Marketplace or Agency: How to Tell the Difference and Why It Matters

The words agency and marketplace describe service models, but they do not tell you everything about a staffing arrangement. Compare the actual contract, responsibilities, charges and workflow before choosing a supplier.

Ask who does what

Ask who contracts with or employs the professional, who pays them, who selects the assignment and who handles changes. Establish who checks credentials, provides orientation, carries relevant insurance and responds when coverage changes. Suppliers using the same label may have different arrangements.

Staffy describes its service as a marketplace connecting independent professionals with organizations posting shifts. That description does not by itself determine the legal classification of an individual working relationship.

Compare total costs

Use current quotes for equivalent roles, locations, hours and service requirements. Include applicable fees, administration, travel, cancellation conditions, benefits or employment costs where relevant. Distinguish gross worker compensation from take-home pay and the organization’s total cost.

This article does not establish a typical agency markup or a percentage saving from using Staffy. The earlier 35–60% spread and 20–35% saving were not supported by a defined comparison. The earlier $85, $50, $58 and $62 example was not a verified customer result.

Compare booking and coverage

Ask how an organization reviews requests and confirms a booking, what happens if a professional cancels, and what support is included. Availability and time to fill vary. Neither the supplier’s label nor the size of a network guarantees coverage.

Verify credential responsibilities

Ask which source each check uses, how current it is, who reviews exceptions and what evidence the organization can inspect. If a supplier offers credential software, demonstrate the relevant workflow rather than assuming every expired record automatically blocks every assignment.

Review contractual questions properly

Do not rely on a checklist about uniforms, training, schedules or payment frequency to determine worker classification. Review the actual arrangement and applicable requirements with appropriate professional advice. Required orientation and safety responsibilities should not be removed on the basis of a marketing article.

Run a meaningful comparison

Define the desired coverage and the measures before a trial. Compare confirmed and completed assignments, total cost, changes and support using the same definitions. Keep source records and separate observed results from expectations.

Ask Staffy for current service and account terms when evaluating the marketplace. No invoice-based savings or response-time promise is made by this article.

Editorial correction, October 19, 2026: removed unsupported savings and markup figures, automatic credential-blocking claims and oversimplified worker-classification instructions. This guide now supports a contract-specific evaluation.