Marketplaces come with built-in traffic and trust, which is why they’re a tempting first move into the US. The trade-off is that you rent the customer relationship and compete hard on a crowded page. Direct-to-consumer keeps the relationship and the data, but you have to build the demand yourself.
For most new entrants the sequence matters more than the choice. Marketplaces can validate the product and generate early volume; DTC then builds the brand and margin on top of that proof.
The mistake is treating it as either/or. The question is which comes first for your product, and how the two feed each other.
