• Bunnings is rolling out an online markekplace called MarketLink in November.
• The website will feature products that aren’t already available in store such as white goods, kitchen appliances and home entertainment.
• MarketLink already has more than 8,000 products ready to go

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If you can deal with being sausage-less while shopping at Bunnings, you might be into this news.

The hardware store announced on Monday it is launching an online marketplace called MarketLink, which is set to open in November. But, it isn’t your regular online retail store – think of it as a curation of products that aren’t sold in store at Bunnings but sit in a similar space.

You’ll be able to buy more than 8,000 home and lifestyle products that you can’t find currently in a Bunnings store, such as indoor furniture, white goods, kitchen appliances, home entertainment and homewares.

Bunnings MarketLink will join the likes of other online marketplaces such Amazon and eBay in Australia. Despite claims by Bunnings it isn’t attempting to compete with Amazon, it no doubt inhabits a similar space to the US giant.

According to The Australian, Bunnings Managing Director Mike Schneider said the marketplace will focus on Bunnings’ needs, rather than competing with the likes of Amazon.

“This isn’t a free-for-all marketing environment — it is very disciplined, very curated,” he told the newspaper.

“There are obvious things that make sense for Bunnings to be able to provide to make your home better but there are other things you might want to put in your home that don’t make sense for Bunnings to keep — so that’s the way we have defined the market we are playing in.”

When pressed by Business Insider Australia on whether the company will be competing with Amazon in Australia, a spokesperson for Bunnings dodged the question.

“We are only focussed on creating the very best shopping experience for our customers. MarketLink will be a highly curated offer with a number of trusted sellers to deliver a competitive and relevant offer that we hope customers will value,” they said.

Retailers and manufacturers wishing to sell their products on MarketLink, however, have to qualify for Bunnings’ Trusted Sellers Program. This means they have have to align with values such as having excellent service, value for money and having high quality products.

“While it’s too early to announce the sellers who have signed up, we hope to be able to release these details in the next month or so,” Schneider said in a statement.

Bunnings is relatively new to the online shopping game. Last year, it began selling special orders of around 20,000 large items such as sheds and playgrounds, before having a pop up shop on eBay in January, The Sydney Morning Herald reported. It also held click-and-collect trial services in Tasmania before rolling the service out at 67 Victorian stores.

In September 2019, former Amazon executive Jon Reily told Business Insider Australia he believes Australian retailers like Bunnings and the Good Guys have what it takes to beat Amazon.

Reily added that if local Australian retailers can rise up and meet heightened customer expectations – such as faster delivery service – ahead of time, they will be very successful.

“Whether or not Amazon is dominant in 2025 or 2027 depends on what Australian companies do now,” he said at the time. “You can already see companies like Bunnings and Good Guys making digital strides forward of doing things. They just have to keep upping their game.”

While Bunnings is making a stronger push online, it might still be worth heading down to the physical Bunnings store just to grab a sausage sanga.

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