Choose a Stone Sourcing Plan That Fits Your Workflow

Start with the purchase, not the package

Choosing a natural stone sourcing plan is not about buying the longest feature list. It is about identifying the information your project needs and how your team will manage it. A business sourcing standard paving and a contractor assembling detailed interior specifications may need different tools. Before comparing plans, ask what a supplier must understand to prepare a useful offer.

MarbleMap is a commission-free, sealed-bid B2B request-to-offer marketplace for natural stone, operated by Fusapp OÜ. Buyers can start free, with paid Pro and Business plans available for additional needs. Suppliers use subscriptions. A supplier’s weekly offer allowance therefore is not a measure of your purchasing capacity as a buyer: those entitlements support different activities.

Start by defining the application, finish, dimensions, quantity, and delivery destination. Identify open questions too. If an alternative finish would be acceptable, say so rather than leaving suppliers to guess. A clear request gives you a sound basis for comparing responses, regardless of your plan. Choose the tools that help you communicate that request accurately.

Decide whether free entry covers the request

The free buyer entry point supports opening requests and collecting offers. Your first question should be whether you can describe the purchase clearly with the tools available, not which upgrade to buy. If text and the images permitted by your plan adequately communicate the requirement, additional features may not be necessary at that stage. This does not mean every feature is free.

Distinguish reference images from technical documents. A stone photograph can help communicate color or veining preferences; an installation drawing or specification serves a different purpose. Document uploads to a request are not included in the free buyer plan. If suppliers need supporting files to understand the scope, recognize that requirement early rather than trying to replace essential technical information with a longer description.

Check Settings under Usage for your account’s actual limits and enabled features. The buyer, seller, and Suite plans guide explains the package structure. Map current requirements first, then consider upcoming purchases. That keeps the decision grounded in work your team expects to do, rather than features it might never use.

Use documentation needs to assess Pro and Business

Pro adds structured request fields for a target delivery date, requested payment terms, acceptable currencies, supplier countries, and accepted Incoterms. It also enables document uploads to requests. These fields help communicate your expectations, but entering a condition does not mean a supplier has accepted it. Check how each offer addresses the conditions before proceeding with an agreement.

AI assistance for request titles and descriptions is also a Pro feature, not a free tool for every buyer. Review suggested wording against the actual stone type, dimensions, finish, and quantity. A polished description is not necessarily a technically accurate one. Make sure mandatory requirements remain clearly separated from preferences and acceptable alternatives.

Pro also includes the Split Award Board for dividing a request across suppliers. Business includes Pro features with different limits for images, documents, file sizes, and how far ahead an offer deadline can be set. Assess Business against the files and schedules your team uses, not simply your company’s size. Before adding capacity, establish which specification version suppliers should follow: larger limits cannot resolve conflicting instructions.

Do not treat supplier plans as quality signals

Understanding supplier subscriptions can help buyers interpret the marketplace. Starter, Growth, and Scale affect weekly offer capacity and offer attachment limits. A larger package does not buy preference in offer evaluation. Sealed bidding works across all supplier packages: competing suppliers cannot see each other’s prices, and suppliers cannot see how many offers a request has received. A package name says nothing about whether a particular stone suits your project.

Compare what each offer covers: material, quantity, finish, packaging, and shipment scope. Supplier profiles, portfolios, and certificates are signals to examine, not independent proof of an order’s origin, quality, capacity, or delivery. Company admission is also distinct from holding a Verified Business / KYB badge. Buyers and suppliers still need to confirm the documents and conditions relevant to the specific purchase.

Questions can be discussed through web chat on the request before an offer. Entitled sellers start threads, and buyers reply to existing threads. Contact details opening after a deal is a separate rule, not a prerequisite for web chat. If physical samples are needed, the parties may arrange them independently; that does not imply a built-in sample ordering or tracking workflow.

Combine roles only when your business needs both

A stone business may buy for some projects and supply others. Both roles can be used through the same MarbleMap account, but their subscription needs should be assessed separately. Suite combines Pro-level buyer rights with Growth-level seller rights. Suite Max combines Business and Scale levels. These provide a single subscription and invoice; a buyer-only business does not need to purchase selling capacity.

If your selling activity exhausts the weekly allowance, check Usage for remaining capacity and renewal information. Upgrades apply with a prorated charge, with the higher allowance available once payment is confirmed; downgrades take effect in the next billing period. Consult the subscription and plan change guide with the person authorized to commit your company. Treat monthly versus annual billing as a budgeting decision separate from the features required.

Finally, distinguish the platform subscription from payment for stone. MarbleMap charges no sales commission; stone-order payments do not pass through the platform, and there is no escrow. Buyer and supplier confirm the material, documents, quantity, shipment, and payment conditions together. Prepare your next purchasing brief, then start on MarbleMap with a plan that supports the work it actually requires.