Having an online store is a great way to make money in 2023, when there is a pandemic, because more and more people prefer to shop online. Since eBay is one of the most well-known and trusted online marketplaces, you might think of it as the first place you can sell online.
The power of eBay is universally recognized. People may find it’s a brilliant option to sell your products with a better reach to different markets and benefit from its large user base to boost sales. Since its start in 1995, eBay has always been one of the biggest online shopping sites in the world. It has helped turn thousands of hobbyists into strong sellers and given more people the chance to run profitable businesses from home.
However, due to different reasons, sellers now might be looking out for alternatives to eBay. In this article, we will cover 8 best marketplaces that could be eBay alternatives.
Why You Should Try to Find Other Options to eBay
eBay is a great place for e-commerce businesses to sell their goods. But there are popular things you can do instead. Spend a few minutes learning about the pros and cons of these marketplaces so you can decide which one is best for you.
There could be problems with eBay, such as:
High fees and costs
Fees on eBay are based on the type of item you list, how much it sells for, and whether or not you have an eBay store. Sellers have to pay both an insertion fee and a final value fee. It will cost you extra money by offering upgrades to their listings, such as a bold listing, a more extensive gallery for photos, subtitles, and a themed layout for the listing. Over time, these fees will add up, and when sellers sell low-priced items, it hurts their profit margin a lot.
You don’t have much say over your listings
eBay cares more about the items in each listing than it does about you. It means that you might not be able to do everything you want with your product listings. Most importantly, eBay can always take down your listing.
Less room for change
Most of the time, the rules on eBay make you less flexible. How? It may require you to take only specific kinds of payments, limit which keywords you can use, put certain text in your listings, and prevent you from cross-marketing to other platforms.
Best Sites Like eBay
You can make money quickly and easily by selling things online. Strong marketplaces like eBay and the 8 eBay alternatives can help you make a lot of money. But you need to find a product to sell no matter which marketplace you use.
As the biggest and most popular wholesale market, AliExpress helps you find the things you want as quickly as possible. In this article, we will mostly talk about the marketplaces you can choose from. Check out What Is AliExpress if you want to find out more about AliExpress.
Amazon
Amazon is now one of the largest and most popular online stores in the world. It lets you sell millions of different kinds of products in many different categories. Amazon also gives sellers a lot of tools and services to help them offer great customer service and support.
PROS:
- Because Amazon has a good name, people are more likely to trust it.
- There are no listing fees when you add new products to your Amazon shops.
- With Amazon’s supply chain, things will be kept in different places so that they can be sent to customers as soon as possible.
CONS:
- More competition. Because it’s so popular, you may have to deal with a lot of other businesses in this market.
- Some things, like Auto Parts Products, are not allowed to be sold on Amazon. And if you want to sell health care products like masks, you have to ask for permission.
Etsy
Etsy is also a popular market place, just like eBay and Amazon. It is designed for artisans and craft creators, and those who sell vintages. Etsy has grown from its start in 2005 to become one of the most popular online markets.
PROS:
- Tools: There are a lot of tools you can use to make it easy to manage your product catalog.
- You can easily grow your business because there are free marketing and analytics tools and services to help you.
- Flexibility: You might be able to find a mobile app that lets you manage your products while you’re on the go.
CONS:
- Small audience. Etsy is not for you if you don’t sell handmade or vintage items.
- Scale of limited products: Since they like niche products and handmade, vintage, and unique items, it may be hard to grow your business.
Facebook Marketplace is a better place to grow local sales because it is safer, more convenient, and easier to use. Users can sell items directly to each other using Facebook’s built-in buying and selling channel. It also lets sellers who qualify offer delivery for certain types of products in their country.
PROS:
- It makes it easy to reach a wide range of possible customers, as long as your account has fans.
- It’s easy for local buyers and helps them get the goods as soon as possible.
- Since you are selling to someone you know, you are taking less of a risk.
CONS:
- If your e-commerce is outside of the United States, you won’t be able to use features like Facebook checkout, but you can still list your products.
- Still, there are some limits on what kinds of things you can sell on this market.
Newegg
Newegg is an American online store that has been around since 2001. It is well-known for selling things like computer hardware and computer electronics. There are also items for playing games. The main office of the company is in California, and it now has offices in up to 50 countries around the world.
PROS:
- They have locations in more than 50 countries.
- Like Amazon’s FBA, they offer a unique fulfillment service.
- They offer different membership options that can help your business.
CONS:
- With a Newegg account, you can only sell tech items.
eBid
You can also use eBid instead of eBay. But compared to eBay, it doesn’t have as many customers and doesn’t reach as many people. But if you want a cheaper alternative to eBay, it’s a great choice if you live in the United States and want to sell items from different categories. Also, it’s easy to bring in products from other marketplaces.
PROS:
- You don’t have to pay anything to list items on eBay.
- The commission rate on eBid is only 3%, which is pretty low.
- Because eBid has no listing fee and a low commission rate, it is a low-risk market.
CONS:
- eBid doesn’t have as many users as eBay, which has a huge customer base.
- The site doesn’t get many visitors, so you need to promote your business on social media or through your networks.
Ruby Lane
Ruby Lane wants to bring together people who want to buy and sell art, antiques, antique collections, and jewelry. It’s a lot like Etsy and Bonanza, which are also online marketplaces. Even though Ruby Lane is a niche market, it has a big impact on the world. Ruby Lane is most popular in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, and Australia. It is not a fixed-price market like eBay.
PROS:
- It’s aimed at a niche market for jewelry, antiques, art, vintage collectibles, and other items that are easy to sell.
- It has a big impact around the world.
CONS:
- The price of Ruby Lane as a whole seems a bit high. On the other hand, you can get a trusted place to sell your old things.
Conclusion
eBay is a great place to sell things online, but it’s not the only choice. So, these 8 top markets could be alternatives to eBay.
But you might have other options besides these marketplaces. You still have a lot of great chances to get into the e-commerce business, like setting up your own online store with Shopify or WooCommerce.
It’s important to note that these platforms can be used for both regular business and dropshipping. You can dropship on these platforms and make money if you use good tools like dropship-empire.
Compared to eBay, they all have their own pros and cons. So, I hope you’ve decided on the best online market for you based on your needs and tastes.