Become a Seller with the Minocqua Marketplace
Join The Minocqua Marketplace!
Welcome, Progressive Business Owners!
We're so glad you're interested in selling your goods on this platform, and we'd be honored to have you join us in our mission to defend democracy.
The Minocqua Marketplace was created to allow progressives to protest with their wallets, creating a closed loop that fuels the resistance movement and starves MAGA in the Midwest – and beyond. Every sale helps support progressive small business owners, and helps fund Wisconsin's resistance movement via a donation of a portion of our profits.
Requirements to Sell on The Minocqua Marketplace
- You are a progressive-minded American business that's on board with a portion of our profits going to fund the resistance movement in the state of Wisconsin.
- You have physical products or gift cards that can be easily shipped, and you're able to handle packing and shipping.
- You have a Shopify e-commerce presence.
- You can fulfill (package and ship) online orders received via The Minocqua Marketplace platform.
- You'll be responsive to The Minocqua Marketplace team and customers when setting up/updating your shop and fulfilling orders.
- You pledge not to donate to any political cause that supports the Trump regime of authoritarianism, nor the larger MAGA movement that supports that regime.
Benefits of Selling on The Minocqua Marketplace
- Expand your customer base across the country.
- Marketing support Minocqua Brewing Company's social media (233,000 Facebook followers), Substack subscribers, and weekly e-newsletter (300,000+ subscriptions).
- Hands-on onboarding support from The Minocqua Marketplace team to help add your business and products to our store. Contact Shopify support for assistance with creating your store. Email support@minocquamarketplace.com for assistance in connecting via the free Collective app.
- Pricing and shipping guidance from our team. Please note: like any online marketplace, we charge a profit margin on goods we sell, so your wholesale price must leave room for our retailer margin (a 25% retailer margin is about break-even for us). If your profit margins are already very small, our Marketplace may not be the best fit for your business.
How It Works
Once you've decided The Minocqua Marketplace is a good fit, here's what the process looks like:
1. Sign our Partner Agreement.
You'll sign our Partner Agreement Form to formalize the partnership.
2. Set up (or connect) your Shopify store.
Until we have the resources to build our own independent e-commerce platform, we rely on Shopify. You'll need a Shopify store to connect with us via their free Shopify Collective app.
Shopify's basic plan currently starts at $29/mo (see current pricing). We understand it's not the right decision for every business, but if you'd like to get started, we recommend Intro to Shopify. You can also reach out directly to Shopify Support with any questions (that's what we're STILL doing!) — both robots and humans are available 24/7.
3. Send us an invitation via Shopify Collective.
Once your Shopify store is ready, send us an invitation to sell your products through the free Shopify Collective app, or email support@minocquamarketplace.com and we can send you the invitation instead.
With Shopify Collective, you're in control of your store entirely — you set your pricing, your retailer margin (the Marketplace's cut), and your shipping rates. A 25% retailer margin is about break-even for us; anything above that helps fund site and store management, customer service, and the continued growth and sustainability of The Minocqua Marketplace. We accept lower retailer margins for lower-profit-margin categories and emptier categories on the store.
4. Set up your Shipping Profile.
You'll configure your shipping parameters in your Shopify shipping profile. Helpful resources:
- How to set up and manage your shipping profile
- How to set up shipping rates (video)
- All Shopify shipping and fulfillment setup instructions
⚠️ Please ensure your shipping zones are configured correctly! If they're not, customers won't be able to check out with your products. If you don't ship to all 50 states, specify this restriction in your product listings.
5. Set up your Price List(s).
After your shipping profile and rates are set, create a price list and enter a % in the retailer margin box. To sell products at different retailer margins, you'll need a separate price list for each unique margin (e.g., apparel @ 50%, food items @ 35%). Then choose which products you'd like to offer.
6. Fill out our Partner Information Form.
This form isn't required, but it helps us highlight your work across the Marketplace when promoting your brand. Great photos and a compelling story go a long way in helping us sell your products!
7. Share your brand values.
Let us know if you'd like to be tagged for any of the following values (or others you'd like to mention) on our store:
BIPOC-Owned · LGBTQIA-Owned · Woman-Owned · Employee-Owned · Fair Trade Certified · Certified Cruelty-Free · Badger State Brands · Eco-Friendly · Handmade · Made in USA · Gives Back · Immigrant-Owned · Union Labor · Vegan · AAPI-Owned · Latinx-Owned · Veteran-Owned · Certified B Corporation
8. Reach out anytime.
Questions along the way? Email us at support@minocquamarketplace.com.
Join Now!
Does The Minocqua Marketplace sound like a good fit for your business? Download our Partner Application (editable PDF), complete it, and email it to support@minocquamarketplace.com. We'll be in touch soon!
