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View Full Version : Which one should I sell on? Ebay or Amazon?



spotted and speckled
June 9th, 2013, 11:45 AM
It's time to downsize!! I've decided I need to divest myself of a bunch of stuff around the house, mostly books & cds & dust collectors. I have like 20 years worth of both. I've never sold anything before--does anyone have any experience with this? Pointers, or which is easier to work with? Which one has higher fees or is more confusing?

I know about Etsy, but it doesn't seem to generate as much volume as the other two, and I don't want this to drag on & on forever.

(And yes, one day I will get around to downsizing the pen collection too, but not this week!)

Thoughts? Thanks!

Mod_wolves
June 9th, 2013, 01:28 PM
When im buying I've always found that my first port of call is look on eBay for pens and what not ... If there's no results there ,I will go to amazon. eBay also (to my limited knowledge) has a higher turn over then amazon. It depends whether you don't mind asking for an actual price with an unlimited amount of time (amazon) or would rather set it as 99p/cents (or a minimum price/with a reserve) and see what happens(eBay).

No real experience with selling on these sites but as a buyer I hope this helps.

Paul-H
June 9th, 2013, 03:04 PM
Hi

I have always found that as a buyer eBay is a good first option and often find expensive books going for just 99p BIN, but that means that if I wanted to sell a book the last place I would go to sell it is eBay. I don't know why anyone voters to list books on ebay, well eBay uk, don't know how well books go in other countries.

Paul

Heliotrope
June 9th, 2013, 05:58 PM
I've done some selling on ebay in the past. I paid for a good portion of my last move through ebay sales. (Never sold on Amazon. I have shopped both places.) I plan on selling a few more things soon, so here's how I will probably go about it. Books would seem to bring better prices on Amazon, unless there is something noteworthy about the edition you have, or it is collectible. I would list most books on Amazon, and I wouldn't expect them to move very quickly. But a collectible or currently (very) popular book in good condition, or a special item like a custom-bound calfskin volume, would probably do better on ebay. Anything other than books, I would list on ebay. A lot of ebay selling is search driven, which means that in general brand-name items will have a higher volume of bidders. For example, a Dooney & Bourke handbag will get more views than an unbranded handbag, even if the unbranded handbag is in better condition. Also, be prepared to take good photos and write complete descriptions if you want to get the highest bids. Out-of-focus, or otherwise poor quality photos, (with or without excuses about a poor quality camera) will not inspire confidence in a potential buyer. Instead of thinking about how much work it is to put together a good listing, focus on what you as a buyer would need to know before you would bid on the item you have in mind. Also, if you don't have an ebay rating build up already, start with some lower cost items, as those are less risky for buyers.

Just my two cents. Hope it helps.:cool:

ThriveToScribe
June 9th, 2013, 06:13 PM
I used to sell quite a lot of books on Amazon. But in the last few years, with postage costs climbing and people buying Kindles and "dumping" their regular books on Amazon at next to zero prices just to get rid of them, it's not the best way to make money there anymore. If the book is collectible and then you can ask a better price but you have to have Amazon's permission to list it that way, and they have serious rules about what qualifies. I've only sold books on Amazon, so I have no idea how to sell other products.
Having said this, the difference with Amazon is they don't take a fee until you sell the book. (but they do take quite a bit considering how low you have to price the books).

CS388
June 9th, 2013, 06:41 PM
Of the two you mention, I've mostly used eBay.

Mainly because the auction system means that the market will decide the price, rather than me having to guess how much something is worth.
The fees add up and take quite a bite out of the profit - but, I guess you take that into account before you start.

In other news: I don't know the situation in your country, but Amazon is getting a dirty name here in the UK.
They earn billions, of course, but pay a miniscule amount of tax back into the country.
It's all done by legal means, shifting accounts around the world etc, but is distinctly morally wrong.
They are not alone in this practice. It's seemingly common fare with some large multi-nationals.
I mention this to you, as I know that some people are now boycotting Amazon. Me, for instance. (Boy, are they going to miss my 30p!)

Good luck with your sale.