For vendors
How to be listed on shop.impt.io and considered for Shop IMPT editorial
Two surfaces, two thresholds. Vendors apply to the storefront first; the editorial team picks from the storefront for category guides on a separate, stricter set of criteria.
shop.impt.io is open to vendors who can fulfil EU-wide (drop-ship or direct), accept Stripe checkout, and pass a basic product-quality and policy review. Shop IMPT editorial inclusion requires additional verifiable sustainability or supply-chain criteria — see our criteria.
The two-tier vendor model
Vendors interact with two distinct surfaces:
- Storefront listing (shop.impt.io): products appear in the live catalogue, in collections, and via search. Open application with a quality+policy gate. ~7,000 SKUs across ~14 collections currently live.
- Editorial inclusion (this site, Shop IMPT): products appear in category guides, "best of" articles, comparison pieces. Stricter sustainability + transparency requirements. Editorial team decides; vendors cannot pay for placement.
You can be on the storefront without being in the editorial. You cannot be in the editorial without being on the storefront.
Storefront onboarding (shop.impt.io)
Step 1: Application
Send the following to vendors@impt.io:
- Company name, country of registration, registration number
- Product catalogue (CSV, JSON, or feed URL) — must include: SKU, title, category, description, price (EUR), brand, country of manufacture, materials
- Fulfilment model: direct ship from your warehouse, drop-ship via a 3PL, or print-on-demand
- Shipping coverage: minimum EU; ideally UK + IE + EU27 + EEA
- Return policy — IMPT default expects 14-day returns at minimum to comply with EU consumer law
- Payment terms — IMPT settles via Stripe Connect on net-30 default; net-7 available for verified vendors
- Certifications relevant to your category (optional but accelerates editorial consideration)
Step 2: Quality + policy review
The IMPT team reviews against a published checklist. Typical decision time is 5–10 business days. The checklist covers:
- Product photography quality (minimum 1200×1200, on white or in-context, no Amazon-watermarked imagery)
- Description quality (no machine-translated text, no plagiarised manufacturer copy)
- Category fit (we don't list firearms, tobacco, vaping, gambling, prescription pharmaceuticals, or content prohibited under EU Article 5 of the Digital Services Act)
- Brand integrity — counterfeit risk check, MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) policy where relevant
- Carbon-shipping assessment — vendors shipping high-volume from outside the EU are routed through our regional consolidation partner rather than direct to consumer
Step 3: Technical integration
Once approved, the technical integration is one of:
- Feed-based (recommended): you publish a product feed (CSV, JSON, or XML) at a stable URL, IMPT pulls on a 4-hour cadence. Inventory + price updates near-real-time. Best for catalogues > 500 SKUs.
- API-based: direct integration via the shop.impt.io vendor API. For vendors with their own commerce platform (Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, custom). Webhook-driven orders.
- Manual: for small catalogues (< 50 SKUs). Vendor uploads via the admin portal. Inventory updates manual.
Step 4: Live
First orders flow through within hours of integration completion. Vendors get a dashboard at vendors.impt.io with: live orders, payouts, returns, customer messages, performance metrics (CTR, conversion, return rate, NPS where collected).
Editorial inclusion (Shop IMPT)
The editorial team curates "best of" guides, comparison pieces, and category-recommendation content on this domain. Inclusion is decided editorially. The criteria, in full, are on the sustainability methodology page. Summary: a product needs ≥3 of the 6 verifiable criteria to be considered, plus a story (a real reason it's interesting to a sustainability-conscious shopper).
The editorial team reviews new candidates monthly. Vendors who'd like consideration should send a short pitch to editorial@impt.io: which product, which criteria it meets, supporting documents (certificates, supplier list, materials docs). The pitch is not a guarantee — final inclusion is editorial discretion.
What vendors pay
Standard marketplace economics:
| Item | Vendor cost |
|---|---|
| Listing on shop.impt.io | Free |
| Sales commission | 12% of net sale (typical; varies by category: 8% for high-margin electronics, 15% for low-margin grocery) |
| Payment processing | Pass-through Stripe fee (~1.4% + 25c in EU) |
| Editorial inclusion | No payment accepted. Editorial decisions are independent of vendor commercial relationship. |
| Featured placement on storefront | Available; pricing on request. Clearly labelled as paid placement; does not affect Shop IMPT editorial. |
Fulfilment + customer service expectations
- Order acknowledgement to vendor: within 30 minutes of customer purchase
- Shipment dispatched: within 2 business days of order (3 for made-to-order)
- Tracking number provided: within the same window as dispatch
- Customer service response time: within 1 business day (email), within 4 business hours during EU working hours (urgent issues)
- Return acceptance: 14-day minimum, vendor handles direct or via IMPT regional return hub
- Refund processing: within 14 days of return receipt
Vendors falling below these thresholds for two consecutive months are placed on a 30-day improvement plan. Vendors falling below for three consecutive months are de-listed.
Carbon-shipping policy
Vendors shipping from outside the EU to EU customers are required to route through one of IMPT's regional consolidation partners (currently in Rotterdam, Hamburg, and Dublin). Direct air-freight from Asia to individual EU customers is not permitted on shop.impt.io. The consolidation routing reduces per-order shipping carbon by approximately 60% (sea freight + last-mile EU vs. direct air freight).
The cost difference is split: IMPT covers 50% of the consolidation overhead in the first year for new vendors. After year one, vendors absorb the overhead but typically save versus direct shipping anyway because of the consolidation volume discount.
Contact
- Storefront onboarding: vendors@impt.io
- Editorial consideration: editorial@impt.io
- Partnership / strategic questions: hello@impt.io
- Technical integration support: vendor-tech@impt.io
FAQ
How long does storefront onboarding take?
Application to live: 5–10 business days for the review, plus 1–5 business days for technical integration depending on integration model (feed-based fastest, custom API slowest).
Can a small vendor with under 50 SKUs join?
Yes. The manual-upload route is designed for small catalogues. There's no SKU minimum and no monthly minimum sales requirement.
Do vendors need to be EU-based?
No, but EU customers must be served via EU fulfilment (vendor's own EU warehouse or IMPT's regional consolidation partners). Outside-EU vendors typically use the consolidation route.
Can a vendor pay to be in a Shop IMPT editorial guide?
No. Editorial decisions are independent of commercial relationship. Vendors can pay for storefront featured placement (clearly labelled), but the editorial layer is non-commercial.
What categories are not accepted?
Firearms, ammunition, tobacco and tobacco accessories, vaping products and accessories, gambling-related products, prescription pharmaceuticals, illegal substances, counterfeit goods, products that infringe on intellectual property, and content prohibited under EU Article 5 of the Digital Services Act.
How are disputes between vendors and customers handled?
First-tier: vendor and customer attempt resolution directly via the IMPT message channel (dashboard). Second-tier (>5 business days unresolved): IMPT customer-service team mediates. Third-tier (genuine impasse): IMPT decides on the merits and processes a refund or replacement. Vendors absorb the cost only when they're at fault per the published policy.