Advice-First Commerce Using Home Depot API
Q&A with Dan Spinosa and Drew Stanley from Fixable on building a managed marketplace for DIYers
This turns product sales into a low risk add on that makes the core advice product much more useful. Fixable does not need warehouses, trucks, or store inventory to sell materials. It can tell a homeowner exactly what to buy after a video consult, put those items in a cart, and collect a 5% to 6% commission. That keeps the workflow simple, advice first, checkout second, while borrowing Home Depot for fulfillment.
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The product motion is concrete. A homeowner shows a project over text, photos, or video, a pro says which valve, wire, or tool is needed, then Fixable can attach a buy now step so the materials arrive before the weekend job starts. The commerce piece follows the consult, it does not replace it.
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This is lighter weight than what Houzz Pro built for contractors and designers. Houzz Pro plugged Home Depot's 3.5M plus product catalog into estimates, proposals, invoices, and purchase orders. Fixable is aiming at a simpler consumer moment, turning one repair question into one recommended basket of parts.
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It also separates Fixable from labor marketplaces like Taskrabbit. Taskrabbit is mainly hired to do the assembly or odd job itself. Fixable is trying to win earlier, at the moment someone is still attempting the project alone and needs the right instructions plus the right materials in one flow.
The natural next step is moving from affiliate style resale into higher margin owned products. Once Fixable sees repeated seasonal jobs like winterizing sprinklers, pest control, or lawn care, it can bundle the exact consumables those jobs require and eventually white label them. That shifts Fixable from referral fees toward a repeat purchase home maintenance engine.