All Access, No Chill: LeafLink’s Price Hike Sparks Wholesale Whiplash

LeafLink just dropped a bomb on the wholesale side of the industry—and operators across the country are scrambling to respond. On April 22, LeafLink launched its All Access Edition, a slick new suite of tools promising automation, sell-through analytics, and banking integration. But beneath the surface of this tech-forward rollout is a brutal truth: it's going to cost sellers a lot more to use.

And folks are not happy.

The New Fees: A GMV Tax on Success

LeafLink’s new usage-based fee structure adds a tiered pricing model on top of existing subscription costs:

• First $20K in GMV per month: Free

• Next $480K: 0.85% fee

• Above $500K: 0.65% fee

• Vertical transactions (in-house transfers): $15/order flat fee

Example:
A midsize processor doing $400K/month now owes $3,230 in extra fees—$39K a year, just to keep doing business. Larger operators will see six-figure annual fees stack up fast. And for vertically integrated shops running 100 orders a month? That’s $18K/year, even if they never sell to an outside buyer.

None of this replaces the monthly or annual LeafLink subscription—it’s all layered on top.

The Industry Response: From Grumbling to Exodus

The backlash was instant and organized.

• Missouri producers have already committed to switching to Apex starting May 1.

• Colorado operators have a multi-license call scheduled to coordinate an exit.

The problem isn't just the money—it’s the rollout. No warning, no opt-in, no pilot group. Just a usage tax dropped on operators already battling shrinking margins, unpaid invoices, and regulatory pressure from every direction.

In an industry where trust is everything, LeafLink’s move felt less like an upgrade—and more like a power play.

The Alternatives: Apex, BLAZE, Distru… and the Rise of the Auction Model

As LeafLink fumbles its rollout, competitors are making moves:

• Apex is onboarding defectors in Missouri with transparent pricing and fast turnaround.

• BLAZE and Distru are stepping in with flexible integrations and no GMV tax.

Enter GreenLists: The New Kid on the Block

GreenLists, a Colorado-based startup, recently began marketing itself as the “industry’s first cannabis auction platform.” But that’s not quite accurate. New Mexico’s own NM Cannabis Exchange (NMCE) has been quietly operating with a similar model for years, offering wholesale auctions between license holders with compliance-verified listings, weekly bids, and a small membership fee.

While GreenLists has more bells and whistles—automated manifests, real-time transport scheduling, and METRC API sync—it’s still early days. And the question lingering in everyone’s mind is this:

Will GreenLists fizzle out like Leaflink—or find a way to actually solve the problems operators face every day?

Because let’s be real…

Auction Sites Still Aren’t Solving the Right Problems

Here’s where these platforms—old or new—keep missing the mark:

1. They Don’t Stop Bypass Culture
You post a listing, someone DMs you on Instagram, and the deal goes direct. No one wants to pay a platform fee when they can just pick up the phone and skip the middleman.

2. The Listings Suck
Operators aren’t marketers. They’re busy packaging, trimming, or chasing down COAs—not crafting beautiful product pages. So you get blurry photos, half-baked descriptions, and listings that read like a Craigslist post from 2006.

3. The Fees Make No Sense
Sellers already eat the cost of overproduction, price compression, and late payments. Now they’re being asked to fork over 2% on an auction site or $8K+/year on LeafLink? Nah. Nobody wants to pay just to post inventory.

The Real Issue: None of These Platforms Match the Hustle

Whether it's LeafLink, GreenLists, or NMCE, most of these tools were built to impress investors—not serve the operators who make this industry run. They offer dashboards and reporting—but don’t solve real problems like:

• Building trust with new retailers

• Avoiding ghosted reposnses

• Managing last-minute compliance issues

• Creating simple, professional listings when you're out of time and staff

They call themselves marketplaces. But without solving the day-to-day pain points—they're just bulletin boards with billing portals.

What the Market Actually Needs

The tools don’t match the hustle. Operators aren’t looking for another platform that eats margin—they want a system that works for them, not off them.

Here’s what the industry really needs:

• Free basic listings for license holders

• Platform-handled photos and listing support

• Compliance-ready manifests

• No-finder's-fee model—just flat access pricing

• Secure messaging without exposing full business info

• Trust-based ratings and reviews from verified operators

This isn’t about building a prettier dashboard. It’s about building something that understands the actual grind—no marketing fluff, no transaction tax, just real functionality for real operators.

Final Word

LeafLink’s All Access Edition may have been built to streamline the future—but its pricing model is alienating the very backbone of the industry. As Apex, auction platforms, and grassroots solutions rise, the playing field is shifting fast.

One thing is clear: the next big platform won’t be the one with the most features. It’ll be the one that earns back the trust LeafLink just spent.

If you’re thinking about jumping—or building something better—you’re not alone.

Hint-Hint, Wink-Wink