Match supply and demand and monetize via a take rate on GMV. Liquidity — the share of listings or intent that actually transacts — is the defining survival metric, and most structural marketplace benchmarks are deliberately unpublished because they are so category-specific. GMV retention is the truest durability signal.
Representative companies
- Airbnb — ~15% blended take rate
- Uber — services take 20–30%
- Etsy — 6.5% transaction fee; ~20%+ blended take with ads & payments
Primary metrics
The metrics that define health for a marketplace business.
- GMV / TPV / gross bookingsGlobal / FinancialScale not health; the denominator for take rate and most ratios.
- Contribution margin (CM1/2/3)Global / FinancialDTC CM3 (post-CAC) >20% common target. Tier definitions are NOT standardized - verify the stack before comparing.
- Supply/demand ratio & market depthAcquisitionInherently per-market; no cross-marketplace band.
- Liquidity / fill rate / match rateActivationLenny: 'under 5% to over 80%' by type. The circulating 10/20/40% bands are SEO-blog inventions, not a16z.
- GMV retention (cohort)RetentionBest-in-class supply-side >=100% through m12+; average ~80-95% first 3mo then ~45-50% by m12. The one solid marketplace band.
- Repeat purchase rateRetention~20-25% within 90 days = healthy (agency heuristic, not a rigorous study).
- Take rateRevenueProducts ~5-15% (Etsy ~6.5%, eBay ~10%); services/rides 20-30%; Airbnb ~15%; payments sub-1% to low-single-%.
Secondary metrics
Omega Point BenchmarksMarketplace