For many Romanian kidswear brands, eMAG and other marketplaces are the first channel with real volume. Parents search there out of habit, compare quickly and buy alongside other household items. For the seller, the upside is traffic; the downside is playing by the platform's rules on a shelf where a competitor is one click away.
Advantages and limits
Before listing products, weigh it up honestly:
- advantages: instant visibility, shoppers' trust in the platform, and payment and sometimes logistics handled by the marketplace;
- limits: commission on each sale, strict listing rules, direct price comparison, and little control over the customer relationship or how your brand is presented.
A marketplace works best as a channel that complements your own shop, not as your only channel. Customers won there can, within the platform's rules, come to recognise your brand and seek it out.
Product data: where the sale is won or lost
On a marketplace, filters decide whether your product appears in search at all. Fill in every attribute, including optional ones:
- age and size in the format the platform requires;
- gender (including unisex where relevant);
- exact fibre composition under EU Regulation 1007/2011;
- fabric type and weight, if there is a field for it;
- care instructions;
- colour, chosen from the platform's list rather than invented.
European product safety rules, including the GPSR, require certain information about the manufacturer or responsible person and about safety to be available in online sales too. Check the platform's current requirements and take specialist advice for products intended for children.
Variants and stock
List each style as one product with size and colour variants, not as separate products. That way reviews accumulate on a single listing and the parent sees immediately which sizes are available.
Synchronise stock between the marketplace and your own shop. An accepted order for a size you no longer have means a cancellation, and repeated cancellations damage your seller standing on the platform. If you sell across several channels, a buffer of a few pieces in the popular sizes protects you.
A price built for the marketplace
Your marketplace price must cover costs you don't have, or have differently, in your own shop: sales commission, any listing or logistics service fees, shipping and returns. These costs change and vary by category, so check the platform's current terms before you calculate.
As a hypothetical example: if a kids' tee costs 4 euros to make and pack, and all marketplace costs together come to roughly a third of the selling price, a price of 12 euros leaves a reasonable margin while 8 euros almost wipes it out. Run the calculation for each product, not on an average.
Standing out on a crowded shelf
On a marketplace, the cheapest kids' tees will always be cheaper than yours. Don't compete there. Compete on:
- multipacks: 2 or 3 tees in coordinated colours at an attractive price per piece;
- information: weight, composition, detail photos and a height-based size chart;
- reviews: ask for feedback after delivery and answer every question;
- consistency: the same basics available all year, in every size.
A basic that suits this channel is a grey melange tee sold in packs. For it we would use 180 g grey melange single jersey in combed cotton with elastane and polyester, enzyme and silicone finished: it looks neat in photos, hides small stains, and the elastane helps the neckline keep its shape, which shows up in reviews. For multi-colour packs, choose complementary shades from the single jersey family.
Returns and the customer relationship
Online buyers have a legal right to return goods under certain conditions, and platforms add rules of their own. Build return costs into your pricing and reduce returns with a clear size chart, scale photos and accurate descriptions.
To keep up with marketplace sales you need fabric available quickly. The grey melange jersey ships from stock in Afumați with no minimum, by the roll. For a supply plan covering several colours, send a quote request.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell on eMAG as a private individual?
Selling clothes as a commercial activity is done through a company, and marketplaces generally ask for company details for seller accounts. Check the platform's current conditions and discuss the right legal form and invoicing obligations, including e-Factura, with an accountant.
What photos do marketplaces require for kidswear?
Each platform has its own rules, but the main image usually has to be on a white background, showing the product clearly with no promotional text. Add detail shots, label shots and a size-chart image wherever the platform's rules allow.
Should I sell the same products on a marketplace and my own site?
Yes, if stock is synchronised and prices are consistent. The marketplace brings new customers, while your own site gives a better margin and a direct relationship. Some brands keep certain styles or packs exclusive to their own site as a reason to visit.
