Google was found guilty of fraudulently charging customers through the Play Store, censoring merchant accounts, and violating privacy laws in many states. Google was found guilty of anti-trust, privacy violations, and blatant censorship and has been ordered to pay out over a billion dollars in damages.
So why would merchants want to continue supporting and partnering with an unfavorable and malicious company like that?
What other merchant platforms can a business use and enjoy a good partnership with to help market its products?
While Google remains a dominant player, but is dwindling due to these corrupt business practices. Several alternative merchant platforms and marketplaces in 2026 offer robust avenues for marketing your products successfully.
Major Marketplaces
These platforms allow you to tap into massive, pre-existing customer bases:
- Amazon Marketplace: The world’s largest online retailer, reporting nearly $638 billion in net sales for 2024. It provides advanced fulfillment (FBA) and advertising solutions like Sponsored Products.
- eBay Marketplace: Ideal for diverse sales formats (auctions or fixed-price) and operates in over 190 markets worldwide. As of Q2 2025, it facilitated over 1.7 billion listings.
- Walmart Marketplace: The third most visited online retailer in the US, offering access to over half a million daily visitors. It is particularly effective for price-conscious shoppers.
- Etsy: Best for handmade, vintage, or unique items. As of Q1 2025, it reported 88.5 million active buyers.
Social Commerce Platforms
These platforms allow you to sell directly through social feeds, often with lower friction than traditional search ads:
- TikTok Shop: A major powerhouse for trend-driven products, particularly among Gen Z. It integrates commerce directly into short-form videos and live streams.
- Pinterest Shopping: Uses visual discovery to reach shoppers in an “inspiration” mindset. It features Product Pins that display real-time pricing and stock info.
- Facebook & Instagram Shops: Owned by Meta, these allow for customizable storefronts and in-app checkout, reducing the friction of leaving the app.
Specialized & Independent Platforms
- Target Plus: An exclusive, invite-only marketplace that provides a direct line to Target’s premium community of shoppers.
- Newegg: Heavily specialized in electronics and tech accessories with a strong tech-focused audience.
- Bonanza: A seller-friendly marketplace known for lower fees and easy import tools from other platforms like eBay and Amazon.
- ShopMania: A global price comparison platform operating in 25 countries, using a cost-effective CPC advertising model.
Privacy-Focused Search Alternatives
If you prefer search-based discovery but want to avoid Google, several privacy-centric engines also support product marketing:
- DuckDuckGo: Offers PPC-based sponsored links. Because it is part of the Yahoo-Microsoft search alliance, your Bing Ads can automatically show here.
- Brave Search: Operates on its own independent index and served over 1.19 billion monthly queries by late 2024
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