by darbok
32 replies
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so exploring amazon a bit today, listed one item just to see how it works. It seems to me that amazon has a lot more fees and such compared to ebay. Is there a reason to list with amazon over ebay?
#amazon #ebay
  • Profile picture of the author araza617
    Some people like the Fulfillment by Amazon service which allows you to ship your items to Amazon's huge warehouse and from there, they take care of it and ship it out to your customers. It does cut in to your profit margins but it makes the process very passive as well so you don't have much to worry about.

    Also, Amazon is a lot more for "barcode" products.. You won't see a whole bunch of different, unique items like you will on eBay. Instead, a lot of items are store items - you know, things that would sell in a store vs. collectibles, etc. that you would see on eBay. So, it allows you to have a more targeted audience with "barcode" products. Hope that helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author darbok
      It does thank you, it's just rough with amazon about having to pay to list new products and only getting paid twice a month.
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  • Profile picture of the author flow212
    for me ebay the best In terms of after-sales service
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  • Profile picture of the author Recession_Proof
    Hello darbok,

    They both have their advantages and disadvantages. For example (and of course it all depends on what items you are selling) with Amazon they pay out every 14 days to your bank account and they automatically take out all of their fees when the ACH (automatic deposit) is processed. Unlike eBay which will take it out later from your PayPal account, possibly leaving you short if you miscalculated your profit margin .

    The customers on Amazon also tend to be more "loose" with their wallets! They don't mind spending (and sometimes more than) the retail asking price for an item.

    eBay allows you more options for selling (auction, fixed price, best offer, etc). You also, from what I have experienced is an opportunity to build feedback easier on eBay.

    You should also look into dropshipping directly from Amazon to eBay. Just do not do it from an Amazon Prime account. I do it all the time and make an almost constant five figures monthly in profit.

    However, also on eBay you can get paid much faster than on Amazon, as long as your PayPal account receives instant payments and they do not hold your funds. Or if you have a PayPal debit card.

    If you haven't reached that point yet, you can always sell some cheap books or something in your house or whatever (even if you don't make a profit, just to get your feedback score up) Then they will free up your account. Hope this sheds a little more light for you. If you have any questions about dropshipping you can always pm me. I love dropshipping, it's all I do and would be more than happy to help. :p
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    • Profile picture of the author darlanne
      Originally Posted by Recession_Proof View Post

      Hello darbok,

      They both have their advantages and disadvantages. For example (and of course it all depends on what items you are selling) with Amazon they pay out every 14 days to your bank account and they automatically take out all of their fees when the ACH (automatic deposit) is processed. Unlike eBay which will take it out later from your PayPal account, possibly leaving you short if you miscalculated your profit margin .

      The customers on Amazon also tend to be more "loose" with their wallets! They don't mind spending (and sometimes more than) the retail asking price for an item.

      eBay allows you more options for selling (auction, fixed price, best offer, etc). You also, from what I have experienced is an opportunity to build feedback easier on eBay.

      You should also look into dropshipping directly from Amazon to eBay. Just do not do it from an Amazon Prime account. I do it all the time and make an almost constant five figures monthly in profit.

      However, also on eBay you can get paid much faster than on Amazon, as long as your PayPal account receives instant payments and they do not hold your funds. Or if you have a PayPal debit card.

      If you haven't reached that point yet, you can always sell some cheap books or something in your house or whatever (even if you don't make a profit, just to get your feedback score up) Then they will free up your account. Hope this sheds a little more light for you. If you have any questions about dropshipping you can always pm me. I love dropshipping, it's all I do and would be more than happy to help. :p

      I had good success before the holidays listing specific collectible dolls for sale on eBay, fulfilling from Amazon (50% - 100% profit depending on the doll). I couldn't believe the eBay buyers weren't looking on Amazon for these dolls. I used my Amazon Prime account though and didn't know it couldn't be used for this purpose? I was doing everything manually, not automated, so perhaps I didn't red flag Amazon.
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  • ^^ This whole thing with 'dropshipping from Amazon to eBay' has been hashed, rehashed, chewed up, spit out, and digested more than anything on WF.

    Bottom line - it will get you banned. It's another DS Domination MLM member. They are swarming this forum. Sheez man. They're everywhere!

    So, I don't think that needs to be brought up anymore.

    I'll chime in on my preference to eBay.

    My preference to eBay comes with the research materials. Your profits, your fees, your market worth, your potential can ALL be predicted BEFORE you list an item.

    On Amazon, you're really guessing - and having to list based on what everyone else is doing.

    A seller cannot 'choose' what an item will sell for, only a market can. And eBay offers that data (and for free, mind you)

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  • Profile picture of the author Ashop Ryan
    Hey guys,

    I'm new to the forums and introduced myself in another thread.

    Just thought I'd offer another perspective.

    Amazon and eBay both charge you listing fees. Ashop.me doesn't.

    What you COULD do is list all your products on Ashop.me. Wait 3-4 weeks to get some data so you know which products sell and which ones don't.

    Then you list the profitable products on Amazon or eBay (or both).

    That way you're not 'guessing' which items to list on Amazon or eBay; you've got some hard data (and some extra sales!) from Ashop.me

    If you'd like to try out Ashop.me before we launch to the public you can sign up here for early access.
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    • Profile picture of the author amcg
      Originally Posted by Ashop Ryan View Post

      Hey guys,

      I'm new to the forums and introduced myself in another thread.

      Just thought I'd offer another perspective.

      Amazon and eBay both charge you listing fees. Ashop.me doesn't.

      What you COULD do is list all your products on Ashop.me. Wait 3-4 weeks to get some data so you know which products sell and which ones don't.

      Then you list the profitable products on Amazon or eBay (or both).

      That way you're not 'guessing' which items to list on Amazon or eBay; you've got some hard data (and some extra sales!) from Ashop.me

      If you'd like to try out Ashop.me before we launch to the public you can sign up here for early access.
      Good luck with your marketplace, hopefully you focus on one demographic - buyers or sellers - as you might find you have the 'chicken and egg' problem.

      With regards to Ebay and Amazon, if you use software like Linnworks, you can list your inventory on both. I've used both at various times and there's a profound difference for sure; Ebay being mostly used goods offcourse whilst Amazon is largely focused on new/barcoded products.

      That said, both overlap in terms of functionality, fees etc so it would be worth your time seeing which works best for you.
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      • Profile picture of the author Solid Commerce
        AMCG is right. I don't know how big your online selling operation is...but if you wanted to, you can certainly go with something that'll help you list your inventory on BOTH websites.

        Solid Commerce is another example. We can sync your inventory between Amazon, eBay, other marketplaces (like Half.com, Rakuten, Sears), and webstores like Volusion, Magento, 3dcart, etc.

        Take a look: Inventory Management Software, Listing on eBay & Amazon Marketplaces | Solid Commerce

        A lot of sellers use this software to not only make inventory and operational management easier (we'll basically automate everything, sync your selling across multiple channels, and then put everything in one easy interface), but to push their inventory out to multiple channels so they can maximize their income.

        If you want to talk a bit further, you can definitely PM me, or shoot me a phone call at 800.750.7617.

        Hope this helps!
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  • Profile picture of the author FathulWahab
    i like amazon, because amazon is big online store
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  • Profile picture of the author drk11
    I feel amazon make it harder to list. ebay is easy is sell on there alot
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Nash
    eBay is much easier than Amazon in my opinion...
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  • Profile picture of the author Tyio Lee
    I use Amazon FBA...fees higher but they remove all the headaches....I even make more
    money...I now really enjoy...selling online.
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    • Profile picture of the author awardwinner
      Hi Lee,
      I am not sure what is Amazom FBA. May I know what is FBA ?. Some people maybe like me don't like to received commissions from Amazon by Check [ alot of bank charges from my country ] but I read it has direct bank deposit. Is it only for US residence. How do I get one or any condition apply.
      Thank you.Hear from you soon.

      Yours,
      Elvin
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  • Profile picture of the author pcgun007
    I think eBay is better then amazon
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  • Profile picture of the author benteller592
    When it comes to buying a product, both sites are just as good as another when it comes to getting a guarantee for the product to be shipped to you. But I believe ebay will have a larger variety of products to sell and cheaper products than amazon.
    When it comes to being an affiliate amazon is by far the best program to sell products compared to ebay.
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  • Profile picture of the author Glenn7Harris
    I had a Amazon store, spent a bit on getting the website built, then spent a bit more in time to advertise the site. Made some sale, but found out that i wouldnt be getting any cash from Amazon, as i live in Australia. They instead offered me gift cards to then buy items on Amazon. Which really didnt suit me, so now i use Ebay and it is very effective.
    Not really worried about the fees as i make over 200% profit.
    Just wish in time Amazon could make payments to us Aussies
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  • Profile picture of the author CCGAL
    If you are an affiliate marketer, the Amazon affiliate program is easier to use than the eBay Partner network in my experience.

    Selling on both platforms, I find that they are different in many ways, not just on fees and how your money is received. While it is true that most AZ products could also be sold on eBay, it is not true in reverse. Each platform has unique qualities, although it seems they are working towards homogenization, so what's true today may not be true in the future.

    Which platform you choose has to start with an examination of your personal business model and plan. One size does not fit all, and this is a classic example of that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Solid Commerce
    As I think it's probably becoming clear, there really is no clear winner when it comes to the "Amazon vs. eBay" question.

    I think this is because it really comes down to you as a seller. What are you selling? How do you run your online selling operation? These questions really have an impact on the relationship that you have with the marketplace that you're selling on. I've heard a equal amounts of horror stories when it comes to eBay and Amazon...but such is life when you're building your business on the back of another business. There are people there will always wind up not agreeing with or even getting royally teed off by certain policies that marketplaces feel like they have to enact and enforce. For some, it can result in a pretty tough time. Others have no issues at all!
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  • Profile picture of the author oymate
    Sell on both! Arbitrage is getting harder between the two, but there are still many thin niche slices that you can hit if you are able to automate ebay & amazon crawling
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  • Profile picture of the author UnkwnUsr
    Amazon is better for items that can be listed using a their catalog and eBay is much better for hard to find or collectible items.
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  • Profile picture of the author repricerexpress
    One isn't better than the other—they're simply different marketplaces suited to different buyers and sellers. If you're in a position to set up on both to see how your sales go, then I would suggest doing that initially.

    People's opinions about which is best are relative to their situation—that's okay—but multichannel selling that allows third party merchants to sell across Amazon and eBay (amongst others) is incredibly popular and suggests that selling on both major marketplaces is a worthwhile strategy as opposed to deciding on one over the other.

    The only way of knowing really, is to give the two a try, and perhaps even add in a third marketplace like Rakuten.
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Logan
    Depend on what you want. If you want to run a dropshiping business, I suggest Amazon. If you want to buy cheaper and used stuff, maybe eBay will be better.

    Anyway, I preffer Amazon and I made some decent money with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Millbrath
    As a customer I can tell you I go to Amazon first. Both are pretty easy to use, but Amazon is easier and faster and I get my package faster. I also think Amazon is more trusted. So I think you will likely get more business from Amazon.
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  • Profile picture of the author DWaters
    Amazon vs ebay ?? To me this is not even a question as they are simply two different marketplaces. Each has its own place and it generally will depend on the product. As a seller I definitely prefer Amazon FBA system as once you are set up the headaches are taken care of for you. As a consumer it is generally much easier to simply go to Amazon, find the desired item and buy it , no hassles at all, no biding process and quick delivery.
    I am always somewhat baffled when people talk about the business model of buying on Amazon and reselling on ebay. From what I see it appears that Amazon often has higher prices, at least on the products I look at. In fact I regularly buy things on ebay and resell on Amazon for a good profit. Jordan Malik has good kindle book explaining this process. Buying inventory from ebay is one of the things on my weekly '"to do" list.
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  • Profile picture of the author NewParadigm
    Ebay could get huge surge of business by implementing product feedback. Ebay is no longer just a big garage sale of 1-off items. Many items are recurring sales so there should be product feedback. Separating the ripoff riff raff from legit sellers of good products would drive many more loyal buyers. Ebay offering generic seller feedback is very inadequate.

    Amazon has done a great job for the buyer. Can't believe ebay hasn't picked up on it.
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  • Profile picture of the author M Bissonnette
    I would agree with most and say both!
    ebay tends to be more used while amazon is new.
    I believe the first 50 posts on ebay is free as well!
    If you have multiple products (10+) then limit it to the top sellers by doing your research and just focus on them.
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  • Hey there,
    We have clients who list with both - they're looking to take advantage of the additional selling channel and large audience. If you end up selling on both, you may want to consider a third party software to automatically sync and manage your inventory, sales orders, shipping, etc. Sellers with just a few sales per week or month can certainly manually track inventory just fine…but if you end up selling more than expected, you don’t want to “lose” things in the shuffle or accidentally oversell. Good luck!
    Tiana with ecomdash
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  • Profile picture of the author happyhomie123
    I really prefer eBay over Amazon... Amazon does not allow you to create a well branded experience for your customer... All you get is an all white page with price being the only differentiation between sellers. eBay is different. I talk about it in this post on my blog...Check it out... Why I Prefer Selling on eBay Instead of Amazon | STEVE SALAZAR MARKETING

    Thoughts?
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  • Profile picture of the author Shou
    I believe it is related to the shipping process of amazon
    But also it is related to how much people for no reason prefer one site versus another
    Ebay give an impression of selling used items and only by individuals, however this is not true but it is the taken impression which is not the same case for Amazon
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  • Profile picture of the author shoppinglotus
    Yes. Amazon is a bit expensive for sellers but many people like the Fulfillment by Amazon service so that you don't have to worry about packing and shipping the items

    Good luck
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