TradesLynk
Cutting the middleman out of agricultural export sourcing. A B2B marketplace where international buyers find and message verified Indian exporters directly — spices, grains, pulses, dry fruits, coffee, tea, seafood, dairy and beverages.
The problem
Agricultural export sourcing runs on intermediaries. A buyer abroad who wants Indian spices or pulses usually goes through an agent who adds margin and obscures who is actually growing and packing the product. TradesLynk wanted to remove that layer — which is harder than building a directory, because the entire value depends on buyers trusting that a listed exporter is real. That meant verification, structured requirements, and a way for two parties in different time zones to negotiate without leaving the platform.
What we built
We built a multi-sided marketplace around the verification problem. Exporters onboard through a workflow that puts their business licence, export certifications (ISO, HACCP, organic) and physical address through manual review before anything goes live. Buyers browse by category and region, or post an RFQ that the platform matches against suitable verified suppliers. Real-time messaging keeps the negotiation in-platform. The commercial model is subscription rather than commission, so exporters pay a predictable fee and buyers browse free — which meant building subscription billing rather than transaction fee capture. A resource library covering market prices, import/export procedure and certification requirements pulls organic search traffic from buyers who are still researching.
- Exporter onboarding with manual document and certification review workflow
- Verified exporter directory browsable by product category and region
- RFQ posting with automated matching to suitable verified suppliers
- Real-time buyer ↔ supplier messaging
- Subscription billing for exporters, free browsing for buyers
- Resource library — market prices, import/export guides, certification reference
The details
- 80+ — Countries served: Buyer reach across the platform
- 9 — Product categories: Spices, grains, pulses, dry fruits, coffee, tea, seafood, dairy, beverages
- Manual — Exporter verification: Licence, ISO/HACCP/organic certification and physical address reviewed
- Zero — Commission model: Exporters subscribe; buyers browse free
Built with
- React
- Node.js
- Real-time messaging
- Subscription billing
- Document verification
Frequently asked questions
How long does a marketplace platform like this take to build?
A marketplace is not one product, it is three: the supply side, the demand side and the trust layer between them. A credible first release with verification, listings, search and messaging is typically a three-to-six month build. We usually ship the supply side and verification first, because a marketplace with no verified supply has nothing to show a buyer.
Commission or subscription for marketplace revenue?
It depends on whether the transaction happens on your platform. TradesLynk is a discovery tool — payment and logistics are settled directly between the parties — so commission would be unenforceable and subscription is the right model. If you can hold the payment, commission usually scales better.