If you have an ecommerce business, then there is a good chance you have sold your items on eBay before to get your business moving. But if you’re looking for an alternative to Ebay, I’ve got you covered with this list of 15 options!
As a merchant, you’ll already know how vital selling online is for your business.
Ebay is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the world. It is widely known for making it easy to sell your products, items, and personal belongings.
Ebay is not just a place to sell your unwanted items. Nowadays, more and more merchants use Ebay as their primary platform for selling their products online across the globe.
Through the power of Ebay, hobbyists are now able to sell things more quickly than before. Ebay has the protection of Paypal, and acts as a middle man between buyer and seller.
However, Ebay is not without its disadvantages, so you may be looking for an alternative platform to sell your items.
In this guide, we’ll go through 15 alternatives to Ebay that you can try out!
Why You Need An Alternative To Ebay
Ebay is incredibly useful if you’re just starting to sell your products. But after a while, the disadvantages of Ebay may begin to outweigh the benefits for sellers.
Most of the recurring issues with Ebay are the high costs and fees for sellers.
In addition, the higher the price of the item listed, the more sellers pay in fees.
There are also fees just for listing the items, for adding more photos, for subtitles, for bold listings, for better visibility, you name it.
After a while, the fees begin to pile up, and this can damage the overall profit margin.
If you are selling low cost items, then the fees can make it not worth selling and shipping to the buyer.
Once you pay your fees, the seller can end up making close to nothing for the item.
Ebay also exhibits a lot of control over their listings. As a seller, you lack control over how your storefront looks online, and the fact that you cannot put certain things in your listings.
You also cannot accept certain payments, which can make changing ecommerce platforms far more attractive. So, what alternatives can you use to sell online?
15 Great Alternatives To Ebay For Merchants
Etsy
Etsy (see also ‘How Do Beginners Sell On Etsy (Learn How To Start Today)‘) is a great choice if you are looking to sell craft supplies, handmade items, vintage items and unique products.
The great thing about Etsy is you get a lot of creative control over your storefront, and how your business appears as a brand.
Etsy is also the easiest option for sellers, and is the top choice for merchants in terms of profitability.
You can also list items for up to 4 months, whereas Ebay listings typically only last a matter of days.
The listing fees are only $0.20 per item, and they only charge a fixed 3.5% commission, which is far cheaper than places like Ebay or Amazon (see also ‘How To Make A Passive Income On Amazon‘).
The only con with Etsy is that it can be rather nichey- which isn’t a problem if you’re selling handmade, custom or personalized items. Etsy also gets much less traffic than places like Ebay or Amazon, and the competition is pretty fierce.
Amazon
Amazon is arguably the largest online marketplaces in the world.
It has one of the largest client bases, but the biggest competition too. There are literally millions of sellers on Amazon.
However, Amazon lets you list for free, whereas Ebay does not.
But, due to the immense competition, there are higher fees involved, and you have to compete with Amazon’s own products, which are often the first choice for buyers.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is another viable option. It’s easy to sell to your local community, and there are no fees whatsoever.
You can build your customer base, and it’s so simple to list and sell within seconds. The issue with Facebook Marketplace is that it is not protected.
There may be scammers, and it is hard to make a solid transaction without any risk.
The way around this is to use a protected money transfer app, such as CashApp or PayPal for the transactions.
These would have to go through PayPal Goods and Services, where the seller is charged a fee but the seller and buyer is protected in these cases.
Craigslist
Craigslist is another option as you can sell pretty much anything you like on there, without worrying about listing fees.
However, it is very basic, and you cannot have a storefront. Plus there are scammers on Craigslist and very little protection for sellers if there is a dispute.
Mercari
Mercari is an established selling platform that is incredibly popular in Japan, but it operates in the US and the UK too.
There are hundreds of thousands of products available, and all you have to do is download the app, and ship your products when they sell.
It’s free to sign up, but there is a 10% selling fee.
Wish
Wish is a popular site for buying clothes, accessories and electronics. You’ll get some great exposure to consumers.
There’s no monthly fee, and you only pay when you sell something, but the marketplace takes 15% of the sale cost and shipping cost.
Bonanza
Bonanza is a lesser known selling platform, because it is relatively fresh on the market. However, this is the place to sell unique, wacky, or weird items.
What sellers like about this one is that it’s very transparent in terms of communication, and there are no listing fees.
You can sell a wide variety of products, and you can exchange a percentage of your sales for a boost in advertising and search ranking.
The main downside is that Bonanza isn’t as popular, so there will be a small customer base and there is a small 3.5% closing fee for sales under $500.
eBid
As you can guess, eBid works in a similar way to Ebay. But, it doesn’t have nearly the reach or customer base that Ebay does.
That being said, if you want an Ebay alternative with lower fees, then eBid is for you.
eBid takes a low 3% commission, but you can purchase a seller account for less than $100 and you won’t have to pay commissions then.
There are also no fees for listing items, which makes it low risk and high reward!
Ruby Lane
This one is perfect for vintage items, antiques, jewelry, art and collectibles. However, it is a fixed price marketplace, but it does not charge commissions.
Instead, you pay a $0.19 listing fee, and a maintenance fee for sellers. There is also a $100 setup cost.
But, this platform is great for this niche market, and gets a lot of reach across the world.
Walmart
Walmart is now partnered with Shopify, so you can sell your items from there to Walmart shoppers.
If you want a huge customer base, then this is a great option. It’s free to start, but there are fees of 8% to 20% when you sell.
eWorldTrade
If you want to send B2B, then this platform is for you. It connects suppliers with buyers around the world, and has millions of users.
This marketplace will have everything you need to take your business to the next level, including 24/7 customer support.
It’s hassle free, and has competitive prices. The only issue is the shipping costs which can add up for merchants.
Rakuten
Rakuten has a massive client base, and is a sort of Japanese version of Amazon.
There’s a huge market there, but you won’t be competing with Rakuten themselves as they don’t sell their own products.
If you’re tired of competing with Amazon and Ebay, Rakuten is the next step. There are high fees, including a $33 a month seller fee, and commission fees.
Newegg
Newegg can be a good alternative to Ebay if you are looking to sell tech items. There are also membership options ranging from $30 per month to $100 per month.
With a membership, you can add more listings and support. Commissions vary from 8% to 15%, but Newegg is great for helping you drive more traffic to your item listings.
It also has a fulfillment service. The downside is that it’s only for tech products.
OpenSky
OpenSky is a members only selling platform and it’s perfect for deals and discounts. A merchant account runs around $30+ per month, and you will be pay a 15% transaction fee when something sells.
eCrater
Last on this list is eCrater. This platform is 100% free! They offer handy templates for you to create an online store, and you can transfer your Ebay listings straight over to eCrater for a simple transition.
You can then run your store for free from eCrater, but you will have to pay a 2.9% fee for the item when it sells.
While this platform is free to use, it doesn’t have a lot of reach. So prepare yourself as you may have to invest in marketing and SEO to get traffic to your store.
Conclusion
So there you have it, 15 alternatives to Ebay. With this list, you can find the perfect marketplace to sell your products!
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