Think like a marketplace operator in 115 minutes ↗
A six-chapter operating playbook where you'll get:
COVERS 9 PLATFORMS
↓ See what's inside
Most of what you'll read about marketplaces is marketing. This is the arithmetic.
The expensive way to learn this is to take the hit on your own P&L. This is just an efficient way to avoid that :)
What you'll learn inside
Chapters 01–02 free · 03–06 and the test at ₹1,599, one time
01 · Foundation
FREEAFTER THIS CHAPTER YOU CAN
· Read GMV, NMV, take rate and bps without translating in your head
· Size a market with a guesstimate that survives an interview
· Compute volumetric weight before the courier does it for you
02 · Unit Economics
FREEAFTER THIS CHAPTER YOU CAN
· Strip one ₹999 order to CM2, line by line
· Set a TaCoS ceiling and know when ads are eating the margin
· Diagnose whether the problem is sessions, CVR or returns
03 · E-Commerce
₹1,599AFTER THIS CHAPTER YOU CAN
· Pick MFN, FBA, Seller Flex or IXD per SKU - the mode alone swings S&D 6–8 points
· Decide 1P vs 3P vs hybrid honestly
· Pull Settlement V2 and reconcile what Amazon actually charged you
04 · Q-Commerce
₹1,599AFTER THIS CHAPTER YOU CAN
· Read OSA, DOI and fill rate the way a category manager does
· Know where you sit in the Blinkit 25–40% commission band - and what moves it
· Run ads at SKU × city × keyword, never blended
05 · Strategic Thinking
₹1,599AFTER THIS CHAPTER YOU CAN
· Assign each channel a portfolio role instead of one blanket target
· Walk into a category-manager meeting with their data, not your pitch
· Lock a sale event at T−30 - nobody loses a sale event during the sale
06 · Working Capital
₹1,599AFTER THIS CHAPTER YOU CAN
· Compute your cash conversion cycle and what each day of it costs
· Size the GST float and the 2% parked with the government
· Know your self-fundable growth rate before a lender tells you
Read by top operators & students
Category and growth people already running these P&Ls - and the campuses about to send them more.
Who should get
this playbook?
Your journey, start to hired
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Ten seconds is enough to see the difference
No pitch, no talking head. Then run the same numbers yourself, below.
INTERACTIVE · CM1 / CM2 CALCULATOR
What does one order really leave you?
YOUR NUMBERS, NOT OURS
Every percentage here is on GMV excluding GST — the base platforms actually charge on. Mixing bases is the most common error in a marketplace P&L. These defaults are the playbook’s worked example, to the paisa.
GMV EX-GST
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NET REVENUE
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CM1
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CM2 · PER ORDER
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→ {{ verdict }}
The certificate is earned, not issued
Twenty-three questions against a hard clock, in one sitting, no going back. Under 75% there is no certificate and a 30-day wait. Over it, your rank goes on the sheet.
Direct 5 × 2 · Money math 6 × 3 · Situational 12 × 2 · 52 marks · one sitting every 30 days
What your score earns
Rounded % · printed on the sheet
KingsTop tier
A printed certificate, posted to you, with a goodie in the envelope.
Commander
Verified certificate plus a seat in the operator community.
Knight
Verified certificate plus a seat in the operator community.
Soldier
Named, scored, verifiable certificate at a public URL.
No certificate
Nothing is issued. The next sitting opens in 30 days.
The certificate, in full
Named, scored, ranked - and verifiable at a public URL, so it holds up when someone checks. Below 75% there is no certificate, and the next sitting is 30 days away.
CREDENTIAL
IM-2026-T2XDPP
EST. 2026THIS CERTIFIES THAT
Your Name Here
is a Certified Marketplace Operator
Completed all six chapters - Foundation, Unit Economics, E-Commerce, Q-Commerce, Strategic Thinking, Working Capital - and passed the 23-question, 52-mark timed assessment.
SCORE
44/52 · 85%
RANK
Knight
ISSUED
Sep 2026
VERIFY AT
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Sahil Panwar
AUTHOR · INSIDE MARKETPLACES
STRATEGY & OPERATIONS (FRIDO, CREPDOGCREW)
The Inside Marketplaces impact
What the author's own operating moves did - the same moves written down in chapters 03–06.
↑ ₹50 Cr
additional marketplace revenue in 1.2 years across blinkit zepto Amazon & more
Frido↑ 1 → 2 digits
CM2 from single to double digits without touching price - the discount moved to the payments layer, and it held
Frido · Amazon & Qcom↓ 48 hrs
to onboard Slikk as a new channel - cold LinkedIn outreach, partnership framework the same week
Frido · channel expansion9 → 1
nine platform exports replaced by one live dashboard - CM2 per SKU, per platform, across blinkit zepto instamart
Brand portal
built for CrepDog’s partner brands — their own analytics and control over listings and stock, instead of waiting on someone else’s monthly export
CrepDog Crew · online~50 / 50
online-to-retail revenue split today, off just 3 stores — retail now carries as much as the marketplace side
CrepDog Crew · retail₹1,599
One time. No subscription, no strikethrough MRP, no urgency.
Unlock chapters 03–06 →01–02 and the calculator above are free. Read first, then decide.
WHAT ₹1,599 UNLOCKS
Chapters 03–06 - models, Qcom ops, strategy, working capital
All interactive calculators - CM2, volumetric, cash cycle
The 23-minute timed test and ranked certificate
Private operator community at Knight and above
Market data refreshed with the playbook - currently to March 2026
Sahil Panwar
Strategy & Ops - Frido, CrepDog Crew · ex-Founder, DravyBrands
First venture at 18. Built PIPPO, the live Qcom P&L dashboard. This playbook exists because he wished it had when he started. LinkedIn → · learn@insidemarketplaces.com
₹50 Cr
Marketplace revenue added in 1.2 years at Frido
1 → 2
CM2 from single to double digits - and held
09
Platforms run hands-on, Ecom + Qcom
₹40 L
First venture, three months, at 18
Is this a course?
No. No videos, no cohort, no live sessions. 115 minutes of reading, three working calculators, a timed test.
What exactly is free?
Chapters 01 and 02 in full, plus the CM2 calculator on this page. Chapters 03–06 and the test are behind the ₹1,599 unlock.
What if I fail the test?
You wait 30 days for the next sitting. That is deliberate - the certificate means something because it can be failed.
Are the numbers real?
Every statistic carries a source line - rate cards, Redseer, Bernstein, Datum Intelligence. Where a number is the author's own benchmark, it says so explicitly.
Who is this not for?
Anyone looking for motivation or a guaranteed outcome. Anyone selling only D2C with no marketplace plans. And anyone who wants videos - there are none.
INSIDE MARKETPLACES · BY SAHIL PANWAR · LEARN@INSIDEMARKETPLACES.COM