Alternative Auction Sites | |
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If you're new to the world of buying and selling your stuff at online auctions, you've probably got the impression that there is nothing else out there but eBay. Whilst eBay is a massive Auction and eCommerce site and is constantly advertising the fact that you can find "it" on eBay, there are many other Auction and eCommerce websites on the internet. Whether you're just starting as an online buyer or seller, looking to switch to another site, you want to increase your sales outlets or you're looking for even more bargains to purchase, it might be worthwhile for you to look at what alternatives there are.
You should know though, that using eBay has major advantages. It is much larger than all of it's Auction site competitors, which translates into enormous amounts of traffic and enormous amounts of items for sale, this usually means that sellers need to be ultra competitive with their prices and buyers can pick up some fantastic bargains. Also, it is a recognized brand that is so big that you've probably seen TV adverts for it at peak viewing times. However, eBay also has some disadvantages that aren't always apparent to casual visitors. The fees for sellers are high, and combined with paypal fees, make selling a lot of items for a profit near impossible. Many categories have extremely fierce price competition and with this brings some dubious techniques to stay ahead of the game, and there are also recurring technical glitches due to the huge server loads and dubious "improvements" which seem designed to make things more frustratingly difficult for the seller. Buyers won't see any of these "hidden" seller problems and can over-react to delays or other problems which may be outside of the control of the seller. Where can you find alternatives? Here of course! There are numerous other Auction sites out there, some better than others, some with good amounts of buyers and sellers and many with even more bargains to get your hands on! Before signing up with any of them, you should ask a few questions: How long has the Auction site been in operation? Who owns it? What is its fee structure, are then any hidden fees? Are policies clearly stated for buyers and sellers?
What different forms of payment are available? Do business sellers comply with Distance Selling Regulations?
How much buying and selling activity is on the site? The last question is important. A low cost or free auction listing site will be next to useless if there is hardly any traffic (visitors). As a seller, even a free listing costs you time to create, as a buyer there will be less of a selection or more expensive prices because of less competition!
A few sites are listed below, that I have used and have a decent amount of products for sale, quite a few sellers and a decent amount of visitors. Check them out, especially if you're looking for eBay alternatives for selling stuff, or want to search for more bargains to buy! | |
CQout:CQout is another major alternative to eBay, with close to One Million listings! Most listings are in Books, but they also have large amounts of listings in Jewellery and Watches, Computer Hardware, Film and Video, Fashion, Clothing and Shoes, Motoring and Consumer Electronics categories. Many bargains can be had, especially job lots and wholesale lots that you can buy and sell on for a profit. For sellers, there are detailed search statistics available, to help you decide what to sell. For buyers, it's reassuring to know that the site was established in 1999 and has gained the reputation as "The Most Trusted Online Auction Site". They claim to be UK's 2nd largest online marketplace. Not sure about this claim considering eBay, Amazon and Play are all in the mix! Strangely, they keep with the infamous eBay misspelling of "Collectables"...
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eBid:eBid is a well established auction alternative to eBay, with plenty of auctions to keep buyers satisfied. Sellers will find comprehensive categories to list their items in and will benefit from plenty of traffic. Ebid was actually voted as the best eBay alternative site in 2008 by web user. It has some good features to attract sellers, which is just what we need! A site with no sellers is no good to us! Ebid offers sellers Zero Listing fees, Zero Buy it now fees, Zero final value fees, Zero monthly store fees and a loyalty points scheme. Buyers will find 100's of thousands of items for sale and plenty of bargains!
Join the Auction Revolution at eBid, Zero Fee Auctions for the US, UK Canada and Australia. |
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| 1841127558 The Shopaholic's Guide to Buying Online: You
£3.79 
Sale ends on ebay in: 10h 31m |
| 1841127833 The Shopaholic's Guide to Buying Online 2008
£3.79
Sale ends on ebay in: 10h 31m |
| The Shopaholic's Guide to Buying Online 2008, Patricia
£3.02
Sale ends on ebay in: 18h 51m |
| Buying Online for Dummies By W.
£4.48
Sale ends on ebay in: 22h 50m |
| Buying Online for Dummies By W.
£4.69
Sale ends on ebay in: 23h 3m |
| The Shopaholic's Guide to Buying Online: Your Guide to
£3.72
Sale ends on ebay in: 23h 45m |
There are many other general auction sites based in the UK, but because they have low traffic I haven't included them here. There are also many specialist Auction sites, many of them extremely popular, but because they specialise I haven't included them in this general bargain finding list.
Special mention should also go to two sites:
Overstock.com is a massive clearance site based in the USA, but who now ship to the UK. You can get some absolutely stunning bargains, but bear in mind the shipping costs.
Bonanzle is the Internets fastest growing Auction Site, and although it's based in the USA, you can also use it in the UK. It is incredibly simple to use and is very friendly. It has had universally good reviews from a multitude of sources, and sellers are joining Bonanzle and leaving eBay in droves. It brings the fun back to buying and selling online and is highly recommended.
Another bargain hunters paradise is Craigslist:
Craigslist features Classified ads and listings from around the World and is a truly massive site where you can find virtually anything at bargain prices. Due it's nature though, you should always be aware of potential scams.
A list like this wouldn't be complete without mentioning Amazon.co.uk and Play.com. Although they're not Auction sites, you may not be aware that you can list your own items on the sites. You can also find many thousands of bargains at these sites, especially Amazon which has many products for sale at 1p and with set shipping costs. Both these sites have now branched out to sell almost everything and a lot of eBay sellers are now moving over to these sites. You can visit Amazon and Play below for some fantastic bargains!
Thanks for looking and Happy Bargain Hunting!
