United Kingdom 
Before sellers are live on marketplace a Marketplace Business Development Representative will guide them through the onboarding journey. When they are live, they will have an Account Manager who will be responsible for providing support and guidance to them.
Before sellers are live on marketplace a Marketplace Business Development Representative will guide them through the onboarding journey. When they are live, they will have an Account Manager who will be responsible for providing support and guidance to them.
B&Q will not provide any fulfilment service and sellers will be expected to fulfil all products directly to the customer. The seller must deliver the product in accordance with the timeframe set out by the seller in the product listing and, in any case, no later than 7 days after the customer’s purchase on marketplace. In addition, we expect sellers to dispatch their products within 2 days of receiving the order from the customer.
We will make this customer data available to a seller during the order process through the Mirakl platform for the purpose of the seller fulfilling the order. We will not share any other customer data with the seller. This does not include warranty claims by the customer, in which case sellers are permitted to collect the relevant information from customers.
The exact launch date is still to be confirmed and we will provide further information on this.
All communications between the seller and a customer must be made using the communication tools made available via the marketplace. The seller should not attempt to communicate with the customer outside of the marketplace with regards to any aspects of the marketplace transaction, except for communications in relation to warranty registration or warranty claims which may be carried out between a seller and a customer directly. The seller must be able to interact with customers in the local language of the place of residence of the customer (so, for example, the seller must be able to interact in the English language with customers resident in the UK). See the customer service guidance for further details on communications with customers.
When a customer purchases a product on the marketplace, the order will be automatically accepted. We will send an order confirmation email to the customer on the seller’s behalf. If the seller is subsequently unable to fulfil the order the seller must trigger the refund process and we will notify the customer.
We will automatically generate an order confirmation email when a customer places an order on the Seller’s behalf. If the seller triggers a refund after the order has been auto-accepted, we will notify the customer on the seller’s behalf. The arranged carrier will also likely contact the customer with delivery updates and notifications via email or text. A post-order delivery email will also be sent after the scheduled delivery slot for the customer to rate the service/ order. Any communications between the seller and customer must be made using the tools available on our online marketplace.
Initially, there will be no separate delivery charges for marketplace products on DIY.com. The price of the product must include all applicable taxes and any additional charges related to the product (including delivery costs). Any delivery costs must therefore be borne by sellers, and included in the price if necessary. In the future, we will develop a solution to enable separate delivery fees which will allow sellers to set a delivery charge that will be seen by the customer separately to the product price.
Yes, sellers are responsible for fulfilment and can choose their preferred courier for deliveries. The seller must deliver the product in accordance with the timeframe set out by the seller in the product listing and, in any case, no later than 7 days after the customer’s purchase on marketplace. In addition, we expect sellers to dispatch their products within 2 days of receiving the order from the customer.
This functionality will not be available initially, but is something we are planning to build into our marketplace in the future. We will keep sellers informed with our progress and hope to implement it soon.
Sellers are not allowed to sell the same first party products sold by B&Q. For example a seller will still be able to sell drills but will not be able to sell the exact same drill SKU that B&Q sells. Sellers will be allowed to upload all of their offers in the agreed range to our marketplace platform but if another seller(s) is selling the exact same SKU, customers will only see the offer that has the best customer promise on DIY.com. This will be based on a range of factors including price and availability.
There is also a list of prohibited items, including products that are restricted from an ethical or sustainability reason, such as furs, and those that are illegal to sell in the UK. See the Vendor T&Cs for the full list.
B&Q Marketplace spans over 25 categories, including power tools, lighting, outdoor furniture, and small domestic appliances, with plans to expand even further in the future.
We will also agree with each seller the specific categories / sub categories / products that they can sell on our marketplace. Sellers are expected to adhere to this agreement at all times. If a seller wants to extend their range into additional categories / sub categories / products outside of this agreement they need to seek approval from their Account Manager.
Sellers will be allowed to upload all offers in the agreed range to our marketplace platform, but if more than one seller is selling the same SKU, customers will only see the offer from the seller that offers the best customer promise for that product. This will be based on a range of factors including price and availability.
Sellers are not allowed to sell the same first party products sold by B&Q.
Sellers control their pricing so they can discount their products but promotions for marketplace products will not be formally promoted to customers on the marketplace. B&Q first party products will continue to run promotions as today and in the future marketplace products will have the option to be included in these promotions. We will provide further details on this in the future.
Products will be shown in the same way as first party B&Q products are shown today on product search / lister pages. On product detail pages, a ‘Sold & shipped by X’ label will let customers know who the item is being sold by. Inside the basket and checkout, items will be grouped into those sold and shipped by B&Q, and those fulfilled by our verified sellers. See below for examples of this.
Sellers will be paid every two weeks. At the end of each two-week period, we will calculate the total product sales for each seller, less the £39 monthly subscription fee, less B&Q’s commission on sales, less any refunds to the customer, any chargebacks or costs incurred by B&Q (e.g. due to product recalls or fraudulent transactions, see Vendor T&Cs for full details) and less any amount arising out of an overpayment made by B&Q. This amount will be paid to the seller.
If the seller fails to make the payment within the required period, then B&Q may suspend the seller from the marketplace until the payment is made; and interest will accrue on the payment until it is made (see T&Cs for the amount of interest payable).
Our Payment Service Provider is (PSP) Hyperwallet. PayPal's payout solutions, powered by Hyperwallet technology, provide our marketplace a streamlined payment processing between marketplace buyers and merchants through a funds flow designed to ensure seller funds are safeguarded
Sellers can access financial documents by going to My account -> My statements on the Mirakl platform. Here sellers can view:
Sellers will be provided with an onboarding manager who will support them through their onboarding journey. This will be split into 2 stages: Shop creation and range upload. Below outlines the shop creation process. Refer to the Product Publishing Guide to find guidance on the range upload process which involves integration with our marketplace platform, mapping products to our product hierarchy, mapping attributes and values and importing products.
To find additional information on the seller onboarding process, please refer to the Mirakl documentation portal where detailed documentation is available to guide you through each stage of shop setup.
Each seller must create their own shop in our marketplace platform (Mirakl). They will be sent a link by our team where they must first agree to our T&Cs, and then will be able to create an account. Sellers must use this link within 48 hours, as it will expire after that period. To do this, sellers must fill out:
Once sellers have created their account, they will be able to log in - to finish setting up their account there is further information to fill out under my settings, in the following sections:
| Field | Description / notes |
| My account | |
| Shop name & description | You can also set dates during which your shop will be closed, if there is a period in which you will not be taking orders. |
| Shipping country of origin | Will always be UK for MVP |
| Return policy | This field will not be used, since initially all sellers will follow our returns policy - if you fill this in it will not be surfaced on our website. |
| PSP fields | See below |
| Logo / banner | This field will not be used, since initially seller pages will not have this functionality - if you fill this in it will not be surfaced on our website. |
| Proof of insurance & expiry date | Proof of policy document upload required (see minimum insurance requirements below) Date field for expiry date |
| Proof that seller legal entity address is included on packaging | Photograph upload |
| Seller declarations | As above in shop creation stage |
| Full name of legal entity | If different to company name provided above |
| UK legal entity address | If different to company address provided above |
| Contact details | To be displayed on invoices |
| Individual contact details | Name, email, & phone required |
| Business Address | As set in shop creation stage |
| Bank account detail | |
| Bank account owner name | |
| Bank name | |
| Bank account number | |
| Bank sort code | |
| Channels | Initially B&Q will be the only available channel, so no action required |
| Shipping configuration | |
| Shipping zones | Sellers need to select which shipping zones they are able to fulfil orders to. The set of shipping zones is set by B&Q: England, Wales & Scottish mainland (excluding Highlands, offshore islands & NI) Scottish Highlands - remote highlands locations defined by major delivery companies Offshore islands - all UK offshore islands incl. Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Scottish islands Northern Ireland Delivery to Jersey / Guernsey / RoI currently not permitted Sellers should only tick the Northern Ireland shipping zone if they can comply with all requirements incl. having the right certification, labelling shipments correctly. The requirements also include having an EU legal entity to trade in NI. It is a requirement to select a minimum of one shipping zone they can fulfil to. It is not mandatory to be able to ship to all zones. To control the delivery of specific products (e.g. large items), use open shipping classes and select only specified shipping zones for that class |
| Shipping options | This allows you to set your minimum and maximum delivery time. Initially sellers will not be able to charge a separate fee for delivery, so they will not be able to change these settings |
| Imports | |
| Error reports | |
| FTP / HTTP imports | |
| Define product tag for XMI file imports | |
| CSV delimiter | Setting to distinguish between semi-colon & comma for CSV files exported from Mirakl |
The required details for the payee verification check with our PSP will be sent from Mirakl to the provider. In order to open their shops, sellers must agree to our PSP’s terms and conditions in Mirakl, and ensure the relevant fields are filled out. This is likely to include shop details & some personal details, including identity documents from up to 5 business stakeholders.
Separately, seller bank details will be sent from Mirakl to our PSP.
When the shop has been created there will be various checks conducted:
If the seller passes these checks their shop will be approved. If there are any issues their onboarding manager will support with resolving these, but these checks must be passed for a seller to join our marketplace.
Each Listing and Product made available via the Online Marketplace must comply with Applicable Law and regulations, for example where relevant compliance with UKCA (Or CE marking if shipping to Northern Ireland), UK REACh, EUTR / UKTR and low voltage regulation. We may conduct checks on sellers’ products or product documents before allowing these products to be sold on the platform and we may conduct checks when these products are live to ensure quality and compliance is maintained.
For example, we may ask to see:
There is a minimum notice period for shop closure of one month after the current billing month - your account will then be suspended at the end of the following month. At this time, you will stop paying the subscription fee and none of your products will be available to list on DIY.com.
You will still be able to contact customers through the Mirakl platform & arrange returns after your shop is suspended, in order to fulfil our 90-day returns policy.
No - the marketplace will be a closed marketplace, meaning sellers will join by invitation. Both inbound and outbound leads will be reviewed and assessed against a range of criteria to ensure they meet our high bar for customer experience. Sellers will also have to go through the required onboarding process to be able to sell on our marketplace. This will include signing up to all requirements contained in our T&Cs and passing the required seller and product checks.
Commissions will be defined by category (see below). We also have a minimum commission fee of £0.25.
| Category | Including (but not limited to) sub-categories: | Category take rate (except exclusions) | Excluded sub-categories |
| Power Tools | 8% | ||
| Power Tools Accessories | 15% | ||
| Lighting | 15% | ||
| Painting & Decorating | · Paint · Paint preparation · Finishes | 12% | 15%: · Paint & Decorative Tools (e.g. Sundries & Preparation, Brushes & Rollers, Decoration Knives & Scrapers, Stamps & Stencils) · Wall coverings (inc. wallpaper) |
| Kitchens | · Taps · Sinks & drainers · Doors & drawers · Fittings · Storage | 15% | 12%: · Worktops & Splashbacks · Kitchen Carcass Trims 8%: · Kitchen Appliances |
| Hand Tools | 15% | ||
| Bathrooms | · Suites · Furniture · Baths · Pumps · Showers, shower enclosures & trays · Toilets · Wet rooms · Commercial bathrooms | 12% | 15%: · Bathrooms Accessories · Shower Accessories · Bathroom Taps |
| Heating & Cooling | · Extractor fans · Electric heating · Ducting & ventilation · Electric underfloor heating · Air treatment · Fires, stoves & fireplaces · Gas heating · Fuels · Workshop heating | 15% | |
| Plumbing | · Water & oil storage · Hoses & tap tails · Plumbing insulation · Radiators & valves · Water heaters · Water treatment · Warm water underfloor heating · Water & waste pipes, clips, covers & fittings · Boilers & accessories · Central heating controls · Soil & vent · Cylinders | 12% | 15%: · Traps · Toilet Fittings |
| Safety & Workwear | 15% | ||
| Electrical | · Switches & sockets · Test & detection · Electrical consumer units · Cable, reels, extension leads & accessories · Batteries · Earthing · Junction *& mounting boxes · Cable management · Fuses & fuse holders | 15% | 12%: · Smart Homes (Electrical) · Smart Homes (Security) 8%: · Intruder Alarms · Door Chimes · TV & Satellite · CCTV · Room Control · Data Networking |
| Building - Timber & PVCu | · Exterior, interior & garage doors · Windows, sills & flashing | 8% | 12%: · Decking · PVCu 15%: · Staircases |
| Building - Building Supplies | · Aggregates · Building sundries · Bricks & blockwork · Building chemicals · Plaster & plastering compounds · Coving · Boards · Damp protection · Manholes | 8% | 12%: · Paving · Channel Drainage · Insulation |
| Building - Building Equipment | 8% | ||
| Building - Metal Work | 8% | ||
| Building - Roofing & Walling | 12% | ||
| Cleaning & Waste | · Cleaning · Clothes hangers & airers | 15% | 8%: · Vacuum Cleaners · Cleaning Machinery · Pressure Washers · Ironing · Rubbish Bins & Bin Bags 12%: · Cleaning Products · Pest Control |
| Outdoor - Garden Tools & Equipment | · Garden tools · Garden equipment · Watering | 15% | 8%: · Garden Power tools (e.g Water Pumps; Blowers & Vacuums; Chainsaws; Garden Multi-tools; Garden Trimmers; Landscape Power Accessories; Landscaping Batteries & Chargers; Log Splitting; Rakers & Scarifiers; Tillers; Lawnmowers) · Bins, Tubs & Bags |
| Outdoor - Garden Structures & Fencing | · Structures · Growhouses & greenhouses · Outbuildings | 8% | 12%: · Fencing |
| Outdoor - Landscaping & Aggregates | · Bagged materials · Landscaping · Planters · Growing | 15% | 12%: · Plant Feed & Fertiliser · Pesticides · Growing Protection & Support · Agricultural supplies |
| Outdoor - Garden | 15% | ||
| Flooring & Tiling | · Carpets & mats · Hard flooring · Soft flooring · Tiling · Underlay | 12% | 15%: · Flooring Accessories |
| Home | · Bedrooms · Furniture | 12% | 15%: · Soft Furnishings · Home Decor |
| Fixings, Fasteners & Ironmongery | 15% | ||
| Sealants & Adhesives | 15% | ||
| Access & Storage | · Tool storage · Lockers & storage systems · Manual handling · Shelving & workbenches · Storage bins, boxes & hooks · Towers & platforms | 8% | 15%: · Ladders · Padlocks · Safes |
| Automotive | 15% |
There will be commission on sales (as above) and a £39 per month subscription fee. There will be no additional fees, although this may change in the future.
Our full requirements are captured in our Vendor T&Cs but sellers can find a summary of the key seller requirements below (this is not exhaustive):
For products containing wood and/or paper sold in the marketplace we require sellers to: ensure all wood and/or paper is legally sourced; comply with all relevant regulations, including, where applicable, the UK Timber Regulation (UKTR) and EU Timber Regulation (EUTR); and to make best endeavours to source wood and paper products responsibly, avoiding deforestation and violation of human rights.
Annual targets and /or milestones will be set by B&Q to ensure the seller meets the criteria above within five years of joining the marketplace. The seller shall take reasonable measures to realise the criteria within this timeframe. The seller agrees to use best endeavours to action, implement and respond to reasonable requests from B&Q relating to deforestation and human rights risks.
If the seller fails to show progress towards the criteria above throughout the five years, B&Q may suspend the seller immediately.
Sellers will be monitored against a variety of KPIs (see below) and if they do not meet these KPIs or fall significantly below these KPIs then they may be suspended from selling on marketplace. For example, if they go over our defect rate SLA or have a high number of customer complaints they can be suspended. Sellers may also be suspended for other reasons, e.g. committing fraud or attempting to take a transaction elsewhere. Suspension will be a last resort and seller account managers will work with sellers to ensure they are meeting our requirements, improving performance and maintaining a positive customer experience.
If sellers breach our T&Cs or responsible business criteria they can also be suspended from marketplace.
The quality & service KPIs can be found below. These will be regularly assessed & monitored as we go through testing & launch to ensure they are in line with our expectations.
| Service Level Agreement | Definition | Target |
| Customer reviews | Average customer rating from 0 – 5* | 3.5 stars or higher |
| Product defect rate (refund rate) | The proportion of orders that are refunded due to fault of the seller | < 2% |
| Incident rate (customer complaints) | The proportion of orders with incidents (customer complaints) | < 2% |
| Quality of digital assets | Continued quality of digital assets, e.g. structured SKU data | - |
| Availability (% of SKU in stock) | The proportion of seller SKUs that are in stock | > 90% |
| Refund due to out of stock | The proportion of total orders seller being refunded due to being out of stock | < 0.1% |
| Provision of track & trace number for orders | Enables accurate tracking for all deliveries | Provided for all orders |
The following targets are the “Service KPIs”:
| Service Level Agreement | Definition | Target |
| On-time delivery | The proportion of orders that customers received within 7 days | > 96% orders delivered on time |
| Shipping time (% shipped within 48 hours) | The proportion of orders that the seller dispatches in less than 48 hours | > 90% |
| Average response time (to order-related messages) | Average time period in which the shop responds to a customer’s order-related message (to focus on complaints) | < 48 hrs |
Each seller will have an account manager who will provide support and guidance to help sellers maximise their sales and maintain our high standards for customer experience.
We have a trusted brand with a strong reputation among DIY enthusiasts. With more than 250 million annual visits to DIY.com, joining our marketplace will help sellers to reach more customers. Access to our extensive store network will eventually enable provision of store collection and returns of products, opening up the possibilities of an omnichannel approach. Sellers will benefit from our 50 years of experience, and dedicated support to help them maximise sales and customer experience. Our marketplace offers transparent and competitive pricing, including a small subscription fee and commission only on what they sell. Setup and management on the marketplace is simple, and includes easy integration of their catalogue.
Joining now presents an opportunity to be at the forefront of our marketplace, and to help shape the category. By being one of the first non-B&Q sellers on DIY.com sellers will gain more visibility, and will be in the best position to quickly build their traffic and sales. This presents an opportunity to develop an understanding of how to maximise sales, and make the most of our marketplace. Sellers will have access to dedicated support from our team of experts throughout onboarding and launch.
