Map the transaction
Define buyer, merchant, carrier and platform responsibilities, then trace a purchase from listing to refund.
Commerce built around how people actually buy and sell.
From one-merchant stores to marketplace platforms with seller accounts, listings, checkout and fulfillment.
An ecommerce store and a marketplace are not the same product. A store serves one merchant and needs reliable products, checkout, order management and shipping. A marketplace introduces separate sellers, identity verification, payouts, commissions, moderation and dispute handling.
Lortie Labs scopes these businesses around the actual transaction. What does the buyer purchase? Who owns the goods? Who receives the money? Who ships the order? What happens after a refund or disagreement? Those decisions determine the cost, integrations and acceptance tests—not how many pages are on the website.
WHEN THIS FITS
Built for the right kind of project.
Retailers selling products directly online
Businesses that need stock and order workflows
Founders building a marketplace for independent sellers
Specialized or enthusiast communities needing offers or auctions
THE DELIVERABLES
What the work can include.
The written scope defines exactly which of these items is delivered; extras are priced separately.
Product catalog and structured listings
Cart, secure checkout and payment-state handling
Order history, inventory rules and admin views
Shipping configuration and selected carrier integrations
Seller onboarding and payouts for marketplace scopes
Payment, refund, webhook and fulfillment QA
BUILD PROCESS
A practical development workflow.
Choose the foundation
Separate a straightforward ecommerce catalog from the additional money movement and permissions of a marketplace.
Integrate and test
Build checkout, order states, stock handling and selected shipping or payout providers with failure scenarios.
Launch in phases
Start with an operable product and a clear path for later enhancements such as auctions or third-party inventory sync.
SCOPE & INVESTMENT
What influences the final price?
One seller versus a multi-seller payout model
Number of SKUs, variants, channels and warehouses
Live carrier rates, labels and international shipping
Sales tax responsibilities, fraud controls and disputes
Auctions, bundles, messaging or customer subscriptions
All estimates are in Canadian dollars before applicable taxes. Platform subscriptions, payment processing, shipping, hosting, AI usage and ongoing support are scoped and quoted separately. No guaranteed rankings, provider approvals or regulatory outcomes.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Before you begin.
What if I only want to take a few payments?
A hosted payment link or limited checkout may be appropriate. A full ecommerce build becomes necessary when there are many products, shipping rules, order management and inventory requirements.
Can product inventory update automatically?
Yes, if the source software supports a usable API or export. Two-way synchronization requires SKU matching, retry rules, conflict resolution and careful testing against overselling.
Can you build something like Etsy?
A focused marketplace is possible, but seller onboarding, payment splits, shipping, taxes, moderation and disputes must be planned explicitly. Replicating every feature of a mature marketplace is not included in an entry-level price.
REAL EXPERIENCE / PROJECT REFERENCE
RubyCollect — real multi-seller commerce
RubyCollect is a live trading-card marketplace with seller workflows, auctions, offers, payments, card identification and collection tools. Its Android app is in testing, not a publicly launched mobile app.