This post was edited on February 21, 2013.
For the majority of online buyers and sellers, eBay has become synonymous with the online marketplace. But even with hundreds of millions of registered users and over $9 billion in revenue, many are not happy with the platform. Here are 17 worthy (and often cheaper) alternatives to the eBay juggernaut.
Like it or Leave it: eBay is Still the King of Online Marketplaces
Even those who are not so fond of eBay still have to admit that the site remains the go-to place to buy and sell a wide variety of items worldwide. The statistics, such as those mentioned above, speak for themselves, and sellers in particular cannot overlook the potential exposure that can be achieved by building up a presence on the site.
Nevertheless, there is a significant population of users who are unhappy with eBay. The most frequent complaints include: expensive seller fees, intense competition, and weak markets in select niches- typically in crafts and certain groups of collectible items.
To fill in the gap, there has been a growing set of rising stars- online marketplaces that are gaining in popularity and interest. Each offers services and a setup that differs from eBay and that may be better suited to certain industries and business models. Many experts in online selling recommend that sellers and small business owners continue to maintain a presence on eBay, but they should also try out some of these other sites in order to supplement their income.
17 eBay Alternatives for Buyers and Sellers
Here are 17 of the most popular eBay alternatives (not in any particular order) that online buyers and sellers may want to consider using:
1. Artfire
Artfire is an online marketplace with a focus on crafts, craft supplies, vintage goods, and fine art. Unlike eBay, sellers pay no fees unless they choose to open a Pro account. In that case, they pay a monthly subscription fee. There are several helpful features to the site including: SEO tools, a coupon feature, and Google Analytics integration. Artfire also receives high marks for customer service and the overall administration of the site.
2. Ruby Lane
Ruby Lane has a decent following among the buyers and sellers of high-end antiques, collectibles, and vintage items. Though many of the site’s users consider it to be a worthwhile and profitable venue, some users, however, may find their fee structure to be a bit expensive (and even prohibitive in some cases). It really depends on what is being sold and how much the sellers build up their storefronts.
3. Bonanza
Bonanza is a general online marketplace offering fixed price listings on general merchandise, including fashion items and collectibles. Compared to other sites, Bonanza has one of the lowest fees- which is a draw for those who need to keep their overhead costs down. However, there is no auction-style buying and selling, and the site is a virtual no-name when compared to the likes of eBay.
4. Ebid
Ebid is like eBay’s smaller, less well-known brother. It offers several merchant programs including, auctions, fixed price transactions, and storefronts. EBid is also notably a Google Shopping Marketplace Partner. One key feature to the site is the “Ninja listing tool” that allows for bulk uploading. There is also a very reasonable fee structure.
5. iOffer
Like many of the other sites in this list, iOffer supports an auction format, and sellers can also sell items at a fixed price. What makes iOffer unique, however, is its swaps and trades platform. Sellers can automatically receive a storefront when they upgrade to a seller account. The store and all listings are free, and they will only pay a fee when items are sold.
6. Amazon
Amazon has been supporting a successful non-auction merchant program for a while now. But, if you are looking for a break from seller fees, you won’t find them here. On Amazon, sellers can create either an individual or business account, each with different features. Both accounts have the option to use the “Fulfillment by Amazon” program, allowing sellers to store and ship their products from Amazon fulfillment centers. Individual accounts will incur fees only when an item sells- a feature that may work well for low sales volume. Professional accounts have a monthly charge but also have lower selling fees than individual accounts. With a professional account sellers can add their own products to Amazon.com, but individual accounts are limited to existing products.
7. Etsy
For those who create handmade items or sell craft supplies or vintage products, Etsy.com is a compelling alternative to eBay. Etsy.com has a unique culture and an exceptionally loyal following of buyers. The site does have some restrictions, however: items must either be hand-made by the seller, over 20 years old, or be commercial or handmade crafting supplies. Though setting up a storefront is free, fees are charged for listing items with an initial listing period of four months.
8. TIAS
TIAS is one of the oldest marketplaces, offering fixed price transactions in antiques, collectibles, arts and crafts, and jewelry. The site also provides sellers with various store formats to choose from as well as several levels of customer support. TIAS does have a minimum fee requirement, but if a seller’s TIAS commissions are higher than the minimum fee, then only the commission is paid. Other services provided by TIAS include the submission of auctions automatically to eBay and the sending of listings to over 2000 classified ad networks.
9. Ealtbay
The online auction website EAltBay was initially created so that those who buy and sell legal items that have been banned by eBay would have a place to set up and browse online auctions. Ealtbay offers free listings and very reasonable final value fees. There are also several payment options including PayPal.
10. Delcampe
Delcampe is an online auction specializing in antiques and collectibles, including stamps, coins, and postcards, though other items can also be found there. Like Ealtbay above the fees are pretty reasonable and there are a variety of payment options.
11. eCRATER
eCRATER is both a free web store builder and an online marketplace. There are millions of products listed, and addition to the free and easy webs store builder, sellers can use Google Wallet at checkout
All listed items area also submitted to Google Product Search. Finally, there is a feature that allows sellers to import their products from eBay.
12. Bidstart
Bidstart is another online auction specializing in collectibles. The fees here are about half that of eBay, so it’s definitely worth some consideration.
13. Storenvy
Storenvy is an online store platform that hosts about 19,000 creative entrepreneurs and small businesses, for a total of over 320,000 different products. The best part is that Storenvy is that the service is totally free for both buyers and sellers.
14.Quibids
Here’s another really cool option for online buyers or business owners looking to update their equipment, furnishings, or other inventory. This is a fast moving penny auction site. You have to pay a small fee to place a bid (currently it’s $0.60), but the savings (as much as 95% off the retail price on a brand new item) can be shocking. Just expect to spend a little time getting used to the site and how it works to learn how and when to place a bid. Once you get the hang of it, you can really score some deals. Just beware, it can get addictive!
15. Asos Marketplace
At Asos Marketplace, fashion minded people from around the world can buy and sell new, pre-owned and vintage fashion, whether it comes from designer labels and boutiques or from individuals wanting to sell individual pieces. The site is well laid-out and clean, and all of the photos on the site are shot by real people in regular conditions, so you get a better idea of what the clothes will look like out on the street. People on the site can set their own prices, so the savings can be really great, and the customer service and return policies are solid.
Onlineauction.com stays true to the off-line auction where the highest bid wins. The site features a low $8 monthly membership fee, no listing or re-listing fees, and no sales commissions. Sellers can post personal website information with every listing.
17. Liquidation.com
Liquidation.com is a marketplace where professional buyers can source commercial surplus inventory and government surplus assets in an online environment. Bulk lots are sold by the truckload, pallet, or small package, and conditions range from new in a box to customer returns and used. Product categories include: apparel, computers, electronics, housewares, industrial equipment, and even vehicles.
Although eBay is a popular and successful venue for online buying and selling, there are several other options that can greatly increase exposure and online sales and improve the buying experience.
you know I remember eBay when it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. But things change, eBay used to be simple and easy. Used to be easy to make money on eBay until big business jumped on the bandwagon with their huge advantage of being able to buy products in bulk that a small businessman cannot do.
Profit margins are now so small it feels like you’re making the same money you would if you were someone else by the hour, what’s the point in that? I started on eBay to build my own business and be my own boss, not feel like just another worker. Those heydays are gone now and you have to work harder than ever if you want to make any money off eBay.
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I’ve noticed this pattern also, but not just with eBay… It think it is just “hardwired” into the way the Internet and now social media is set up. At first there are niches, and much-touted new opportunties for the small, independent types, but then it doesn’t take long before people (or companies) come in and figure out how to game the system to their advantage while in many cases pushing those same small, independent types out the door.
For the majority of people or small businesses, it they want to make money online, then they have to be on their toes.
I agree with the above posters. eBay has just become too big and clunky. The interface is ridiculously complicated. The only good aspect of it is that there is so much exposure but even that is complicated by the fact that there are too many people selling too much on there. I am going to try out eBid and possibly Bonanza as well and see if I can make enough off of there to quit eBay. If so I will do it gladly. Thanks for the links! Great site.
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It seems ebay is falling into the same thinking that some flea markets had they ignored the sellers who put on the show ,the hard work of the merchant the setting up and maintaining the store so to speak,also supplying the goods,they paid more attention to the buyers leaving no rights for the sellers,ebay has outdated rules that allow buyers to walk all over the sellers,like the feedback system it does not work,the buyer can say anything without any responseability.leaving you with bad ratings and the seller has no say in the matter,the alternative sales should join forces and combine their efforts to out do ebay as it is to big like a few other things are,there should be a better way.
eBay sucks. Everyone knows it. But you have no choice with some items you want to sell. Prepare to judge and vilify, but remember I am laughing and don’t care. I make tons of money on eBay. And it’s because of one thing. EVERY single item I sell is stolen. Either by me, or for me. Can’t beat the profit margin. And I still only clear $3-5,000 a month. I honestly don’t see how honest people can do it when a scumbag like me can barely make 50k a year with next-to-nothing overhead. I have a B.A. in business administration and it’s worthless. But my skills at stealing are priceless. Only in America
Mike, you are a moron for posting this. Maybe you should have some consideration for the people you are stealing from and return their items
You have got to give him credit. I always said to myself that the only way people were making any money on ebay was if the product was free.
I *KNEW* it!!! Thank you, Mike. When you see almost new Prada shoes selling for $12.99, an almost new Libaire shoulder bag for $18, and so on, you KNOW such items must have ‘disappeared’ from a gym, a cloakroom, a moving van, a hotel, a Goodwill donation box, a public pool, a department store, a hospital, a nursing home, etc. My only question about your posting is that business administration IS yet another form of stealing, sanctioned by a corrupt culture that rewards laziness and greed over working with one’s hands.
I have been selling on eBay for over 10 years. The transformation that has taken place over the years is just awful. The biggest problem is that nobody reads anything. My partners and I used to provide comprehensive descriptions on all of our items along with a large number of crystal clear, perfectly lighted photographs so that the customer could see everything about the item and read everything they could possibly want to know. Because nobody read anything. They would see the first photo and bid or do a buy it now. We worked very hard to be sure that the buyer, (if they bothered to read), would know for example, that the item worked but had some cosmetic flaws or another example, that the item was being sold “as is” because we did not have accurate means to test it. We’d say that the item powered up but we don’t know if it works properly, etc. We ALWAYS had our phone numbers and email addresses in every listing. So, what would have been a very fair situation turned into a ton of litigation for eBay because nobody read anything… or even bothered to look at all the photos where we would demonstrate flaws, features, etc. So now, eBay is up our kazoos with a microscope and basically the buyer is always right. It irks me that on eBay, (like the rest of society, today), nobody is responsible for anything and sellers are all money grubbing bad guys. It’s really sad. And yes, now the fees are way too high. eBay charges fees on the shipping now!! It’s absolutely ridiculous. Shipping is SOO expensive now. And, they are always encouraging sellers to ship for free- WHAT? It’s insane. I am going to start listing at lots of different sites and hopefully one day, one will become big enough to be real competition for the bean counters at eBay.
Ebay should fear the future of Facebook.
I agree! We have been on ebay for over 10yrs as well. They not only have made their fees so incredibly high for the seller, they make it virtually impossible to calculate exactly how much or WHY they are charging what they are charging. Tax time is a nightmare! They have also made it insanely difficult to keep your ratings up, even if you are unlike the idiot above who is selling stolen items, and you are an honest hard working company the buyer is ALWAYS right, and you have no recourse. SO you have to sell low cost items and no profit to gain more positive feedback in order to override all the buyers who do not ever read your listing and complain. OR due to ebay’s new ‘estimated delivery’ date is unhappy and leaves negative feedback which could shut your business down! I called ebay to ask about this and they likened it to being a Macy’s, I said, NO ONE is going to take away Macy’s business license or right to do business because of their bad feedback. They may however just lose business if they choose to disregard those negative feedbacks! It is really awful!
EBay is indeed still the online auction king, albeit a reluctant one. Their CEO has stated publicly that they want to be an eCommerce site similar to Amazon, and that they don’t want the online auction to be the core of their business (WSJ/FBN Feb 18, 2011 article). This why they have been making moves that have made sellers so uncomfortable. The only real solution is to seek out an eBay alternative. I use Ealtbay. It is an online auction that has free listings, very low final value fees, lets you sell anything that is legal, and you can take payment in any form, not just paypal.
hello i also find ebay a pain in the a– ,i sell cuckoo clocks and i have had nothing but problems since chirstmas i have had 2 customers that have charge backs ,i had the shipping pappers with dhl with tracking nubers and ebay still give the buyer there money back and when i called ebay they said i can dispute it but if i loose that then they said its up to me to get my money back .
ebay always beleive the buyer and the seller just looses iv,e lost $1,800 in the last two weeks because morronic customers want the clock for free there is so much scaming useing ebay charge back to screw sellers is ealtbay a busy place to sell please get in touch with your problems
ebay is biased against buyers. Their feedback system says this. One might think it is great that buyers cannot get negative feedback, but sellers are offered a service to get red flags if a buyer has given a seller even one bad or neutral feedback. The seller blocks you from bidding and even blocks the seller from emailing the buyer to found out why your bid was blocked, like after you spend two hours searching for an item. This is humiliating to buyers.
This means ebay prefers sellers, and views any negative feedback by buyers as detrimental to buyers. The sellers pay the fees but they get the money from the buyers. Sellers and business owners are not an elitist class, but what do you expect from a culture with a CEO who tried to buy the governorship of California? We are the 99% that includes buyers.
Whatever,… No one forces you to buy from ebay. You 1% of the horrible buyers that either don’t pay or demand more of the seller than is sensible, make selling nearly unbearable. Sellers have no way to warn others of bad buyers, and you think it’s too much that they be able to tell when a buyer has a hair trigger on their negative feedback button. That’s laughable. Also, you trying to slip your political views into your senseless post removed any bit of credibility you may have otherwise had.
That’s laughable, man. eBay is biased against BUYERS? I’m a collector that has done a load of buying in my 13 years but have sold off some of my collection more recently.
eBay and PayPal make it FAR too easy for a buyer to get anything they want for free (is anyone other than me fearful of an empty box claim I’ve heard is a no-win for the seller?), return items for buyer’s regret (just call it not as described), and they settle disputes with no real discussion or investigation.
I just had a buyer that uses two handles and returns half the items he buys (it turns out he was swapping parts out to get the perfect item at the perfect price)… eBay feedback would do nothing to warn me and after my recent dealing with them, I could care less if I don’t use eBay again… PayPal either, since they’re one and the same, guided by the same policies and principals.
They want foot traffic on the site and sales volume to report to stockholders… sellers are just the bait in the mousetrap and they bank on the fact that you’ll stay because they’re eBay. They don’t care if a buyer is bad news… that buyer will pull the trigger on listings and that’s what they’re concerned about.
I’m tired of it… I’ll try some of the other sites listed. Complaints to eBay brass are as useless as the Seller Protection Policy… perhaps a social media campaign would be more effective. I wish more people realized what it’s like to try to sell on eBay…
We have been buying of Ebay for years and we have sold too and I have to agree with owldog comment above here. Ebay is getting more and more hard and really unfair with buyers. Because buyers can`t receive negative feedback any longer from sellers , they decided to make it harder for buyers ! We are honest buyers with excellent feedback, we buy and we pay immediately, we respect the rules and the Ebay policy but even after all this, I feel Ebay is constantly unfairly targeting my account. I buy a lot almost on daily basis and this is the problem. Because, I buy a lot and almost daily on Ebay, consequently I have to deal with many sellers ( some bad sellers, beachy argumentative sellers, good sellers rarely .. ) when you deal with so many, you put your self at risk to receive complains which are untrue. So I decided not to reply to ‘weird’ emails and not leaving feedback except for positive in order to reduce the risk. Ebay does not care if these complains are untrue or not, their software count them and when these are 3 or 4 .. bang !! the poor buyer is served. For my own experience, Ebay in the recent 4-5 years 99% sides with sellers about any kind of complain and the poor buyer had to pay the price ! (unfair restrictions ,notes, allarming emails, Ebay emails with black mails ..ect ). As mentioned I am a seller too and I`ve noticed how easy it is for a seller to report ANYTHING. Not quite the same thing if you are a buyer !
Recently, I have sold two items, one of these got damaged after the auction, I informed the buyer and suggested to cancel the sale, buyer did not accepted the cancellation, I still had to pay Ebay and paypal costly fees ! plus he opened a paypal case, paypal kept the money for 45 days, reversed the payment back to the buyer and I still had to pay also extra paypal protection fees. I paid the extra fees requested immediately and after 5 days I`ve got my account restricted for 90 days because these idiots at Ebay did not see my payment for the extra £4 fees which was correctly sent to them a week before. Now 1 week later, finally Ebay noticed my payment sent 7 days before and now I am waiting to have my account re-insteated ! Obviuosly all this caused me a LOT of stress and upsetting for nothing. There is no doubt that Ebay is a powerful criminal organisation milking factory !! We hate Ebay and their way to control and targeting honest people.
I’ve been on ebay for 12 years but what started out as a great thing has turned into disgusting…..There needs to be lawsuits against ebay and paypal for
1. what happens to all the extra interest they collect for their dumb fake dsr rules.
2. charging us a piece of the pie for the actual shipping charges.
WE CAN AND MUST GET TOGETHER FOR A GOOD OLD FASHIONED STRIKE AND A FEW CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS WITH ALL OF US INVOLVED, There’s strength in numbers folks, let’s use those numbers to our advantage.
I’d start it but I’m lost as to how, someone PLEASE get the ball rolling and I’ll be one of the first ones on the front lines.
I agree. I have so much stuff I bought at thrift stores to sell on eBay, I made sure all my products were authentic. Then, today the restricted me from selling in the clothing and accessories category, which I specialize in. No explanation, nothing! Now, I owe THEM money! HOW DO YOU START A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT FOR ALL THEIR OVERCHARGES, MAKING MONEY OFF SMALL SELLERS AND THEN RESTRICTING THEM!??
I AGREE EVERYONE NEEDS TO BAN EBAY, ONE DAY OR ANOTHER THEY WILL BURN YOU!!
Hi everyone, I was so fed up with family and friends moaning about listing/selling fees on e-Bay & similar sites that I have created http://www.adsere.com/ which is totally free of charge! a new free classified ads site where you can create your own trading communities enabling you to buy & sell among like minded people. Hopefully instilling some trust back into buying & selloing on-line!
I think MyDeals247.com is the true alternative for eBay and Amazon. Its totally free. And the business model is very different unlike eBay. Being sellers, we get an opportunity to deal with the buyer directly. Its awesome. As far I know, MyDeals247 is only active in India. I don’t if they are in US and other countries yet.
Hi,
I have set up an ebay style auction dedicated to the arts and crafts community.
It’s very new so all the help we could get to make it work would be appreciated.
It costs 30c to advertise an item, but there are no final value fees and 5 images can be uploaded free!
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Tried out having a store on eBay, didn’t mind the $25 fee considering all the sophisticated tools they supply you with to run your online business professionally. However, I find the recent announcement regarding a truly savage increase of double the price, $50- yes $50 for a basic store on the .au site, both offensive and insulting- let alone the new terms and conditions they will impose on sellers over and above this. I am SO disappointed with them, and the way in which they treat their regular customers, namely, sellers. Welcome to the Westfield of online shopping- once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. The ‘new improved’ eBay in 2013 + will bore you to tears, as all the interesting, unique and niche items it built its monopoly on will have been banished from eBay. Thanks for giving us some pointers as to where they will be found!
I have been selling on Ebay for about 1 year. I also buy on Ebay-items that I want to resale. However I have been suspended permanently for selling items that I purchased on Ebay as authentic. The last item I posted that resulted in my suspension was a Pandora item. I called Ebay first before listing and was told it was “absolutely ok” to list the item. The next day I was suspended permanently as a result of the Ebay Reps advise. They will not even listen to my explanation of the situation. I have spent over $10,000 building my store and now they decide to shut me down!
That’s extremely frustrating… Do you have the rep’s name? Maybe you could try sending emails- at least there you could fully explain yourself. You could also try posting about the situation in their forums.
Good luck.
“I have spent over $10,000 building my store…”
What exactly did you spend 10Gs on?
You could have had your own top-notch eCommerce website for that, with change leftover.
Depending on the merchandise being sold, there may be other expenses associated with running an online store, such as purchasing supplies or product inventory and buying equipment to take pictures, etc.
This has just happened to me. I had live bids expiring today and tomorrow and they permanently restricted me with no reason. I had worked hard to drive traffic. They’re unfair and draconian especially if you complain of their bad service. It was an obvious retarliation to my complains. These are things that makes me lose faith in humanity. If we could all just choose the right thing which may not be the easiest thing it would be better place. Seriously.
I use iOffer to complement my eBay business, I may expand to others as well, but I am busy with those two so far!
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If it works for you, then why change it?
This is a great find because not all items are available on ebay and sometimes deals are not appropriate to what you are expecting. Alternatives are a must.
i was a ebay seller but the fees where to mucho for me, so i change to ecrater, the traffict is slow but i dont pay fee, only the paypal fee…
you are very welcome to see my items.
Ebay sucks they are greedy and frauds they are teaching buyers to steal and cheat and create frauds and scams legally. Both eBay and it’s buyer members are changing working ethics, harmoney of global online working atmosphere. Ebay needs to be banned. The amount of money they have swindled from sellers is illegal. I am waiting to see an end of Ebay permanently what I do not understand is how American government is ignoring eBay’s illegal ways of doing business. Disgusting. More and more sellers are now looking for alternatives to eBay including myself. One such alternative is Facebook. I have recently opened my shop at Facebook and hoping to make a success of it.
May an end of eBay come soon.
Ebay sucks because many buyers and sellers there are thieves. Big stores are big because they are good at what they do. I regularly get free cameras and other electronics then resell them.
I sell on Ebay successfully because I know how to do it. When I work my 12 hour days I clear after fees and non payers about 600 bucks a day every day. I can go about a month or two that way then I crash for a week.
Ebay has been going downhill for quite some time. Having bought and sold I have to say the biggest thing I hate is that a seller no longer can give negative feedback to a buyer yet the buyer can give it to the seller. It makes me feel that if I don’t bend over backwards for the person buying my item, even if they are being unreasonable or trying to scam me, my reputation will get ruined and I have no way to give the buyer a mark for their negative behavior. The fees have also gotten quite high for sellers. After Ebay takes their fee Paypal steps up and wants theirs even they are both owned by the same company! Also, since Ebay owns Paypal there is no recourse if Ebay screws you over.
The one thing that I find funny is those that are selling on Facebook. Facebook is just as bad, if not a worse company than Ebay! They claim ownership of everything their users post and sell access to their user’s personal information!!! They are on their way into oblivion just like Ebay.
Hi. Well I’ve been with ebay for 7yrs, with 1017 sales to date. Yesterday they suspended my account for having too many returns or goods not arrived. Problem was chinese items i got don’t track into UK, and a lot went missing or shipped to different address. Ebay fees are far too high. They have terrible south american support (their english is bad) so i’m glad they suspended my account. I was using it less and less and out of the 1000+ transactions, 10% of those I had been scammed, sent faulty items, sent brick, block of wood, wrong colour wrong sizes etc etc, and they want to blame good ebayers like me sold them. So I’m off to ebid now and using online service less and and less due to fraudulant information and theft. My advice if you can get it from a shop or try it on, go there as you can spend a lot of time and money sending stuff back worse than a catalogue…
ebay has 100% lost its charm it had 5yrs ago when it was simple fast and you could make a profit.
paypal must be terminated!
Hi Guys,
TrueGether is a marketplace to buy and sell things with people you can trust. TrueGether gives social network recommendations, connections, reviews and ratings of buyers and sellers, so you can better decide to go ahead or pass on a transaction. It also tells you if you are connected to people on other side of the transaction through your network or location.
Could you guys please take a look? I hope that you would get involved and help build this site up. Without involvement of people like you we can not create a successful alternative to ebay.
I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.
Prashant
Hello
I would like to sell my jewellery on a site. Does anyone have any experience selling this type of thing on bonanza.com? Or could you recommend another good website?
Thanks
Wow, people mad at eBay must be directed here. Just to state my opinions:
1. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, if you are willing to COMMUNICATE, and are HONEST & REASONABLE, you should not have problems with eBay!! I have both bought thousands of dollars worth of items from eBay, and sold thousands of dollars worth of items on eBay. Yes, you may have an occasional trading partner that you really wish you could have avoided, but they will be the EXCEPTION, NOT THE RULE! I believe that eBay will only start giving you a hard time if MULTIPLE people complain about you. IF YOU WERE AN HONEST & REASONABLE BUYER OR SELLER THAT WAS WILLING TO COMMUNICATE, YOU DEFINITELY WOULD NOT HAVE THAT PROBLEM!!!
2. eBay is MUCH MUCH MUCH more on the side of the buyer!! Currently, that is. There is absolutely no doubt about that! However, I know they have REALLY been pushing the “Buyer Protection” plan that they offer (I get a notice about it EVERY SINGLE TIME I log-in to go to my SELLING account!) right now. Were they always so much sided with the buyer like this? No. But I believe they have been this way for several years now.
3. This is about the article, not the comments: Amazon’s fees are SURPRISINGLY LESS THAN eBay’s??? That absolutely isn’t true right now, and I don’t think it has been for at least the 3 years that I’ve been selling on Amazon! Amazon’s fees are SURPRISINGLY MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN EBAY’s!!! IMO at least!!
4. I’m in the USA, but I don’t think that’s where many of these really mad buyers are from. I don’t know a thing about eBay outside of the US – maybe there are big differences. But what some of these people are saying, I find ridiculous.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. Take care all!
Sharon (Bewareofmommabear)
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for your comments and for alerting me to Amazon’s current fee burden. This post was originally written two years ago, and it looks like things have changed. I’ve updated the Amazon description above.
And yeah, there is a lot of negativity towards eBay- some of it justified, some of it not. But the shear intensity and pervasiveness of it all definitely points to the fact that something (or many somethings) is not working.
Hi Adam,
You’re welcome, and I apologize for too adamantly stating my opinions. I was in a mood yesterday, lol.
You know, I am very familiar with the fee structure for the Amazon departments that I do sell in, but not at all with the departments I don’t. So I shouldn’t have stated that Amazon is always much more costly than eBay – I know in some cases they are (like books), but I don’t KNOW for a fact that they are ALWAYS more expensive – I would need to research that further. I think their fee depends on the department, and I don’t sell items in all departments.
I will say, though, that I am definitely much more annoyed with Amazon than I am with eBay, as far as selling goes, but I have way to many gripes about them, so I’ll save that for another time
I came back to this article to look at the suggestions again – and realized that I never said “thank you”, which I had originally meant to leave a comment saying, so I apologize. I’m not sure if you wrote the article or just edit/maintain it, but either way, THANK YOU. I did learn some new information that I was not aware of, and I hope to look into a few of these sites further.
Take care
Sharon
No need to apologize… “adamant” opinions are welcome
And, we ALL have those kinds of days… Just men don’t admit it.
Thanks for clarifying about Amazon. I’ll look into it further and see what the story is. This post was originally written by a guest poster, and I’ve been updating it since. Some of the sites I’m personally familiar with, others I’ve just researched. Amazon is one of the researched ones (at least from the seller end.
And finally, you’re welcome
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Hello everyone,
Stumbled upon this thread last night and have to say I have been looking for an Ebay alternative for a while now where I have at least some traffic. The only place I can seem to sell anything is on Etsy. I have tried a load of others and always check traffic ratings. Etsy seems to be the only one that promotes for you like Ebay does and has shoppers looking to buy instead of just being brought to you items. I use twitter and a few other ways of being seen and I have traffic everywhere else but no one ever buys all they do is look. I have sold over 30 items in the past 2 months on etsy an have sold nothing anywhere else. I have spent a load of time posting item son webstore, bonanza, and a few other places and non have moved a single item. Amazon just plan sucks in my opinion. I think if I have to promote and pay for listing fees at a few places I post I may as well build my own website and promote it. Seems like that is what I do for other websites anyways. Dont really know what that is the way it seems.
I use to sell on ebay and loved it making around $4k a week. Back when I was the only one selling the items that i posted on there. I had a few buyers that returned items and and ripped me off. Ebay didnt want to do a thing about it. I went back to ebay a few months ago. Seen there fees and the 100 post limit. Both completely screwed me. Everything I sell has variations. they count each variation as a single item so needless to say I could only post around 10 items. and in the end I made nothing because of there fees. So i closed my account and started looking for other places. Ebay was great and now it just sucks. To many changes and there are NOT for the seller. No matter what anyone says they are not. In ht e few instances that the buyer screwed me Ebay was always on there side and gave them there money back. wouldn’t even let me explain or see my side of things even though i had proof against the buyer. They didn’t care. So I am still looking for places to sell with some traffic.
Hi Jonathan,
I’ve looked at some of your products and here’s what I’d suggest: It’s definitely a good idea to build some kind of website to showcase your products, explain who you are, and even provide a medium for customers to make a purchase.
Since the products you are selling are heavily image-based, to start generating traffic to this site, you may want to look into image-based social platforms, such as Pinterest and Instagram.
If you know who your typical customers are, then you could also go to websites/forums, etc where they hang out, build up a presence there, and then make sure your profile has a link back to your site.
Good luck
Someone needs to open a legit auction site to run out eBay. With all their fees (including their latest fee – final value on the shipping cost) sellers don’t realize if they have a lot of items for sale but they are giving eBay the majority of their profit. One example I had that was easy to calculate was a 1 6 oz. recipe tin box. Same shipping in the U.S. priority mail. I had a price tag on it of $1.99 & the shipping was the exact amount it cost me to ship it. By the time it was all said & done eBay had .98 cents of my $1.99 item so I made $1.01 but then you have to consider the PayPal fees which is eBay’s profit also & that came out of the $1.01 so I was lucky to have cleared .50 cents off that item…. Ridiculous!
On eBid your fees would have been less than $0.10. Though you would still have to give eBay some money through Paypal fees. I have done the maths, and anyone selling low priced items on eBay is wasting their time, there is simply no profit in it after the fees.
Hi,
If everyone on here would file a complaint with the Better Business Beaueau against Ebay then things might change. Call them, and call your local television affiliates and see if one will pick up the story. I completely agree, Ebay screws the seller every which way and the only way to fight is with press coverage and complaints to the BBB. I hope this encourages some of you. Thanks.
I have been a member of eBay since 2003- I’ve been on both sides -buying and selling. Overall my experience has been good. I’ve bought 2 cars, a computer, laptop, and a diamond engagement ring. I’ve done close to 400 transactions with little issues and have 100% positive feedback. I recently decided to sell some home decor items that I don’t use anymore (plus I could use the cash). I decided to go with eBay over CL because I didn’t want to meet people in person. So far I’ve sold about 5 items and when it’s all said and done (that is taking pictures, listing items, packaging items, shipping items, etc) – I’ve probably made $30-40 bucks! It’s not worth my time or headache! I started doing the math and eBay is taking close to 17.5% of the total cost of my items selling – this is crazy! And the new shipping fees really have me over edge (enough that wrote ebay an email) One other person noted that eBay always suggest “free shipping” – hello! I barely make any money as it is, I can’t offer free shipping on top of that. Some people will say- “up” the starting price but it could take a year to sell an item then and I can’t expect buyers to pay full retail prices from little oh me! eBay has lost its touch. I always ranted and raved about eBay but I don’t feel the same way after recently selling items. Their fees are too high. For all the time and work it takes, I would rather donate my items for free and get a tax write off!
I too used to sell on ebay. I agree that sellers have no rights, no recourse when buyer says they got an empty box or the item wasn’t perfect enough. Without making buyers send back their supposedly damaged goods, they get the item and their money back. Something is wrong with this picture! God forbid if I had a foreign buyer. There is no reasonable way to track the item, and they can simply say they never got it and good old ebay refunds them the money out of your account! It is a losing proposition. I am going to call the better business bureau but wouldn’t it have to be the one where ebay is located? They have had class action suits in the past but they admit “no wrong doing” and are right back to doing the same thing . nothing seems to change. And as someone else noted, what 1 rep tells you on the phone or by email is by no means the right answer. It doesn’t matter if you can prove your case, the way their system is set up, sellers cannot win in a dispute, even if you have a signed delivery note. The buyer doesn’t even have to prove that the item is damaged, ebay just believes that they are always telling the truth. I too am so sick of this. I called customer service one day to complain that they were “holding” my money longer than they said they would (21 days). Next thing I knew , within seconds of hanging up the phone I was permanently suspended. Others have told me that if you answer any of their emails or surveys they often will suspend you for that. why don’t buyers ever get suspended. Also, I love it when buyers say ” i have excellent feedback” of course you do, you cannot receive negative feedback!!. The feedback of buyers means nothing. And god forbid if you get low dsr’s (that you can’t actually look at) you have no way of knowing who left them and why. if you don’t meet certain numbers they kick you off as well. Its just a lose, lose situation. Ebay and Paypal are 2 of the most corrupt companies I have ever dealt with. It is incredible to me that they get away with it!
Thanks, I feel better now
By the way… what kinds of products are you selling? Do you have your own website, or use other platforms, or were you relying exclusively on eBay?
I bought 7 items from a seller in China. Each listing clearly stated “combined shipping on items purchased within 3 days.” They charged me 6.95 per item to ship. I disputed the shipping overcharge to no avail. The seller wrote me that “we charge shipping extra so not have to pay ebay fees” Literally..that’s what they wrote me. I chose NOT TO PURCHASE the items. Ebay sent non paying bidder notices for each item & I responded to each notice. Later I found that ebay had restricted me from “buy it now” items (although I could bid on them anyway and pay @ auction end) & that there is a non paying bidder filter for sellers. (Sellers who use this one do themselves a disservice.) I do know that the seller had several thousand items listed so it’s no surprise that ebay would take their side. In the case of someone who sells more infrequently, I know ebays loyalty would reside w/the buyer.
Another eBay alternative is UniSquare: http://www.unisquare.com/ . There are absolutely no listing fees, no commission or final value fees, no registration fees and no monthly fees – just 100% free. Members can list unlimited items and build their own free customized web stores online with custom category names and structure. There are plenty of other features at UniSquare, and it is 100% free to use.
Everyone knows that Ebay’s fees are too high. It’s time for some new players! Here’s one to look into:tagntrade.com.au. It’s a whole new concept and totally changes the way we think about selling items quickly, It lets you list multiple listings from the one ad by tagging like you would on Facebook. Def worth a look.
Wow, look at all the anti-eBayers
Is there any one site of those mentioned above that comes the closest to eBay?
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eBid is the closest to eBay in what you can do and what you can list. For example you can have auctions, Buy It Now, Make An Offer, open stores and list most types of item. It also operates in 23 countries as a full site worldwide can purchase. Another advantage is that you can use not only PayPal but Google, Moneybookers, PPPay and a few other payment methods.
Are you are fed up of being shut out of auctions because the eBay seller does not ship to your country? The same goes for online retailers who refuse to ship to your destination.
When you sign up with BPM, you get local shipping addresses in 6 countries.
Drop points include: USA, UK, Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. You then use these for buying from whom you want, regardless of where the seller ships or not.
You then have all your purchases combined into one, even from the different countries, and use the parcel mail forwarding service to have everything sent home in only one shipment, wherever you are in the world!
Membership for renting these addresses and using the service is only 5€ per month.
You can check it out on http://www.bpm-lux.com
For anyone looking for a good ebay alternative try http://easybidsauction.com. It’s is a quality alternative at a fraction of the cost of other online auction websites. Created in Newcastle NSW
MY PROBLEM IS WITH PAYPAL ON EBAY….it seems when you get close to you max, they want you to give them a bank account number which I find odd, especially since they have the credit card number. If you don’t want to do that, they “push” their Master Charge credit card. To me it’s a load of crap. There is no reason to give your bank account number when the original purpose of credit card was not to have to give personal info,
I left eBay two and a half years ago due to the fees (which have since increased), the constant rule changes and the stupid DSR’s where a couple of morons can leave low scores and cause all sorts of problems. I joined eBid and it was the best move I have ever made. The traffic is obviously lower compared to eBay, but from my own experience it is growing almost every month. The article only touches on the advantages of eBid. FVF;s from 2%, no listing fees, 5 free stores, great customer support and more. A word of caution though for anybody who wants to give it a go. Do not think that you can simply list items and sell them like on eBay. A little more thought and effort has to be put into it. My advice is to go to the forums, have a read, ask for advice, but definitely give it a try.
For people who have an EXCEPTIONALLY rare fishing item to sell, the folks at Bamboo Baits may display your item on their Rare and Exotic page for free – you pay nothing – they get no commission.
With ebay making major changes in fees, charging more from the sellers and putting a restriction on the minimum resolutions required to upload the product’s photo.. I believe the best would be to look for an alternative which is best in the competition and which allows you to keep all your earning to yourself and not share it. Where sellers can:
1. Create Free listings
2. No Transaction Fees
3. Auto sync with ebay..carry all your listings from ebay along with the ratings and feedbacks in just a click.
4. Free integration with Google products (which auto populates the product description form for you, saving your precious time) and Google Shopping (which tells anyone who search on google to buy a product that it is available on our website, which by the way we pay for and provide you the service absolutely free)
5. Payment option like Paypal and Amazon for the most secure transactions
6. which does not allow you to leave a feedback for a cancelled transaction
7. a platform that not only list your products but also organise your customers and market your product in your network
8. a platform where you are just not dependent on ratings but also can leverage your social and professional profiles using log in through facebook, linkedin or google accounts
9. A platform that allows you to know the counterparty and build trust on the basis of work profile, school, college and other such dimensions.
10.Unlike ebay it has just one website (not different website for every country) so you can sell products worldwide and buy awesome products from across the globe as well
11. Unlike Ebay you can upload any resolution image and do not need only high resolution images to upload
12. Last but not the least it is absolutely free
And so the website that gives you all this is truegether.com
We have released our beta version and the new website with all these points said above will be launched soon in June, 2013.
We request all the sellers to list their product and leave us a feedback to help us improve more and give you a splendid experience of selling online.