Where Can I sell online besides eBay?

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 14 people | Log in to rate

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Looking For A New Online Auction Selling Home?

Many of the forums I visit are full of comments from sellers angry at the changes eBay has made and continues to make. The eBay seller boards are especially angry these days. If you're among the hundreds of online auction sellers looking for a new auction venue to make a new home on, I offer you this lens.

Here, I set out for you the criteria that I used for choosing not one, but THREE new eBay alternative auction sites to sell on. I will also suggest some potentially successful sites that I have reviewed, based on my own criteria.

CAVEAT - Do NOT expect the same traffic and results from *any* alternative that you got on eBay. It takes time, lots of self-promotion and patience to get started and succeed on an eBay alternative auction site. eBay has had the benefit of being around for many years and spending millions in advertising.

Another important point is not to site-hop. Don't list your items at one site, get upset because you don't have sales in a short period of time and move to another site. It takes time for your items to be found and moving repeatedly will not help you. This is the main reason for taking a studied approach to finding the best place to sell YOUR items.

NOTE: As of May 2009, I am not listing on any auction sites due to some time issues. I do hope to return in the near future, though! =)

My Ten Criteria For An eBay Alternative Auction Site 

This is my own list - maybe you can use it for ideas to develop your own.

Taking a much needed break from online auction in 2007-2008, sites gave me a chance to consider what exactly I want from an eBay alternative auction site. I had time to observe a number of sites, new and established. This helped me form my criteria for what I need from an eBay alternative auction site.

I'll share these with you here, but remember that these are what I'm looking for. You may need something else. No one site fits all sellers as we all have different merchandise, selling styles, payment preferences, technical abilities and more. But you are welcome to use my list as a starting point in your search.

1. An established site; No newbie, brand new, just-opened sites. Been there, done that. I don't see myself as unsupportive of these sites, just burned out with trying them. New sites don't have enough traffic or exposure. Too many new sites are being started every day by individuals who may not have the experience or knowledge to run an online auction site, much less compete with the 900 pound gorilla in the room - eBay. As sellers, we are in business to make money, therefore we need sites that are in the best positions to help us do just that.

2. A site with a working bulk lister. There may be big fans out there of listing items one at a time, but I am not one of them. Sellers need to save time. Emphasis on the WORKING part. No workarounds, no frequent breakdowns, no "we're working on one." The bulk-lister must be working, all the time and as close to error-free as it can be made.

3. A site with demonstrated TARGETED traffic. I use my own methods for checking this, and Alexa is only one small part. Other ways to check traffic can be sites like Compete.com, MarketLeap and others. You can watch sales as they occur on the site over time. Check the feedback of BUYERS. If the buyers are other sellers, run the other way.

4. A site with multiple payment options available, because I want to be able to offer my customer choices. This does not mean that the site allows ME, the seller to pay the site their fees in different ways. This means that I, the seller can offer my customer several options for payment, such as Paypal, Google Checkout, Revolution Money Exchange, Amazon Payments and a number of other options that are out there. And they should WORK.

5. A site that markets & promotes itself OUTSIDE of its own forums and other internet forums. To me, this means the site actively searches for ways to bring BUYERS (not just more sellers) to the site. Its marketing speaks to SHOPPERS, not just sellers.

This can include social media marketing, which is for the most part--FREE except for the investment in time. Need I say that if you target shoppers, the sellers will come?

This does NOT mean just traffic exchanges, yahoo and other groups and forums. It does NOT mean pushing sellers to do all the marketing themselves.

There are a host of free marketing & promotion ideas that online auction sites could avail themselves of, but I see so few using or using well.

6. A speedy site, rarely down. All features working consistently. 'Nuff said.

7. MUST be consistently submitting item listings to Google base at the very least; ideally to as many shopping directories, RSS directories and search engines, shopping aggregators, etc. as possible. Key words - consistently and as many as possible. Want to check? Google some items in Google Shopping and see what eBay alternative auction sites are showing up. Then go to Yahoo search and Bing and do the same.

8. No listing fees, free gallery, some enhancement fees and a decent FVF. I believe in paying a site when my items sell and I believe in paying for using enchancements such as Front Page Featured. An online auction site with no fees is usually using Google AdSense for income. These ads may appear next to YOUR items and inadvertently drive buyers away from your item.

Another worse danger is that the site may not earn enough income to stay in business. Free online auction sites are NOT a good idea. Bad business model. When they can't make a go of the site, what will you do then? Move again?

A site with too many front page featured items because it's free to use that enhancement is a complete cluttered turn-off to me. Charge for Front Page Feature to reduce that clutter! Only the best of the best items should be featured on the front page!

The site should charge a FVF for items SOLD, to have some revenue coming in; 5% is fair in my book.

9. Stores should NOT be free on eBay alternative auction sites. They could bear a tiered cost; from a free store level to a premium store level; with additional features as applicable. But the days of free stores are long gone.

10. NO DRAMA!

*The site's members are not involved in putting down other auction sites;

*Listing on one site in order to send messages to other members recruiting for another site;

*Posting non-constructive criticisms of a site's sellers or of the site on forums .

*The site owner/ship is not: combative, uncommunicative, absent from the site, silent, unwilling to listen to members and ACT upon suggestions, unwilling to accept responsibility.

We're in the business of selling. The more we help each other, the better chance we have of succeeding. I guess you can tell from my list that I've been around the block. Yes, I have.

I've tried well over two dozen auction sites since 2005. Many of them aren't even around anymore. No more wasting time for me!

I hope that these criteria are helpful to you in some small way.

Online Selling Help 

Selling Online for Dummies

Amazon Price: (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Why They Don't Buy: The Science of Selling Online

Amazon Price: $22.04 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

Selling Online: Beyond eBay

Amazon Price: $29.95 (as of 11/09/2009) Buy Now

These Are The Alternative Sites I Chose! 

As of May 2009, I am not listing on any venue at the moment, but hoping to return in the near future!
WeBidz Auctions - An eBay Alternative Auction Site - Online Auction Site with Free Auctions
WeBidz Auctions is an eBay Alternative Auction Site. Buy or sell with our online auction community today. Bid low to get your next great deal. Free auction listing is a great alternative to eBay. WeBidz is an online bargain shopping mall with thousands of online auctions at bargain prices.
YourHighBid.com - Changing the Auction World One Bid at a Time | Online Auction Site | Free Stores | Free Listings
YourHighBid is an Online Auction site. Easily shop, buy, sell, and bid in hundreds of categories. Free listings. Free bulklister. Free and discounted seller stores.
eBid Online Auctions - Buy & Sell in our Fee Free Internet Auctions for United States
Visit eBid United States, the Online Auction House without the Fees - buy and sell today.

The Time Is Now To Find An Alternative To eBay! 

eBay has frustrated its sellers *and* its buyers more with their 2008 changes than with all previous year changes put together. Buyers can no longer find items they want from their favorite sellers. Sellers are closing down shop and leaving due to fee increases, the feedback debacle, not being found in search and/or the payment method mess (no checks or money orders; Paypal required).

Warning: Spam will be removed!

So What Are You Gonna Do?

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Are You Going To Stay With eBay & Hope For The Best?

Are You Going To Leave eBay For An Alternative Auction Site?

LakeLassie1948 says:

Let and went to ebid.net. Did not want to go with smaller site, this is the second biggest, world wide, right after ebay. Free lifetime listing,no relisting fee, five free stores, five free pictures, free google downloading, only 2% fee when item sells. Friendly forums, members help you get started because it makes ebid.net strong. This site grew 15% last month, and is nearing its 3,000,000 daily auction (probably this weekend). I feel very sorry for those who stayed at ebay and are hoping for change. It ain't going to come.sniff

Online-Auction-Sites says:

I invested in a company thats going to give eBay a kick where they need it!

siiix says:

http://mashable.com/2008/10/14/ebay-alternatives/ these are 17 alteranatives, some very promising "The Time Is Now To Find An Alternative To eBay! "100% agree

CoolFoto says:

I have several items to sell on line, but, never understood exactly how to do it on ebay.

Redmoonrider says:

I already closed my Ebay store last September when the new fees came in - for sellers of collectables/low priced items like myself it was just ridiculous to be paying those higher fees. So after 4 years of selling there I gave up the store.

I moved my British and European vintage postcards to Ebid and don't regret it for one moment. I have over 800 cards in my store there.

My American and Canadian postcards are on Atomic Mall. I have over 100 cards there.

I do still auction a small amount on Ebay but only a few - e.g. 20 auctions on Ebay and nearly 1,000 on Ebid! My UK vintage postcard store will not be moving from Ebid.

 
view all 12 comments

Resources For Online Sellers & Shoppers 

Every Place I Sell - Free online merchant directory for ecommerce shopping!
Find and track your favorite sellers to locate all of their products at the best prices!
Creative Shop Talk
Forum peer support for online business webmasters running a website store.
Auction Sellers Motivators
ASM is a cooperative community of online sellers working to improve their businesses. Whether you sell on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, your own web site or any number of other venues, we're your source for top quality advice! We welcome everyone from those just starting out to seasoned, online professionals.
Independent Sellers Resource Forum
Bringing together resources and knowledge to all online sellers. Please join us by registering and becoming a member.
Explorz - Online Shopping Portal and Store Reviews
Explorz.com - Shopping Made Easier is a shopping portal. Find the lowest prices on products and services from online sellers and view their store reviews.
Repatoo - you know what they say - online auction feedback/reputation manager
We believe that your reputation and feedback profile are your most important assets when transacting online. Be it auctions, classifieds or any other kind of peer to peer exchange, you should be able to bring it with you wherever you go. Repatoo makes your reputation portable across any site on whic
Amazon Payments
Getting started with Amazon Payments is easy. If you already have an Amazon.com account, an Amazon Payments account has already been created for you; this account will be activated when you make your first payment on any third-party website that accepts Amazon Payments. Your Amazon Payments account is linked to your Amazon.com account, and you can use the credit cards associated with your Amazon.com account right away.
Google Checkout - Merchants
Google Checkout is a fast, convenient checkout process that brings you more customers and allows them to buy from you with a single login - and you can process their orders and charge their credit or debit cards for free.

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Your Comments Are Welcome! 

Pixelrage wrote...

Thanks a ton for stopping by and for the compliment! Glad the wordpress security list helped ya ;) Love this lens as it is something I have been researching, I picked it off of your list. Oh, just wanted to recommend ioffer.com - they position themselves as the "free eBay" - it's more popular in Canada than here in the US, but still a great eBay alternative!

ReplyPosted November 05, 2009

Silver_Lotus wrote...

Well done!

ReplyPosted September 09, 2009

CoolFoto wrote...

I have extensive designs on Cafe Press, ImageKind and Zazzle, but haven't tried ebay.

ReplyPosted July 09, 2009

Evelyn_Saenz wrote...

I'm just looking into selling online so this review of the possibilities has been very helpful. Thank you so much for sharing.

ReplyPosted May 16, 2009

boutiqueshops wrote...

in reply to JustBon-Crochet-Designs

Thanks Bonnie! On my way! WOO HOO!

ReplyPosted May 14, 2009

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Hi! My name is Sylvia! I'm retired & doing what I love--selling online, crafting and gardening, reading, watching movies, crochet, learning to knit... (more)

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