Disgruntled ebay auction sellers look elsewhere
By Robert Cyr
While ebay holds the title of worlds largest online auction there are other players in the field. Small ebay sellers are truly feeling "Pinched" as ebay slowly changes its policies and procedures for sellers who are trying to make an extra or even full time income.
Case in point:
As of July 1st ebay will be implementing a “No Link” zone meaning you (as a seller) can no longer link to an outside website from your auction listings, about me pages, reviews, eBay blogs or community posts. This is a a very big deal to many who use ebay as a means to drive targeted traffic to an ecommerce website for additional sales.
In addition to this policy ebay will start cloaking buyers and seller's email addresses to further hinder the ability to actively communicate and cross-sell additional merchandise. The email cloaking will carry over to Paypal users eventually.
As ebay continues to restrict features and increase fees auction sellers are looking for other on line alternatives. There are some formidable players and a few up and coming auction sites to keep an eye on:
Bidtopia.com - Founded by Ebay's Titanium Powerseller: Bargainland Liquidation, Bidtopia is gaining momentum as a great auction site for name brand merchandise. Bidtopia offers proxy bidding with auctions starting a .99 with no reserve! Another unique feature is the "Inverted" Auction where a product starts at a minimum of $100 for one week and if no bids are received the item is discounted 1% every fours hours. Items can be purchased immediately at the discounted price or bidders can submit lower proxy bids. Sellers fees are 2.75% of final auction bid. Bidtopia charges sellers .25 if an item closes without a single bid.
Onlineauction.com - Started back by an Ebay Powerseller OnlineAuctions.com offers a new approach to selling. Once registered sellers are charged a flat $8 per month with no final value fees or listing fees. Sellers are encouraged to post links from auctions directly to their own websites.
Etsy.com - Started back in 2005 this online auction community only allows handmade items to be auctioned. The only exception to the handmade requiremnt being craft supplies and nostalgic items over 20 years old. Etsy does not charge a setup fee for new sellers and everyone receives an online store which an be customized. Etsy offers some very impressive stats including 1 million registered users; 1.7 million items currently listed and 2008 sales to date just under $29.5 million. Sellers are charged a small .20 item listing fee and final value fees of 3.5%.
Liquidation.com - Online auction targeting small to large retailers who have excess inventory to liquidate. You can buy or sell in quantities from small box lots up to truckloads in several categories including: apparel, computers, electronics, housewares, industrial equipment, vehicles, and much more. All auctions start at a minimum opening bid if $100 with no reserve set. Liquidation.com reports that 99% of what is posted online ends with a final bid. Liquidation.com is an excellent venue for those looking to move surplus merchandise.
This post brought to you by:
While ebay holds the title of worlds largest online auction there are other players in the field. Small ebay sellers are truly feeling "Pinched" as ebay slowly changes its policies and procedures for sellers who are trying to make an extra or even full time income.
Case in point:
As of July 1st ebay will be implementing a “No Link” zone meaning you (as a seller) can no longer link to an outside website from your auction listings, about me pages, reviews, eBay blogs or community posts. This is a a very big deal to many who use ebay as a means to drive targeted traffic to an ecommerce website for additional sales.
In addition to this policy ebay will start cloaking buyers and seller's email addresses to further hinder the ability to actively communicate and cross-sell additional merchandise. The email cloaking will carry over to Paypal users eventually.
As ebay continues to restrict features and increase fees auction sellers are looking for other on line alternatives. There are some formidable players and a few up and coming auction sites to keep an eye on:
Bidtopia.com - Founded by Ebay's Titanium Powerseller: Bargainland Liquidation, Bidtopia is gaining momentum as a great auction site for name brand merchandise. Bidtopia offers proxy bidding with auctions starting a .99 with no reserve! Another unique feature is the "Inverted" Auction where a product starts at a minimum of $100 for one week and if no bids are received the item is discounted 1% every fours hours. Items can be purchased immediately at the discounted price or bidders can submit lower proxy bids. Sellers fees are 2.75% of final auction bid. Bidtopia charges sellers .25 if an item closes without a single bid.
Onlineauction.com - Started back by an Ebay Powerseller OnlineAuctions.com offers a new approach to selling. Once registered sellers are charged a flat $8 per month with no final value fees or listing fees. Sellers are encouraged to post links from auctions directly to their own websites.
Etsy.com - Started back in 2005 this online auction community only allows handmade items to be auctioned. The only exception to the handmade requiremnt being craft supplies and nostalgic items over 20 years old. Etsy does not charge a setup fee for new sellers and everyone receives an online store which an be customized. Etsy offers some very impressive stats including 1 million registered users; 1.7 million items currently listed and 2008 sales to date just under $29.5 million. Sellers are charged a small .20 item listing fee and final value fees of 3.5%.
Liquidation.com - Online auction targeting small to large retailers who have excess inventory to liquidate. You can buy or sell in quantities from small box lots up to truckloads in several categories including: apparel, computers, electronics, housewares, industrial equipment, vehicles, and much more. All auctions start at a minimum opening bid if $100 with no reserve set. Liquidation.com reports that 99% of what is posted online ends with a final bid. Liquidation.com is an excellent venue for those looking to move surplus merchandise.
This post brought to you by:
The Closeout Industry - A wealth of information centered around wholesale closeout merchandise. Author and consultant, Robert Cyr has educated thousands of entrepreneurs offering advice relating to sourcing name brand merchandise far below wholesale pricing.
Labels: auctions, ebay alternatives, ebay live, ebay sellers
posted by Robert Cyr at
8:43 PM
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