eBay is the largest online platform for trading in used goods. Usually, interested parties bid at an auction for a certain product, and the highest bid wins. Some sellers, on the other hand, set a fixed price for an immediate purchase. Permanent shop pages are also possible. With eBay classifieds, the market leader covers regional requests. Despite the ubiquitous presence of the US company, some eBay alternatives manage to achieve business success with target group-specific offers or regional anchoring. We compare alternatives to eBay that can be interesting for different needs.
What began as a digital flea market under the name AuctionWeb in 1995 grew into an international company with various subsidiaries. Initially, only private individuals bid in auctions from private sellers. In the meantime, a number of companies have specialised in the sale of used or new products and compete with private sellers. In addition, eBay is sometimes criticized for not doing enough to protect buyers. The constantly increasing sales commission and the allocation of the shipping costs to the providers caused problems for sellers. Anyone who prefers to avoid the market leader will find numerous eBay alternatives on the net. Among the online marketplaces in our comparison, some rely on the regional reference, others on curiosities or Fairtrade.
Despite eBay's supremacy, there are numerous online marketplaces on the net. However, some platforms pay little attention to buyer or seller protection, which opens the door to fraudsters. Others attract only a few members, which reduces the range of offers. The following eBay alternatives, on the other hand, are convincing with security in payment transactions and their own focal points.
| Bonanza | Vinted | The Hoarde | Gumtree | BetterWorldBooks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | New and used products of all categories | Fashion and Accessories | Vintage items of all kinds | The UK’s online marketplace for local listings | Books and media |
| Founded | 2008 | 2008 | 2009 | 2000 | 2002 |
| Size | 25,000 sellers, just under 1M visitors a month | 21M members | Unknown, listed as one of the UK & Europe’s top vintage marketplaces | 100M a year (average) | 340 employees worldwide, sales unknown |
| Fees | Minimum $0.50, plus certain percentages depending on the product price | Fee for buyer protection: 4% of the purchase price + 0,70 pence | Membership fees | None | Unknown, as the platform sells the books for you after buying them from you |
| Seller protection | Covered with PayPal’s protection system | Digital purse | Carefully selected, only professionals. | Customer service; little for local listings | This platform takes over the selling process |
| Features | Biggest eBay competition | Desktop and smartphone app, push items and show best matches | Vintage-only platform tailors buyers and sellers needs | Good security features and quick sales | Does all the selling for you, donates to a good cause |
The online auction platform bonanza.com was founded in 2008, previously called Bonanzle. The business model positions the company as a direct competitor to eBay. Both private and commercial sellers offer all kinds of products on the market place, in addition to new goods. Private sellers advertise free of charge and the website claims it takes less commission. Those who want to give their listings that certain something – with a prominent placement, a second photo or boldface – can pay extra.
The offer ranges from electronics to fashion, leisure articles, collectibles, and interior design to vehicles and travel. The respective categories can be filtered by brand, colour, or material. Product reviews, leaflets, and a sub-function make the decision easier.
Special features:
Vinted is a second-hand sales platform for fashion, accessories, and beauty. Initially the offer was limited to women's fashion, which could not only be sold, but also exchanged or given away. Meanwhile, the men's department also has a lot to offer.
Members can both buy and sell. A forum underlines the basic local concept of the website. Sellers upload photos from several perspectives so that you know exactly what they are buying. In addition there is a description with size details and manufacturer as well as a price chosen by the customer.
Potential buyers signal their interest by favouring the article (sometimes there are several potential buyers for individual articles). Questions about the product are also possible via the messaging function. In the past, this was also the way people traded; in the meantime, however, Vinted has switched to immediate purchases. The principle is supplemented by elements known from social media: Buyers can follow sellers whose choice of clothes they like. When the seller uploads a new product, it appears in the subscribers' feed. In addition, sellers promote their articles via “Best Matches,” a function that places articles matching another member's search in a clearly visible position in the feed.
The platform offers various shipping options and payment systems. The function "Create a package," for example, bundles several orders from a catalogue and saves packaging and shipping costs. The in-house buyer protection allows customers to choose the payment system of their choice, even if the seller does not offer it – all they have to do is activate the secure payment system. Buyers, on the other hand, pay a small surcharge per transaction. Vinted stores the amount in an encrypted, digital wallet until the customer receives the product and accepts it without complaint. Then it is available as a credit note for the seller.
Special features:
The Hoarde specializes in vintage and art pieces. The customer service is good, and it is an intuitive platform for sellers and buyers alike. Important to note is that “Members must be full time and professional dealers and carry sufficient stock to be able to regularly contribute to the site. Items must be of good quality, in good saleable condition and as described. Good, clear photographs are very important and we run a strict policy on such.“(From The Hoarde’s website). The website is aesthetically pleasing, matching the lovely items it has to sell. The Hoarde doesn’t take a commission, but it does cost to join as a member, and the team are selective: you have to send in pictures of what you want to sell, and have to be a fulltime professional to join. This ensures the quality of the listings.
The objects you can buy on The Hoarde are united through their vintage status, but other than that, it’s a diverse shopping experience, where you’ll find one-off gems. Antiques, vintage collectibles, fine art, furniture and lighting, jewelry, vintage fashion, dolls, glass, pottery and porcelain, and silverware, among others: All this can be found on the site. The quality of the offers is high, and so it’s not the place to look for things if you’re counting pennies at the moment – but if you’ve been saving a while you might be able to snag a vintage ring at a better price than you’d find at a jewelers!
In order to offer or purchase goods, marketplace visitors need an account.
Special features:
Perhaps one of the best known UK online marketplaces, Gumtree offers free listings for private individuals wanting to sell all sorts. If your cat had a litter, and you want to find a loving new home for the kittens, Gumtree is the go-to to list the little ones. You can find almost anything on Gumtree, and you can list almost anything too. A good alternative to eBay, as there are no fees for most transactions. Furthermore, you can find local buyers, so you can avoid paying postage – either as a seller or as a buyer. Furthermore, because there isn’t a rating system on Gumtree for accounts, the atmosphere is more relaxed, whilst still trustworthy.
The categories are broad: Motors, ‘For Sale’, Property, Jobs, Services, Community and Pets are the bigger organisational categories, which are then broken down further. The fact that anything can be listed also means that some listings are not the highest quality, and for this reason it is advisable to be scrupulous when buying something. Furthermore, it is of the highest importance to consider your safety when meeting up with someone to either buy or sell your listing. In this regard, opting for postage may be a better option.
Special features:
Better World Books (BWB) is a good alternative to both Amazon and eBay for buying and selling books. It is a great platform for second hand books, which is kinder to the environment and your wallet. It is easy to sell with BWB: Just send them the books you want to sell, they do all the selling, and you’ll get paid. The books are sold in over 30 marketplaces, and you can choose to benefit a non-profit literacy partner with each sale.
The marketplace is huge – pretty much any book you want can be sold and bought via the BWB platform. This is even the case for textbooks, which many physical bookstores won’t buy back. For this reason BWB have a “Give Back at Buyback” service to cater to students. Other than that, there are dozens of categories, ranging from antiques and architecture to children’s books to self-help to true crime. Even within these categories, there are subcategories, allowing for a good browse to discover new titles, even when you’re looking for a specific one. If you want to cut to the chase, a reliable search function is also present.
Special features:
The market leader eBay offers some advantages. International reach and a very large offer are just as much a part of it as the joy of having made a bargain at an auction. Due to its size – 177 million users worldwide by 2018 – there are also potentially more fraudsters in the network. In addition, the sales commission of 10 percent for private users is set above average.
These are already good reasons to try out alternatives to eBay. You may also be looking for a more sustainable business model to support (Better World Books), or regional companies. Those looking for special product groups such as fashion or books will find what they are looking for at Vinted or Better World Books.
All these eBay alternatives have their own merits, often complemented by an active community of like-minded people. In addition to the usually low fees, good data protection regulations as well as secure shipping and payment systems should be mentioned as positive points. So if you want to hunt down bargains with a clear conscience, make sustainable purchases, or gain more reach for your online shop via the better known marketplaces: eBay is just one of many alternatives, and the competition has a lot to offer.
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