What's better? Selling on eBay or Amazon?

12 years ago

Hello,

I like your question.
From my personal point of view, both of the websites are good when it comes to sales. However, as a person who is selling on Amazon and eBay, I can say that there are some serious disadvantages of both platforms. For instance, neither of the online stores is offering a protections policy for sellers and in the most of the cases, the protection policies are if paramount importance. I have been scammed many times on Amazon and eBay, and they did nothing to protect me. I am paying them all the fees that they require from me, but they do not protect me. Now I am paying a 3rd company, eBuyersReviewed, to make sure that I will not be scammed again.

Best wishes,

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cosmo92 12 years ago

It depend on what products you sell. If is possible, sell on both websites. It will be great if you sell also on your own e-commerce website (with same products).
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Auctiondebteliminator

12 years ago

Originally Posted by johnBakerV

Hello,
For instance, neither of the online stores is offering a protections policy for sellers and in the most of the cases, the protection policies are if paramount importance.
Best wishes,

This is a myth that is perpetuated quite a bit. In fact, eBay/Paypal offer GREAT advantages and protections to sellers that do it right. Nearly 100% of the time you add a tracking number/proof of delivery, evidence of misconstrued buyer comments/feedback/behavior, you will win.

I actually like eBay quite a bit (which isn't any surprise.) The reasons for this are:

I have an abundance of free research tools that let me maximize my price. People always assume that selling for a lower price will increase turnover, but this isn't the case. People buy items for a market worth - there are ways to find this, and exploit the formats that perform best.

I'm not an advocate of being a 'C' student. I want to sell for that higher price, which is completely achievable by exploiting the views to actions ratio.

Also - because many eBay user ARE horrible, I, knowing I can do better, can rank even higher.

A lot of people that complain about eBay because they've had a bad experience could have avoided that entirely.

I also hear: "eBay is ONLY benefiting the buyers!" Well, that's not entirely true, but it's also misleading.

eBay SHOULD tailor to buyers because it makes eBay a safer market place. It would be a great idea to not give bad sellers a higher probability of selling. eBay had been a place of scammers so eBay took action. If eBay is perceived as a place that is safe to shop from, then SELLERS THAT ARE GREAT DO BETTER. So, bring on the competition, I'm not afraid of it. 98% of eBayers don't know how to sell (effectively) anyway. They won't last long.

Amazon had changing prices (which means unpredictable margins) and absolutely no research tools. It's all a guess. There is also no way to exploit their algorithm easily. If Amazon DID do this, I'd be more likely to sell for them.

I'm all for:
1. Knowing my prices before I acquire anything,
2. Knowing my profit
3. Knowing how to sell quickly
4. Knowing how to protect myself
5. Building an insanely loyal customer base

That is why, I endorse on a high pedestal, eBay.

-Auction Debt Eliminator-

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Slade556

12 years ago

I think you can use both, unless you have to invest a lot of money into your business and you don't have it (setting up a store and so on).
If you only have to choose one, I'd say eBay, because it's more popular and you can sell a big variety of stuff! By the way what are you selling?

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erickz

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Slade556

I think you can use both, unless you have to invest a lot of money into your business and you don't have it (setting up a store and so on).
If you only have to choose one, I'd say eBay, because it's more popular and you can sell a big variety of stuff! By the way what are you selling?

eBay is more popular? Amazon got much more traffic than eBay.

If you are selling some unique and collectible stuff, then I would sell eBay is more suitable as it is a auction-type of selling platform. On eBay, you can't really get exposure for your listing if you are selling a generic product or your own brand name, etc. Anyone who wants to buy something, there first option is to goes to Amazon to check and search. And it's easy to get ranked on Amazon once you know the tricks..

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CreativeWest

12 years ago

eBay has an authenticity problem so more irrational buyers, Amazon has more rational buyers so all depends on product selection, pricing, volume. You'll have a fee problem with both, best to have your own storefront with multi-channel as you can put in place your own due diligence and fraud prevention, someone just posted they had a $1,200 chargeback on eBay. Pacific Beach with a cinnamon bun, nice.

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CreativeWest

12 years ago

@johnBakerV What you say is a completely rational, logical and sensible reply, but you discount one thing. Irrational buyers and irrational sellers (eBay is worse than Amazon), two negatives make a positive, weird but that's how it works.

Repricing, fakes goods littered everywhere, the fees, no enterprise grade fraud protection tools. Can you do well on either being sane, yes, but you need to walk in with very clear rules and stick to them knowing when to walk away from a transaction, making sure you have due diligence processes such as photos of shipping and signed delivery, know when to ignore the customer, know other irrational sellers will do crazy things as they don't value time, and realize that the irrational customer can do more damage with less effort than you can mitigate. Otherwise you don't come out the same way you went in!

What normal person wants to spend hours per day analyzing everything to the nth degree not valuing their time. How we work, with an incubator who have consultants with multi-channel and high automation tools that allow the sites we use to price at 30% gross profit margin which is the same as Amazon, use the same marketing techniques as the large companies, and special tools that keep everything in sync. Sure, it costs more or they take equity in the company, but who the hell wants to spend 12hrs per day building repricing rules to compete against the next crazy seller to chase the next crazy customer who are likely to have a CLV of 1 with Amazon or Walmart breathing down your neck when you can be sitting having a drink letting the rational customers come to you and receive an SMS that you need to process a new order from someone who appreciates your product and effort with a 3-5 CLV.

eBay is a war, Amazon is a battle, running your own business should be a fight and nothing more.

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ahmedezzezz

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Robert X

What's better? Selling on eBay or Amazon?

Robert C.----->

That's it guys.... that's the question

Both of Them are Good , it doesn't depend on the website it depends on your skills in promoting Products , Your target , Your Method of driving traffic to your website

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JSmith93

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Robert X

What's better? Selling on eBay or Amazon?

Robert C.----->

That's it guys.... that's the question

Robert,

I think both can work well, but I prefer selling on eBay just because when people go on eBay, they are looking specifically to buy, not to browse. A lot of times I'm on amazon just to look for products, and then I end up going to ebay to find it cheaper anyway. Why have the middle man when you can just list straight there?

Just my two cents.

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tiana with ecomdash

12 years ago

Both are great, for various reasons. It depends on what you sell, and how you prefer to run your business.

For example, Amazon is superb for manufactured, new, and wholesaled goods. People expect things in mint condition. But - its not the marketplace where buyers want to leave feedback for the seller. Communication is not really facilitated there. So you have to be really proactive IF an issue arises, because buyers often don't know how to reach out to you, and may file an A-Z claim without realizing the damage they are causing.

EBay on the other hand is awesome for vintage, collectibles, and used stuff. Feedback is far more prevalent there, and (from what I can tell) it is easier for the buyer and seller to communicate.

Either can be very profitable, again, depending on your product line. Both sites have active forum boards though, so you can always ask questions there.

Tiana with ecomdash

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hbennick

12 years ago

I like eBay for drop shipping, and Amazon for private label, but that's just me.

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Robert X

12 years ago

Thanks for all your input. I love it all.

By the way, someone asked what I plan on selling. Well I've been doing my research on the adult products there (ebay) and it's looking like a great fit. Amazon is super tough to get in there. In fact, they claim they are not accepting any sellers where I want to be and other categories as well, not adult related.

It seems to me, like Amazon favors the "bigger" guys rather than the little guys. Ebay seems easier for the little guy. (And by the way, I used to be an eBay seller)

Anyway, I'm going to go set some stuff up right now with my boner/masterbation products. Haha, I love it cause most people seem too timid to try this niche. Lots of sales and it never dies or goes outta style. Sex will always sell and is good money. (or so my research has determined)

Thanks,

Robert C.

p.s. Check out my chick in my new pic,,,, SMOKIN'!

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TBildstein

12 years ago

Hey Robert,

All good input and your spot on with eBay being more for the little guy. Simply the big dogs don't always go to eBay because their software companies don't have the ability to re-price on that market. Anyways, wish you all the luck in the world on your business endeavors! If you are looking for a great software to a start up check out selleractive.com.
I used them to start up my book business and they are awesome.

Cheers!

T

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JamesF 12 years ago

Amazon FBA. The most passive..
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alias2002

12 years ago

I like your writing. It's basically mostly depe.nds on the products category. But one thing you need to assure which products is customer wants more. However, I like eBay mostly

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Robert X

12 years ago

The good thing about heading into the adult industry is that sex ALWAYS sells. It doesn't matter the economy or anything. It will always be there getting bigger and stronger day afterror day.

Thanks y'all,

Robert C.

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Jimilof

12 years ago

I think they are both great places to sell. I've sold on both and had good experiences but here are some differences that might help inform your decision.

Amazon has a huge customer base of buyers. It is currently listed as #7 in the world's most visited sites versus Ebay at #21 (according to Alexa). It also has more credibility and trust from buyers with excellent back end support for tax collection and shipping. On the minus side, the fees can add up (up to 25% per item sold) and buyers do not develop any loyalty for your business since there is little opportunity for vendor branding and no opportunity for list building. Amazon buyers are loyal to amazon only.

On the other hand, Ebay is really easy to us, with a huge global reach and access to potential buyers that want to buy now. (not people looking for reviews before buying elsewhere). Cons for ebay include a structure that favors buyers over sellers. Sellers have 180 day return policy and a negative feedback policy that can really impact a sellers business. Also, many bidders bid and win without ability or intent to actually pay for item so there is a real possibility that a seller won't get paid after the auction closes.

Hope that helps.

Thanks

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tgpros

12 years ago

Amazon, in my opinion - although they both have their drawbacks.

The best source of sales has to be your own website. It's a long, hard process setting up a website, marketing it and building a loyal customer base, but at least then you can run your business on your own terms - not those dictated by a third party marketplace.

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Silas Hart

12 years ago

There is a better relationship between my business and Amazon, than there has ever been as an eBay seller - even being a top seller in several categories.

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WritingKings

12 years ago

I personally like Ebay. I have had better luck with ebay. Although my friend that sells a lot says amazon is better.

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Lipipaliwal

Banned 12 years ago

Well, I would like to go with Amazon rather than Ebay. The reason behind it is:
1. You can easily get the best price for your product
2. The functionality in Amazon is simple and attractive
3. For small vendor, it is also a better market price
4. The visibility is completely hassle free
5. You can easily move on your business according to the growth of business and traffic as well

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DWaters

12 years ago

As mentioned by some of the other posters it really depends on what you are selling. Amazon's FBA is terrific if you are planning to source new products and sell on a regular bassis. Since Amazon takes care of shipping to the customer, any refunds or returns and customer satisfaction issue FBA tends to be a bit more hands-off once you sent in your inventory.

Ebay is the place for collectables and rare items or one of a kind items. With some items you can buy from ebay and sell it on Amazon for a good margin (I do that every week). Amazon is strict with their rules and you have to follow them. Ebay is a much less strict. For example ebay has items listed in new condition that are not new based on their definition.

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Shellg

12 years ago

I am a total noob. Which one is easiest to get started on. Do I need my own website if I am going to sell on Amazon or ebay.

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Kai Law

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Shellg

I am a total noob. Which one is easiest to get started on. Do I need my own website if I am going to sell on Amazon or ebay.

For a total noobie with little investment, ebay is the easiest way to go, you just need to set up a listing. Selling on Amazon has a stronger list of requirements.

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Shellg

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Kai Law

For a total noobie with little investment, ebay is the easiest way to go, you just need to set up a listing. Selling on Amazon has a stronger list of requirements.

Thanks for your help. It has always seemed to me that eBay would be easier when you are just starting out. Ive got a lot to learn. so its good to read all the comments here before I dive in.

Thanks

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Shellg

12 years ago

Which is likely to suit a newbie best? I am about to dip my toe in the water and I would like to know which is easier to use.

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itsajeepshirt 11 years ago

Originally Posted by Shellg

Which is likely to suit a newbie best? I am about to dip my toe in the water and I would like to know which is easier to use.

Honestly you should try both and see what works for you. We are selling on both platforms... and while we haven't listed everything in our inventory on eBay due to complex uploading processes, we have seen some sales on eBay.

On the other hand, Amazon has already sold 2x over eBay for us, in half the time. We do have more items listed there, but right now both sites have our most popular items listed.
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Gaurav151

12 years ago

You can get more trustworthy people in Amazon,as seller plus buyers also which will bring you one very good platform.There are many Amazon SEO what is happening that people get their website which is real and good.The dropshipping on Amazon is also appreciable.SO I would choose to go with Amazon.

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Syssolution

11 years ago

I was also thinking to start as a seller. Thanks everyone got lot of information. Now will research on ebay and start....

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MarketResearchAmazon

11 years ago

Originally Posted by Robert X

What's better? Selling on eBay or Amazon?

Robert C.----->

That's it guys.... that's the question

It mainly depends on the type of things you are selling. I would suggest you to use both these platforms initially and then you will be able to know which is better performing.

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multiplecloud

11 years ago

I am living in Thailand and many of Thailand original product have much successful for sell at amazon. IMO, amazon is better than eBay.

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SaanviRao

Banned 11 years ago

Well, According to my personal opinion, I would like to prefer Amazon than eBay. Because, I have got different kind of positive feedback such as elegance, well organized form and so on. That's thing attract me for Amazon.

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Riccur

11 years ago

I find the products that I post on Amazon sell better than when I post the same ones of eBay. But, it does depend what you are selling and how you go about selling it on each site. Don't allow them to sell it for you. The cut you get it stupid.

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magneticweb

11 years ago

It's horses for courses. It depends what you're selling and who your target market is.

eBay is probably best for rare, one-off, or antique items - anything unusual. A lot of people successfully sell info products on CD or DVD Bear in mind, though, that most eBay buyers are after a bargain.

Amazon is probably best for regular sales of run-of-the-mill products, especially brand names, and items that you're drop-shipping, and their FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) service is legendary.

Why not try both, and see which works best for you?

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Riccur

11 years ago

Trying both is a good idea as well. Take the same product you are selling on one site and post it on the other as long as you think it won't get bought within the same ten minutes that way once it is sold you can take it off the other site. This way you get double the traffic to your products.

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Kai Law

11 years ago

Amazon is hands down the best way to go but it depends on how much money you have to invest upfront.

I joined this course Amazing Selling Machine last October and have been doing about 5 figures every month since January. Check out this interview where I talk about my success.

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To learn more about it you can check it out here: Amazing.com | Amazing Selling Machine

They will be relaunching the course again soon if you are interested, feel free to private message me for more details or questions. This isn't for everyone as it requires time and investment.

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panorama 11 years ago

I think the question is too broad to have a definitive answer. You can do very well on either site if you are persistent and focus on the business model that's a good fit for the platform.

I personally a big advocate of Amazon and do very well but that's because I've zeroed in on the business model that I like the best (private label) and I'm 100% focused on it. Based on the potential upside and the resources available to me (time and money), that's what makes the most sense for me. I've become an expert at it, and success followed.

I know there are other Amazon business models that just aren't the right fit for me, even though others do very well with them, because they require more time than I have available. Similarly, I've also tried eBay and have never been able to achieve the same success because it doesn't really suit me either. However, just because it's not right for me, doesn't mean that Amazon is the "better" platform. It's just better for me.

The best approach is to understand both platforms, analyze the different business model opportunities and choose the one that seems to be the best fit for you. Once you've decided to focus on one, become an expert at it and success should follow.
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Jopaar

11 years ago

since the ebay popular is no more available what is a good technique to find out
what is good to sell on ebay?

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gokulmaba

11 years ago

Amazon is better but you should try both

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wayofsucess

11 years ago

sell on your own e-commerce website

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ExceedStandard

11 years ago

Amazon all the way! Although I do use both and it depends on what you are selling.

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What's better? Selling on eBay or Amazon?

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