Building a two-sided marketplace means solving more than just the frontend. Buyers need a way to request services, providers need onboarding, and administrators need a way to manage the workflow.

If you are evaluating a starter kit for a marketplace MVP, here are five practical questions to ask:

1. Can you actually edit the source code?

A starter kit should give developers room to change the business model, UI, validation, and data flows. Check the framework versions and project structure before purchasing.

2. Where does the backend run?

For an edge-native application, confirm how API routes are implemented, where data lives, and how deployment is configured. A Cloudflare Workers API with a D1 schema is one possible foundation.

3. What marketplace workflows are already represented?

Look for concrete flows such as buyer quote requests, provider registration, provider approval, and lead assignment. A demo landing page alone is not a marketplace backend.

4.…