Although being the most known and used site on the internet for selling and buying items, selling on eBay isn't for everyone. There are many reasons for this from the 12.8% fees to just not liking eBay. You could even have items on eBay that just aren't selling, but they could do a lot better elsewhere. In this blog post I will share with you other selling sites and apps that you could use as alternatives to eBay or to use alongside eBay.
Reasons some people do not like eBay
eBay & PayPal Controversy
PayPal was bought by eBay back in 2002. In 2008 eBay went from PayPal was an option to you could only use PayPal, the UK was one of these countries. This meant that you would be charged not only by eBay but PayPal as well.
Although in 2015 PayPal was split from eBay, it remained as a main payment method.
High Selling Fees
eBay has some great features but does have one of the highest fees of selling sites. On average this is usually about 10-15.5%, causing many people to look for alternatives to eBay.
In the UK the standard fee is 12.8% of the final selling price plus a standard 30p. So if you sell an item for £100 you could lose out on £13.10 of the profit of that sale. This percentage is drawn from item selling price, postage, taxes, and any other fee applicable to the sale.
There are regular 70% or 80% off final sale offers for you to use. This allows you to list around 100 items that will have 70% or 80% removed from the final fee if you accept the offer and list them during that time frame. If the listing relists then it goes back to regular fee.
eBay does allow you to list for free 1000 items each month. Which I doubt many people can fill for a month! This is the basic listing and some of the extra features have costs as well.
Here are the extra fees and charges that might be added to a sale.
- Reserve Price – 4% of the reserve price (to a maximum of £150) regardless of sale
- Subtitle – £2
- Gallery Plus – £2.50 (Free for certain items)
- List in 2 Categories – 35p
- Promoted Listings – Depends on which you select but will either be a percentage or a flat fee
- International Site Visibility – 30p for fixed price. 5p – 15p depending on Auction start price
- Special Duration – 35p
- Dispute Fee – £16.80
- International Fee – Europe 1.26%. US and Canada 2.16%. All other 2.4%.
- Currency Conversion Charge – 2.5%
eBay Scams
Unfortunately there are scams no matter the platform.
eBay has a fair few occur that impact both sellers and buyers. They do however work hard to protect both buyers and sellers. Though sometimes it does come across that buyers are the more protected. Which can annoy some sellers.
Alternatives to eBay – Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)
I doubt there are many people within the UK that haven't used Amazon as a buyer. There are however some people that have made an entire living off of just selling on Amazon via it's Fulfilled by Amazon. Now you don't have to be trying to have a whole career to sell on Amazon to do this as it can be just as beneficial to sell popular but unwanted secondhand items or even rare items.
There are two methods in which to sell on Amazon via FBA.
Direct Sales
With Direct Sales the seller will be listing the item on Amazon but you as the seller will have to deal with everything else. It will be you that will be arranging having to ship, package and deal with any issues like returns. As such it is almost like eBay.
This method does have the lowest fees but you will be providing postage and packaging.
Indirect Sales
This is the method is ideal if you want to just forget about it.
You set up what you are selling, print off a barcode to place over the existing one and package up to send to Amazon. Amazon will then store the items in their own warehouse, which will go live on Amazon when they arrive. When the items sell then Amazon staff will find, package and ship the items to buyers, any issues from the buyer they will also deal with instead of yourself.
There are increased fees however via selling this way as after all Amazon will be doing the work for you and storing it. As such the storage fee alters depending on the time of the year with January – September being the cheaper period to store items with Amazon.
If the items aren't shifting then Amazon will contact you of how long they been in the warehouse and not shifting. You can choose to continue in warehouse, have the items returned or destroyed by Amazon, both of which are charged to you.
There are several guides available to help you understand how FBA works and on how best to use it.
Facebook Groups and Marketplace
Does anyone not have Facebook nowadays, even after the massive debate over it?
One of the best things with Facebook is that currently there are no listing fees at all.
Groups
People were setting up selling groups on Facebook, even before Facebook created it's marketplace. These groups range from specific items like Disney items, warhammer models or antiques to local selling groups where people sell anything they are trying to shift. There are also people who will post what they are looking for so sellers can contact them.
Most areas will have had one set up a local selling group by someone. Each of these groups will follow a basic set of rules on what is and isn't allowed to be sold, and some will add some behaviour rules on things like language or even on how to reserve/claim an item to prevent it going to someone else. A few of these groups might expand on what you can or can't sell but will usually make this clear.
These groups work alongside Facebook Marketplace as you can boost the individuals that see your post by selecting to have the marketplace item also shown on the group as you set it live.
Marketplace
The Marketplace allows you to create a dedicated post for your item or items.
These posts can then be easily found by key words or distance from where you set yourself. Facebook Selling groups boost the viewing potential even more as it gives you the option to share the post on groups you have joined. You can then target people from a specific area around you. You can do this for up to 20 groups.
The majority of the sales you will get for Facebook marketplace will be local. However with certain groups or items then you could get a request to post.
When posting then you should always be aware of using secure payment methods like PayPal (not via Family and Friends). This will have some fees but it is better than sending the item and them cancelling the payment. You should also try to avoid paying directly into bank accounts.
I would also recommend that after the item has sold, delete, the post you made. I accidentally did this once. I forgot to do this and received a Facebook message asking to buy an item 3 years after it had been sold. That person must have done a lot of searching through the group and they wasn't happy the item had sold already.
Vinted
Vinted is second hand app and site that focuses mainly on clothing and accessories, although you can also sell homewares, beauty items and toys.
One reason why Vinted is one of the most popular alternatives to eBay is that listings are free and the seller pays no fees.
Check out our guides to buying on Vinted and selling on Vinted. Here are some common Vinted scams and how to avoid them.
Etsy
Etsy is an amazing platform for sellers with unique or creative handmade products and even some vintage items.
There has been a broader range of goods and services offered via Etsy though, such as miniature painting and customization of items.
Etsy has a 16p listing fee, which will leave the item up for four months or until sold, and the final fee will be 6.5% of the sale. If you do the sale via Etsy Payments then it will be another 4% and 20p per sale. This means that you have potentially been charged 10.5% of your final sale cost and 36p. Similar to the low end of the fees on eBay.
You can get 20 free listings when you sign up with our invitation.
There has been an increase of print on demand styles of stores on Etsy. These use their own or licenced designs. For example Tony follows several shops that do 3D printed miniatures, they will print, cure and dispatch the miniature but they didn't design it instead paying a licence to be able to sell it. You can also learn how to use Etsy to create your own Print on Demand store and there is also an Etsy affiliate program.
Preloved
Preloved is a UK-based online marketplace focused on second-hand items set up in 1998 and it is now one of the largest classified advertising sites in the UK. It covers a wide range of categories, including furniture, clothing, electronics, and more.
Preloved aims to encourage the recycling and reuse of items, promoting a more sustainable approach to consumerism. By giving second-hand items a new lease on life, the platform contributes to reducing waste and environmental impact.
The website allows users to create free listings, making it easy for individuals to sell their unwanted belongings. Preloved provides a user-friendly interface and various search options, making it convenient for buyers to find the items they're interested in.
Sellers and buyers on Preloved can communicate directly to arrange the terms of the sale and discuss any specific details about the items. Preloved, as a platform, does not get involved in the transaction process beyond connecting buyers and sellers.
Depop
A selling and buying app similar to eBay where you can sell a whole host of different items. However fashion items like clothes, shoes and make-up are the most popular selling items.
Great for those that have got a few clothes that eBay is finding hard to shift then Depop could be the solution here.
There is a 10% fee for items that sell and a 3.4% transaction fee, with PayPal on top to be payed into your linked PayPal. You also have the option to be paid into Depop wallet which is only a 2.5% fee, using this you can then transfer to a bank account or using the money within Depop. The wallet option however is currently limited to a few sellers within the UK but you can request to be on the waiting list.
Shpock
Short for Shop in your Pocket.
Shpock is a buying and selling ‘carboot app/website for beautiful things', as it likes to claim. Shpock is quickly becoming more well known.
The app is free to download and use, so yay no fees here!
The issue with Shpock however is that as it priorities those near your location and that the majority of sales and collection will be done in person. This means that if you are in a rural area it might not be as beneficial for you selling via Shpock.
Gumtree
Come on who hasn't heard of Gumtree? Even if you haven't used it then the chances are that you will have heard of it.
Gumtree is a classified ads site, one of the biggest in the UK as well as in Australia, South Africa and Singapore.
Now eBay actually has ownership and control of Gumtree as the site was bought in 2005 by eBay's classified group.
For the majority of ads on Gumtree it is free, so as a general private seller then you will have little to worry about. However for those that are a business, agent or landlord then you will be receiving a charge for your ad. The three main areas that can also incur a fee will be those under a property, service or job, although volunteer work and childcare services do not incur a charge. Gumtree will also offer services that can incur prices such as having your ad on their homepage.
All charges will be shown at the bottom of Post an ad.
If you have sold an item you will have to remember to remove your ad, otherwise you could have others contacting you after it.
eBid
A competitor of eBay since 1998, though it is one that seems to have been largely forgotten.
eBid is easy to use and has a fraction of the fees that eBay has, as a bonus there are no listing fees! The final selling fees will be between 0-5%. Items you list will also be shown on Google Shopping.
However eBid gets only a fraction of the traffic that eBay gets, this means that sales could actually take longer than with eBay. This also means that there won't be the ‘bidding wars‘ that frequently occur on eBay. This can be advantageous to a buyer but not to a seller.
Zapper, Ziffit, Music Magpie & Webuybooks
Got a ton of DVDs, CDs and books to get rid of then you will want these guys.
These four sites specialize in DVDs, CDs, games and books. Each have differing prices on each item depending what is popular, in demand or what they currently have in stock. As such whenever we use them, each item is scanned on all sites to find which place will give us the better price. Though this can be very time consuming so maybe put a film on in the background if you have a lot and want to use this method.
Zapper and Music Magpie also take old electronic devices such as tablets, phones and consoles. So if you have some of those items you want to sell then you can have a closer look at them and find out exactly what they will take. Though with some items you are most likely going to get a similar amount to what places like CEX would give and could be better off selling them yourself elsewhere.
They are each really easy to use, either scan the barcode with your smartphone using the App or type in the name or bar code into the website. Once you have hit the threshold then print postage and send the items to them. Once received the items will be checked to see if in condition you claimed and you will receive your money.
ASOS Marketplace
ASOS Marketplace is a section of the ASOS website that allows independent boutiques, vintage shops, and individual sellers to set up their own online shops and sell their unique fashion and accessory items to a global audience.
They do however have a much bigger fee at 20% on sales.
As such this might be best for individuals that have a business model in place for themselves, designs and/or items over individual or private selling of items.
