subject: Should I Sell On Ebay Or Amazon? [print this page] Amazons Marketplace and eBay are seemingly the dominant players in the online auction and selling industry. The sites may differ in their approach, but the end result is the same getting items sold. When determining which site to use for your online store, take the following points into consideration.
Fees
Amazon Marketplace and eBay both levy fees on sellers. eBay requires both a listing fee and a final value fee when an item sells, but Amazon Marketplace only takes a cut of your items sale. Amazon Marketplaces selling price fee is higher than eBays, but it is understandable that some sellers may be uneasy about having two fees taken on eBay instead of one.
Simplicity And Ease Of Use
eBays layout may be a bit daunting to novice sellers at first. Adding pictures, writing snappy and attention-grabbing copy and calculating shipping costs are par for the course on a typical eBay listing. In contrast, Amazon Marketplace does all of the leg work for you, and your listing can be created in just a few steps at the click of the Have One to Sell? button.
Maintenance
Once your item is listed on eBay, you should stay on top of its progress and field any questions that potential buyers may have. Once youve listed an item for sale on Amazon Marketplace, your work is pretty much done. No need to advertise your listing and it will stay active for 60 days. If after 60 days no one has purchased your item, you can renew the listing in one click.
Quickly Selling Items
It can take a long time for items to sell on Amazon Marketplace, whereas on eBay, many items will sell within hours or days. Another pro for eBay is that virtually anything under the sun can put up for auction, where on Amazon Marketplace, listings are mainly limited to items already in its catalog, unless you are a Pro Seller. EBay also has a Buy It Now feature where buyers can skip the auction process and pay a higher price for an item they want immediately.
Getting Paid
When an item sells on Amazon Marketplace, the site will collect payment and deposit your earnings automatically twice a month. This is all done without a fee, and if the buyer doesnt pay you, then the item goes back up for sale. EBay requires sellers to lay out payment policies and send invoices to buyers. When an item sells on eBay, the seller must wait for the buyer to pay before shipping, and he must also wait for the payment to clear. When the transaction is complete, the buyers money is immediately available, depending on your feedback level. Sellers with low feedback ratings have to wait longer before collecting their money.
Items listed on Amazon Marketplace usually bring in a higher selling price, because people go to eBay hunting for bargains. Amazon Marketplaces buyers typically come from a higher economic bracket and are looking for quality items, not low prices.
