What You Need to Know About: Powered By People

Updated August 2024

The more Faire becomes a market leader, it’s easy to feel like Faire is the “only” wholesale platform that brands need to know about. But there are some great platforms that serve a more specific niche. And that focus can be an incredible opportunity. Sometimes these platforms have better terms and buyers who are a better fit — so are worth considering as a part of your overall wholesale strategy.

Recently, we were lucky enough to sit down with the folks from Powered By People and got to dig into all the specifics of how PBP works, how they find the balance between profit, people, and planet — and how to think about whether PBP is right for you.

What is Powered By People?

Powered By People (PBP) is a sustainability-focused wholesale platform that connects buyers in North America with high-quality, sustainably-focused makers and independent producers in more than 70 countries around the world.

How Powered By People Works

Once you decide you’d like to sell on PBP, you apply using their Maker Portal. They then let you know if they accept you onto the platform. From there, you’ll build your Powered by People marketplace profile and add your products.

Wholesale sales on the platform are subject to a 15% commission — which is waived if the buyer was brought to PBP by the maker.

An Interview With Powered By People

Can you share a bit about Powered By People and how it started?

Powered by People is a wholesale platform that enables makers to own and grow their wholesale business. Founded in 2021 by Ella Peinovich, Hedvig Alexander and Alison Phillips, the trio have used their combined experience in tech, economic development, design and retail to forge a positive impact on maker communities all over the world.


The company’s platform connects buyers in North America with high-quality, sustainably-focused makers and independent producers in more than 70 countries around the world. It makes environmentally-sustainable and social-impact buying easy by providing makers and buyers with support on cash flow, payments, international communications, and logistics.


Ultimately, Powered by People is maker-led with a mission to take sustainable buying mainstream. There is a legitimate demand from both conscious buyers and conscious consumers for sustainably produced goods. PBP helps its makers verify and mature their sustainability qualifications, and by doing so their economic opportunities become more fruitful.


How is PBP different from Faire?


Some of the things that make us different are:

• PBP is a maker-first platform.

• We are values-driven, focusing on sustainability.

• We’re building a community of like-minded makers and buyers, and envision impactful change by working collaboratively.

• We are a managed marketplace — bringing a level of service that tech-only platforms cannot provide.

• We invest in our makers with digital tools and economic incentives to enable them to grow their wholesale business.

• We are inclusive with makers in over 70 countries globally.

• We enable flexibility with payment terms - supporting advance payments for makers and bolstering cash flow.


WHat criteria do you use to decide who can sell on pbp?

All makers are welcome to use PBP’s tools to manage their wholesale business. 
To sell on the PBP marketplace, makers must complete an application which assesses the following criteria:

• Is the maker’s collection aligned with categories we currently sell?

• Does the maker fulfill our baseline sustainability requirements? (Once onboarded, we offer free programs to mature them on an ESG sustainability scale.)

• Are the products priced correctly?

• What is the maker’s output capacity?

• Are usable content assets (such as imagery, videos) available?

  
  

What strategies can you recommend to makers who want to increase their sales on pbp?

PBP’s platform includes the PBP Portal which enables makers to take control of their own wholesale growth, and various sales channels through which makers can sell their wares. Sales channels include the PBP marketplace, an off-marketplace concierge service for mid to large retailers, and Dropship.

To be more successful at increasing sales in general, we recommend the following strategies to makers:

• Ensure accurate pricing and complete catalog information (dimensions, composition - anything that would inform the buying decision)

• Establish the right balance between MOVs and MOQs

• Make sure that the collection has enough style breadth to cover an MOV

• Create quality products that are desirable and aligned to the market and trends

• Offer accurate and competitive lead times


  
  

Are brands allowed to communicate with stores off the platform?

Yes. We acknowledge and understand that makers know their collections the best and are most well positioned to share their stories. We have, in many cases, connected buyers and makers ourselves — only requesting the same level of transparency is reciprocated when it comes to keeping the sale within the platform.

Going forward we are looking to build a maker<>buyer connection feature within our platform.


What costs and commissions should brands know about?

When selling through the PBP marketplace:

• If PBP brings the buyer to the maker, then the maker pays 15% commission.

• However, if the maker brings the buyer to PBP, they pay 0% commission.

• Makers can access optional advance payments at a nominal financing fee.


  
  

Is there a particular product or aesthetic focus to the stores and brands on PBP?


We offer a robust curation spanning home decor, fashion accessories, and apothecary items. Our broad aesthetic appeal caters to the modern, sustainable North American or European customer.


What is the Dropship Program and how does it work?

PBP has the only sustainable dropship catalog and our current dropship partners include retailers such as West Elm, Lulu & Georgia, One King's Lane, Crate & Barrel, Nordstrom, and more, as well as shopify retailers across the US.

PBP handles all the tedious processes, technical integrations, selling in new collections, marketing and promotions, returns, and shipping costs — so Makers can do what they do best.

How it works: Makers apply to PBP's Dropship program > Once approved, you onboard and join PBP's catalog > Our retailer network lists and sells your products > You pick, pack and ship direct to the end consumer.

Because Powered by People is committed to a more sustainable future, all makers must complete PBP's ESG verification before they are visible to our retailer network. Also currently, we are only working with Makers that ship from the US and use Shopify to manage their orders.

More info here and application here.

Is there anything else you’d like to share about PBP?

The PBP Portal is a gateway to a range of sales channels, both assisted and self powered. Makers are able to access zero-cost advance payments on orders they generate and send directly to their buyers through the PBP Portal, while paying 0% commission. Our makers leverage this tool to bridge financing gaps between cash flow requirements they might have and buyer payment terms.


PBP promotes sales through multiple channels, and the online platform PBP MKT is just one of them. PBP MKT+ & PBP DropShip are our other channels through which we work with large retailers such as West Elm, Pottery Barn, Liberty London, LVMH & more.
These channels have specific requirements that are typically challenging for independent makers to meet. Through the PBP Verified Program and the Learning Hub, we aim to help makers develop their business to be ready for such opportunities.


Beyond this, we’re working with global philanthropic partners to support the next generation of makers across the world through a variety of projects.


We’re building a community of like-minded makers, buyers and partners who can amplify the work we’re doing and join us on this journey — we can’t do this alone!
By bringing together a community of makers on our platform, we are able to share benefits across shipping, payments, and cash-flow solutions to our makers — this collective power enabling individual makers to access resources and opportunities that may have been previously out of reach.

How We Can Help You Grow Wholesale:

More Free Resources on Faire, Tundra, And The Wholesale Marketplaces:

• Faire Wholesale Reviews and Maker Tips

• How to Compare and Choose The Right Wholesale Marketplace For You

• Handshake Wholesale Reviews And Maker Tips

• Bulletin Wholesale Reviews And Maker Tips

• Smart Ways to Use Faire to Grow Wholesale as a Maker — And Mistakes to Avoid

• Creoate Wholesale Marketplace: Brand Tips + How It Compares To Faire

*At Wholesale In a Box we do not receive any commissions or compensation of any kind from Tundra or any other marketplace. All of our educational content is meant to support makers and small brands in making the right choices for them.