results, 2026)
Section 5

D2C vs marketplace strategy

23.3%

of Dutch enterprises sell via their own website or app (EU: 17.7%)

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_eseln2, 2025

7.9%

sell via an e-commerce marketplace (EU: 9.3%)

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_eseln2, 2025

6.5%

do both (EU: 6.3%)

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_eseln2, 2025

Own website vs marketplace: Netherlands vs EU (2025, enterprises with 10+ staff)

MetricNetherlandsEU
Enterprises selling via own website or app23.3%17.7%
Enterprises selling via a marketplace7.9%9.3%
Web sellers using their own website or app94.5%85.7%
Web sellers using a marketplace31.9%45.0%
Web sales value via own websites or apps91.0%84.5%
Web sales value via marketplaces9.0%15.5%
Web sales value of marketplace-only sellers1.9%4.9%

Sources: Eurostat isoc_ec_eseln2, 2025, Eurostat isoc_ec_esels, 2025, Eurostat isoc_ec_evaln2, 2025

  • Dutch enterprises sold €18.9 billion via marketplaces in 2025 (10+ staff, including B2B and exports), against €192.0 billion via their own websites and apps (Eurostat isoc_ec_evaln2m, 2025)
  • Marketplace sales by Dutch firms grew from €12.4 billion in 2017 to €17.3 billion in 2023 and €18.9 billion in 2025 (Eurostat isoc_ec_evaln2m, 2025)
  • The marketplace share of Dutch web sales hovers around 9%: 9.2% (2021), 8.6% (2022), 11.3% (2023), 9.0% (2025) (Eurostat isoc_ec_evaln2, 2025)
  • Large firms use marketplaces more: 10.3% of Dutch enterprises with 250+ staff sell via a marketplace (EU: 14.2%) (Eurostat isoc_ec_esels, 2025)
Section 6

Logistics & fulfillment

1.5B+

items delivered same-day or overnight to Prime members in Q3 2026

Source: Amazon Q3 results, 2026

376M

parcels delivered by PostNL in 2025

Source: PostNL, 2025

35.3%

of Dutch online buyers got slower delivery than indicated

Source: Eurostat isoc_ec_iprb21, 2025

15,878

bol pick-up points in the Netherlands and Belgium

Source: bol, 2026

  • Amazon Now, Amazon's ultra-fast delivery service, is available in more than 450 towns and cities; items ordered through it rose 10x year-over-year (Q3 2026) (Amazon Q3 results, 2026)
  • About 3.5 million parcels enter the Netherlands every day, according to Thuiswinkel.org in the European E-commerce Report 2026 (Ecommerce Europe, 2026)
  • PostNL delivered 376 million parcels in 2025, up from 371 million in 2024 (PostNL, 2025)
  • Storage costs peak in Q4: FBA storage on Amazon.nl costs €27.54 per cubic metre per month from January to September and €52.20 from October to December (standard size) (Amazon.nl, 2026)
  • Wrong or damaged goods: 15.5% of Dutch online buyers received wrong or damaged goods in 2025 (EU: 10.4%) (Eurostat isoc_ec_iprb21, 2025)
  • Delivery and returns are the main cross-border hurdle: 25.0% of Dutch firms selling online to other EU countries name high costs of delivering or returning products (Eurostat isoc_ec_wsobsn2, 2025)

Sellers chasing incremental profit also invest in conversion rate optimization on their own stores to reduce marketplace dependence.

Section 7

Regional marketplace breakdown

European B2C e-commerce turnover (€ billion)

2021 €712B
€712B
2022 €746B
€746B
2023 €792B
€792B
2024 €842B
€842B
2025 €911B
€911B
2026 (forecast) €961B
€961B

Source: Ecommerce Europe, 2026

  • Europe's B2C e-commerce turnover grew 7% to €911 billion in 2025 and is forecast at €961 billion in 2026 (Ecommerce Europe, 2026)
  • Mercado Libre, Latin America's largest marketplace, grew GMV to $65.0 billion in 2025, with the fourth quarter up 36.8% to $19.9 billion (Mercado Libre, 2025)
  • Temu is already number two in German e-commerce, behind Amazon and ahead of Zalando, according to the German association bevh (Ecommerce Europe, 2026)
  • Amazon Store had 181.3 million monthly active users in the EU when it was designated under the Digital Services Act; Shein 108 million, AliExpress 104.3 million, Temu 75 million (European Commission, 2026)
  • China dominates Dutch cross-border shopping: 31% of Dutch cross-border online purchases in 2025 (2024: 28%), the US 9% and the UK 6% (Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, 2025)
  • Dutch firms sell abroad online: 20.0% of their web sales value (€42.3 billion) went to customers in other EU countries in 2025 and 8.8% to the rest of the world (Eurostat isoc_ec_evaln2, 2025; Eurostat isoc_ec_evaln2m, 2025)
  • The EU removed the €150 customs duty exemption for imports from outside the EU in July 2026 (Ecommerce Europe, 2026)
Section 8

Future predictions

2026

Global e-commerce: $6.88 trillion

eMarketer forecasts global retail e-commerce of $6.88 trillion in 2026 (+7.2%), 21.1% of all retail sales.

Source: eMarketer via Shopify, 2025

Q4 2026

Amazon expects $240-247 billion in quarterly sales

Amazon guides fourth-quarter 2026 net sales of $240.0 to $247.0 billion (+12% to 16%) and advertising growth in the high teens.

Source: Amazon Q3 results, 2026

AI

AI assistants become a shopping channel

Traffic from generative AI tools to US retail sites rose 693.4% in the 2025 holiday season.

Source: Adobe Analytics, 2026

2026

eBay buys Depop

eBay agreed to acquire the C2C fashion marketplace Depop from Etsy for about $1.2 billion; Depop had 7.0 million active buyers at the end of 2025.

Sources: eBay, 2025, Etsy, 2025

2028

Global e-commerce: $7.89 trillion

eMarketer expects global retail e-commerce to reach $7.89 trillion in 2028, or 22.5% of all retail sales.

Source: eMarketer via Shopify, 2025

  • Europe: €961 billion forecast for 2026 in B2C e-commerce turnover, around 5% growth (Ecommerce Europe, 2026)
  • Retail media keeps outgrowing the market: in Europe +16.7% versus +10.5% for digital advertising overall in 2025 (IAB Europe, 2026)
  • Non-EU parcels: a flat duty of €3 per parcel applies from 1 July 2026 as a transitional measure, according to the Polish e-commerce association e-Chamber (Ecommerce Europe, 2026)
Summary

Key takeaways

1

Third-party sellers drive Amazon

61% of units sold on Amazon come from third-party sellers, and Amazon earned $172.2 billion from seller services in 2025.

2

Marketplaces are big, not everything

Marketplaces account for 15.5% of EU enterprises' web sales value and 9.0% in the Netherlands. Own websites remain the main channel.

3

Retail media is the growth channel

US commerce media reached $63.4 billion (+18.0%) and European retail media €13.3 billion (+16.7%), now over 10% of digital ad spend.

4

Costs are the top worry

38% of Amazon sellers cite higher shipping costs, 34% the cost of goods and 32% advertising expenses.

5

Delivery and service decide

35.3% of Dutch online buyers got slower delivery than indicated, and 82% of US shoppers weigh free returns.

6

Cross-border is shifting

China accounts for 31% of Dutch cross-border purchases, and the EU removed the €150 duty exemption in July 2026.

Methodology & sources

Every statistic on this page links to the source we opened when we checked it (last check: 9 November 2026). Figures we could not trace to a source were removed. Sources on this page:

  • Company filings: Amazon (10-K 2025, Q3 2026 results), eBay, Etsy and Mercado Libre (full-year 2025 results), Walmart (Q2 FY27), Ahold Delhaize (bol, full-year 2025)
  • Platforms: bol (About bol, partner platform commission page), Amazon.nl (selling fees)
  • Eurostat: e-commerce sales of enterprises (isoc_ec_eseln2, isoc_ec_esels, isoc_ec_evaln2, isoc_ec_evaln2m), obstacles for web sales (isoc_ec_wsobsn2), online purchases and problems of individuals (isoc_ec_ib20, isoc_ec_iprb21)
  • European Commission: list of designated very large online platforms (Digital Services Act)
  • Advertising: IAB / PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report 2025, IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark 2025
  • Market and consumers: eMarketer forecast (via Shopify), Ecommerce Europe / EuroCommerce European E-commerce Report 2026, Thuiswinkel Markt Monitor, NRF / Happy Returns, Baymard Institute, Adobe Analytics, Jungle Scout, PostNL

Disclaimer: Figures come from the most recent available editions of the cited sources; forecasts and guidance are marked as such. Company figures use different metrics (GMV, GMS, revenue from seller services) and cannot simply be added up. Eurostat figures cover enterprises with 10 or more persons employed unless stated otherwise. This page is compiled for informational purposes and does not constitute financial or strategic advice.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How big is the global marketplace market in 2026?

There is no reliable public estimate of total marketplace GMV, so we report company figures. eBay processed $79.6 billion in GMV in 2025, Mercado Libre $65.0 billion and the Etsy marketplace $10.5 billion. Amazon does not publish seller GMV, but earned $172.2 billion from third-party seller services in 2025, and third-party sellers account for 61% of the units it sells. Global retail e-commerce is forecast at $6.88 trillion in 2026. See also our e-commerce statistics for the full overview.

How many active sellers are there on major marketplaces?

Etsy had 5.6 million active sellers at the end of 2025 and Depop 3.2 million; bol had 43,095 sales partners on 30 June 2026. Amazon does not publish a seller count, but 61% of its units are sold by third-party sellers. In the EU, 9.3% of enterprises with 10 or more staff sell via a marketplace; in the Netherlands 7.9%, and nearly half (49.3%) of small Dutch web sellers.

What are the costs of selling on a marketplace?

On Amazon.nl the referral fee is in most cases between 8% and 15% of the sales price (for example 7% for consumer electronics and 15% for books), plus €39 per month for a Professional plan. bol charges a percentage plus a fixed fee per item, for kitchen items 5% to 12.5% plus €0.05 to €0.95. On top come fulfilment, storage (FBA on Amazon.nl: €27.54 to €52.20 per cubic metre per month) and advertising: 38% of Amazon sellers name higher shipping costs and 32% advertising expenses as a top challenge.

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Ruud ten Have

Compiled by

Ruud ten Have

Ruud is a digital marketer with 10+ years of experience in online advertising and e-commerce strategy. At Searchlab, he combines data-driven insights with hands-on marketplace optimization to deliver measurable growth for brands and retailers.

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