For two sided marketplaces and platforms
Buyer and Seller Marketplace Testimonials
A marketplace has two audiences who need to trust it for different reasons. Buyers want to know the platform protects them; sellers want to know it brings them customers. Each side has its own moment to ask, its own questions and its own landing page, so one combined testimonial programme serves neither.
- A buyer ask after a completed order
- A seller ask once a sale has paid out
- Each side’s proof on its own sign-up page
The problem, solved
Why marketplace proof gets mixed up, and how StoryProof separates it
Two audiences, two reasons to trust you. These are the ways a single testimonial programme fails both.
Situation 1 of 5
Seller pages show praise from buyers
A prospective seller reading “I found a great deal” learns nothing about whether listing on your platform pays.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag every testimonial as buyer or seller, then choose which ones each widget shows, so the sell-with-us page carries only seller proof.
Situation 2 of 5
The two sides need different brands
Some marketplaces run a separate seller brand or site, and mixing both audiences in one workspace confuses forms and widgets.
How StoryProof solves it
Run each side in its own brand space, each with its own seats, within the number of spaces your plan allows.
Situation 3 of 5
Buyers get asked before delivery
A request sent at checkout reaches the buyer before they know whether the seller delivered, which is the thing they would vouch for.
How StoryProof solves it
On a plan with automations, a webhook sent when an order is placed triggers a review request a week later.
Situation 4 of 5
Sellers are too busy selling to reply
Sellers see the platform as a tool and rarely volunteer praise, even when it has changed their business.
How StoryProof solves it
Keep sellers as a contact list and email them a request after their first payout. On a plan with automations, reminders stop when they reply.
Situation 5 of 5
A dispute arrives dressed as a testimonial
On a marketplace, a buyer’s complaint is often about a specific seller, and publishing it would accuse that seller in public.
How StoryProof solves it
Every submission waits for approval, so a complaint about one seller goes to your trust team instead of your website.
Two side planner
Plan both asks from one completed transaction
Pick the date a sample order completed. The plan shows when to ask the buyer and when to ask the seller, who should be asked later, once the money has reached them.
Day 0
Order complete, ask no one yet
Let the buyer use what they bought and the seller see the payout land.
Day +3
Buyer request
Ask the buyer about buying through the platform: finding the item, trusting a stranger, getting help if needed. Not about the seller. With the order webhook, this request goes a week after the order was placed instead.
Day +6
Buyer reminder
One reminder with the same link. The follow-up automation can send it and stop when they reply.
Day +10
Seller request, after payout
Ask a seller whose first or recent sales have paid out about selling on the platform: getting set up, reaching buyers, getting paid.
Day +14
Seller reminder and buyer review
Send the seller one reminder. Read buyer answers and hold back anything that is really about one seller.
Day +45
Seller video ask
Invite the sellers who wrote something strong to record a short video for your seller sign-up page.
The plan is calculated in your browser. Nothing is stored.
Prompts
Questions for each side
Ask about the platform, not the individual transaction. Per-order ratings belong in your own review system.
Buyers
- What made you trust buying from someone you did not know?
- What would you tell a friend who has never used us?
- How did it compare with buying elsewhere?
Leave out
- Rating a specific seller
- Prices paid or order numbers
Sellers
- What was it like getting your first listing live?
- What changed for your business after selling here?
- What would you tell another seller who is on the fence?
Leave out
- Revenue or earnings figures
- Comments about named competitors or other sellers
In StoryProof
Set up both sides in StoryProof
- You will need
- A way to export buyer and seller contacts
- Separate sign-up or landing pages for each side
- 1
Decide on one space or two
One space with buyer and seller tags is simpler. Two brand spaces suit marketplaces with a separate seller brand.
- 2
Build a form for each side
Use the questions above. Both forms accept written, audio and video answers from one link.
- 3
Trigger the buyer ask from orders
On a plan with automations, send a webhook when an order is placed and the buyer gets a request a week later. Or add buyers to contacts and send by hand.
- 4
Send seller asks after payout
Add sellers who have been paid to a contact list and email the seller form, with reminders on a plan with automations.
- 5
Approve and route each side to its page
Approve platform testimonials, pass seller complaints to your trust team, and choose buyer quotes for buyer pages and seller quotes for seller pages.
What happens next: Review the seller set each quarter. A seller who has left the platform should not still be recruiting for it.
Before you start
What this does not cover
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
Not a per-listing review system
StoryProof collects testimonials about your platform. Ratings of individual sellers or listings belong in your marketplace’s own review feature.
- 02
No direct marketplace integration
StoryProof does not read payouts or order status. The webhook is sent by your platform, and seller lists come from your own export.
- 03
Spaces are capped by plan
Running each side in a separate brand space depends on how many spaces your plan includes. Tags in one space work on any plan.
- 04
Seller earnings claims need care
A seller quote about how much they made reads as a promise to new sellers. Leave figures out unless you can support them as typical.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Should buyers and sellers use the same testimonial form?
No. They answer different questions and their testimonials go on different pages. Two forms, or one form per brand space, keeps them apart from the start.
When is the best time to ask a seller?
After their sales have paid out, not at sign-up. A seller who has been paid can speak to the thing a prospective seller cares about.
Can a buyer testimonial mention a specific seller?
It is better if it does not. Praise for one seller can go stale when they leave, and criticism of one is a dispute, not a testimonial.
Do we need permission from sellers to show their store name?
Ask how they want to be credited when you collect the testimonial. Many sellers welcome the exposure, but it should be their choice.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Start with one side
Set up the seller form first; seller proof is usually the scarcer of the two. No credit card needed to start.
Last updated 2026-11-05.