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Marketplace Seller Requests (Seller Guide)

Use Marketplace Seller Requests to join, leave, or add a TONU leg to a buyer's shipment yourself, with the buyer's approval.

What this does

Marketplace Seller Requests lets you, as a marketplace seller, change your place on a buyer's shipment yourself. You can request to be added to a buyer's shipment, to be removed from it, or to add a TONU leg. The buyer approves or rejects the request, and nothing on the shipment changes until they do. Buyers can send you the same requests, and you approve or reject them.

It works on any shipment type and at any shipment status, as long as you and the buyer have an Approved/Active marketplace relationship. It applies to saved shipments and doesn't replace rating: when a buyer rates with your marketplace tariff, rating adds you to the shipment directly, with no request.

  • Request to join a buyer's shipment directly, without the buyer having to add you first.
  • Get back on a shipment as a TONU leg when you were swapped out and a TONU charge applies to you.
  • Approve or reject requests a buyer sends you, to add you to their shipment or to remove you from it.

 User Guide 

Before you start — what you need first

1. You and the buyer's organization must already have an active marketplace relationship on file. Set this up under LSP → Marketplace Buyer List 


Note: both sides need to show Approved/Active before you can request each other directly.

2. You'll need the "TMS Site Admin" permission on your account to see these options, and your organization must be flagged as a Marketplace Seller.

Note: If you don't see the "Marketplace" menu or the Approval Requests page at all, ask your admin to check both.

Where you manage requests

You manage requests in two places:

  • The "Marketplace" menu is a dropdown on the shipment detail page, located on the Linehaul leg (and on any TONU leg) under Cost Calculations, only visible once you're already active on a shipment. Use it to remove yourself, request a TONU leg, or respond to a buyer’s removal request.

  • The "Approval Requests" page is under LSP. Use it to request to be added as a seller on someone else's shipment, to request a TONU leg, and to track every request you've sent or received, across all your shipments, in one place.
     

Notifications

Every request sends an email when it's submitted, accepted, rejected, or canceled. It goes to both organizations' LSP Alert Email, not just whoever needs to act next. If your organization has no Alert Email set, you won't receive these emails, so check Approval Requests instead. Each event is also recorded in the shipment's Activity Log for your organization. While a request is pending, the leg's "Marketplace" icon shows a small badge, so you always know where to check.

How to add yourself as a marketplace seller

Use this to ask a buyer to add you as the marketplace seller on their shipment's Linehaul leg.

Where to go: LSP → Approval Requests, then click Request to be added as seller.

Step by step:

  1. You'll need to get the shipment ID from the buyer beforehand.
  2. Go to the Approval Requests page under the LSP menu, click Request to be added as seller, and type at least 3 characters of the buyer's shipment number. Only shipments from buyers you're linked with appear, and canceled shipments don't.
  3. If the shipment is found, it will show a short summary with the status, pickup and delivery dates, as well as origin and destination zip codes.
  4. Submit the request. The buyer will see it waiting for their approval.
  5. You and the buyer both get an email confirming the request.

 

Note: On your pricing, your charges (buy and sell) start exactly at the buyer's current rate, with no added margin — you can adjust your own pricing after the request is accepted. Once accepted, the shipment's Bill-To changes to your organization: Third party, using your organization's Invoice Address. It replaces any custom Bill-To on the shipment, so make sure your Invoice Address is correct before you send the request.

Use this only when the buyer's Linehaul leg has no marketplace seller or Factoring Company on it. If it has a seller, including after you've been swapped out, the request is refused. In that case, use Request a TONU leg instead. It works alongside the current seller, as long as the shipment doesn't already have a TONU leg.

How to request a TONU leg

Use this to get back on a buyer's shipment as a TONU leg, for example, when you were swapped out and a TONU charge applies to you. If you're already on the shipment, you can also start it from the Linehaul leg's Marketplace menu → Request a TONU leg.

Where to go: LSP → Approval Requests, then click Request a TONU leg.

Step by step:

  1. You'll need to get the shipment ID from the buyer beforehand.
  2. Enter the buyer's shipment number and the TONU fee you've agreed on.
  3. Submit the request. The buyer will see it waiting for their approval.
  4. You and the buyer both get an email confirming the request.

Note: The TONU fee you enter is your sell amount, and it will also be set as the buyer's buy amount, the buyer will see this exact figure. You can adjust your own pricing after the request is accepted.

You don't have to be a different seller from whoever is currently active on the Linehaul leg, the same seller can be active on both the Linehaul leg and a TONU leg on the same shipment. Either you or the buyer can assign the carrier on the TONU leg, and each side searches from its own carrier network. Agree with the buyer beforehand on which carrier will actually be used — the system doesn’t check or restrict this.

  • Once a bill exists on your side of the TONU leg, you can no longer change your carrier.
  • A shipment can have only one TONU leg, and the buyer must be on the shipment's Linehaul leg.

How to accept a seller addition request

Where to go: LSP → Approval Requests.

Note: As a seller, if a buyer requests you to be added to one of their shipments, you won't have access to the shipment itself yet, so this page is the only place to review and respond to it.

Step by step:

  1. Find the incoming request from the buyer.
  2. Click Accept to join the shipment, or Reject to decline.
  3. Once accepted, you're added at the buyer's current rate with no added margin — adjust your own pricing afterward. The shipment's Bill-To changes to your organization, using your Invoice Address, and Carrier Confirmation moves to you.
  4. You and the buyer both get an email confirming the decision.

How to accept a seller removal request

Use this when a buyer asks to remove you as the marketplace seller on their shipment.

Where to go: LSP → Approval Requests, or the shipment's Cost Calculations section — you still have access, since you're the active seller on the leg.

Step by step:

  1. Find the incoming request from the buyer.
  2. Click Accept to confirm, or Reject to decline.
  3. Accepting this request means you'll lose access to that shipment — the system will warn you before you confirm.
  4. Once accepted, your organization and pricing are removed from the leg entirely. The shipment's Bill-To goes back to the buyer's default.
  5. You and the buyer both get an email confirming the decision.

    Approval Requests


    Shipment's Cost Calculations section

How to remove yourself as a marketplace seller or a TONU leg

Where to go: Open the Linehaul leg's "Marketplace" menu and click Remove me as marketplace seller, 

or open the TONU leg's "Marketplace" menu and click Request removal of TONU leg.

  • Submit the request. The buyer must approve it.
  • If the buyer accepts, you'll lose access to that shipment — the system will warn you before you confirm.
  • Removing a marketplace seller isn't available once accounting has started on that relationship: a bill or invoice on your side, or a bill on the buyer's side. It's also unavailable on a canceled shipment. In either case, the option appears greyed out, with a tooltip explaining why.

How to manage your pending and past requests

Where to go: LSP → Approval Requests.

  • Filter by status (Active (Pending), Approved, Rejected, Canceled, or All) and by date range.

  • Search by shipment number, buyer or seller name, direction, or the request type.
  • If you started a request, you can Cancel it any time before the other party responds — either from this page or from the request's own detail view on the shipment.

  • If someone sent you a request, you'll see Accept and Reject options here. A request stays Pending until the buyer approves or rejects it, or you cancel it. Requests don't expire. If a buyer hasn't responded, contact them directly. Click Refresh to see new requests; the page doesn't update by itself while it's open.

 
Frequently asked questions

What happens to my pricing when I'm added to a shipment?

Your sell-side rate starts exactly at the buyer's current rate, with no margin added yet. You can adjust your own margin independently once the request is accepted.

What happens to the Bill-To when I'm added or removed?

When you're added, the shipment's Bill-To changes to your organization (Third party, using your Invoice Address) and replaces any custom Bill-To. When you're removed, it goes back to the buyer's default, and a custom Bill-To isn't restored.

Can I be active on both the Linehaul leg and a TONU leg of the same shipment?

Yes. You don't have to be a different seller from whoever is currently on the Linehaul leg — the same seller can be active on both the Linehaul leg and a TONU leg on the same shipment.

Can I join a shipment that already has a different seller active on it?

Not through "Request to be added as seller" — that option is only for shipments with no marketplace seller yet. But "Request a TONU leg" works even when a different seller is already active on the Linehaul leg, since a TONU leg is a separate relationship alongside it.

Will I be able to see Carrier Confirmation once I'm added?

Yes. Once you're added as the active marketplace seller on a leg, Carrier Confirmation visibility shifts to you, since you're the one now paying the carrier. The buyer no longer sees those documents on that leg.

Does the shipment's status affect whether I can submit these requests?

No. Add, Remove, and TONU requests can be submitted at any shipment status. What can block a request: accounting has already started on the relationship, the buyer's Linehaul leg already has a seller or a Factoring Company, or the shipment already has a TONU leg. Remove is also greyed out on a canceled shipment.

I was swapped off a shipment. How do I get back on to collect my TONU?

Go to LSP → Approval Requests, click Request a TONU leg, and enter the buyer's shipment number and the TONU fee you agreed on. The buyer approves or rejects it. Don't use Request to be added as seller: after a swap, the Linehaul leg already has the new seller, so that request is refused.

How long does the buyer have to respond?

There's no time limit. A request stays Pending until the buyer approves or rejects it, or you cancel it. If you're waiting on a buyer, contact them directly.

I submitted a request but I don't see it — where did it go?

Check LSP → Approval Requests with the Status filter set to "Active (Pending)." If you still don't see it, try the Refresh button — the list doesn't update automatically while the page is open.

Common messages you might see

What a few of these mean:

  • "The shipment has a marketplace organization on it. This is not a valid state to request to be added." — the buyer's shipment already has an active marketplace seller. Use "Request a TONU leg" instead if you want to join as a second seller alongside the one already active.
  • "A TONU leg already exists for this shipment." — only one TONU leg can exist on a shipment at a time. This can happen even if you don't see a TONU leg from your own view — the buyer or another seller may have already created one.
  • "You cannot remove a marketplace seller with created bills or invoices!" — removal is blocked because a Bill or Invoice already exists on this relationship, on your side or the buyer's. This protects those records.
  • "The shipment has a factoring company on it. This is not a valid state to request to be added." — the buyer's Linehaul leg has a Factoring Company, so a seller can't be added to it."
  • "A matching request is already pending for this shipment. Resolve or cancel it before submitting another." — you already have this request open. Find it on Approval Requests."
  • "This seller is not marketplace-linked to the buyer." or "The marketplace connection with this seller is…" — your relationship with the buyer is missing, blocked, or not yet Approved/Active. Check LSP → Marketplace Buyer List.
  • "The buyer must exist on the linehaul leg!" — the buyer isn't on the shipment's Linehaul leg. Confirm the shipment number with the buyer.

If something doesn't work

  • Make sure you and the buyer's organization have an Approved/Active marketplace relationship on file.
  • Confirm there's no accounting already started on the relationship (a bill or invoice), and that the buyer's Linehaul leg doesn't already have a seller or a Factoring Company. Shipment status never blocks a request.
  • If a request seems stuck, check Approval Requests for its current status before trying again.
  • If you still can't complete a request, contact Tai Support with the shipment number, the buyer's organization name, and the message you saw.

Related Article: 

Marketplace Seller Requests (Buyer Guide)