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Press release · WCRC Intelligence Unit · Marketplaces & Platforms · Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026

Etsy leads WCRC's 2026 D2C marketplace table as buyer protection becomes the price of trust

A WCRC analysis of 19 marketplace and platform brands across its India, America and Australia & New Zealand Most Trusted D2C rankings finds that the leaders protect buyers when strangers trade with strangers.

By WCRC Intelligence Unit · Published 13 November 2026 · For immediate release
Marketplaces & Platforms: WCRC Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026 industry analysis cover

13 November 2026. Etsy is the most trusted direct-to-consumer marketplace and platform brand across WCRC's three 2026 Most Trusted D2C rankings, with a WCRC D2C Trust Score of 82.81. It ranks #9 in America's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026.

The analysis, published today by the WCRC Intelligence Unit, brings together 19 marketplace and platform brands: one from India's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026, 12 from America's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026 and six from Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026.

The top five are Etsy (82.81, US #9), Urban Company (82.26, India #10), Airbnb (80.96, US #13), eBay (79.52, US #22) and Mighty Ape (78.80, ANZ #35).

Protection is the common thread. Etsy runs a purchase protection program, Airbnb its AirCover program, and eBay a Money Back Guarantee with authentication for high-value items. Urban Company uses verified, trained professionals and fixed prices.

The group is led by older internet brands. The median founding year is 2005, and eBay (1995), Oz Lotteries (1995) and Expedia (1996) have traded online for about three decades.

“A marketplace asks people to trust someone they have never met. The brands that lead this table step in between the buyer and the seller, with guarantees, verified professionals and authentication. When something goes wrong, they are the ones who make it right.”

WCRC Intelligence Unit

The leaders in each ranking

  • India Most Trusted D2CUrban Company #10 · 82.26
  • US Most Trusted D2CEtsy #9 · 82.81
  • ANZ Most Trusted D2CMighty Ape #35 · 78.80

Read the full report: all 19 brands

Notes to editors

  • The analysis covers India's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026 (1 brands); America's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026 (12 brands); Australia & New Zealand's Most Trusted D2C Brands 2026 (6 brands).
  • Revenue figures are as per company filings for the latest available financial year.
  • Only brands whose owners publish financial results were considered for these rankings.
  • Ranked brands may licence their WCRC badge for marketing use. Contact consulting@wcrcint.com.

About WCRC. WCRC (World Centre for Research and Consulting) is an independent research and consulting organisation. It publishes brand rankings including the World's Most Powerful 100 Brands, regional and national Most Powerful 100 Brands rankings, and national Most Trusted D2C Brands rankings, through its sites wcrcint.com, wcrcleaders.com and mostvaluablebrands.com. The WCRC Intelligence Unit publishes research briefings and industry analysis.

Media contact. WCRC Intelligence Unit, consulting@wcrcint.com

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Disclaimers

  1. Who was considered. Only brands whose owners publish financial results were considered for the underlying rankings. Brands that do not publish their financials have not been assessed or ranked. Not being in this analysis says nothing about a brand's quality.
  2. Source of every fact. This analysis uses only the facts published in WCRC's 2026 rankings named on this page, each checked twice against independent public sources. Scores, ranks and facts are as published in those rankings.
  3. Comparing scores. Brands from different rankings in the same family share one scoring method, so their scores can be read side by side. Scores marked provisional are WCRC desk assessments awaiting validation by the WCRC Business Intelligence Unit.
  4. Independent opinion. This analysis is WCRC's independent research and opinion, based on publicly available information as of November 2026. It is not an endorsement of any brand.
  5. Not a valuation or advice. Scores measure brand strength. They are not a financial valuation, and nothing here is investment, financial or purchasing advice.
  6. Revenue. Revenue is shown as per company filings for the latest available financial year. Where only group revenue is published, the group figure is shown and labelled. WCRC has not audited any figure.
  7. Trademarks. Brand names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used here for identification only. Their use does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by WCRC.
  8. Use of the badge. Ranked brands may use their WCRC badge only as provided, unaltered and linked to their ranking page. Any other use of the WCRC name, badge or data needs WCRC's written permission.
  9. Rights and AI. © 2026 WCRC. All rights reserved. WCRC's scoring methods are proprietary. Copying, text and data mining, and use of this content to train artificial intelligence models are not permitted without written permission; WCRC expressly reserves these rights, including under Article 4 of EU Directive 2019/790.
  10. Corrections. To report an error or ask for a review, write to consulting@wcrcint.com. Corrections are made promptly.