B2B Marketplace vs. Direct Sourcing in India: When to Use Which

Every procurement channel has a job. Using the wrong one for a given purchase type costs time, money, or both.

Channel comparison:

| Channel | Best for | Weakness |
|---------|----------|---------|
| WhatsApp / Phone | Repeat orders with trusted suppliers | No price competition, no paper trail |
| IndiaMART / TradeIndia | Discovering new suppliers | Lead quality varies; no escrow; requires heavy vetting |
| VyaparSethu | First-time large orders, verified suppliers, protected payment | Early-stage, fewer suppliers than IndiaMART (growing) |
| Direct factory visit | Very large orders (₹50L+) | Time-intensive, geography-limited |

Use VyaparSethu when: - Order value is ₹50,000–₹50,00,000 - You're sourcing a category where you've been burned before (bad debt, quality failure) - You need 3+ competitive quotes fast (within 24h) - You want Protected Payment (escrow) so funds only release on delivery confirmation - You're onboarding a new supplier category where you don't have existing relationships

Use WhatsApp/Phone when: - It's a repeat order with a supplier whose quality and reliability is proven - Order value is under ₹10,000 - Delivery is same-day or next-day from a local supplier

Use IndiaMART when: - You're doing initial market research to understand suppliers in a new category - You want to build a long-list of 20+ suppliers to vet over time - You don't need the transaction to be protected

The hybrid approach (recommended): Discover via IndiaMART → shortlist 5 suppliers → get competitive quotes via VyaparSethu (with Protected Payment) → transition repeat orders to WhatsApp once relationship is established.