Best Alternative to Amazon, Etsy, and eBay for Muslim Retailers Online

The way people shop online is changing. Consumers want convenience and choice, but many are also paying closer attention to the businesses they support, the products they buy and the values behind the brands they choose. For Muslim consumers, this can mean looking for everything from modest fashion and Islamic books to halal beauty products, fragrances and gifts in one place.

At the same time, Muslim brands and independent Islamic businesses face a familiar challenge: finding the right customers without spending heavily on marketing or getting lost among thousands of competing listings.

Riwaya is addressing this gap with a marketplace designed around Muslim consumers, ethical brands, independent sellers and products aligned with Islamic values. Its approach offers an interesting example of how specialist ecommerce platforms can create opportunities for businesses while making online shopping more relevant to their customers.

What Is Riwaya?

Riwaya was established to connect big and independent Muslim businesses with customers looking for Islamic and Muslim lifestyle products. The marketplace brings different sellers together under one platform. It allows shoppers to discover products across several categories without visiting individual stores.

With 5000+ happy customers, its focus extends from Islamic books and prayer accessories to modest clothing, fragrances, children's learning resources, digital products, halal food, curated gifts and homeware. Sellers can list suitable products while Riwaya provides the marketplace infrastructure, product discovery tools and promotional opportunities.

The business model also gives smaller brands another way to reach customers without having to build and market an entire e-commerce website on their own.

Riwaya's seller programme includes a free first 30 days, followed by a 7.5% commission on sales, with no hidden listing fees. Sellers can also access marketing support and tools designed to help them promote their products. Check more on their seller login page!

For a business testing a new sales channel, these details matter. The question is not simply how many people visit a marketplace, but whether the platform offers a practical way to reach potential customers at a cost the business can sustain.

Riwaya vs Mainstream Marketplaces

Amazon, Etsy and eBay have made online selling accessible to businesses of all sizes. Their established customer bases and selling infrastructure can be valuable, and many independent brands use more than one marketplace to grow their reach.

However, the experience varies according to the products being sold.

A seller specialising in Islamic books, modest clothing or Eid gifts may find it difficult to stand out in a broad marketplace. Customers can search for these products, but the seller still needs to compete for visibility among many other listings. Advertising, transaction charges and fulfilment costs can further affect profitability, depending on the platform and selling arrangement.

Fees	Amazon	eBay	Etsy	Riwaya
Final Value Fees/Referral fees	8%-45%	10.9-14.9%	6.5%	7.5%
Payment Processing Fees	2.9% + £0.24	£0.24	4% + £0.20	1.5% + £0.20
Listing Fees	£0.78	£0.28	£0.16	None
International Fee (UK)	None	2.4%	0.32%	None
Additional Costs (Ads, refunds, subscriptions)	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Crowded Out	Yes	Yes	Yes	No

 

Riwaya takes a more focused approach. Its categories are built around Muslim lifestyle shopping, so sellers can list products in an environment designed for that audience. This gives them an additional route to customers who are already looking for relevant items.

There is also a difference in product suitability. General marketplaces accommodate a broad range of goods, whereas Riwaya has specific Islamic product guidelines covering what can be listed, what is prohibited and what requires individual review.

That distinction is important for a marketplace built around Islamic values. It gives sellers clearer expectations and helps shoppers understand the type of products the platform aims to offer.

How Riwaya Stands Out

1. Product guidelines that reflect its purpose

Riwaya's product guidelines are one of the clearest differences between the platform and a general marketplace. They cover clothing, books, fragrances, jewellery, organic makeup, children's products, homeware, gifts, halal-market goods and many more Islamic essentials.

Some products are approved under the published rules, while others require review by the Riwaya team. Products that fall outside the marketplace's categories but add value can be submitted for another review. 

For sellers, this means checking suitability before listing. For shoppers, it offers a more focused product selection, with categories and approval rules designed around the marketplace's stated values.

The guidelines are available in the Riwaya Seller Product Guidelines.

2. Marketing beyond the product listing

A product page cannot do much for a seller if customers never find it. Riwaya offers marketing opportunities through content, SEO and promotional activity. It gives sellers additional ways to bring attention to their stores.

Its seller dashboard also includes five types of promotions: Flash Sale, Quantity Discount, Spend Threshold, Promo Code and Next-Order Reward.

These serve different purposes. A seller offering Islamic books might give customers a discount for purchasing several titles, while a gift business could run a limited-time offer or reward a customer for returning.

They give businesses options for testing offers and encouraging purchases without having to build their own promotional systems.

3. A more accessible starting point for sellers

 

Feature	Riwaya	Other Marketplaces
Selling fees	7.5% commission after the first 30 days, with no listing fees	Varying commissions and additional selling fees
Advertising	£1,000s in free advertising opportunities to promote your store	Paid advertising often needed for extra visibility
Audience	Built-in Muslim audience	Broad audience, harder to target Muslim shoppers
Product categories	Dedicated Islamic-focused categories	General categories with less specialised targeting
Seller support	Free access to seller benefits and support	Support and promotional benefits vary by platform

 

The cost of selling online matters, particularly for businesses working with small margins. Riwaya's advertised commission structure and lack of listing fees give sellers a clear starting point for evaluating the platform.

There are still other costs to consider, including stock, delivery, packaging and any applicable payment charges. Each seller needs to assess the full cost of an order rather than looking at commission alone.

Even so, a marketplace with a dedicated audience and built-in selling tools can be worth exploring for businesses that want to expand without setting up a separate online store from scratch.

Categories That Go Beyond Ramadan and Eid

Muslim-centred ecommerce is often associated with seasonal shopping, particularly during Ramadan and Eid. These periods can bring demand for gifts, prayer accessories, clothing and Islamic books, but the market extends well beyond the festive calendar.

Riwaya's categories reflect the variety of products Muslim consumers buy throughout the year.

What do Riwaya Sellers Say? 

The potential value of an additional marketplace is illustrated by My Salah Mat, a business known for its Islamic educational products.

In a LinkedIn post, Kamal Ali reported that My Salah Mat generated £8,986.30 in sales through Riwaya between 10 February and 17 August 2026, representing 629% growth over the period he described.

 

Ali explained that the business had established a presence on Riwaya before its Amazon account was deactivated. When that happened, Riwaya came to help them. He also credited Riwaya's SEO-friendly product setup, seller experience and promotional activity through social media, email and content as factors he valued. Read the full account in Kamal Ali's LinkedIn post.

Feedback from More Sellers

“I truly appreciate how responsive and supportive the team at Riwaya is. They always handle my queries or concerns promptly and efficiently. Riwaya is an ideal platform for Muslim business owners, offering the perfect space to sell their products and reach the right audience.”

                                                                _Thoughtful Jars, Riwaya Seller

 

“Our experience with Riwaya has been great. We've successfully fulfilled a good number of orders via this platform. The onboarding process was smooth and hassle-free, and the seller support team was incredibly helpful. Overall, Riwaya is a fantastic platform for Muslim businesses, and it is a good thing to have this kind of support.”

                                                                _ Roots, Riwaya Seller

 

“Riwaya is an exceptional platform - intuitive, perfectly tailored and perfect for anyone interested in selling to a Muslim audience. The team behind the scenes is incredibly hardworking and always available for help whenever needed. Highly recommend it!”

                                                                _ Mushaf Cases, Riwaya Seller

The B2B Opportunity for Muslim-Owned Brands

For Muslim businesses, a specialist marketplace can offer more than another place to upload products. It can provide access to an audience with relevant interests, alongside tools and support that may otherwise require additional time or investment.

This could be useful for newer brands trying to establish themselves, established businesses looking to diversify their sales or sellers whose products are closely tied to Muslim lifestyles.

Riwaya also offers Shopify integration, giving eligible sellers with an existing store another option for connecting their e-commerce operations with the marketplace in a matter of minutes!

Businesses interested in exploring the opportunity can find further details on selling with Riwaya.