Q: Would like part of a membership feature to include a “buy/sell” marketplace…
I want to build out a directory/community where one of the engagements of the platform is to allow members to list for sale items…. All members, free or paid buy a listing, transaction of which is facilitated on the site directly. I see that there is at least one 3rd party plugin that at least in a very basic way allows this, Ecommerce 1.0 plugin. I would like to have member tiers where free members can list say 3 items, “silver” (paid) members get 10 listings as part of their tier and “gold” get 20. Alternatively, what I really would like is that we take a commission directly every time a sale occurs, but the plugin doesn't offer that. Are there any other solutions available to build such functionality? Thank you.
Jason_BrilliantDirectories
Jul 21, 2025A: Absolutely — happy to break this down for you! 😊
Yes, what you’re aiming to build is totally possible with Brilliant Directories, using a combination of core features and optional add-ons. Here’s how it works:
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🔓 Free & Paid Tiers with Post Limits
You can use the Limit Posts Per Member add-on to control how many items each member can list for sale based on their membership level (e.g., Free = 3, Silver = 10, Gold = 20).
👉 Add-on details: https://www.brilliantdirectories.com/limit-posts-per-member-add-on
💳 Charge to Add More Listings
If you want to let members pay to post additional listings beyond their tier limit, the Pay-Per-Post add-on makes that possible — great for monetizing high activity.
⚠️ No Native Commission System
Currently, BD does not handle direct transactions between buyers and sellers or charge commission per sale like Etsy or Shopify. Sales would still be handled off-platform or through a member’s own payment link.
🛒 Basic Buy/Sell Marketplace Layout
You can customize BD’s built-in post types (like Coupons, Classifieds, Products, etc.) to support “for sale” style listings. And yes, the Ecommerce 1.0 plugin is a light-weight option for showcasing purchasable items with a button linking to an external checkout.
📦 Affordable Add-Ons
With Tier 3–6, you can add tools like Limit Posts and Pay-Per-Post to your site for just $2.50/month each using our 75% off add-on promo.
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Here’s a sample page showing how classifieds-style listings work on a BD site:
🔗 https://www.demobootstrap.com/classifieds
Let us know if you’d like help mapping out how to structure this — we’ve seen many directory owners succeed with this model! 💪
mscott3PLUS
Verified purchaser
Hey! Super appreciate the detailed response. Very helpful, and the tip for Limit Posts per Member was something that hadn't occurred. I am looking forward to moving forward.
Super!
shadowtekPLUSVerified purchaser
Using our 75% off add-on promo? Can you give more detail please. Is this just for the first recurance of the add-on or for the life of the subscription? Can it be used multiples times while valid or just once?