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EBay is the world’s most popular online marketplace that has become an
important sales channel for many small and home-based entrepreneurs.
According to
MSNBC, eBay “conducts more
transactions every day than either the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq.”
In fact, a July 2005 study by the leading research firm
A.C. Nielsen
International found that “more than 724,000 Americans report that eBay is
their primary or secondary source of income. In addition to these
professional eBay sellers, another 1.5 million individuals say they
supplement their income by selling on eBay.”
One of the attractions of eBay is its broad appeal – it is a site pretty
much used by as many people over 50 as by those under 25. It attracts a
large number of first-time users to the e-commerce aspect of the Internet,
who have learned to buy and sell on eBay. Even the big boys are coming on
aboard on eBay with Sears, Dell, National Geographic, Samsonite and other
big companies setting up their eBay stores.
However, eBay is not the only marketplace in town. In fact, selling on
eBay has become tougher -- just look at the number of auctions that closes
without a bid. Go to the discussion boards on eBay and you will find sellers
complaining about how stiffer competition plus higher fees make it so much
harder to sell on eBay. Sellers are complaining that eBay needs to do more
to attract buyers, as it appears that there are more sellers than buyers on
eBay nowadays. With so many sellers, your offering gets lost amidst
competition, which may be bigger than you and able to offer lower prices.
A new book
“Selling Beyond eBay: Foolproof Ways to Reach More Customers and Make Big
Money on Rival Online Marketplaces” by Greg Holden (AMACOM,
July 13, 2006) urges sellers to look at opportunities beyond eBay. It
provides alternatives to eBay where savvy merchants can sell their wares.
The author advises, “if you focus solely on eBay for your online auction
sales, you might be selling yourself short.” So why sell beyond eBay?
- Other auction sites are less expensive and more user-friendly than
eBay
- You can reach dedicated collectors in other niche auction sites
- You can increase your profit margin by moving some of your sales from eBay
to other venues
- You diversify your sales channel 5. Look beyond eBay to
save money and find new customers
So what are the alternatives to eBay? Here are some of the places where
you can sell your wares other than eBay:
1. Niche auction sites – these are specialty sites that appeal to a niche
audience of collectors and enthusiasts
- WineBid http://www.winebid =
for wines
- Penbid.com http://www.penbid.com
= for antique pens, pencils and books about them
- LabX http://www.labx.com
= for lab equipment, medical equipment, analytical instruments
- Just Beads!
http://www.justbeads.com -- for beads, jewelry, stones, beaded bags
- Pottery Auction http://www.potteryauction.com
- for pottery
- Sedo http://www.sedo.com =
for domain names
- IronPlanet http://www.ironplanet.com
= for heavy machinery, asphalt, trucks
- Playle http://www.playle.com -- for vintage
postcards
- Bid4Assets
http://www.bid4assets.com = for high ticket items such as real
estate, cars, jewelries
2. Yahoo! Auctions = eBay’s largest competitor (Editor's Note: no
longer exists)
3. Overstock http://www.overstock.com = Skews towards females and their
best selling items include women’s shoes and handbags, fashion jewelry,
small electronics and cell phone accessories. Overstock’s customers are
typically affluent yet value conscious.
4. Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com = While Amazon.com has an auction
component, it is better to sell via their Marketplace which allows sellers
to piggyback on what Amazon sells.
5. Liquidation Marketplaces – ideal for sellers offering hundreds or
thousands of inventory items
- UBid http://www.ubid.com = sells brand name merchandise for hefty
discounts with bidders prequalified before submitting a bid (they need to
provide credit card information)
- Liquidation.com http://www.liquidation.com
= the largest surplus marketplace not intended for sellers offering single
items
6. Local Buyers – for big and bulky items you want to sell, or if you
prefer local buyers instead of the global marketplace
- LiveDeal.com http://www.livedeal.com
= allows buyers to search by location; allows buyers to make offers to
sellers
- Craigslist http://www.craigslist.com
= a free classified ads local directory
- Yahoo Classifieds http://classifieds.yahoo.com
= free classified ads for most household goods
- Newspaper classified ads =
millions of people still read the newspapers’ classified ads section
7. Live Auction sites
8. Your own website – instead of selling through a different auction
sales channel, you can opt to create your own e-commerce site where buyers
can directly purchase from you.
The book “Selling Beyond eBay” offers detailed information on the above
marketplaces and how they work. More importantly, it gives tips on how to
succeed in these marketplaces and what to watch out as well as the tools you
need to help your selling. If you are selling on auctions right now and are
looking for other ways to sell, this is an absolute must-read book for you.
Selling Beyond eBay:
Foolproof Ways to Reach More Customers and Make Big
Money on Rival Online Marketplaces”
Greg Holden
AMACOM
Publication date: July 13, 2006
ISBN: 0814473490
296 pages
About The Author:
This book summary was written by Lyve Alexis Pleshette, staffer of
PowerHomeBiz.com. For information on starting, running and managing a
home-based business, visit PowerHomeBiz,com
September 2006
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