Mercantyl vs. Faire
Faire is excellent at one thing: discovery. They drive traffic to your products from buyers who don’t know you yet. The cost is real: 15 to 25% commission, a Faire-branded checkout, and a buyer relationship Faire owns. Once a buyer knows you, the math flips. You want them logging into your store, not Faire’s. That’s where Mercantyl comes in.
The honest answer: most brands run both
Most successful wholesale brands run Faire and Mercantyl. Faire as a discovery channel for new buyers. Mercantyl as the home base for buyers who already know you, where you keep the relationship, the margin, and the data. The decision isn’t Faire or Mercantyl. It’s how much of your GMV runs through which.
Pricing model comparison
The honest numbers. Faire’s commission compounds with revenue. Mercantyl’s subscription doesn’t.
| Capability | Faire | Mercantyl |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Marketplace, 25% commission on first order, 15% after | SaaS, flat $499-1,499/mo. No commission, no take rate |
| Customer relationship | Faire owns the buyer relationship and data | You own your buyers, your data, your terms |
| Pricing control | Marketplace pricing pressure | Your pricing rules: per-buyer, per-tier, contract |
| Branding | Faire-branded storefront and checkout | Your domain, your theme, your brand |
| Buyer acquisition | Faire drives traffic, but buyers shop the marketplace | You drive traffic to your store. Relationship is direct |
| Net terms / invoicing | Faire-managed only | Per-buyer NET 30/60/90 with credit limits |
| Multi-brand consolidation | One Faire shop per brand | Unlimited brands per account, unified ops |
| Wholesale workflows | Limited PO and quote support | Full RFQ to quote to PO with approval routing |
| EDI / Punchout | Not supported | Native (X12, EDIFACT, CXML, OCI) |
| Cost on $1M GMV | ~$200K (15-25% commission) | ~$18K (Professional plan) |
When brands move buyers off the marketplace
Commission costs more than software
Faire takes 15 to 25% of your wholesale revenue. At $1M GMV, that's $150K to $250K a year. Mercantyl is $1,499/mo flat. The math gets brutal fast.
You want direct buyer relationships
On Faire the buyer is shopping a marketplace. They might switch brands inside the same cart. On Mercantyl the buyer logs into your store, sees your catalog, and knows you.
You want to own your data
Buyer contact info, order history, repurchase patterns. On Faire that's Faire's data. On Mercantyl it's yours, exportable any time, queryable via API.
Move repeat buyers off the marketplace
14-day trial. We can help you set up direct invitations for your repeat Faire buyers and offer them better terms in your own store.