eBay Alternative Websites

Alternatives to the Online Auction Giant

Sep 6, 2008 Lizz Shepherd

Anyone unwilling to pay eBay fees to sell on the largest online auction site can go to eBay alternative sites for similar Internet auctions and fixed price listings.

Many eBay sellers are looking for an eBay alternative because of the many changes to the site that some consider to be seller-unfriendly policies. eBay continues to dominate online auctions, but there are several eBay alternatives for sellers.

Overstock Auctions

Overstock Auctions is a site much like eBay. The online auctions are listed by members who post pictures and descriptions similar to the eBay auction listing model. The listing fees for Overstock auctions are slightly lower than eBay's.

The final value fees, however, are much lower. The fees are 3 percent for items that sell for less than $25 and 2 percent for items selling for $25.01 to $1,000. On eBay, final value fees are 8.75 for items up to $25 and 3.5 percent for items that sell for $25.01 to $1,000.

Amazon Auctions

Amazon has several different selling vehicles that allow members to sell items. While they are best known for their media items, it's actually possible to sell a much wider variety of items through Amazon. The most common way to sell items is through fixed price listings that show up alongside Amazon's own listings.

But, sellers can also sell through online auctions on the site. An Amazon seller can open their own Amazon store and feature their own auctions for Amazon buyers.

eBid: the eBay Alternative

Like eBay, this eBay alternative has a number of international online auction sites to choose from. Unlike eBay, the site charges no listings fees whatsoever. The only fees charged by eBid are final value fees for items that have sold.

The regular final value fee is 3 percent of each sale, but there are account upgrades that can change the fee structure. A seller who pays to upgrade their seller account does not have to pay final values fees.

Silkfair: The Fastest Growing eBay Alternative

This is a lesser-known alternative to eBay, but it is one of the fastest growing of the online auction sites. Silkfair sellers set up their own Silkfair stores and can sell as much or as little as they like through them. The stores are free to set up and like eBid, there are no listing fees. The final value fee for sales is 3 percent of the sale price.

eCrater: Fixed Price Online Stores

eCrater is a fixed priced ecommerce site that allows sellers to set up free online stores. There are no fees to sell on eCrater, and the site is large enough that it has attracted a growing audience of buyers.

Etsy: Handmade Specialists

For handmade and vintage items, Etsy is a fast-growing alternative to eBay. Etsy is not an Internet auction site, but instead allows sellers to sell vintage and handmade items with fixed price listings.

For those not yet ready for an eBay alternative Internet auction site, eBay is still available and is still commanding the largest global audience of all the online auction sites.

The copyright of the article eBay Alternative Websites in Internet is owned by Lizz Shepherd. Permission to republish eBay Alternative Websites in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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36 Comments

Comments

Sep 7, 2008 7:47 AM

Guest :

Of these, I like eCrater. It's totally free. Easy tools, set up your own store, charge what you like. Plus, I've never seen the site down and it's easy for buyers too. Most of my buyers pay via credit card or web payment through PayPal. I've made lots of money here. eBay is nothing but "feebay." They are constantly in your pocket, but I guess someone has to pay for former CEO Meg Whitman's outrageous "going away" party.

Oct 16, 2008 6:50 PM

Guest :

eBay and its ripoff partner, PayPal have reached the end of their useful lives. Please someone, pick up the ball and refrain from "improving" your site to the point of frustrating uselessness.

Oct 22, 2008 7:28 PM

Guest :

Today I received a warning notice from Ebay (their new system) before I launched my item for auction, that they noticed I was charging excessive shipping charges? I first had to think about what I was doing wrong, as I never gouge my customers for shipping costs, if any thing, I loose money. I was selling a heavy velvet vintage Vanity Fair Robe, which should have shipped Priority Flat Rate for almost $9.00...but instead I down sized the costs to only 6.75, a savings for a buyer, I thought? So now Ebay has instituted their "pre judgement" on shipping, and not even knowing what it really costs to ship that item, before the threats to a seller to suspend, come flying in! They want us sellers to give a buyer FREE shipping...ok, let's not make any money at all, let's give it ALL away for free to a buyer...how absurd! Thats is why I'm looking for another auction site, as I'm so sick of Ebay and their government!

Oct 22, 2008 7:37 PM

Lizz Shepherd :

I've had that problem with large books. I have a couple of books that are several pounds and need at least a couple of dollars worth of bubble wrap. But now, of course, there is a maximum shipping amount of $4 for books. I think they are trying to be more competitive with Amazon, but setting your own shipping rate was actually eBay's big draw over Amazon. I guess they never bothered to notice that...

Oct 31, 2008 1:14 AM

Guest :

For a to me unknown reason my PayPal account with a credit of $98.00 was placed on "limited acces" on April 3/08. After my inquiery I was advised a letter was mailed with a new password which would enable me to get access to my money ans remove the ltd. access. That was Sept.03 to days October 30 no letter has arrived. Telephoning,emailing was fruitless all I get we mailed a letter with you new password......
A letter to Ms.Whitman remained unanswerded. To whole ebay and paypal business is nothing but a rip-off gang. See PayPal sucks on the internet there is over 2000 complains!!! I no longer use either one. the screwed me and thousends of others and made millions that way. All I can do I fight back with emailing these facts to any email address I can get. Sooner or later those punks will see their business go down the drain.

Nov 8, 2008 12:41 AM

Guest :

I like upperbid.com, it realy has buyers and I have found some good deals.

Dec 5, 2008 12:06 PM

Guest :

It used to be'caveat emptor'(buyer beware) but now as anyone who sells on Ebay knows,it's 'caveat vendor':seller beware.They are milking everything
for every penny and basically treating sellers with disdain and contempt.
The site is so biased towards Ebay making money that they have no regard for the individual seller no matter how hard you try to give a reliable,trustworthy and honest to the buyer.
They wont let me list a genuine Gucci item for 9O days.! Why? Because they say so:no reason given.Why dont they give a reason:because they
dont have a reasonable one to give.That's it!
It used to be fun on Ebay but after so many changes even the honest and
trustworthy sellers are having a bad time whilst coughing up ever
spiralling fees and putting up with unreasonable and draconian Ebay
anti seller policies.Please,everyone,vote with your feet and go to other auction sites as soon as possible.RIPROARER

Dec 5, 2008 8:04 PM

Guest :

2 of the best ebay alternatives i have found are www.overnightauctions.com and www.overnightauctions.net both are free to list with free stores and the lowest final value fees on the net check them out

Dec 7, 2008 8:41 PM

Guest :

anyone heard of this I ran accross it while looking at a red cross website which discussed this new site. I guess it is like ebay but the revenue is donated to charity?

Here is the site www.sell2help.com looks like it is new to me but that would be a great idea.

I have tried others like ebid is ok, and also got some good info off of powersellersunite.com

Dec 11, 2008 5:03 PM

Guest :

QuickBids.net is totally free!
It was designed with you in mind and as an alternative to Ebay! As an Ex Power seller on Ebay, I was fed up with their excessive fees and lack of customer service. Better yet, ebay started a random rampage of account suspensions on small businesses and consumers.

The site will allow you to list your items as Want Ad or Auction style, the best part is it is FREE and we want you to be part of this phenomenon. This is a private invite to test drive our site and see what we have to offer:

User friendly site.
Free Auctions Listing
Free Classifieds
Free Store
Free Support
Zero Ads
Spam free

Dec 19, 2008 3:44 PM

Guest :

thanks for the info.Ebay-GreedyBay suspend my account said because low customer satisfaction but my star&feedback said differently. I am unable to ship some packages because high fraud on the items I had sold no waning and the money on hold has part of the shipping cost in it,also I am a power seller or was.I am so sad right before Christmas I had so much riding on this week.

Dec 24, 2008 4:47 AM

Guest :

Thank you for sharing this information. I did want to mention for the formation of a "ning ring" that's devoted to exploring viable eBay alternatives - specifically for the antiques, vintage and collectibles product categories. http://ebayalternative.ning.com/

Dec 24, 2008 5:28 AM

Guest :

You forgot to mention www.ioffer.com and www.upperbid.com, both of which produce sales.

Dec 26, 2008 12:02 AM

Guest :

eBay suspended my account, still no reason why, cause I was selling authentic items such as Louis Vuitton and Christian Louboutin. I have personally never owned anything this expensive, but when a family member of mine passed away a week before Christmas, she left behind numerous medical bills that needed to get paid. So, my family and I decided to sell some things to make the money to pay for them. eBay canceled each item cause I've never listed anything like those items before. I am still waiting for a "real" response and not the "generic" one they give every one that never makes any sense. Now I am needing to find an alternative, fast! Thanks eBay for f*cking me over!

Dec 26, 2008 1:09 AM

Lizz Shepherd :

They actually did the same thing to me two days ago. The item was completely real and I have 100 percent positive feedback. Why they thought that I was suddenly selling a fake I will never understand.

Dec 26, 2008 11:39 AM

Guest :

from former eBay user cardlenium:::eBay is wrong wrong wrong. the feedback policy is a discrimination nightmare. why put up with their dumb policys??? everybody has the power to put this greedbay out of business but everyones too scared to jump ship....let me tell you guys....BAIL FROM EBAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE....ITS A RIP-OFF!!!

Jan 2, 2009 9:59 AM

Guest :

I have always loved eBay and really can not complain to much about it. Yes,I liked it better a couple years back when it was a little looser to sell stuff.I have been a computer consultant for years and decided to have my own site for the unusual stuff that does not sell right away.Instead of paying listing fees every time to keep it going this is my alternative place to sell.
Here is my auction site. It is called therummage.com. I have had plans to make it go for 4 or 5 years now. Keep your eye on it. I plan on making it a corporation later and sharing the proceeds equally to all the members who participate strongly and keep a acceptable feedback rating. More to come! Roy @ www.therummage.com

Jan 7, 2009 10:19 PM

Guest :

I just opened a store on Silkfair and I love it! I was able to import all of my listings from ebay and Etsy very easily. The time saved was enjoyed with my family, and a bit of twittering. Sellers, if you are looking for a new home, give Silkfair a try. My experience has been wonderful. Good luck with your sales in 2009!

Jan 12, 2009 9:24 AM

Guest :

You may check out this site, too: http://www.mysale2.com

It is a new online auction site where you can sell your items for FREE! Absolutely NO registration fee required! Find cars, collectibles, sporting goods and lots of great items on sale now so do visit the site.

Jan 18, 2009 1:07 AM

Guest :

I Just Created www.dormbay.com for those who were banned from ebay.

Jan 29, 2009 12:45 AM

Guest :

I use a site called AltecTrader.com cause it's free. I can list everything I have for sale without any charges, I get a free store, no final value fees and even free classified ads. I hate ebay, they might have a large number of people on their site but the fees are sick. I will not use ebay because of it. AltecTrader.com is perfect and they have a huge following already.

http://www.altectrader.com

Feb 9, 2009 12:03 PM

Guest :

I have found two sites that are fantastic for me. www.truck-parts-auction.com and
www.golfclubauction.net I sell golf clubs and equipment as well as dabble in trucks and parts. Strange I know but these are my hobbies. Anyway, both have free stores and a single dollar to list any item for up to 100 days with no additional fees or final value fees. That saves me hundreds most times off a single auction when I sell a truck. Feebay is a thing of the past for me.

Mar 7, 2009 12:58 PM

Guest :

overstock rocks!!
:)

Mar 12, 2009 2:54 PM

Guest :

Have you seen usiff.com? It's been around since 2005 and offers a real alternative to ebay. Web stores, free auctions and great customer support.

Apr 21, 2009 1:27 PM

Guest :

Don't forget iOffer [www.ioffer.com] and Wigix [www.wigix.com]

May 17, 2009 2:37 PM

Guest :

I used to love ebay. It seems like ever since they acquired PAYPAL, they've gone downhill - simply GREEDY!!! Ebay didn't need to police every auction. Shipping for example......If a customer wants to pay a higher shipping cost, it should their prerogative. it is a contract between those 2 people. If the buyer thinks the shipping is too expensive - DUH, don't purchase the item!! - case closed.Ebay has no right to tell sellers what to charge for shipping. Paypal froze my account (twice) for inane reasons. Simply put, they stole my money (because they can). Go to Paypalsucks.com if you want to read the horror stories. I've been using Silkfair.com to sell. You can list an item free for 3 months, and they don't charge a penny unless it sells.BUH-BYE EBAY and your fascist regime.

Aug 11, 2009 10:38 PM

Guest :

Another alternative is www.freeauctionnetwork.com. I have several listings there and its free.

Aug 18, 2009 9:49 AM

Guest :

You can also try this online auction site www.tradeino.com , It's totally free, you can have a free store with unlimited items, I think it a great to have an alternative to eBay only it cost nothing.

Aug 22, 2009 7:25 AM

Guest :

Death to Ebay Corp. 2009

Aug 24, 2009 8:45 PM

Guest :

Greed is the rise and downfall of any person, business or country. Including and not limited to ebay. They are out for themselves, not caring about the consumer that keeps them in this lucrative business.Yes, what they fail to notice that even the sellers are consumers. We the sellers have to buy in order to sell. But what profit is there in all of ebay's selling strategies? Yes they like many other organizations give us the little plaques to hand on the wall..(not good enough). We too need to make money also. With our hands tied behind our backs, our necks on the chopping block, and no seller incentives, we have to find a better way. IF PEOPLE WOULD STRIKE, and take the time to find other online auctions, maybe this bad boy and others who are thinking along the same lines, will come to their senses. They laugh now...Pride goes before a fall.

Sep 24, 2009 12:12 PM

Guest :

Thanks for posting this website. This will give me some ideas of where to find alternatives. I am getting hit with high billing charges from the right and the left ... Ebay and Paypal. I fight fair but Ebay deserve a good lesson. I don't like companies that have monopoly on consumers.

Oct 2, 2009 6:51 AM

Guest :

Wow I thought I was all alone. It is liberating to know other ebayers are sick of the charges. I understand they need to make money, but I have no room anymore to make money. I find it ludacris that every month there is a new policy change. Ebay tries to doll it up like it is a benefit for the seller when it is only yet another skeem to pull money from my pocket. It is not at all seller friendly. Now all sellers must pay for insurance on items sent. We must insure all items reach the customers. I also cant leave negative feedback for buyers...... where does it end? It seems as though they just want to go out of business. As soon as enough consumers wake up EBAY will have to make a change or go out of business. I'm leaving ebay today Thanks for the article.

Oct 12, 2009 9:33 AM

Guest :

Wow! This is amazing, can I just say I HATE EBAY....thank you. I found a site that is totally free, you can have a store also if you want, there will be ads on it, but everything is FREE...its WEBSTORE.COM.

Jan 7, 2010 7:47 AM

Guest :

ok, we all know ebay is no good................but the best new site I have found is www.bonanzle.com! you only get changed a fee if your item sells, and it is a low, low fee! I have sold about 34 items since opening my booth, give them a try, they really are amazing!!!

Jan 18, 2010 7:44 AM

Guest :

I am hoping none of you are promoting your own sites, PRETENDING to be an actual seller having great luck selling.
Who cares about free or low fees with no one buying your items?
This is why ebay works well so many people there, easier to sell, and they know that.
Some new site won't sell your item or bid won't go very high simply because so few people are there looking for that specific item. I want to know real effective sites, not just new alternatives...

Jan 18, 2010 12:35 PM

Lizz Shepherd :

I actually delete a lot of comments from people who look like they are just getting a new site started. If it looks like the site has little or nothing for sale, I generally don't let the comment through. The aim is to find out about sites where sales can actually be made rather than sites that have no customer base.

36 Comments