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Sharetribe Review
What Is Sharetribe?
Sharetribe allows you to build your own custom peer-to-peer marketplace.
Though not a standalone concept and there are other sites where one can create their own online marketplace, such as Near Me, Sharetribe is unique in these ways:
- No technical knowledge needed
- Hosting is provided
- All white-label
- Free 30-day trial
- Affordable compared to (some) competing sites
- Appeals to the individual
Compare this to other marketplace startup platforms costing $1k monthly, Sharetribe’s affordability and ease of use allow small groups or individuals to experiment quite a bit at $39 per month using a starter membership.
Who Is Sharetribe For?
Anyone interested in creating their own marketplace via the internet. The potential to build the next Etsy is there, just realize when starting a business, it’s going to require a lot of work and commitment on your end.
Regardless of the business model, it’s going to require some real work.
Sites like Sharetribe are in place to help you not only with the workload, but the tools and direction you may need along the way.
When it comes to succeeding in creating your own marketplace, I have no doubt anyone can do it, but it’s always good to go in with a game plan.
For starters, you are going to want to focus on which kind of community or marketplace you want to be in charge of.
Two examples, Etsy and Airbnb:
Etsy is a marketplace where people around the world connect, both online and offline, to make, sell and buy unique goods such as handmade or vintage items and supplies. Quick example – handbags or books.
Airbnb is a website that allows its members to list, find, and rent lodging. If you’re out of town headed to a huge convention and your hotel or housing accommodations didn’t go as planned, Airbnb will become your best friend.
This is sort of how their company started out for the pair of roommates who now head this $20 Billion value online marketplace.
First, you will need to focus choosing what kind of marketplace you wish to target – also known as a niche.
I always say it’s best to choose something you a passionate about, a topic of interest that you know you will see thru for the long run. Whether it be fitness, gaming, gadgets, automotive, or fashion or whatever you’re into.
You can transform that into a successful online business.
Feel free to click these two examples of successful sites, both created using Sharetribe:
Were you able to point out the respective niches?
One has a passion for music, the other followed their passion for teaching. In doing so, both of these individuals were able to create successful, profitable online marketplaces.
Anyone can do it and it all starts with choosing a passion or an interest. That and building a trustworthy community.
Trust Is A Must
Another important factor to succeed in creating your own online marketplace, TRUST.
It is the reason websites like Amazon and Airbnb have become so gigantic and why millions of customers/visitors have no problems at all shopping, buying, or even being a member for those services.
Airbnb was started around 2008 by two roommates who were struggling to pay the rent. They eventually started a site which allowed people to rent out their living room for the night for a price.
They offered airbeds n breakfast, hence Airbnb.
This idea spread as did their marketplace to over 191 countries where ‘hosts’ can monetize their extra living space and travelers have the option to browse millions of lodging choices worldwide. It’s a win-win for everyone involved and it was built on trust and reliability.
As for the founders, just 8 years later, they’re worth about 3.3 Billion a piece.
Point is, trust is important. Before people can truly interact (buy or sell) within your marketplace they need to join as members first. Trust will help with that along with offering quality content and convenience within your chosen niche.
Sharetribe’s Training
Once all signed up, Sharetribe offers training and valuable insights to help you with getting started with your new business.
These helpful tips can be found in your back office and will be sent to you in the form of an email series. It covers topics such as:
- Focusing on a business topic; or niche
- Configuring your marketplace
- How to offer quality and convenience to your users
- How to attract users/visitors to your marketplace
- Much More!
All of this can be accessed during your free trial which really gives you a fair chance to try out what Sharetribe offers and to see if it is right for you.
Not to mention the Marketplace Academy which can be found within Sharetribe. It currently offers 3 chapters and is designed to help you getting all set up and growing your business.
To gain an understanding on Sharetribe’s pricing structure and to find a suitable plan for you/good fit for you, you can click below.
Sharetribe Pricing
- Starter
- Pro
- Growth
- Scale
Starting at $39/month
The free trial requires no credit card to sign up, check it out.
Pros & Cons of Sharetribe
Pros:
- Takes less than a minute to sign up and create your first marketplace
- The platform makes it truly easy to get set-up
- Provides walkthrough/training
- Provides hosting
- All white-labeled
- 30-day free trial
Cons:
- Though the training provides stats, charts, graphs, examples. I feel having some form of (over the shoulder) video training would give its users a better idea of navigating through their marketplace’s back office, getting set up, etc.
- I may have jumped ahead in the training/instructions but within the Configuration, more specifically the Design area, it was slightly confusing on how to design my marketplace to my liking.
Final Opinion
So what is Sharetribe?
Online marketplace technology that helps individuals and small organizations effectively sell or rent products, services and spaces to each other.
Your article is fascinating that I have not come across to many ideas that seem to have all the areas covered by having a quality online presence. It’s hard to find providers that offer a full package for having an online business and training.
Is Sharetime made up of websites that only offer services and products that you create?
Sharetribe sounds a lot like the Wealthy Affiliate package you also recommend.
Between the two different packages Sharetribe and Wealthy Affiliate, which do you believe, is the best choice for a beginner?
Hey Travis, great questions.
With Sharetribe you are creating your own Brand and online marketplace business. There is no need for inventory or product creation.
It is indeed a service as you are connecting people together who may sell or rent products, services and spaces to each other. All of this takes place within Your online marketplace.
When comparing Wealthy Affiliate to Sharetribe – the two are great products in which anyone can utilize to build their own business online.
In saying that, they are two completely different business models.
There is an audience of people interested in learning more and ready to get started with their own online marketplace, for that I recommend Sharetribe.
For a beginner, I would recommend Wealthy Affiliate which covers affiliate marketing (a great introductory business and way to earn money online as a beginner). Again, there’s no need for inventory, product creation, none of that.
Wealthy Affiliate is a plethora of information and has a community of (experienced and new) people which I believe makes the perfect setting for a beginner to understand and begin making money online.
There both great business models but if interested in either path just realize that starting an online business (the right way) will require some time and work.
Share Tribe sounds interesting but surely you would have to be pretty savvy before you could do this.Do you really think it would work for a raw beginner? The 30 day free trial is certainly appealing and you do say there is training but what does the training include? Would you agree that people who are brand new to any form of internet marketing really need to do some training before getting into this?
Surely any previous internet/marketing business experience online will come in handy, but yes a beginner can succeed in starting their own marketplace.
Sharetribe’s training is sufficient enough and takes you by the hand early on in helping you determine and target a marketplace (which is key).
They literally go over all you need to know in terms of coming up with a great marketplace idea, to launching and sharing your idea to the public, to maintaining your business in the long run.
You can access a guide here. There’s even more training and neat insight once you sign up with Sharetribe.
Do I think a beginner can create their own marketplace? Absolutely.
Hi Jason,
This certainly sounds like an interesting tool in the online world. Would you try and start out locally and grow from there or could you go national immediately?
I guess if you could find a niche that you knew people were looking for that has enough buyers and sellers looking to move product then there is no reason why anyone couldn’t make it work.
Regards
Russell
Hey, I feel the same way.
If the supply and demand is there you can create success.
The key is to determine your niche and see it through. That’s why I recommend starting a marketplace revolved around something you enjoy.
I think starting locally, and even reaching out to a few friends/family in the early beginnings to share items and give feedback, is not a bad idea.
From there you grow.
This sounds like a pretty cool idea – I was more than impressed by the two examples of successful websites you showed on their platfroms ( very dynamic and very professional looking end themes!). I was wondering – has this site really taken off yet or is it still in it’s infancy? Ho many members does it have?
I want to say Sharetribe is still in it’s early stages. Also it’s hard to pinpoint how many members a company has, you could always try messaging their support for further answers.
Thanks
Jason
Hi Jason,
I like the concept here, creating your own marketplace.
I have a few questions:
1. I am a subscriber to another organisation that offers practical training, practical help and practical support, why would I also need this? How helpful would I find this? My thinking is that I need to focus on my current option before looking at other options.
2. I see that they offer a free trial. Is there a time limit on this?
Cheers,
David
You don’t need this and it’s best to follow just one training at a time, especially when it comes to learning online business.
There’s so much information available to us on the internet that the next thing you know you will be taking on too many tasks and too much advice at once. It’s always best to zero in on what it is you are doing especially if your a paid subscriber elsewhere.
To answer your last question, Sharetribe offers a 30 day free trial.
Hello Jason I quite appreciate your reviews and i love wealthy affiliate, but my country is not supported. I am from Nigeria. So could you recommend any other program that is like wealthy Affiliate for me please. Earnestly waiting to hear from you.
My regards.
Hi Ndubuisi,
I believe you reached out to me at my email address. Did you receive my reply Ok?
Hello Jason. Thanks for putting together this review of Sharetribe, It may be something that I may someday invest some of my time in, as I am always looking to experiment with ways to make money online.
What is your personal preferred option to making money online? Wealthy Affiliate vs Sharetribe?
I’ve become very familiar with the affiliate marketing business model thanks to the training over at Wealthy Affiliate.
Likewise, I’ve been able to earn a full-time income with affiliate marketing. Personally, I would have to go with Wealthy Affiliate as I enjoy their beginner friendly training.
At the same rate, Sharetribe offers some quality training as well. For those interested in creating a marketplace, it’s definitely for them.