NOTE: This blog has moved to: http://www.HonestOnlineSelling.com
I get this question all the time. Sellers who don't like's eBay and Amazon's selling fees are always looking for other web sites to post their items.
But Amazon.com and eBay each have a tremendous amount of exposure to millions of buyers - and that makes their selling fees very much worth it, in my opinion. Other than Amazon, eBay, Overstock.com, and a couple others - there aren't many online marketplaces that a.) allow you to sell goods AND b.) have a huge volume of buyers
That's starting to change with at least three smaller marketplaces - which charge sellers up to 90% LESS than eBay and Amazon (and some let you sell stuff for free): eCrater, iOffer, and Bonanza (formerly Bonanzle).
I have used each of these marketplaces with some decent success, although Bonanza booted me - and some other sellers - off for reasons they're not disclosing. However, all of them are 100% legit and with plenty of buyers.
The cool thing about these smaller marketplaces is that they're Google-friendly. That means that if your item is posted to them properly, you should get some visitors/buyers directly from people searching for the item on Google. (Your success will vary of course, based on the # of people searching for your item, and the # of competitors also selling the item on the same marketplace, etc.)
For more on these marketplaces, you can view AuctionBytes; results of its second annual Seller's Choice ratings in the January 23rd issue of its AuctionBytes Update email newsletter.
One final note about these online marketplaces - sell some goods on at least one of them. I am a proponent of 'diversification': Diversify your product types AND diversify your selling venues. If you are only selling toys on eBay and someday eBay shuts down our account for whatever reason (it's happened), you will be able to jump to at least one other marketplace. This will keep some revenue coming in until you remedy the eBay situation.
Until next time,
-Do Great Stuff!
J.B. Malik, Founder
HonestOnlineSelling.com
