Jump to content

Amazon vs. Ebay?


4cs

Recommended Posts

Do you sell on Amazon? Ebay? Both?

I've been selling on Amazon for 3+ years, mostly sealed sets and minifigures, mostly FBA over the past year and FBM before that. I'm thinking of switching over to Ebay for a variety of reasons, and I'm curious what your preferences are for these platforms.

I've also dabbled in local sales (Craigslist, FB Marketplace, OfferUP, etc.) but my area is to budget conscious to move any significant amount of product.

Which platform do you prefer and why?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazon = greater exposure, higher prices and commissions and less protection against scams. The greater the returns, the higher the risk. US Amazon gating  and min sales requirements also affects things.

Ebay is more competition, lower returns and fees and slightly more scam protection.

Specialist sites like Bricklink offer even lower fees and returns and the highest scam protection.

I´d cast the net as wide as possible and use all avenues to sell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Amazon is far better for selling 100’s of a single item.
For scarce/collectible one off items I much prefer eBay.

I do sell locally (FB, CL, etc) for some items (rarely Lego) and will even use local consignment shops on occasion. 

I do sell on BrickLink as well, but the volume is so low compared to Amazon/eBay that it's not really worth it.

Edited by Migration
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been only ebay exclusively since 2007, and there's only been a handful of times I've wished i were on Amazon for more exposure on certain items. For the most part everything sells on ebay for the price i want, and only ever been scammed once on a polybag, so i can't complain.

The "Sell for $1" promo weekends are nice, been saving my bigger ticket items for those.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, carini26 said:

Themes likely matter as well.  Rich grandma will pay $185 for a 10595 Sophia Castle via Alexa without thinking twice.   She's never heard of Bricklink and not going dumpster diving over at eBay even if it saves her 40% off FBA premium.

I think you meant reputation.

It´s clear that Amazon is the go to option for many people these days and being an FBAer is as close as many will get to opening a brand store. You pay for it in commission and returns but the volume sellers will want to be on Amazon for sure. International sales and simpified logistics are also strong carrots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Local classifieds got me the largest ROI.. eBay is just damned larceny.. all-in-all including the fees for PayPal transcation I concluded they take 20 PER CENT on FEES! Unimaginable!  first its their 10% on item sold + associated SH costs.. then they charge you local VAT to their fees (in my case 21 prct).. and then you pay like 3.5 % fee for the entire paid amount to PayPal.. as i said, 20 prcnt is unchristian larceny.. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest TabbyBoy
29 minutes ago, crayxlp said:

Local classifieds got me the largest ROI.. eBay is just damned larceny.. all-in-all including the fees for PayPal transcation I concluded they take 20 PER CENT on FEES! Unimaginable!  first its their 10% on item sold + associated SH costs.. then they charge you local VAT to their fees (in my case 21 prct).. and then you pay like 3.5 % fee for the entire paid amount to PayPal.. as i said, 20 prcnt is unchristian larceny.. 

eBay is quite a rip-off considering that sellers are very poorly supported. At least I have a local network of cash buyers meaning that I can reduce prices by over 15% and still make more than I would on eBay. It’s sad that you have to sell for 3x to make 2x after fees and tax. Even when I do sell on eBay, I offer a 5% discount for BACS payments just to deny PayPal their cut.

Still my biggest gripe is the FVF on postage, what a piss take!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...