Seems that for numerous years now, I have been reading of disgruntled sellers leaving eBay to installation save on Amazon. So a lot so, that leaving eBay, and kicking the door closed, appears to have end up the in-component. There are even ex-eBayers writing “How To” books.
Well, I do no longer doubt for a minute that there are a whole lot of sellers who, in recent years, have left eBay. EBay is evolving, and alternate always rankles folks that are hooked up in their approaches. People simply dislike alternate, this is our nature.
Furthermore, several of those eBay Amazon Sale Offers modifications, possibly all of the primary ones, had been pretty dealer unfriendly. Consequently, many eBay dealers have rightfully left eBay, sincerely due to the fact their business fashions require that they need to.
What are the eBay evolutionary changes? Well, some chide that eBay is trying to emerge as extra like Amazon. And, in a feel, that evaluation is accurate. EBay has moved closer to becoming a marketplace for the acquisition of constant-rate commodities (like Amazon), in place of being basically an public sale marketplace. Consequently, the small public sale supplier not enjoys the same fame as they did in eBay’s early days.
The cause of this article is to attempt to perceive and to understand the variations between eBay and Amazon. And, in the long run to reply this query – primarily based upon your commercial enterprise version, have to you be selling on eBay or Amazon?
We gets to their differences in a moment, however first here’s a quick answer to the above question: in case your commercial enterprise model allows, and you could reconcile the running and philosophical variations between selling on eBay and Amazon, then promote on each. Your intention is not to assign loyalty to 1 marketplace or the other, however to develop as many a hit promoting channels as possible.
Why? Because your long-term financial security is high-quality served by way of multi-channel selling. Which is in any other case referred to as, not putting all your eggs into one basket, in particular when you do now not very own the basket. Indeed, your primary promoting channel need to be neither Amazon nor eBay; but as a substitute, your very own eCommerce internet site – an exceptional marketing vicinity that you very own and manage.
Okay, returned to eBay and Amazon. Here are the differences, and this will take a while, because the 2 marketplaces are distinctive in lots of methods.
To begin, consider eBay as an indoor shopping mall. On the ground floor, you will locate the everyday independently operated shops. But, on the mezzanine there are not any shops, just tables complete of merchandise. In this analogy, the mall stores are just like the eBay shops, even as the mezzanine represents the auction aspect of eBay. In your store, you personal the products, decide it is advertising and marketing and show, and receive guide and merchandising from the mall proprietor.
Now, for Amazon. Think of Amazon as being extra like a Walmart amazing center. Here, figuratively speakme, you should compete for shelf area. And, your little area is completely surrounded with the aid of your competitors. Furthermore, even Walmart might also determine to begin competing against you with their house logo. Amazon also gives shop space, but it is nearly invisible to shoppers.
In a nutshell, right here is the operational difference among eBay and Amazon. On eBay, you’re the second-birthday party (seller), at the same time as eBay operates as a third-birthday party (market). On Amazon, the roles rather opposite; now Amazon is the second one-party (seller and marketplace), even as you are a 3rd-party (dealer). In both marketplace, the patron is usually the first-party.
Thus, in any transaction on Amazon, Amazon’s presence is constantly within the foreground, and every now and then standing between you and the consumer. As one example, frequently a client may also purchase your product, however suppose that they may be buying from Amazon. And, there may be the possibility that as Amazon learns greater about your business, they’ll decide to grow to be a competitor.
Whereas on eBay, eBay is greater like a presence inside the heritage, guarding against fraud and promoting the market, however by no means competing against you. When a client buys from you, the customer is aware of that they may be managing a commercial enterprise impartial of eBay.
Here are most of the tremendous differences among selling on eBay and promoting on Amazon:
First, this caveat. The following are easy generalizations offered to focus on some of the more vital variations between promoting on eBay and promoting on Amazon. There are far too many product classes, rate schedules, seller perks, and other variables to supply a complete factor-by way of-point evaluation of the 2 marketplaces. Which have to serve to warn that while you pay attention of an eBay-to-Amazon achievement story, that specific success may additionally or may not be transferable to you and your product.
Popular categories – Collectibles do higher on eBay than Amazon; while books do better on Amazon than eBay. Naturally, those are the respective roots of the 2 marketplaces.
Seller hierarchy – The vendor is the second-birthday celebration on eBay; but, the vendor is a third-birthday celebration on Amazon. This is a extraordinarily different dating between the vendor and the market.
Marketplace listing get right of entry to – Relatively unrestricted on eBay; however, constrained to UPC coded objects and by product category on Amazon.
Management style – While each have policies that need to be followed, eBay might be considered relaxed, as compared to the stern Amazon surroundings.
Store get entry to – With one click of an effortlessly identifiable icon, a client can be in your eBay keep; while on Amazon, there is no such icon, navigation isn’t directed, and 4 clicks are required to access a store.
Listing page – On eBay you can create your own object list web page; while on Amazon, you’ll share a product web page with all your competition, and that web page won’t be completely correct in your product.
Feedback – On eBay, you may count on as a minimum forty% comments participation; at the same time as on Amazon, round 10% is more likely. This is a giant distinction, due to the fact one horrific feedback on eBay will now not skew your status, as will one awful remarks on Amazon.
Search rating – While both marketplaces use seek rating to reward sure sellers, eBay considers supplier’s overall performance and the item’s total price; at the same time as Amazon ranks via rate, and utilizes a Buy Box. The one supplier who occupies the Buy Box enjoys a big benefit over all other competitors.
Selling codecs – eBay offers fixed-fee, public sale, and auction plus Buy It Now; even as Amazon offers best fixed-price.
Bottom line: Diversify your selling channels. Do no longer depend exclusively on eBay or Amazon. Use all of the channels that fit your style and your product. Do no longer comply with the group. Make your promoting channel choices based totally upon your personal revel in, research and checking out.
In case you’re wondering about my credentials, I have been selling on eBay for numerous years, wherein I am each a Power Seller and a Top-rated vendor. I changed into a Pro Merchant on Amazon for some time, however not.