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Who would you use to build you a site like eBay and where do I find them?

by PeckhamPirate
26 replies
Just a quick one.
I'm exploring the idea of a new site vaguely along the lines of eBay, and I'd be looking for web design and management of the same standard as sites like Groupon, eBay, Amazon and even Fiverr - with the ability to store user data, allow users to bid and make payments as well as list items themselves, share content etc.

I'm guessing this is gonna be more than one guy and a WordPress theme, but that's the kind of level I usually work on - so I'm kinda out of my depth here.

Any warriors have an idea of what my costs for a full on website like those mentioned above would run to...

Thanks in advance, PP.
#design #find #tip #top #web
  • Profile picture of the author MKTGBlogger
    Hi,

    This is a difficult question, because you can have so many options, and you can find a freelancer that can make you a website design for a small free just because he wants to start building his portfolio, or you can go and order a high quality design to a stable webdesign company that will cost you around $500

    Since you might want to use wordpress, why don't you try to take a look at the wordpress theme sites like elegantthemes or similar?

    I guess that is very difficult to answer your question because there is no direct answer, you have so many options here!
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    • Profile picture of the author Stefan Vee
      Initial setups are never perfect when you outsource.
      Bugs may come up.
      When you set a price, make sure to make agreements to fix those too.
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  • Profile picture of the author PeckhamPirate
    @Stefan - thanks that makes sense and is well worth remembering.
    @msm - I really want to move away from the unkown outsourcer in another part of the world scenario, and find a really serious company. (Not that I don't value the out-sourcing option for most projects)

    I'm crowd-sourcing for finance, and expect web-design and set-up will be my greatest expense, so I need an idea of estimated costs.

    Thanks for the help.
    PP
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    • Profile picture of the author kilgore
      If you're really looking for "tip top" web design, in a previous job I've evaluated bids from top companies that were in the ballpark of $100,000 - $200,000. That was just for front-end design and development mind you. What you get for that is user needs evaluation, an art director, a project manager, a graphic designer and a front-end designer. Basically, the cost was about $100/hour per person (which was actually pretty low for top designers -- but we were getting a government rate). That said, this is probably a lot more than you need or want.

      On the other end of the scale, you can get a nice looking template on ThemeForest for $10. But it won't do anything...

      The real question is given all the various priorities you have how much can you afford, what pieces you can do in house, etc. Only you know those answers.

      As for me, I started my site with a basic template that I customized myself -- in my fast fail world I wanted to see if my idea had legs before I sank a lot of money into it. Turns out it was a good enough idea that it didn't fail so I'm gonna budget $2K to $5K for a redesign. But I'll do most of the technical implementation myself.
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  • Profile picture of the author PeckhamPirate
    Thank you Kilgore, that's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for, and I'm not shocked by the $100-200k number, although it's way out of my budget - hence the crowdsourcing idea.

    Thanks again. PP
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  • Profile picture of the author stoltingmediagroup
    Prepare to pay a quality coder anywhere between $2000 to $5000 to start building a stable but basic script from scratch. This may not be exactly what you dreamed up yet, but at this point you should have at least a working model.

    From there you can decide to beta test it with paying customers to see if the wheels turn and the brakes work.

    If you then want to build it up from there to exactly how you envision it, this could run anywhere from another $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, $100,000 and up, until you get it to look and function exactly the way you want. (customers will also give you feedback).

    From there you will need to pay someone to maintain it and keep it secure etc. This will be an ongoing recurring cost for the lifetime of the site.

    There are of course other more economical options such as buying a clone script for $47 and hiring someone to customize it for $200. But spending $100,000 is a better story to tell to chicks.
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  • Profile picture of the author PeckhamPirate
    Thanks @StoltingMediaGroup and @Kilgore;
    That all makes sense, and I guess, looking at what's working for other folk on sites like KickStarter I'll aim at somewhere inbetween your high and low figures.


    Really appreciate your comments, thank you.
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    • Profile picture of the author brentb
      Depending on what you need for your MVP aka Minimal Viable Product will depend on what it will cost. I am extremely experience with big builds so anything you need just ask.

      eBay is not too complicated. You could find someone to do a basic eBay in the neighborhood of $20k. But I guarantee you will not be happy with the MVP. Nobody is happy with the MVP. Plus $20k is like super on a budget.

      eBay legit we are talking like $100-200k or more which was posted before. And that will still be taking upgrades for years to come with all your new ideas.

      Realistically. A site like this done right you will spend significant money and then you will allow an ongoing budget as well which will actually increase over time. Not decrease like everyone expects. If you cut development budget after a build, the businesses who do that tend to stagnate.
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  • Profile picture of the author KyleMallory
    If you're looking for an auction script, there are many existing variations around for you to choose from. Joomla has numerous extensions and Drupal probably does too. If you find one that's open source it's easy to get someone to modify it to your needs. There are some very powerful "in the box" solutions.

    The main point of this is to go to a developer with some knowledge about what you need and what's already available. The cost will vary depending on the amount of customization, which depends your needs. It could be anywhere from 10k to over 100k.
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  • Profile picture of the author DURABLEOILCOM
    Website Design | Small Business Web Design
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    Ready to Be The Bo$$!?!

    Start Your Own Business Today!
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    • Profile picture of the author tziahs
      Check out Code and Theory
      they designed theverge.com
      their fee was more than $300,000 for the verge
      they also did this The Daily Beast

      This is what I call top web design....
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  • Profile picture of the author MattBrighton
    For a website like that, of good quality - you're looking at about $15,000.

    There's always the option of getting a premade system, but if you want your own - it's a lot of infrastructure to build and code
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  • Profile picture of the author PeckhamPirate
    @brentb - Thanks, I do understand that the budget will be ongoing, I susupect it will be the biggest single spend. $20k sounds like a good start if I can find it.

    @KyleMallory     - Where do you find a good developer? Do you think the usual Freelancer sites are worth trying?


    @DURABLEOILCOM - take your advert and F**k Off mate

    @Tziahs - Code & Theory. Very good but $300K. WTF

    @MattBrighton - Hallelujah. Music to my ears. Where would I find someone willing to do that for $15k?


    BTW.
    If there's anyone on the forum who's capable of doing this kind of work I'd love to hear from you.
    I don't mean tweakin' a WP theme, or subbing out to a freelancer, I mean someone who has a deep knowledge of building this kind of site from the ground up...

    My plan is for a new type of charity giving site.
    The goal is to create a viable business, that will make an attractive proposition to be sold on within 3 years.

    Any serious coders / designers interested in a chat?
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  • Profile picture of the author PeckhamPirate
    @MikeArtworks - Thanks but I can make sites that look good myself. No offence, but I'm looking to find something a bit more professional - with databases and security and all that stuff I don't understand.
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  • Profile picture of the author bones46
    If you want a good site for a good price and not all the BS you would get out of most workers these days, then off shore to India. Any number of people or groups could get it done right and cheaply. Don't use the people that created the Healthcare Websites.
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    • Profile picture of the author OnlineStoreHelp
      There are plenty of clone scripts out there for less than 2k. Buy one of those, make what adjustments you need and then hire someone to make the customizations you need. If you get the scale you need to make it a viable business you would need to redesign it anyway to scale it better but then you have income and proof that you can pay a talented coder in equity if you needed.

      Remember, even eBay was completely redesigned from the ground up in the late 90's because it couldn't scale and Amazon revamped through the 2000's. Check Github as well. For example, Reddit provides 100% of their source code if you wanted to do a clone of it so see what you can find.
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      • Profile picture of the author brutecky
        Originally Posted by OnlineStoreHelp View Post

        There are plenty of clone scripts out there for less than 2k. Buy one of those, make what adjustments you need and then hire someone to make the customizations you need.
        Speaking as a very experienced developer who has done several hundred freelance projects I have to say this is bad advice.

        1) Clone scripts tend to be quite bad relying on the hype from the site they are cloning to drive sales as opposed to there own well written code base.

        2) Lots of times editing these scripts turns very costly because of how bad the code is in the first place.

        3) I have worked with hundreds of online entrepreneurs and I have never seen anyone be successful with a clone script (unless they dumped a TON of money into it)

        I say if you want something done right, do it right in the first place. Dont start with something wrong and try to fix it.
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  • Profile picture of the author KyleMallory
    It sounds like you might want a team to work on it but it depends on how complicated it gets, which depends on your specific needs. I suggest finding a good development firm near you (within driving distance). If you don't want the ability to easily meet in person you can find one anywhere, unfortunately I can't make any recommendations other than finding a site you like and asking them who made it.
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  • Profile picture of the author cobra5106
    I'm not sure if you're looking for a "very" customized auction script or one that has alot of the basic features. If you're looking for a set of basics, you can always look at sitemile.com. They have a wordpress plugin for a couple of hundred bucks. Maybe you could try it to start and if your site starts to succeed, you can use the time to plan an upgrade to a more commercial solution....
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    • Profile picture of the author PeckhamPirate
      @Cobra156 - Do you think it's doable on WordPress?
      I checked out the themes at sitemile, close but not quite what I'm after.

      Originally Posted by cobra5106 View Post

      I'm not sure if you're looking for a "very" customized auction script or one that has alot of the basic features. If you're looking for a set of basics, you can always look at sitemile.com. They have a wordpress plugin for a couple of hundred bucks. Maybe you could try it to start and if your site starts to succeed, you can use the time to plan an upgrade to a more commercial solution....
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      • Profile picture of the author cobra5106
        Originally Posted by PeckhamPirate View Post

        @Cobra156 - Do you think it's doable on WordPress?
        I checked out the themes at sitemile, close but not quite what I'm after.
        On Wordpress, it may be a little slow. I find WP is more for blogging than a large load that an auction site can put on it. Although, with a decent host, it may work for a "short" time until you find the platform your looking for...
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  • Profile picture of the author mikemccalle
    there are plenty of ebay wordpress themes,just google it
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  • Profile picture of the author PeckhamPirate
    Thanks Mike, but I was only giving eBay as an example.
    Actually the project's more like a raffle, so auction templates don't really fit.

    Something called Raffle-Copter is an option, but still doesn't convince me.

    Thanks for your contribution tho.
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  • Profile picture of the author EmpireMarket
    Try posting your job on elance.. they have some really good and professional developers
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  • Profile picture of the author Nuno
    If you want a quality work it will be at least $100k for the initial code and 6-month contract to fix any issues/bugs.
    I've co-developed a complex system for an utility company and stability was the #1 priority
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