What is The Virtual Market?
The Virtual Market is a Canadian multi-vendor e-commerce platform built by Makers & Artists for Makers & Artists.
Running your own website is costly and time-consuming. TVM gives you the tools to sell online without the headache. Built for small businesses, packed with features that work, and powered by a thriving community—this is where Canadian small shops grow.
Stop going it alone. Join now and start selling smarter!
The Vision
In 2020 we saw the major shift of sales move from in-person to online. There are a few massive online businesses that were able to capitalize on this and really grow during that time, leaving the small shops to struggle or close.
Corporate convinced everyone that having a website is the marker of online success but the numbers are showing us this isn’t true. While major website hosts saw business boom, the little shops continued to struggle.
This drove the idea behind grouping together and sharing reach. When one small shop is successful, it has the ability to support another. Use The Virtual Market platform as a central marketplace for all things small.
FAQ
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The Virtual Market is open to Canadian designers, makers, crafters, artists, and small shop owners that offer a selection of unique and diverse goods. We consider select vendors with ethically sourced or lightly manufactured goods that fit into the market’s values. This may include fair traders and designers who may outsource the production of their goods and eligibility will be determined at the time of the vendor's application.
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Unlike other big platforms we don’t believe in taking a commission. Instead you pay an annual, upfront membership fee and then just the standard payment processing fee of 2.9% + $.30
Annual Membership fees are:
Local to Calgary/area $350+GST
Remainder of Canada $150 + GST
Check out our full Vendor Pacakge here.
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You have complete control of your shop. You can operate it in place of having your own website that you can easily build in minutes. We provide order management support to help you stay organized and we have built in options to help you maximize spend per customer. We focus on community and our goal is to bring together Artists and Makers to compete in a sea of options.
For detailed descriptions of our services, please check out our Vendor Package here.
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We have an extensive library of resources available to you through your shop portal. We also have a community of existing vendors that support each other through an online Facebook Group that is managed by our Founder. This is where we discuss platform capabilities, future improvements and provide hands on and personal support for our Registered Vendors.