We're sharing a guest blog post from Sonia Nagar on the pricing advantages for marketplaces in uncertain markets. This was previously shared on Sonia's Substack here and also as a post in the community here.
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Steel prices saw modest increases earlier this year but have since declined 10.5% year-over-year.1 Ocean freight rates doubled in June 2025 before retreating significantly,2 and oil prices are currently trading around $65 per barrel, down from earlier highs.3 For industrial buyers and suppliers, this pricing rollercoaster isn’t just inconvenient—it can be existential. In this environment, B2B marketplaces have an opening to become more than transaction platforms: they can be stabilizers in chaotic markets.
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Why volatility matters for marketplaces

In many B2B categories, pricing has been opaque, historically. Buyers and sellers rely on personal relationships, phone calls, and legacy contacts to get a sense of “fair” pricing. This framework is imperfect in stable markets as both sides deal with limited information. When volatility spikes, this lack of visibility creates additional mistrust and friction in the system as both buyers and sellers try to collect more information before transacting on atypical terms.. This is where there is an opportunity for tech-enabled marketplaces to step in. By aggregating supply and demand, marketplaces create transparency, fairness, and—most importantly—trust in categories where trust is easily shaken. Technology also provides an opportunity to innovate on pricing.
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Four pricing approaches marketplaces can take:

1. Transparent online catalogs

In many B2B categories, the first step toward pricing power is simply making supply visible. Buyers can’t compare if inventory is hidden in PDFs, faxes, or offline conversations. Marketplaces that digitize supplier catalogs and enable side-by-side price comparison create immediate value by reducing search costs and eliminating information asymmetry. Many of the startups we get most excited about are building in categories where supply hasn’t historically been online.
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Examples: Faire (wholesale goods marketplace bringing independent brands online), APFusion4 (auto parts marketplace digitizing catalogs for salvage yards), and Thomasnet (industrial directory evolving into a searchable marketplace).

2. Dynamic Pricing Models

Marketplaces can introduce real-time or near-real-time pricing tied to actual transaction flows. Think about how Uber and Lyft normalized surge pricing in consumer markets. In B2B, a similar mechanism can balance supply and demand when materials or logistics are constrained. The key is packaging it in a way that buyers perceive as fair, not exploitative.

Examples: Freightos (global freight booking with live rates), RigUp/Workrise (energy labor marketplace with dynamic pricing tied to availability), and VulcanForms (emerging additive manufacturing platforms with variable capacity pricing).

3. Index-based contracts

Some marketplaces are experimenting with contracts pegged to commodity indices (steel, energy, freight) or to the platform’s own aggregated price benchmarks. This approach helps buyers lock in predictability while giving suppliers margin protection if the market swings. Over time, a marketplace that becomes the reference point for “the industry index” can cement itself as infrastructure.

Examples: Metalshub (steel and ferroalloys marketplace that publishes price benchmarks).

4. Embedded hedging and financial tools

For higher-value or highly volatile categories, marketplaces can integrate risk management tools. Imagine buying container shipping capacity with the option to hedge against oil price spikes, or purchasing lumber with an embedded futures contract. Financial innovation here can unlock loyalty: buyers and suppliers stop seeing the marketplace as a middleman and start seeing it as their risk partner.

Examples: Freightos (developing freight futures with CME), Covantis (commodities trading platform enabling risk management in agriculture), and LiquidX (trade finance marketplace offering embedded hedging and insurance products).
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The trust equation

The biggest risk in pricing innovation is trust. Buyers will walk away if they feel gouged. Suppliers will disengage if they feel commoditized. Marketplaces must carefully balance transparency with value capture. The winners will be those that introduce financial tools and pricing models as solutions to customer pain, not just mechanisms to boost take rates.
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Closing thought

In volatile markets, marketplaces have a rare chance to shift from being transactional facilitators to being stabilizing forces. By owning pricing transparency and risk management, they can build deep, defensible trust with both sides of their market. In a world of wild swings, stability is the most valuable product you can sell.

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Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below or even any additional examples for pricing strategies.
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You can connect with Sonia to discuss this post in the Everything Marketplaces community here. A big thanks to Sonia for also being active in the community, where she is often sharing her marketplace experience, insights, and helping earlier stage founders.