B2B Marketplaces in India: Seller Fees and Terms Compared

If you sell parts, packaging or raw material to other businesses, the B2B marketplaces in India want you on a listing. Three of the four we checked publish no seller price. A B2B marketplace is a website where businesses list products for other businesses to find and ask about, and some also handle the order. We read the seller pages of IndiaMART, TradeIndia, udaan and the government's GeM portal on November 13, 2026. We didn't open an account or ask for a call back.

First comes what selling costs on each platform, then IndiaMART's published prices and what one BuyLead credit costs, with our test. TradeIndia, udaan and GeM follow, then refunds and payment protection, GST and TDS, fake buyers and UPI tricks, and how a small seller should choose. Our page-by-page check closes the guide. It shows which numbers we confirmed and which ones you'll have to ask for.

What selling costs on each platform

IndiaMART sells yearly and multi-year listing plans to sellers, and its buyer fee page says "We do not charge any membership fee or any commission on transactions from our buyers." TradeIndia sells memberships too. udaan runs what its terms call a "B2B wholesale cash and carry Platform," and GeM is the government's buying portal.

Only the IndiaMART row carries rupee plan prices, and even there 3 of the 6 paid plans are sold by quote. The other rows give what each platform's own terms say about fees, so you'll need the number itself in a written quote.

Diagram by DigitalTreed, from each platform's own pages read November 13, 2026.

IndiaMART: the prices it publishes

IndiaMART started in 1996 as an export listing directory and named its request-for-quote feature BuyLead in 2009, per its company fact sheet.

A BuyLead is a buyer's posted requirement that a paying seller can open and answer.

The free seller account needs a mobile number and OTP, "a minimum of three products" and a business address. That comes from IndiaMART's free seller account guide, which also says there are "no registration costs."

As of November 2026, three paid plans carry a price on two IndiaMART pages each. The Mini Dynamic Catalog (MDC) page and its help article both list ₹40,000 for one year, ₹72,000 for two and ₹90,000 for three. The yearly MDC plan comes with 10 BuyLeads a week plus 1 daily bonus. The TrustSEAL Pro page and its help article give ₹60,000, ₹90,000 and ₹120,000, with 14 BuyLeads a week plus a daily bonus. That's ₹20,000 more a year than MDC for 4 more weekly BuyLeads and the TrustSEAL badge.

Maximiser Pro is the dearest of the three priced plans. Its plan page and help article list ₹85,000, ₹130,000 and ₹170,000 as of November 2026, with 28 BuyLeads a week, a daily bonus and your own web domain. Every one of those prices is marked "exclusive of taxes." GST comes on top. IndiaMART's tax invoice answer says you can claim the input credit if your GSTIN is on your seller panel and shows on the invoice.

The other three paid plans are sold by quote. The IM Star Pro page and the IM Leader Pro page both end in a "Request a Quote Now!" form. IndiaMART's paid services article names IM Industry Leader without a figure. We didn't fill in either quote form, so all three prices are not published on its site.

What one BuyLead credit costs

We turned each published plan price into a cost per BuyLead credit. The formula is the yearly price divided by the most credits a year can give: weekly credits times 52, plus 365 daily bonuses. These are example figures before tax. They assume you open every credit you're given.

In this example math, the middle plan costs the most per credit. TrustSEAL Pro works out to ₹54.9 a credit on the yearly plan, against ₹45.2 for MDC and ₹46.7 for Maximiser Pro, because its BuyLead count rises less than its price. Paying for three years up front cuts every figure, MDC to ₹30,000 a year, but leaving early can still cost you, as the refund section shows. A credit isn't a sale, though. So the last column uses an example margin of ₹2,500 per order, which you'd swap for your own. At that margin, the MDC yearly price needs 16 orders to break even, from 40,000 / 2,500. TrustSEAL Pro needs 24 orders and Maximiser Pro needs 34.

IndiaMART's filings show how few sellers pay at all. Its October 27, 2026 results press release says paying suppliers were 217K when the quarter closed on September 30, 2026, out of 8.9 million supplier storefronts. Its investor presentation for the same quarter repeats both numbers, so about 2.44% of storefronts paid, from 217,000 / 8,900,000. The other 97.6% (100 - 2.44) sit on what the presentation calls a "Freemium model." The presentation also puts annualised revenue per paying supplier at ₹72,000. It gives the Silver annual tier 10 BuyLeads a week, the same count as MDC.

Drawn by us from IndiaMART plan prices read November 13, 2026; example math before tax.

What we tested

We ran a small checker, fee_check.py, over the public pages we saved on November 13, 2026. It checked 14 seller plans or fees across the four platforms for a published figure: a rupee price, a stated limit, or a line like "no registration costs." 7 had one and 7 didn't. The 7 with figures were IndiaMART's free account and three priced plans, TradeIndia's free member limit and its extra catalog page, and GeM's caution money exemption. The 7 without were IndiaMART's three quote-only plans, TradeIndia's paid plans and Trust Stamp, udaan's seller fees and GeM's charge rate. The same script did the credit math above and served its report on 127.0.0.1.

TradeIndia: plans with no public price

TradeIndia is run by Infocom Network Private Limited, per its terms of use. Its about page claims "11.4 Million+ Registered Users," a company figure we couldn't check, since a private limited company doesn't post stock-exchange results to test it against. Joining is free. The products and services page lists Super Bonanza, Super Premium Seller, Super Seller and Bundle Package plans with no price. The one rupee figure on it is for extra pages in a custom-header catalog, which "will cost Rs.3900 per page."

On the Trust Stamp help page, a third-party verification comes first. You're told to contact the team. There's no fee shown.

TradeIndia's featured products help gives the one published limit on its free plan: a free member can post up to 50 featured products and a paid member up to 100. A seller with 50 or fewer products can feature the whole range for free before taking any plan call.

udaan: built for buyers, fee terms only

udaan is run by Hiveloop E-Commerce Private Limited, and its terms of use, last updated May 5, 2025, describe a wholesale platform where udaan sells products to buyers. At sign-up you're asked for your "business name, GSTIN, PAN, TAN, Udyog Aadhaar, address" and more. Its about page lists FMCG, staples, fruits and vegetables, and pharma, the goods a kirana or chemist buys. Its terms promise that "Any applicable fees will be communicated to Users in advance," but its seller fees are not published on its site. Its contact page offers help "for order queries, account help, and questions about buying on the platform." Its /seller and /supplier addresses returned "Not Found" on November 13, 2026.

GeM: the government buyer route

GeM is the Government e-Marketplace, where ministries and public bodies buy, and if your buyers are government offices, their orders come through it. Its General Terms and Conditions, version 1.29 of March 25, 2026, say "Caution Money Deposit: Exempted for all sellers irrespective of turnover." The same document says sellers pay a transaction or annual milestone charge "as per extant Revenue Policy of GeM." We didn't find that policy on GeM's public pages. So we don't print a rate.

GeM's GTC page lists 1.29 as the current version and keeps older ones archived. In it, a seller also certifies it's registered under the GSTIN on its invoice.

Refunds and payment protection after you pay

Under IndiaMART's terms of use, when it ends a membership, "no subscription/membership fee/charges paid by the User(s) will be refunded." For other kinds of discontinuation, IndiaMART may refund pro rata at its discretion. TradeIndia's terms let a dissatisfied user ask for a refund in writing to the Grievance Officer, and the company "reserves its decision to accept or decline the request for refund." They also say no membership charges are refunded on termination. We found no cooling-off period in either platform's terms.

That's why we'd pay for one year first: the 25% saving on a 3-year MDC plan (90,000 against 3 x 40,000) is lost if the plan ends early.

IndiaMART also offers buyers a payment protection plan, which matters to you only if you hold TrustSEAL. Its plan terms took effect on February 12, 2026, and they say it isn't an insurance contract, escrow or financial guarantee. The payment protection FAQ says "IndiaMART does not have a payment gateway and will never send you a payment link."

Cover tops out at ₹500,000 (₹5 lakh). It applies to buyers paying a TrustSEAL supplier's verified account by NEFT, RTGS or IMPS.

Diagram by DigitalTreed, from IndiaMART and TradeIndia terms read November 13, 2026.

GST and TDS rules for marketplace sellers

Your turnover sets the first tax rule. Under CGST Act section 22 and CBIC's 2019 GST update, a goods-only supplier must register above ₹40 lakh a year, or ₹20 lakh in some states. For services, the limit is ₹20 lakh, or ₹10 lakh in four states. The platforms differ here too: IndiaMART's how-to-sell article calls GST "optional," while udaan's sign-up asks for a GSTIN.

Section 24(ix) of the same Act removes those limits in one case. Unless a notification under section 23(2) exempts you, anyone selling through an e-commerce operator must register "who is required to collect tax at source under section 52." IndiaMART's payment protection FAQ has buyers pay suppliers directly. A platform that takes the payment for you is a different case, so ask your CA which one fits.

Income tax has a matching line. As shown on incometaxindia.gov.in on November 13, 2026, the Income-tax Act, 2025, section 393(1) table has any e-commerce operator deduct 0.1% of the gross amount of sales it facilitates. The threshold is nil. The department's TDS compliance FAQ says the rates "have been retained as they are under the Income Tax Act, 1961." We're summarizing the rules here, not giving tax advice. Confirm them with a chartered accountant (CA). Our guide to ways to make money online in India covers other ways to earn online from India.

Fake buyers and UPI tricks

IndiaMART warns sellers about a fake buyer whose payment request actually moves money out of your account. Its UPI fraud page lists what receiving money never needs: clicking a UPI link, installing a remote app like AnyDesk, or scanning or sharing a QR code. It adds: "UPI Pin is entered only when you make a payment and NOT when you receive money/payment from anyone." Its security page says official mail comes only from @indiamart.com, and that IndiaMART runs no prize or lottery schemes. If money has already gone, the I4C cyber fraud advisory says "Report cyber frauds immediately by calling 1930 or at www.cybercrime.gov.in." The 1930 number also appears on the Department of Telecommunications' Chakshu page.

Fake links get their own page, our guide to spotting phishing links. Already clicked one? Our steps for a phishing link you clicked cover the next hour.

How should a small seller choose?

We won't call any of these the best, because the right one depends on who your buyers are. Our method has four checks: published price, refund terms, what the free tier allows, and whether your buyers use the platform at all. On that method, we'd start every small seller on free listings at IndiaMART and TradeIndia. GeM fits sellers who already bid for government work.

Run the free listings for 90 days and count enquiries that turn into quotes, then quotes that turn into orders. In our example, at a ₹2,500 margin per order, a ₹40,000 plan needs 16 orders a year (40,000 / 2,500). If your pace can't reach that even with paid BuyLeads added, the plan won't pay for itself.

Listing on your free Google Business Profile, or in the free places to promote a business, costs nothing to test alongside. Our guide to whether your business needs a website helps if a sales rep pitches a catalog as a site.

Drawn by us: our suggested order, with the example break-even of 16 orders on a 40,000 rupee plan.

Six questions cover what the public pages left out. Ask them on the call, and don't sign until the answers come by email.

• What is the plan price, before and after GST, for 1, 2 and 3 years?Copy
• How many BuyLeads or enquiries do I get each week, and do unused ones carry over?Copy
• Is there any refund if I stop, or if you end my membership?Copy
• Which cities and categories will my listing show in?Copy
• Is there a commission on orders, or only the plan fee?Copy
• Does this plan need a GSTIN, and will the invoice show it?Copy

Keep each rep's replies beside the credit table above. For export buyers, our foreign payment fee calculator shows what a foreign transfer leaves you, and our Ekart partner guide covers one way to ship.

Our page-by-page check, November 13, 2026

Our checker fetched each page once on November 13, 2026, with no sign-in, form or call-back request.

Two gaps matter most for your budget: the three IndiaMART plans sold only by quote, and every TradeIndia plan. Ask for those prices in writing. Then reopen the plan page when you're ready to pay, since IndiaMART updated its MDC help article on October 14, 2026.

How we made this guide: Platform pages, IndiaMART filings and government pages saved as text, a fee checker run on 127.0.0.1, and example math with its formula. Facts checked by the DigitalTreed team on November 13, 2026.

First published April 29, 2020, listing B2B portals. Rewritten November 13, 2026 as a seller fee and terms comparison.

Sources

• IndiaMART: IndiaMART Paid Service (MDC)
• IndiaMART Help: Mini Dynamic Catalog (MDC) Service
• IndiaMART: TrustSEAL Pro
• IndiaMART Help: Become a Trusted Seller with TrustSEAL Pro
• IndiaMART: Maximiser Pro
• IndiaMART Help: Maximiser Pro
• IndiaMART: IM Star Pro
• IndiaMART: IM Leader Pro
• IndiaMART Help: How to Register for Paid Services
• IndiaMART Help: Create free seller account
• IndiaMART Help: How to Sell Items on IndiaMART
• IndiaMART Help: Is there any service fee charged from Buyers?
• IndiaMART Help: Does IndiaMART issue tax invoice?
• IndiaMART Help: Buyer Payment Protection Plan terms
• IndiaMART Help: Payment Protection FAQs
• IndiaMART Help: How to prevent UPI fraud
• IndiaMART Help: Security measures
• IndiaMART: Terms of Use
• IndiaMART: Fact Sheet
• IndiaMART InterMESH: Q2 FY2027 results press release, October 27, 2026
• IndiaMART InterMESH: Q2 FY27 investor presentation
• TradeIndia: About us
• TradeIndia: Products and Services
• TradeIndia Help: Featured products
• TradeIndia Help: Trust Stamp
• TradeIndia: Terms of Use
• TradeIndia Help: Registration
• udaan: Terms of Use
• udaan: About us
• GeM: General Terms and Conditions on GeM 4.0, version 1.29
• GeM: General Terms and Conditions page
• CBIC: Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (updated text)
• CBIC: GST, An Update (2019)
• Income Tax Department: incometaxindia.gov.in
• Income Tax e-filing: TDS compliance FAQ
• I4C: Advisory TAU/ADV/004
• Department of Telecommunications: Chakshu