Full-Stack E-Commerce Developer Needed to Build a Multi-Vendor Marketplace

About the Project We're building Bargainerz, a UK-based e-commerce marketplace focused on helping consumers purchase high-value household products at significantly discounted prices. Our platform aims to connect businesses looking to liquidate excess inventory, returned products, clearance stock, and refurbished items with customers seeking quality products at affordable prices. Unlike traditional e-commerce stores, Bargainerz is designed to support multiple stakeholders, including stock-liquidating businesses, logistics and fulfilment providers, product repair and grading partners, and customers. Our initial product categories will include kitchen appliances, home and living products, bedroom essentials, DIY tools, and garden equipment. We're looking for an experienced full-stack e-commerce developer to help us select the right technology stack and build the first functional version of our marketplace. MVP SCOPE (THIS CONTRACT) 1. Storefront (buyers) - Responsive, mobile-first shop built from [our Figma designs / design direction agreed at kickoff] - Search and filter by category, price, brand, condition grade and seller - Each listing shows condition grade, defects or missing parts, real photos, and RRP vs our price with % saved (only where the RRP is genuine) - Guest and account checkout, saved addresses, order history and tracking - Return and refund requests within the seller's return period 2. Seller portal (liquidation partners) - Application and admin approval - Add listings individually or in bulk (CSV upload) - Set their own prices, stock and return terms (within our minimum policy) - Manage orders, returns, stock and payouts; basic sales reporting 3. Condition grading - Condition grade as its own field (e.g. Like New / Good / Fair / Spares or Repair) - Stock source as a separate optional field (returned, overstock, open-box, refurbished) - Grading partners get limited logins to record grade, test notes and photos before an item goes live 4. Payments - Buyer pays once; each seller receives their share minus our commission (Stripe Connect or equivalent) - GBP, UK VAT handling, refund and cancellation workflows - Admin-configurable commission rates 5. Fulfilment - Orders routed to the right 3PL partner by email/dashboard notification - 3PL or seller adds tracking; buyer is notified automatically - UK courier delivery rates (e.g. Royal Mail, DPD, Evri) 6. Admin - Approve and manage sellers and partners; review listings - Manage orders, returns, disputes, categories and commissions - Basic reporting: sales, orders, return rate, customer savings vs RRP 7. Security and compliance - Role-based access for buyers, sellers, grading partners, 3PLs and admins - UK GDPR, cookie consent, UK consumer rights (including the 14-day cancellation period) - No card data stored on our servers; backups and error monitoring in place PHASE 2 (LATER, NOT IN THIS QUOTE) Direct 3PL API integrations, warehouse location tracking, repair workflows, advanced analytics and a possible mobile app. We'd welcome someone who wants to stay on as an ongoing technical partner. PLATFORM We're considering WordPress + WooCommerce with a multi-vendor plugin (Dokan, WCFM), Shopify with a marketplace app, or a custom build. Tell us which you'd use and why, judged on: - Multi-vendor features and split payouts - Condition grading and custom listing fields - Ease of use for non-technical admins - Setup and monthly running costs - How easily it can grow into a custom platform later REQUIRED - At least one live multi-vendor marketplace you built (link required) - Marketplace split payments (Stripe Connect or similar) - UK e-commerce experience: VAT, couriers, GDPR - Role-based access and secure authentication - Clear written English and weekly progress updates NICE TO HAVE - Clearance, refurbished or resale (recommerce) projects - Warehouse or 3PL integrations - Building from Figma designs DELIVERABLES - Platform recommendation and short technical plan (first milestone) - Tested MVP live on our domain - All code, hosting, plugin, payment and domain accounts registered in our company's name from day one - Admin training session, short handover guide and walkthrough video - 30 days of post-launch bug fixes TO APPLY, PLEASE INCLUDE 1. Links to two or three marketplaces you've built, and your role on each 2. Your recommended platform for Bargainerz and why 3. What you'd prioritise in the MVP, and anything in our scope you'd move to Phase 2 4. Timeline and milestone breakdown with prices 5. Expected monthly running costs (hosting, plugins, apps, payment fees) 6. One risk you see in this project and how you'd handle it Please start your proposal with the word "Graded" so we know you've read this far.