eBay Selling Alternative

Etsy Empire cover

Sellers have been looking for an eBay selling alternative for years.

A veteran seller discusses the problems with selling on eBay and several internet alternatives that will make you better money than eBay.

Problems with Selling on eBay

 

In the course of researching how to sell on eBay, I encountered many, many of the same complaints from eBay sellers on blogs and the eBay boards.

Here are some of the most common complaints:

  1. Many sellers hate Paypal.  In order to sell on eBay, you must accept Paypal payments.  Paypal’s dispute processes cost sellers time and money.  A very high percentage of the dispute claims are granted by Paypal (like 99%).  Paypal very, very rarely sides with the seller, even if the buyer does not provide visual evidence of damage.  I have also had multiple items refunded, where the buyer obviously lied in the claim, or bought a rare original media item, just to copy the content and return it.  Sound fair?
  2. eBay’s feedback system is unfair to sellers.  Nothing prevents buyers from leaving vindictive feedback, or leaving false feedback to competitors.  There is no recourse for leaving negative feedback anymore, and eBay will not remove feedback, even if they know it is an outright lie.  The only time they will remove a feedback is if it obscene or slanderous.
  3. eBay’s fees are too expensive.  This is the one that most eBay sellers complain about.  eBay has been forced to give sellers some free listings each month in order to prevent all of its sellers leaving to sell on other sites like Amazon.  Now, all sellers are provided with free listings each month – the number of free listings has changed over time.  BUT, after that, there are fees for everything.  Listing fees, closing fees, Paypal fees, store fees, etc, etc.
  4. Many eBay auctions end without a bid, and you still have to pay a listing fee, anyway (if you listed after using your free monthly listings).  That’s money straight into the garbage, or eBay’s pockets.  Whichever you prefer.
  5. It takes 3-10 minutes to make an eBay listing.  You have to take photos, upload photos, write a description, and figure out your shipping options.
  6. The allure of the eBay auction is gone.  When eBay first arrived, everybody was excited about auctions, and the opportunity to win rare items at low prices.  Now, many customers prefer to order the item immediately, rather than bidding and waiting several days to a week.  eBay offers a Buy-It-Now option for auction listings, but again, they charge sellers to use the BIN after the free listings and it is often ineffective.

So, What is the Best eBay Selling Alternative?

 

So, now that we understand the issues that many eBay sellers have, where should we look for an effective eBay selling alternative?The answer depends on what types of items that a seller specializes in.  For a jack-of-all-trades seller, you can’t go wrong with Amazon.

You can sell almost anything on Amazon, and if you have a Premium Selling account ( $39.95/mo), a seller can make a brand new Amazon item page for anything that is not already in the system.Amazon is probably most well-known for selling media items like books, music and video games, but sellers can sell just about anything with a bar code or ISBN number there.

Etsy is another website that has really sprouted lately.  Etsy is an excellent location to sell crafts and vintage items.  The only problem with Etsy is items have to be older than 20 years old, or home-made crafts.  You cannot sell modern items on Etsy.

Let’s take a closer look at Amazon and Etsy, the two most popular eBay alternatives.

 

Amazon: The #1 eBay Selling Alternative

You may wish to consult our How to Sell on Amazon web page, to learn more specifics on selling on Amazon.Many items sell for higher prices on Amazon than on eBay, but there are benefits to both sites. We have devoted a whole chapter in AFM to discussing which items sell better on which sites, but here are some of the highlights:

  1. You are not charged a listing fee on Amazon. You can build an inventory for free once you learn how to sell on Amazon.
  2. It is faster and easier to list items on Amazon, which makes it an effective eBay selling alternative. You don’t need to take photos, or make auction listings.
  3. You can sell almost everything on Amazon. Many people know about selling media items on Amazon, but re-sellers can sell many other things. You can sell almost anything with a bar code on the box. You can sell toys, board games, household decor, and just about anything else. If you are a Professional Seller, you can make listings for collectible items in the Everything Else category (these items may not sell, or take a long time to sell)
  4. You can list a big box of books or CDs in a very short time. See #2.
  5. The fixed price format is often a better way to list some types items. Many items sell for higher prices on Amazon. However, rare collectibles may take a very long time to sell, or may not sell at all
  6. The learning curve is very quick for learning how to sell on Amazon. Once you list a couple of items is almost automatic.
  7. Amazon handles most of the communications with buyers. You don’t have to worry as much about non-paying bidders or Paypal issues, like on eBay.

 

Etsy: The Best eBay Selling Alternative for Vintage Items & Crafts

 

Etsy is a good eBay Selling Alternative for several reasons:

  • It gets a lot of traffic from Craft buyers and sellers.  It is probably the best overall place to sell these types of items.
  • Items are listed in fixed price format.  The listing process is similar to eBay, but it allows sellers to add Tags, which allows people to find the items using Google searches, as well as inside the Etsy site.  The search engine optimization of items is another plus to listing items on the site.
  • You can also build a shop for free, which another bonus if you sell similar selections of crafts or vintage items.  You can customize your shop, promote it on Facebook, and bring traffic from search engines.
  • Sales are similar to Amazon orders or eBay Fixed Price items.  When your item sells, you are notified via email.  You can purchase shipping through USPS or UPS and Etsy, and you ship using the standard shipping services.  Easy.
  • Etsy listing fees are significantly than eBay’s.  Etsy listings are .20 each for 3 months, regardless of the start price of the item.  Items that sell are charged only 3.5% of the order price.  The price of listing items alone makes Etsy a good eBay selling alternative.
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eBay Selling Alternative
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eBay selling alternative for internet sellers. Author Eric Michael from Almost Free Money discusses better options for eBay sellers including selling on Etsy and selling on Amazon
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