X-Cart Marketplace (called X-Cart Multivendor in 2021 and earlier) is X-Cart with a bunch of multi-vendor-specific add-ons. These add-ons modify the feature set of X-Cart, transforming it into a marketplace that can be used simultaneously by multiple sellers.
The essential add-on of this bunch is Multi-vendor. It is the core of the Marketplace solution. You will not be able to run a marketplace without it. This add-on introduces a new type of X-Cart users - "vendors" (sellers), an interface for vendor registration and approval, an option for the store administrator to choose one of two store operation modes ("Warehouse"/"Vendors as separate shops"), a dedicated area of the store back end where vendors can manage their product catalog and get access to orders, payment transactions and statistics, and so on.
There are also a few other add-ons recommended for use with X-Cart Marketplace. Some of them are strictly specific to the Marketplace package because they depend on the core Multi-vendor add-on and cannot be used without it (like Trusted/Non-trusted vendors). Others are add-ons that have vendor-related features (like Order messages). You are not required to have all these add-ons installed and enabled in your store; choose the ones you need for your business.
Here is a brief overview of the add-ons typically used to build a Marketplace store (in addition to the Multi-vendor add-on):
Trusted/Non-trusted vendors: This add-on enables the store administrator to mark vendors as trusted and non-trusted. Any products added by vendors with the "Trusted vendor" status will be visible to your store visitors right away. In contrast, the products of non-trusted vendors will appear on the storefront only after the administrator has approved them. For more information on this add-on, see Trusted/Non-trusted Vendors.
Multiple Profiles for Vendors: This add-on enables existing vendors to create additional user profiles for their staff who help them work on their product catalog, promotions, and orders. For more information on this add-on, see Multiple Profiles for Vendors.
Messages: This add-on is not limited to X-Cart Marketplace. You can use it on single-seller X-Cart stores just as well. We list it here because it provides some multi-vendor-specific features when used with X-Cart Marketplace. This add-on enhances the communication system in your store, providing an opportunity to start a conversation or dispute about orders right from the Order details page for customers, store administrators, and vendors. A well-thought-out notification system ensures that no message will be left unread. In X-Cart Marketplace, the add-on also allows store visitors to start messaging the sellers before purchase. They can initiate a conversation directly on the sellers' pages on the storefront. See Messages Add-on: Usage with Marketplace for more information on this add-on.
Custom Product Tabs: Another add-on not just for Marketplace. It enables additional custom product tabs on the detailed product pages. For more information on this add-on, see Custom Product Tabs: Usage with Multivendor
Product Tags: This add-on is also Marketplace-compatible. It allows the store administrator and vendors to add product tags to enlighten product search for shoppers. See Product Tags: Usage with Multivendor for more information on this add-on.
Coupons: This add-on is not just for Marketplace, but it needs to be mentioned here because it allows vendors to create and manage discount coupons in X-Cart Marketplace. More information on this add-on is available in Coupons: Usage with Marketplace.
Volume Discounts: Another add-on not just for Marketplace. Enables vendors to create and manage volume discounts. Volume Discounts: Usage with Marketplace provides more information on this add-on.
Product Questions: Can be used in X-Cart Marketplace and other stores. It enables the communication between the shoppers and the store staff (administrators and vendors) by allowing an exchange of questions and answers about individual products. Product Questions: Usage with Marketplace provides more information on this add-on.
Product reviews: Another add-on not just for X-Cart Marketplace that enables product ratings, product reviews, and vendor ratings. More information on this add-on is available in the section Product Reviews: Usage with Marketplace.
AvaTax Sales Tax Automation: Another add-on intended not exclusively for Marketplace but fitted multi-vendor-enabled stores just as well as single-seller X-Cart stores. This add-on facilitates tax calculation and provides the fastest, easiest, and most accurate way to calculate sales tax, manage tax exemptions, and file returns via Avalara's service. See AvaTax Sales Tax Automation: Usage with Marketplace for more information on this add-on.
TaxJar Sales Tax Automation: An add-on to help you handle US tax calculation, reporting, and filing through the integration with TaxJar. See TaxJar Sales Tax Automation: Usage with Marketplace for more information on this add-on.
PayPal: An add-on package that includes all X-Cart's PayPal payment method integrations, with PayPal for Marketplaces among them. In the context of X-Cart Marketplace, this add-on will help stores in need of a solution to automatically distribute the incoming payments from the buyers between the store owner and the vendors. For more information on this add-on, see PayPal for Marketplaces: Overview.
Product Filter (deprecated): This add-on works equally well for single-seller and X-Cart Marketplace stores. In X-Cart Marketplace, it may be of use to enable product filtering by the vendor. See Product Filter: Usage with Marketplace for more information on this add-on.
If an add-on you are looking to use is not installed in your store, check the X-Cart App Store.
For general add-on installation instructions, see Installing Add-ons from X-Cart App Store.
Related pages: