Amazon
Amazon is the world’s largest online retailer. Technically, even larger than eBay. It started as an online bookstore, but soon diversified, selling DVDs, CDs, video and MP3 downloads, software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, and jewelry. The company also produces consumer electronics. Notably the Amazon Kindle e-book reader and the Kindle Fire tablet computer. It is now also a major provider of cloud computing services.
For the small internet seller Amazon is good for selling box store merchandise like electronics, video games, and DVDs. It is not the right place for customized items, hand made items, or artwork. Competition is high and so are the fees but it can be a good trade for the amount of traffic your listing will receive.
Traffic Rank: 5.
Format: Fixed Price Listings.
Fees: 8% to 25% varying by listing, optional $39.99 monthly subscription for a pro sellers account.
Payment Processor: Amazon handles its own payments.
Pros: Largest ecommerce site on the net.
Cons: Highest fees, frustratingly complex fee structure..
Craigslist
Craigslist is a classified advertisements website with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, items for sale, items wanted, services, community, gigs, resumes, and discussion forums.
You can sell almost anything you want on Craigslist. The rules are not strict and unlike any other site they are mostly enforced by the community itself. The catch is that all of the buyer searches are done by location so you’ll only be reaching people in your area. Craigslist also doesn’t have any personal or transaction safeguards. You’ll be on your own to protect your privacy and handle your own transaction by cash or check.
Traffic Rank: 9.
Format: Classified Ads.
Fees: Free.
Payment Processor: You.
Pros: It’s free, you can’t beat that. Ideal for selling items to large or difficult to ship. Also ideal for selling local services.
Cons: It’s only good for local sales. It’s seller beware, guard your personal information.
Etsy
Etsy is focused on handmade and vintage items. These items cover a wide range including art, clothing, photography, jewelry, food, bath and beauty products, knick-knacks, quilts, and toys. Many people also sell craft supplies such as beads, wire, and jewelry making tools. All vintage items must be a minimum of 20 years old.
If you’re an artist, craftsman, or antiques dealer then Etsy is for you. Shoppers here a looking for a personal touch with the items they buy. It’s a popular enough site to make a lot of sales but at the same time it keeps a community feel that eBay lost long ago.
Traffic Rank: 57.
Format: Fixed Price.
Fees: 20 cents per listing plus 3.5% of the sale price. Setting up a storefront is free.
Payment Processor: Etsy has its own payment processing. You can also use Paypal, check, or money order.
Pros: Inexpensive and very popular.
Cons: You can only list hand crafted or vintage items.
Newegg.com
Newegg.com was originally founded as an online retailer of computer hardware and software. In the past few years they have begun to expand by adding more categories and inviting 3rd party sellers to take part in their marketplace. Their categories now include: Apparel & Accessories, Arts & Crafts, Auto & Hardware, Baby, Beauty, Consumer Electronics, Home & Living, Jewelry, Luggage & Bags, Outdoor & Garden, Sporting Goods, Toys, Games & Hobbies, and Watches. The Newegg marketplace actually consists of two websites. It’s original tech based site newegg.com and now neweggmall.com for additional sales.
People who like to sell retail items would do well here. They have a lot in common with Amazon in that respect. However, Newegg has much cheaper fees and simpler fee structure. Best of all they don’t charge additional fees for processing payments. The cost is already included in the commission fee.
Traffic Rank 153.
Format: Fixed Price.
Fees: Flat commission on sales ranging from 8% to 15% depending on category. But no credit card processing fees.
Payment Processor: Newegg has its own payment processing.
Pros: Fairly inexpensive, no payment processing fees.
Cons: Small sellers might be put off by the very corporate feel of the sellers program. A W-9 is required just to sign up.
Ioffer
iOffer is slightly different from the usual online auction business model and instead adopts a “negotiated commerce model”, which is a nice way of saying haggling online. It operates on the basis of negotiation between buyers and sellers rather than auction style bidding with a “buy now” or “make offer” button. The website advertises this distinction, saying: “This is not an auction. It’s better!” When a negotiation concludes successfully, iOffer charges the seller a “final value fee” based on a sliding scale.
This is another site for retail style items. It is inexpensive and has a fee structure that can be understood within a few minutes by looking at a simple chart. Many sellers have reported success here with items that were removed from eBay because of its strict listing policies.
Traffic Rank: 1,461.
Format: Fixed Price or Make an Offer.
Fees: A sliding scale of about 5% to 10% on sale + shipping price. Free listings and free store.
Payment Processor: Google Checkout, Payza, Amazon Payments.
Pros: Allows some items eBay does not.
Cons: No phone support.
Ecrater
eCRATER is a web store builder and an online marketplace in one that allows sellers to create online stores for free. If your items are eligible, they are also submitted to Google Shopping. As an added incentive, Ecrater has an option to import your eBay listings for you. It’s kind of like an online shopping mall where you don’t have to pay any rent to be a merchant.
This site is good for sellers with lots of small, inexpensive items that would be difficult to sell on sites with higher fees. Although it will get some traffic from Google Shopping, you should be prepared to do some promotions of your own because this site doesn’t have the traffic of the larger online outlets.
Traffic Rank: 2,275.
Format: Fixed Price.
Fees: Free. Optional 2.9% marketplace advertising fee.
Payment Processor: PayPal, Google Wallet, Money Order, Cashier’s Check, Personal Check, COD.
Pros: Free and lots of categories. Great for small inexpensive items. Integrated with Google Shopping.
Cons: The storefronts it creates are very plain. Does not allow HTML in the ads. No phone support.
Bonanza
Bonanza is not shy about being an alternative to eBay. On their site it says: “Bonanza is an eBay built to help buyers make serendipitous discoveries. Our browsing experience guides buyers through our inventory of more than 4 million items to find the product that’s perfect for their tastes.”
This site could be a true replacement for eBay. They have a combination of retail and hand-made items and tons of categories to sell in. They do seem to have a focus on higher-end clothing and fashion though, so if that’s what you sell you might do particularly well here. They also have a focus on community and social sharing that other sites lack which is really nice. And just to make it easy they have a built-in listing import function for eBay and Etsy ads. As this site gains in popularity look for it to become a real competitor.
Traffic Rank: 2,539.
Format: Fixed Price.
Fees: Most of the time 3.5% of the sale price. No listing fees. Some paid upgrades available.
Payment Processor: Google Checkout, Checkout by Amazon, Paypal, Money Order.
Pros: Wide range of categories. Lots of ways to promote yourself. Live chat support for big merchants.
Cons: Still not as much traffic as the larger sites.
Artfire
ArtFire is an interactive online community designed to bring together buyers and sellers of artistic goods. Like Etsy they specialize in handmade goods, fine art, vintage, designed items, supplies and media. On their website they claim that: “ArtFire was built as a marketplace for artisans by artisans to celebrate the unique individuality of artists and crafters around the globe.”
This site has a lot in common with Etsy but has lower fees and it is integrated with Google Product Base which it automatically submits your listings to. It will appeal to the artist, craftsman, or antiques dealer who has a tight budget. Its downfall is that it has way less traffic than Etsy.
Traffic Rank: 4,000.
Format: Fixed Price.
Fees: $12.95 per month subscription fee.
Payment Processor: PayPal, Bill Me Later, ProPay, and Amazon Payments.
Pros: Phone support, integrated with Google Product Base, very inexpensive.
Cons: Less traffic than Etsy.
Ebid
Ebid is probably the oldest and most established alternative to eBay. In many ways it is what eBay was 10 years ago. If you like how eBay worked back in the day then you might like this site. It also has several similar sites in other countries making it appealing to international sellers.
This site will appeal to eBay sellers who want a site that functions like eBay but with out the high fees and constant changes. However, Ebid has one issue that strikes me as extremely odd. After more than 10 years in business it does not own ebid.com but instead operates from ebid.net. You would think by now that an ecommerce site would own its own .com name.
Traffic Rank: 9,116.
Format: Auction and Fixed Price.
Fees: Varies with subscription and upgrade options, but starts with a flat 3% on the sale price of your item.
Payment Processor: PPPay, Paypal, Amazon Checkout, and Skrill.
Pros: Strong international presence. Can import eBay and Amazon Listings. Google Shopping Marketplace Partner.
Cons: It uses ebid.net not ebid.com which is confusing. Even after 10 years in business still has really low traffic numbers.
Tias
TIAS (The Internet Antique Shop) is an online retail marketplace for antiques and collectibles. It is one of the oldest antique shops on the web. Sellers can choose from several store formats allowing some personalization that other sites lack. While many sites allow you to import your eBay auctions, Tias actually has a function to automatically submit your items to eBay instead. It also can submit your listings to over 2000 classified ad networks.
This site is for antique sellers only. Its fees are a bit high to get started but you’ll get exposure to buyers who are definitely there to see antiques and nothing else.
Traffic Rank: 22,756.
Format: Fixed Price.
Fees: $39.95 per month or 10% commission whichever is higher.
Payment Processor: has its own payment system, Paypal, Check, or Money Order.
Pros: Highly specialized niche marketplace guarantees buyers are there to see items like yours.
Cons: Minimum of $39.95 just to get started.
Bidstart
Bidstart offers sellers of collectibles the option to sell their items in auction, fixed price, and store inventory formats. All the features that sellers would expect from an online auction site are available to them. Including gallery images, image hosting, best offers, reserve prices and listing upgrades. Bidstart is an online marketplace and community connecting buyers and sellers of collectibles; including stamps, coins, comics, sports cards and more.
This website is for collectable sellers only. Its fees are decent and you’ll get exposure to buyers who are there to see collectable items.
Traffic Rank: 24,189.
Format: Auction and Fixed Price.
Fees: 8% or less on a sliding scale.
Payment Processor: PayPal, Google Checkout, Money Bookers, or Checks/Money Orders.
Pros: Specialized marketplace makes it more likely that buyers are there to see items like yours. Good Tech Support.
Cons: Fee structure is a bit complicated.
Rubylane.com
Ruby Lane is an online retail marketplace for collectibles, antiques, art and jewelry. It has an excellent reputation and has a decent following among the buyers and sellers of high-end antiques, collectibles, and vintage items. The site doesn’t charge commissions or final value fees like most places. Instead, it charges a monthly fee combined with listing fees that start out at 30 cents each.
This site is best suited for high-end antiques and collectible sellers who have the money to pay fees up front. Its lower traffic ranking doesn’t hurt because it’s marketing directly to affluent buyers in a very specific niche.
Traffic Rank: 24,244.
Format: Fixed Price and Make and Offer.
Fees: $15 setup fee, then $54 minimum monthly fee. Listings are 30 cents each, but no commission or final value fees.
Payment Processor: Paypal and Amazon Payments.
Pros: Live chat support, allows Skype between buyers and sellers.
Cons: Expensive to get started on for new sellers.
Onlineauction
Onlineauction is a true auction site 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 also post personal website information with every listing. It was founded by a former eBay Powerseller who got fed up with them “Injecting themselves into each and every transaction making things difficult, awkward, and very expensive.”
This site is for people who love auctions they way they used to be on eBay. It is doing everything right for sellers who are looking for an alternative to eBay except for one thing, traffic. However for $8 a month and the ability to link to your other online ads from your listing, you really can’t go wrong. To be honest, I have no idea why this site doesn’t have higher traffic rank. It is very likeable. Perhaps it will grow more in the future.
Traffic Rank: 92,812.
Format: Auction.
Fees: $8 per month.
Payment Processor: Paypal, Checks, and Money Orders.
Pros: Cheap. No rules about placing contact info or direct links in your ads. Auto extension on auctions to prevent sniping and increase sales prices. Live support.
Cons: Really low internet traffic rank.
Ealtbay
According to their website Ealtbay is an internet auction site set up to provide an alternative to eBay for five reasons. They are: listing bans on legal items, fees, payment restrictions, lack of feedback for buyers, and a dysfunctional search engine.
Well this site is the alternative to eBay if you believe the name. It is for anyone who has gotten really burned by eBay and wants the world to know it. It’s one huge advantage is that it allows you to sell anything that is legal to sell without restriction. It’s downfall is that it has so little internet traffic that you’re unlikely to sell anything except those items that have been banned on eBay.
Traffic Rank: 949,256.
Format: Auction.
Fees: 1.6% of sale price.
Payment Processor: Paypal, Checks, and Money Orders.
Pros: Cheap. You can sell all the things that eBay doesn’t allow here.
Cons: Almost no traffic.
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