Are There Any Good Ebay Alternatives?

Click For PDF List Of eBay Alternatives

Are you looking for eBay alternatives? Would you like to sell online at a different site, but don't know where? Let me show you some choices.

I sell on eBay, and have a Top Rated Seller and Powerseller status.Why would a successful eBay seller look for an auction like eBay? Isn't that like "biting the hand that feeds you"? No, not really.

A business owner constantly re-evaluates what is or isn't working in their business. That's just being smart. And it's true whatever the size of the business. That's why Ebay is always trying to increase their profit by making changes to their system. It's just good corporate big business.

In the years since eBay was started, there's been lots of changes. Just in the 5 or 6 years that I've been selling there, business has changed drastically. The changes feel like the only constant sometimes!

Having to adjust your business to these changes is exhausting. It's also very discouraging when the changes you have no control over reduce your profit.

Each time another round of changes is rolled out, sellers start to look for an alternative to eBay. Each time changes are announced, it reminds me that eBay is only one part of my "income stream".

Build a website of your own?

The most obvious eBay alternative is to have your own website to sell from. But building your own website to sell on is a huge project. (I've found a website building secret weapon... you're on it now!) Beyond the knowledge needed to build, host and maintain a site of your own, you have another big problem.

Traffic! It's a BIG internet... how do you get traffic to your site? Ebay spends a LOT of time and money (yeah, from your fees) on marketing. You've seen those ads online, on your TV, and probably in your own mailbox. That's why they're the “first name” in internet auctions.

In order to get traffic to your own website without the benefit of eBay's marketing, you need to plan carefully. Most people don't have the experience and money that successful marketing requires.

Those that decide to build their own site often learn that success can be a long, slow process. And in business, time is money.

Lots of people have been very successful, but they eased into it gradually- over a period of several months (the lucky ones) to a few years. If you choose this route, be patient and persistent!

Ok, lets talk about eBay alternatives.

For most sellers, using an sales-ready alternative to eBay site is the best solution. Maybe you're wondering if there is an auction site like eBay. Yes, there are quite a few.

But think about this... if you haven't heard of it, have any buyers? Hmm. Sort of a scary thought, isn't it?

Well, once upon a time, no one had heard about eBay either. If sellers don't support the up and coming eBay alternatives or auctions like eBay, then how will the "next big thing" become the next big thing?

This means that most important job as a seller on one of these less-known sites, will be marketing your business. You'll need to work harder at directing traffic (new customers) to this unfamiliar site.

But you're not in it alone like you would be by building your own website. Instead, the other sellers on the site are also attracting customers and that will help you.

How do you find these Ebay alternatives? After all, Ebay isn't going to advertise for their competition, are they? There's several ways to find auctions like eBay.

1. One way is by talking & listening other sellers, your customers and friends.
2. Eeavesdrop on your competition. Wandering around internet forums is usually worth your time. Lurk and learn.
3. Finally, do a internet search, either with Google or your prefered search engine. You can type in "eBay alternatives", "auction like eBay" or other variations of these key word phrases. See what comes up in a search.

Much of what you'll find in an internet search is sellers complaining about how "terrible" eBay is. That's just their opinion and not very useful in a search for a good alternative to eBay.

Well, in case you missed it, I've made a list of eBay alternatives for you to check out. The link's at the top of this page, just under the title. It's a PDF file so it will be safe and easy for you to download.

Plan to take plenty of time to visit each site. Pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea. There's no need to rush into anything. The * next to the name means I have some experience with the site.

I know that this list isn't complete. I'll keep adding names of alternatives to eBay when I find more. If you know about one I didn't mention, please use the form below to contact me directly with your suggestion.

Thanks! And good luck with your selling!

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