Alternatives to Ebay and Paypal

[vivalarevolución]

I'm wondering what sort of stuff is out there and if any has used anything else.  I just paid a hefty free for my last month's transactions, and I am a little tired of the high fees on Ebay.  I am particularly perturbed that they charge fees for shipping because that cuts into your basic cost of shipping the item (I understand why, because people will charge usury shipping fees just to make a few more bucks).

Also, because Ebay is a public company, I think they get more concerned with tending to that stock price rather than providing a decent experience.

A quick google search yielded sites like ebid.net, ealtbay.com, skrill, and some other site.  Has anybody tried these or anything else?

[Novus]

I've tried looking for a better alternative as well.
I've grown very sick of Ebay and Paypal, myself, and their exorbitantly high prices - as you've said they have a fee on everything (ebay final sale fee, shipping fee, paypal transfer fee).
Also the people who bid on Ebay are terrible people.
Their policies are utterly atrocious too - so many stories where people have had their money frozen.

I use amazon seller currently.
They still charge a hefty fee like Ebay but you're not being reamed by a dozen fees so I like amazon better.
You also don't have to deal with people who bid on items and don't pay.

[Lanx]

whats the shipping fee charge? i haven't used ebay in over a year.

do they charge a fee based on the estimated shipping cost?
ex.
usps flat is 4.50(i think my prices might be off) do they then charge a fee on top of this? what if shipping was free?

[vivalarevolución]

whats the shipping fee charge? i haven't used ebay in over a year.

do they charge a fee based on the estimated shipping cost?
ex.
usps flat is 4.50(i think my prices might be off) do they then charge a fee on top of this? what if shipping was free?

Yea they started charging like a 10% fee on estimated shipping charges.  I think they did this to discourage people from overcharging on shipping.  Or they did it just to make a few bucks more.  But they also have discounted shipping rates and what the buyer pays me for shipping is always more than the actual cost to ship, so that tiny sum I make on shipping is eaten up by these new shipping fees.  In the end, the shipping rate is not really discounted for me and the buyers pays more than the actual cost to ship the item.  Ebay wins, the rest of lose.  Except the part about having a wider market for our goods.

With paypal fees added in, the total fees seem to be about 13%.   That's quite a bit, but they know they are the most powerful online auction game in town.  I just wonder if a privately held website with lower overhead could swoop in and undercut Ebay's ever increasing fees.  Or maybe another established website could take on Ebay, but I hear Silicon Valley has all these backroom deals to prevent each other from stepping on each other's turf, so I doubt that will happen.

Ebay is in the fee business, and that seems like where so many companies just make their bread and butter.  For using their service, they charge you fee, and they make bank while you get nickel and dimed.  Now I know how all the retailers feel every time I use a credit card.

[hwood34]

Yeah, but you gotta love those Ebay bucks. Buy a car, get 25 cents back. What a deal!

[fohat.digs]

Except the part about having a wider market for our goods.

they know they are the most powerful online auction game in town. 

This is all of it. They know that no matter what the fees are, people are glad to pay to get their products in front of the world.

I have sold keyboards to Tasmania. Would that have happened through an ebay wannabe? I doubt it.

Cost of doing business.

Because people were gaming them by putting all the money into shipping instead of base price, they simply started charging final value fee on the total sale. Ebay would love for sellers to all do free shipping, and I would be glad to, since there is no financial incentive not to, but I often fear that it artificially makes my prices look higher, whether they actually are, or not. 

"Estimated shipping costs" what is that? If I charge $16.85 to ship a keyboard that is what the buyer pays.

All the fees are taken from the seller, so if postage is $16.85 I really need to be charging about $19 to break even.

[Novus]

Except the part about having a wider market for our goods.

they know they are the most powerful online auction game in town. 

This is all of it. They know that no matter what the fees are, people are glad to pay to get their products in front of the world.

I have sold keyboards to Tasmania. Would that have happened through an ebay wannabe? I doubt it.

Cost of doing business.

Because people were gaming them by putting all the money into shipping instead of base price, they simply started charging final value fee on the total sale. Ebay would love for sellers to all do free shipping, and I would be glad to, since there is no financial incentive not to, but I often fear that it artificially makes my prices look higher, whether they actually are, or not. 

"Estimated shipping costs" what is that? If I charge $16.85 to ship a keyboard that is what the buyer pays.

All the fees are taken from the seller, so if postage is $16.85 I really need to be charging about $19 to break even.

Then you get hit with a chargeback months later 

[baldgye]

I use amazon seller currently.
They still charge a hefty fee like Ebay but you're not being reamed by a dozen fees so I like amazon better.
You also don't have to deal with people who bid on items and don't pay.

Yeah, I only use ebay for specialist second hand items but amazon is a good alternative for some things. But I still find ebay cheaper alot of the time.
Good example, I needed to pick up a copy of Daft Punk's Discovery on vinyl, amazon had it new for £40 on there sellers list, or used for £30... I found it brand new with free delivery on ebay for £17...

The best advice is to search and build up a list of bookmarks of shops and alternatives you can try before ebay, works out for me.