Marketplace versus your own store
Wildberries is a marketplace: one shared storefront where many sellers compete, and the platform sets the rules, the fees, the search ranking and the relationship with the buyer. Your own online store is different. The address, the catalog, the payment methods and the customer list all belong to you.
Seller terms for a specific platform, including commissions, warehousing and delivery for your category and region, change over time. Check them in the platform's current rules instead of relying on numbers you found in a forum thread.
What a marketplace gives you, and what it takes
The main benefit is ready-made demand. Buyers already know the interface, delivery and payment are built in, and you do not need to develop anything to start. That makes a marketplace a fast, low-entry way to test whether a new product sells. Uzum and OLX follow a similar logic: the platform supplies traffic, and you pay for access to it.
- Competitors with near-identical products sit right next to your listing.
- Your visibility depends on ranking algorithms you cannot control.
- A commission comes off every sale, which directly affects your margin.
- The buyer usually remains the platform's customer, not yours.
- If the rules change, your sales can change with them.
What your own online store gives you
A site means control. You decide how the catalog looks, which promotions to run, how to accept payment through Click and Payme, and how to answer customers in Telegram. Every order becomes a contact you can return to with a newsletter, a Telegram bot or Instagram ads aimed at past buyers.
There is a catch, and it is worth saying plainly: a new site starts with no trust and no visitors. You have to bring traffic yourself through Meta Ads, Google Ads, SEO and Instagram. A site without promotion is a shop in a side street with no sign.
How to choose your online store in Uzbekistan
A few questions usually make the decision clear.
- Is your product unique, or do dozens of sellers offer the same thing?
- Do customers buy again? If so, your customer list is a real asset.
- Do you have an Instagram or Telegram audience you can send to a site?
- Can your margin absorb the platform's commission and required discounts?
- Who will handle orders, stock and delivery?
- Are you ready to pay for advertising and measure the results?
What shapes the cost of a website
The price of an online store does not depend on some vague idea of site size. It comes from specific decisions: catalog volume, template or custom design, integrations (Click, Payme, accounting software, delivery services), language versions, where Uzbek and Russian are almost always both needed, how convenient the admin panel is, basic SEO setup and support after launch.
Contractors differ too: a freelancer, a small team or a full-cycle agency. The gap is rarely just the price. It is also accountability, timelines and willingness to report in numbers. Ask for an estimate broken down by item rather than a single total, so you can see what you are paying for.
A sensible combination and first steps
For many businesses a mix works best: the marketplace as a sales channel and a source of first buyers, your own site as the base for the brand and repeat sales. You avoid depending on one platform and slowly build an audience of your own.
Before launch, agree on the metrics: cost per order, conversion to purchase, share of returning customers. Set up analytics from day one, otherwise you cannot tell whether the site pays back or the budget is simply disappearing.
markdev builds turnkey websites in Uzbekistan and connects them with advertising and analytics. If you want to talk through your product and decide whether you need your own store now, write to us and we will look at the task with no obligation.
FAQ
What is Wildberries?
It is a marketplace, a shared online storefront where many sellers list products. It is not a business's own website, so the rules and the buyers belong to the platform.
Can I sell only on a marketplace without my own site?
Yes, especially to test demand. But buyer data stays with the platform, and you cannot control commissions or rules. That is why many sellers add their own site later.
What does an online store need to start selling?
Besides the site itself, you need traffic sources such as ads, SEO and social media, easy payment through Click or Payme, clear delivery and analytics that show your cost per order.
What affects the price of building an online store?
Catalog size, design, integrations with payment and accounting, the number of languages, admin panel features and post-launch support. An exact figure comes after the task is reviewed.
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