Advice Needed for Starting a Marketplace Website

Great insights from everyone! The aim here is to validate your idea without overspending up front. Figma can be useful for visualizing user interactions, but keep your MVP focused on the essentials—like core listings and basic search functionality. Remember, you won’t need heavy custom code right away; no-code tools should suffice until you've proven there's demand for your marketplace.

You're on the right track! Before diving into code, focus on validating your core concept rather than getting the design perfect. Use Figma to sketch out the main user flows without making it overly polished. As you build your MVP, try to use no-code solutions for now and handle the backend manually until you confirm there's a demand. Early feedback from users can greatly inform your product's direction, more than any design ever could.

All this advice is solid! To tackle the chicken-and-egg dilemma, start by engaging with potential buyers to understand their needs. This will help legitimize your concept to suppliers later on. I agree that going down the no-code path sounds prudent. You don't want to jump too far ahead by focusing on custom features right away. Start small, validate your idea, and then refine your MVP based on real feedback!

Starting with a Figma mockup is a smart move, but don't rush into development without validating your idea first. Many developers can charge anywhere from $10k to $30k for a full-fledged marketplace, which is a steep investment if you're not sure about your user needs. Consider using no-code tools like Bubble or Softr to build a basic version of your marketplace to get feedback from actual users before going all in with custom coding and design.

Since you're not a coder and are trying to bootstrap, I'd recommend starting smaller. Instead of going for a full Figma mockup, why not create a simple landing page first? You can use tools like Carrd or Webflow to explain your concept, collect emails, and even manage a few transactions manually at first. This helps you see if there's a real demand for your idea before investing in development. Once you gather some traction, consider using no-code marketplace builders like Sharetribe or Bubble—they're much cheaper than hiring developers and can help you launch faster. Don't forget, it's crucial to engage with potential customers early on to understand the marketplace dynamics.