Abstract pastel background with diagonal lines
Abstract pastel background with diagonal lines
Abstract pastel background with diagonal lines
Abstract pastel background with diagonal lines
Abstract pastel background with diagonal lines

Eze Wholesale

Building a trusted B2B marketplace: transforming used

electronics trading

Executive Summary

As the founding designer at Eze, I led the transformation of wholesale electronics trading from a fragmented, high-risk process into a structured digital marketplace. I designed and shipped a comprehensive platform that solved key industry challenges: streamlining inventory management, securing transactions, and providing market transparency. The solution's success in addressing critical market inefficiencies led to rapid seller adoption and Y Combinator acceptance.

Led the transformation of wholesale electronics trading by designing and launching a comprehensive digital marketplace with integrated verification and payments.

The Challenge

Market Context

In 2017, Eze's co-founders identified significant inefficiencies in the used smartphone wholesale market. The existing landscape was characterized by:

  • Lack of price transparency and standardization

  • High-risk transactions with limited fraud protection

  • Inefficient manual processes for inventory management

  • Limited trust mechanisms for high-value bulk transactions

  • Lack of price transparency and standardization

  • High-risk transactions with limited fraud protection

  • Inefficient manual processes for inventory management

  • Limited trust mechanisms for high-value bulk transactions

Business Goals

Achieve 50% market share in wholesale electronics trading within 2 years

Reduce transaction fraud by 70% through verified business profiles

Maintain average seller satisfaction score above 4.5/5

Expand verified seller network to 1000+ active traders

Key Business Constraints

Complex verification requirements for wholesale traders

High-value transactions requiring robust security measures

Integration with existing wholesale logistics networks

Strict compliance requirements for bulk electronics trading

Role & Impact

As the product designer, I:

  • Designed the complete seller experience

  • Built inventory management system

  • Created seller verification framework

  • Developed pricing tools

  • Conducted seller-focused research

  • Collaborated with engineering, PM, and business teams to drive platform development

Key Results & Seller Metrics

48%

Faster Listing Time

vs. manual process

Accepted into Y Combinator based on strong metrics

Platform Growth

64%

Reduced Payment Issues
Regional distributor expanded to nationwide operations

Platform Growth

Research & Discovery

Methodology

I conducted comprehensive research including:

  • Interviews with wholesale traders

  • Analysis of existing wholesale trading workflows

  • Competitive analysis of B2B marketplaces

  • Stakeholder interviews with logistics partners

  • Data analysis of trading patterns and pain points

  • Cross-functional workshops and feedback sessions with engineering and PM teams

  • Collaborative solution design with technical stakeholders

Problems → Insights → Solutions

Problems → Insights → Solutions

Problems

Can't trust unknown trading partners online?

Managing complex inventory and orders manually?

Never sure about fair market prices?

Shipping coordination eating up time?

Different buyers using different grading standards?

Problems

Can't trust unknown trading partners online?

Managing complex inventory and orders manually?

Never sure about fair market prices?

Shipping coordination eating up time?

Different buyers using different grading standards?

Problems

Can't trust unknown trading partners online?

Managing complex inventory and orders manually?

Never sure about fair market prices?

Shipping coordination eating up time?

Different buyers using different grading standards?

Insights

High-value trading needs robust trust and verification systems

Scaling wholesale operations needs efficient inventory and shipping systems

Making profitable decisions depends on reliable market data and pricing

Streamlined logistics crucial for business efficiency

Standardized grading essential for marketplace trust

Insights

High-value trading needs robust trust and verification systems

Scaling wholesale operations needs efficient inventory and shipping systems

Making profitable decisions depends on reliable market data and pricing

Streamlined logistics crucial for business efficiency

Standardized grading essential for marketplace trust

Insights

High-value trading needs robust trust and verification systems

Scaling wholesale operations needs efficient inventory and shipping systems

Making profitable decisions depends on reliable market data and pricing

Streamlined logistics crucial for business efficiency

Standardized grading essential for marketplace trust

Solutions

Secure escrow payments and verified business profiles

Flexible inventory system with bulk upload and real-time tracking

Market analytics and instant price matching

Integrated shipping with automated label generation

Professional verification with standardized grading

Solutions

Secure escrow payments and verified business profiles

Flexible inventory system with bulk upload and real-time tracking

Market analytics and instant price matching

Integrated shipping with automated label generation

Professional verification with standardized grading

Solutions

Secure escrow payments and verified business profiles

Flexible inventory system with bulk upload and real-time tracking

Market analytics and instant price matching

Integrated shipping with automated label generation

Professional verification with standardized grading

Solution Design

Based on these insights, I designed a comprehensive platform focusing on:

Trust Framework

The foundation of our platform was building trust in the wholesale market. I developed a comprehensive business verification system that included company documentation, trade references, and performance history. Through multiple iterations with sellers, we refined the verification process to be thorough yet not overly burdensome. This resulted in a significant reduction in payment disputes and significantly increased seller confidence in large transactions.

Built comprehensive business verification system including:

  • Company documentation

  • Trade references

  • Performance history tracking

  • Automated payment processing

Interactive Grading System Design

Our research showed inconsistent grading standards were creating trust issues and disputes in the wholesale market. I designed an interactive grading interface that standardizes condition assessment through a visual device model, clear grade definitions, and practical examples. This transformed subjective device assessment into a consistent, verifiable process, reducing disputes and building marketplace trust.

Built comprehensive business verification system including:

  • Company documentation

  • Trade references

  • Performance history tracking

  • Automated payment processing

Streamlined Inventory Management

Through our research, we discovered inventory management was the biggest pain point for wholesalers struggling with unstructured spreadsheets and error-prone manual data entry. To transform this experience, I designed a flexible inventory system with two enhanced pathways. For large-scale operations, we created a sophisticated CSV bulk upload interface with real-time preview and error detection, helping sellers validate and fix data issues instantly. For smaller sellers, I designed a guided manual entry interface with built-in validation rules, eliminating common listing errors. This significantly streamlined the listing process for sellers of all sizes while maintaining familiar workflows.

Dual-pathway system: guided manual entry + CSV bulk upload

  • Real-time error detection

  • Preview interface for validation

  • Automated listing tools

Flexible Selling Options with Price Guidance

To solve the pricing uncertainty that plagued the market, we implemented a data-driven approach to pricing decisions. After inventory upload, sellers have two streamlined paths to market their devices. They can either "Place an Ask" - setting their desired price and bid expiration time, or choose "Sell Now" to instantly match with the current highest bid in the market. To support informed pricing decisions, we provide historical price data and average sale prices for both options. Once a match is made, sellers receive automated shipping labels for verification. This transparent approach eliminated the guesswork in pricing and simplified the selling process.

  • Place an Ask" option with custom price/expiration

  • "Sell Now" instant matching

  • Historical price data integration

  • Market analytics for informed decisions

Sell Now

Placing an Ask

Streamlined Order Management and Payment Process

Order management and logistics coordination were streamlined through a clear status-based workflow. In the "Pending" tab, sellers find newly created orders awaiting shipment, where they can easily print shipping labels or mark orders as shipped. Once shipped, orders automatically move to the "Shipped" tab for tracking visibility. Upon receipt at Eze, orders appear in the "Received" tab during verification. When devices pass verification confirming their listed condition, payment is automatically released to the seller's registered bank account. This structured approach gives sellers full visibility into their order status and payment timeline.

  • Status-based workflow tracking

  • Automated shipping label generation

  • Integrated verification process

  • Real-time payment release system

Streamlined Listing Management

The Listings page organizes inventory based on market activity. New listings without bids remain in the main Listings section, acting as a catalog of available devices. Once a listing receives a bid, it automatically moves to the Active Bids section where sellers can review offers and complete sales. This organized flow helps sellers easily distinguish between available inventory and actionable opportunities.

Two Selling Paths:

  • "Place an Ask": Set custom price and expiration

  • "Sell Now": Instant matching with current highest bid

  • Market Intelligence:

    • Historical pricing data

    • Current market rates

    • Average sale prices

  • Automated Transitions: Listings move automatically between available and active bid sections

Comprehensive Inventory Overview

The Inventory page serves as a central hub for all devices, providing a complete view of stock regardless of listing or sale status. Sellers can toggle between two viewing options: a List view for detailed item-by-item analysis, and a Grouped view that consolidates devices by their parent models. The Grouped view streamlines inventory management by clustering variants – such as all iPhone X models with different grades, colors, and carriers – making it easier to track and manage device families at scale.

Status Workflow:

  • Pending: New orders awaiting shipment

  • Shipped: Orders in transit with tracking

  • Received: Items under verification

  • Automation Features:

    • Shipping label generation

    • Tracking updates

    • Payment processing

  • Payment Security: Automated release after condition verification

Transparent Sales Management

The Sales page serves as a centralized hub for sellers to track their business performance and order status. At a glance, sellers can view their total sales over the last 30 days, upcoming payouts, and orders pending verification. A comprehensive order table displays all transactions, showing key details like order IDs, device models, quantities, and status updates from processing to payment. Sellers can easily search specific orders or use filters to manage their sales pipeline, with each order providing detailed information for transparency throughout the verification and payment process.

Performance Metrics:

  • Total inventory value

  • 30-day revenue tracking

  • Active listings count

  • Margin analysis

  • Order Pipeline: Real-time view of all transactions from listing to payment

  • Business Analytics: Comprehensive view of market activity and business health

Business Performance at a Glance

The Dashboard serves as the nerve center for wholesale sellers, displaying vital business metrics and market activity in one unified view. At the top, key performance indicators help sellers track their business health through inventory value, revenue, and profitability metrics. Below, sellers can monitor active market opportunities through current bids and offers, while simultaneously tracking their order pipeline from verification to payment. This comprehensive view empowers sellers to make quick, informed decisions about their wholesale business.

The Dashboard serves as the nerve center for wholesale sellers, displaying vital business metrics and market activity in one unified view.

Key Learnings

Platform Insights

  • Trust is fundamental in B2B marketplaces

  • Direct user observation reveals crucial insights

  • Balance automation with human verification

  • Start with core problems before adding features


Product Strategy Lessons

  • Focus on core seller workflows first

  • Build for scale from the beginning

  • Invest in robust verification systems

  • Enable data-driven decision making

  • Trust is fundamental in B2B marketplaces

  • Direct user observation provides crucial insights

  • Balance automation with human verification

  • Focus on core seller workflows first

  • Enable data-driven decision making

Personal Growth

Leadership

  • Led end-to-end product design life cycle and launch

  • Balanced technical capabilities with business needs

  • Built and managed relationships with key stakeholders

  • Developed deep understanding of B2B marketplace dynamics

Technical Understanding

  • Complex marketplace dynamics

  • Inventory management systems

  • Dynamic pricing