Why Marketplace Sellers Are Drowning in Debt

Today, it«s hard to imagine the infrastructure of daily life without marketplaces. More and more people choose to buy goods online: prices are often lower, the assortment is wider, and pickup points are more accessible than any local store.

The share of online trade is constantly growing, and the lion«s share of sales (from 40 to 70% according to various data) falls on trading platforms. If we recall how recently promises of »millions on marketplaces« were blaring from every corner, it creates a feeling that everyone is happy: buyers — because it»s cheap and convenient, sellers — because it«s overly profitable. But reality is more complicated, say lawyers and sellers.

VAT «Eats Up» Margins, and Raising Prices Is Not an Option

Many entrepreneurs have declared 2026 a year of alarm. This applies to marketplace sellers as well. First and foremost, due to increased tax burdens, as well as the policy of «whitening» the market, which is being actively pursued at the state level.

Elvira Vorobyeva, an expert in working on marketplaces, a supplier with 7 years of experience on platforms, and a participant in the working group to develop a bill on marketplaces in the State Duma, describes how today«s situation affects market representatives literally in numbers:

— In 2026, the VAT threshold will be lowered from 60 million rubles (approx. $600,000 at current rates) to 20 million rubles (approx. $200,000 at current rates). Consequently, we lose 5–7% of profit to taxes, and if your margin is only 13–15%, then you«ve given up a third of your margin to VAT. Someone might say: »You should have raised prices by these 5%.« But marketplace algorithms immediately knock the product out of ranking when the price is raised. To make the product visible to the customer again, you»ll have to boost it in search results with high advertising rates. As a result, advertising expenses eat up that 5% price increase. Moreover, it takes time to stabilize the product card in search results. In the end, it«s easier to leave everything as is, meaning to reduce margin.

«Rules of the Game» That Change on the Fly

A marketplace seller is essentially a small business. But, unlike classic trade, on a marketplace, the entrepreneur does not fully control key things: search results, commissions, advertising, returns, and regulations. Platforms change conditions, and costs grow faster than turnover.

— In the «clothing» category on one platform, the commission was raised from 25 to 35% (just from June to October 2025), meaning a 40% increase. On another — from 13 to 43% in just 1.5 months, meaning a 230% increase. The share of advertising expenses increased — 10–15% instead of 3–5% (a 200–300% growth). Logistics was increased by 40%. The load has grown very much. Only by the end of 2025 did suppliers start losing around 20–25% of the retail price. For many, this led to 0% margin, and often to business unprofitability.

Moreover, the cancellation of paid returns for buyers in 2024 led to the fact that, whereas before we had 5 out of 10 items purchased, now it«s 3 out of 10. This means that to sell 1000 units of goods, more inventory is required, and this is — more money »frozen«.

Additionally, customers do not order goods as consciously, they add 10 units of the same product from different suppliers to the cart, and suppliers pay for all these idle runs «warehouse — customer — warehouse». As a result, logistics costs make the business«s financial model inefficient, — says Elvira Vorobyeva.

— Besides the constantly changing rules of trading platforms, representatives of this business have a problem: correct and proper accounting of funds is not maintained. Often, everything is limited to just tax accounting, and planning and management accounting, which allows identifying potential cash gaps and overall risky states, is not done, — says Vyacheslav Kurilin, an arbitration manager, expert in financial recovery, founder of the legal company Kurilina «Kvadrat». — Often, micro-businesses realize that something is wrong only when everything is already bad. Therefore, in a difficult situation, you shouldn«t adopt an ostrich position, but seek advice, legal, tax, financial consultations, so as not to worsen the situation. Especially since these are, as a rule, free formats, — emphasizes the expert.

Business «on Loans» Poorly Combines with the Marketplace Model — But That«s How Many Started

Marketplaces require significant investments. Therefore, during the recent industry boom, many sellers were actively pushed towards loans and «investment schemes» as an easy start.

The problem is that a loan is a fixed payment, while a marketplace is a floating cash flow: today the product is in search results, tomorrow — not; today returns are 10%, tomorrow — 30%; today the commission is one, in a month — another. And this is where the debt spiral appears: there is no profit, but the loan needs to be paid on schedule.

— I know sellers who, on the «advice» of experts, took loans, sometimes through rather shady schemes. Then loan on loan, and today they have debts of tens of millions. But they can«t just abandon the business. Because goods are lying on the marketplace by the thousands, storage fees accrue. If you just »turn away«, they throw you into some promotions and sell your goods at a loss, — shares Elvira Vorobyeva.

— It«s necessary to understand that business on marketplaces is quite a race. And it feels like if you drop out, you lose. So a loan looks like salvation, but it»s a huge trap. If you take loans thoughtlessly, that«s when winning becomes impossible. This is again related to the fact that micro-businesses do not calculate the load and do not assess new risks. This is like putting out a fire with gasoline, — notes Vyacheslav Kurilin.

Legal Recovery Mechanisms

Vyacheslav Kurilin explains: there are types of problems where negotiations can help. But, for example, with the tax authority or with marketplaces, this is, to put it mildly, difficult. With creditors, banks, microloans — it is possible and necessary. Today, there are quite a few so-called rehabilitative procedures — these are restructuring, refinancing, settlement agreements. All this allows solving the problem.

— There are legal tools that allow freezing payments on financial obligations, taxes, loans for up to 3–5 years. But here, as in medicine, a specialist consultation is always necessary, since they are not suitable for everyone and not always equally beneficial. And just like with health: the earlier treatment begins, the easier and more effective it is, since those fatal mistakes that are impossible to correct in the future have not yet been made, — says Vyacheslav Kurilin.

Divorces, Collateral, and Property Re-registration

Unlike medium-sized business, emphasizes the lawyer, micro-business is a person«s business. Therefore, the emergence of problems very often, unfortunately, affects the family, on psychological state.

— As a rule, we encounter two behavior models in a crisis situation. The first is denial: everything is wonderful, everything is fine. The second — hysteria. When absolutely strange actions are taken: unprofitable loans are taken, the only home is pledged. Or suddenly a decision to divorce arises. Divorce at the idea level looks good, but in the end such an improvised conflict — divorce to solve some issues — turns into a real conflict and a worsening of the overall situation. Or people start re-registering property, which in principle is not subject to seizure or recovery. That is, they spend energy and time on meaningless actions, — tells Vyacheslav Kurilin.

Exit Route and Point of New Growth

Expert Vyacheslav Kurilin advises acting step by step:

1. Acknowledging the problem. As a rule, this is the first point in the financial recovery route, which does not mean defeat at all, but is a point of support.
2. Consultation with experts.
3. Choosing a scenario to resolve the situation. Understanding what can be stabilized through negotiations, and where through legal mechanisms.
4. New stage of development. Timely identified difficulties and their solution can become a springboard that allows moving forward, developing, and becoming successful.

— Putting an end to uncertainty is easy. Together with our team, you can take the next safe step. In a free consultation, we will analyze your situation and suggest which scenario is more reasonable now, to not just regain control, but start a new stage of development, — comments Vyacheslav Kurilin.

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