7 Faire Wholesale Alternatives for Small Makers (2026)

Faire is genuinely good at what it does. A massive buyer network, net-60 payment terms, free returns on opening orders — it has built real trust with independent boutiques, and that matters.

But 15% commission on returning retailers (25% for new ones they introduce to you) adds up fast when your margins are already tight. Some makers, especially those selling in niches Faire doesn’t index well or those who want to avoid exclusivity pressure, are actively looking for wholesale alternatives.

This post covers seven platforms worth knowing about if you’re exploring what else is out there. None of them are trying to replace Faire outright. Some are better for specific niches. Some charge flat fees instead of commissions. And one isn’t a platform at all, but it might be the most underrated option.

Why Makers Look for Faire Alternatives

The commission structure is the most common reason. Faire charges:

• 15% on orders from retailers you bring to the platform yourself
• 25% on new retailers Faire introduces to you (for their first order)

That second number catches people off guard. If Faire finds you a new boutique and that boutique places a $500 opening order, you’re paying $125 in commission. That’s before factoring in your cost of goods, packaging, and shipping.

Other reasons makers look around:

• Exclusivity concerns. Faire’s Terms of Service have historically included language some makers interpret as exclusivity obligations. It’s worth reading the current terms carefully.
• Niche fit. Faire’s buyer network is broad but not deep in every category. Food makers, ceramics sellers, and some specialty niches can find better-targeted platforms elsewhere.
• Payment timing. Net-60 terms are great in theory, but they create real cash flow gaps at scale.
• Platform dependence. Putting your entire wholesale business through one platform creates a single point of failure.

None of this means Faire is wrong for your business. But knowing your options is smart business, not disloyalty.

7 Wholesale Marketplaces Like Faire

1. Abound

Best for: Gift, lifestyle, home, stationery, accessories

Abound positions itself as the curated, lower-commission alternative to Faire. They charge around 15% on all orders, not the tiered structure Faire uses. They’re also more selective about which brands they accept, which means less competition per buyer eyeball.

Their buyer network is smaller than Faire’s but arguably more focused on independent boutiques and gift shops. If your products skew toward lifestyle gifts, this is one of the more direct Faire alternatives in terms of feel and buyer type.

Minimum order requirements are set by the seller. Net-30 payment terms are available.

2. Creoate

Best for: Independent makers in the US and UK, lifestyle goods, emerging brands

Creoate started as a UK platform and has been expanding into the US market. Their commission sits at around 13.5-15%, and they offer free returns on opening orders (similar to Faire), which helps buyers take a chance on new brands.

If you sell internationally or have products with crossover appeal between UK and US boutique buyers, Creoate is worth a look. The buyer base is smaller and more international-leaning than Faire’s, but that’s a feature for some makers.

3. Stockist

Best for: Indie brands, boutique-focused sellers, mid-range goods

Stockist connects independent brands with independent retailers. It’s positioned more toward the DTC brand end of the spectrum than the raw handmade market, but there’s meaningful overlap.

They charge a monthly subscription fee ($150/month) rather than a per-order commission. That makes the math very different depending on your order volume. If you’re doing $3,000+ per month through wholesale, a flat fee is almost always better than 15-25% commission.

The buyer network is curated and smaller than Faire’s. Quality over quantity is the pitch.

4. IndieMe (formerly Americanseller)

Best for: American handmade sellers, craft-show-adjacent markets

IndieMe has been around longer than most people realise. It predates the current wholesale marketplace boom and has a steady base of independent boutique buyers in the US.

Their model is a flat annual fee for sellers (around $130-180/year depending on the plan) with no per-order commission at all. If you sell consistently through wholesale, this is a dramatically different cost structure than Faire.

The tradeoff: smaller buyer pool, less discovery, and a platform that’s less aggressively marketed. You don’t get Faire’s brand recognition or their intro-to-new-retailers engine. But for sellers who already have their wholesale relationships mostly in place, IndieMe’s flat fee makes a lot of sense.

5. NuOrder

Best for: Established brands, mid-size operations, brands selling to larger retail chains

NuOrder is enterprise-adjacent. They serve established brands that sell to mid-to-large retailers, not solo makers just starting wholesale. If you’re dealing with larger retail accounts and need a platform that supports complex order management, NuOrder is worth knowing about.

The pricing is not transparent on their public site and involves a quote-based sales process. Not where most makers should start, but relevant if you’re scaling past the boutique tier.

6. Tundra

Note: Tundra shut down in 2024. It used to be a compelling Faire alternative (zero commissions, free returns) before it stopped operations. If you’ve seen it mentioned in older blog posts or forum threads, that’s why. Abound and IndieMe are the closest active replacements for what Tundra offered.

7. Direct Wholesale — Your Own Channel

The option most often overlooked: build your own wholesale channel directly.

This means setting up wholesale pricing on your existing Shopify store (Shopify’s B2B features now let you create a separate wholesale storefront with separate pricing for approved buyers), or building a private wholesale portal using apps like Wholesale Club, Wholesale Gorilla, or Bold Custom Pricing.

The advantages are real:

• Zero commission. You keep 100% of every wholesale order.
• You own the buyer relationship. Faire and other platforms own the data; you don’t get contact details for your own customers without the platform’s consent.
• Flexible pricing. Volume discounts, custom pricing by account, exclusivity deals on your own terms.

The disadvantages are real too. You have to do your own buyer discovery, which is genuinely hard. Faire’s value isn’t just the commission cut. It’s the buyer network and the trust signal that comes from being on a vetted platform.

Most serious wholesale operations use both: Faire (or another marketplace) for discovery, direct wholesale for their best accounts.

Bonus: Wholesale via Etsy

If you’re already selling on Etsy, their Wholesale by Etsy program (when available to your account) lets existing boutique buyers find you directly. This is less a marketplace and more a feature, but worth knowing if Etsy is already your primary channel.

Platform Comparison at a Glance

Managing Inventory Across Multiple Wholesale Platforms

Here’s the thing nobody tells you when you start adding wholesale channels: the inventory problem gets complicated fast.

When a boutique places a $400 order on Faire and another places a $300 order through your Shopify wholesale portal the same week, you need to:

• Deduct the raw materials used to fulfil both orders
• Update your finished goods stock across both channels
• Calculate the COGS on each order (they’re the same products but different commission structures change your net)
• Know whether you have enough materials to manufacture replacement stock

If you’re managing this manually, through spreadsheets, hand-counting shelves, and mental math on costs, you will eventually get it wrong. Usually at the worst possible moment, like when a retailer’s order overlaps with a busy craft fair season.

This is exactly where Craftybase’s wholesale inventory tracking pays for itself. Craftybase connects directly with Faire to import orders automatically, tracks raw material usage each time you manufacture a batch, and keeps your COGS current so you always know your actual profit on every wholesale order.

And because it’s platform-agnostic, it doesn’t matter whether your orders come from Faire, Abound, Stockist, or your own Shopify wholesale portal. You get one view of your inventory, your costs, and your margins.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Faire is the dominant wholesale marketplace right now. The buyer network is real and the discovery engine works. But it’s not the only option, and for some makers and some products, the commission structure makes it hard to price for profit.

If you’re exploring alternatives, the pattern that works best for most serious wholesale sellers is: use a marketplace (Faire or one of the others above) for new buyer discovery, and build direct wholesale relationships for your repeat accounts. That way you’re not paying 15-25% commission on every order for the life of the relationship.

Whatever combination of platforms you end up using, the inventory tracking problem doesn’t go away. Tools like Craftybase are built to handle exactly that, connecting your wholesale orders to your materials, your COGS, and your true profit on every batch you manufacture.

Related reading: How to Sell on Faire — A Complete Wholesale Guide · How to Price Handmade Products for Wholesale · What is Faire Wholesale?