eBay, Etsy Amazon, which one is better? Which one will help you achieve your business goals and enable you to reach your full bottom-line potential? All in all, the fundamental eBay vs Etsy decision can be a tricky one to nail down, as both are dominating leaders of the eCommerce world.
Because of that, below you will find a comprehensive breakdown of the intricacies of each selling platform and what you can expect to gain by going with Etsy, eBay or Amazon or vice versa, all in a committed Export Your Store effort to help you pick the best path forward to achieve new levels of scaling prosperity.
Differences Between Selling on Etsy, Ebay and Amazon
For starters, both selling on Etsy and eBay unlocks a massive target market audience. For instance, eBay reached over 187M active buyers in the first quarter of 2021, and Etsy was around 81.9M buyers by the end of 2020. But even with this, the type of buyers they attract are slightly different.
eBay
Buyers who go to eBay are generally looking for a wide range of products in different categories, such as automotive, clothing, books, to crafts. In general, people sell products on eBay to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, starting at a lower base price that works its way up. The only real selling on eBay restrictions on what you cannot sell on eBay include drugs, embargoed goods, and firearms.
Amazon
If you are deciding between selling on amazon vs ebay, it is important to note their differences. For starters, Amazon is not a live selling auction site like ebay. It has an active community of thousands of professional sellers. Besides, on the issue of ebay vs amazon, amazon is deemed more reliable by sellers because it provides you with the necessary tools like amazon mws to succeed as an FBA seller. In fact, Amazon FBA can make you rich because it scores well for trust and customer loyalty.
Etsy
Etsy tends to have a narrower selling scope, which involves handmade goods, vintage items, and crafting supplies. Keep in mind that what you choose to make and sell using those categories is seemingly limitless, which is what makes Etsy such an authentic, diverse platform for both buyers and sellers. An additional note is that reselling on Etsy is only allowed for the vintage and craft supply categories.
Pros and Cons of Selling on Amazon
When it comes to Ebay vs amazon selling, many FBA sellers will tell you that the amazon competitive strategy gives them an edge. As an FBA seller, you outsource inventory management to Amazon’s FBA program by sending products to their warehouses for order fulfillment. They store your inventory, pack, and ship when someone places an order. Check out its pros and cons below:
Pros
Many sellers love the amazon competitive advantage as its major benefit. You will find a high volume of users who order from the platform because of free and fast shipping. The higher reach means your products are exposed to a wider audience base from both domestic to international clients. Besides, the easy checkout experience makes it very convenient for both sellers and buyers.
Cons
The cons of selling on amazon are the high selling fees. Sellers have to pay Amazon for storing products in their warehouses or fulfillment centers. These fees are unavoidable if you decide to work with FBA. On top of that, there’s high competition in Amazon. Since it is a reputable site, many sellers likely offer the same products.
Pros and Cons of Selling on Etsy
Etsy is another online selling platform that charges sellers a fee for listing products. Moreover, the platform also takes a small commission on each of your successful sales. You can check out this Etsy fee calculator to determine how much profit you can make for each of your products listed on the site.
Pros
When you’ve got a niche product, you cannot utilize the advantages of an ebay store. That’s because only popular items sell well there. Instead, channel these ebay competitive advantages onto Etsy because it is the perfect platform for niche products. This easy to use platform is built for unique goods. And people go there to look for one-of-a-kind finds.
Cons
Of course, Etsy is not perfect just like the other platforms. You still have to work hard on listing your goods for people to see. The market may have also become saturated with the same products or even copycats. Besides, it is hard to ignore the Etsy fees and commission. Most of all, Etsy has full control over your online store.
Pros and Cons of Selling on eBay
One of the advantages of ebay is its longevity. They’ve been around since the mid-90s. And when it comes to amazon vs ebay selling, the latter has lower fees. You also get the option to auction your merchandise and have clients engage in a bidding war for a higher price.
Pros
Definitely, one of the ebay store advantages include a giant market. You’ve got a broad and vast audience as your potential target market. On top of that, you can sell virtually anything (except for illegal goods and contraband, of course). You have full control over your store, showcasing photos, descriptions, shipping options, and payment methods as you deem fit. The best benefits of this platform is you as a seller get access to amazing savings on shipping fees.
Cons
Fierce competition is what you’re looking at on ebay. That’s one of the major disadvantages of an ebay business account because many other sellers offer the same goods in your store. On top of that, you may have to pay sellers fees even if the items don’t sell. Your final value fees also hinge on your reputation as a seller. For example, if you are an ebay rated top seller or you have an above-standard seller designation, you can avoid additional costs.
List of Fees For Etsy, Amazon and eBay
No one engages in business for free, and entrepreneurs open stores primarily to earn profit. In the same token, Etsy, eBay, and Amazon are eCommerce platforms that charge specific fees for all their clients. They are virtual platforms that open up your goods to a wider audience base. Since they provide you with clients, tools, and order fulfillment, they charge you with corresponding fees for these services. There is, no definitive winner! All the platforms vary, after all.
Etsy
Most fees here are automatically deducted from your payment account if owed. Those said fees include:
* Listing fees: $0.20 for every listed item
* Transaction fees: 5% of the sale price
* Subscription fees: optional for$10 per month
* In-person selling fees: Subjected to the Square's Payment Processing Fees
* Payment Processing fees: Click here for more information.
* Shipping fees: depending on destination, dimension, and weight
* Regulatory Operating fees: per transaction based on your fixed percentage price
* Advertising/Promo fees: an optional fee to promote your items via ads onsite and offsite. For more information on the cost breakdown, you can find that here.
Amazon
If you’re wondering what’s the difference between selling on ebay vs amazon, you’ve come to the right place. In this segment, you can find ebay vs amazon fees and decide which selling platform works best for you. Check out the Amazon selling fees below:
For individual plant, you pay $0.99 per unit sold
For professional plans, you pay $39.99 per month no matter how many units you end up selling
You get charged a referral fee ranging from 8% to 15% for each product sold and based on how many products you sell
Cost to ship orders is whether you fulfill it or use FBA
Some sellers may be levied additional feels like long term storage
You can also pay for optional items like advertising services or premium account services
eBay
They also have their own set of seller fees to keep in mind. They also feature a 50-listing incentive per month as well that makes it a highly attractive platform to think about leveraging. Nonetheless, the eBay fee list showcases things such as:
* Insertion (listing cost) fees: you can review the breakdown of those costs here.
* Final value fees: calculated via the percentage of the final sale of the item
* Final value fees on shipping: based on the shipping service you choose
* Promo/Ad fees: optional fee to boost product visibility
* Fees for optional listing upgrades: this includes adding more photos, upgrading to two listing categories ,etc.
Adding the baseline fees up, you are looking at spending $24.95 for the basic plan, $74.95 for the premium plan, and $349.95 for the anchor plan on an annual basis - check out the following eBay fees calculator for more details.
Demographics and Business Blueprinting For Both Etsy and Ebay
One of the first ways to choosing the best platform for your needs is understanding the customer base each drive in. For instance, Etsy is the smaller of the two platforms but still attracts an average of 81.9M buyers, as noted above, with 34% of them being outside of the United States. These people were generally on the hunt for unique, artistic handmade and/or vintage pieces .Alternatively, eBay drives in 187M buyers annually, with 70% of them being United States-based. This market is a little trickier to pinpoint, as the range of categories attracts a diverse audience. For example, electronics is the top-selling category to date, followed by video games/consoles and health/beauty.
Demographics and Business Blueprinting For Both eBay and Amazon
If you’re deciding which platform to sell on, consider the nitty-gritty. For starters, Amazon has 14 marketplaces worldwide with 197 million visitors each month, equating to 2.3 billion visitors annually. Meanwhile, eBay has 23 global sites, with 180 million active buyers and about 2 billion daily transactions. Notably, eBay’s revenue comes from 60 million buyers outside the US, giving it a more global reach. So you shouldn’t be merely concerned with amazon selling fees vs ebay. You need to learn the demographics of each platform instead of just zeroing in on amazon seller fees vs ebay. Do you want to convert amazon listings to ebay? Know your buyer persona first.
What Does This Mean for You?
It means that you need to figure out what your niche is, your budget, and who you are trying to target. You also need to blueprint how fast you would like to sell your products. For some more insight, if your underlying goal is to gain more traffic, Amazon and eBay might be the better options to gain fast exposure. If your goal is to offer less expensive products within a lower competition network, then Etsy could be the ideal option. In summary, it all depends on your business goals and how you want your future to play out. Just know that both can help grow your business against different market sectors, especially if you join them simultaneously.
eBay vs Etsy
Here’s the verdict: if you really know your niche and have narrowed it down, then Etsy is the right choice. You can easily discover your market and target them with correct product listings on this platform. Etsy also offers a clearer pricing structure than eBay. However, if you have a more global audience and sell more traditional products, eBay is the platform for you. It all boils down to knowing your products and target audience.
eBay vs Amazon
Is it better to sell on ebay or amazon? The answer is indeed a difficult one. These are two top-selling platforms that debuted in the mid 90s. Reports indicate that Amazon has outpaced eBay in terms of sellers and revenues. However, this doesn’t mean that eBay is no longer popular. This platform still has over 180 million monthly active users. The answer boils down to which one fits your needs in terms of fees, listing options, fulfillment of orders, extra programs, etc.
Etsy vs Amazon
Anything legal can be sold on Amazon, and you’re likely to find your target market on this platform. That’s not surprising because buyers trust the Amazon brand. Meanwhile, Etsy is an online marketplace that caters more to a unique niche. If you’ve got hand-crafted artisanal products, venturing into this platform will be more advantageous. However, selling on Amazon offers the most profit potential. Evaluate the details when choosing amazon vs etsy so you can assess which platform works best for your products.
Conclusion – The Final eBay, Etsy and Amazon Verdict
After going through the Etsy vs eBay breakdown above, you may still be wondering which platform is the better route for you to take, as both have monumental business advantages that can spearhead your eCommerce goals in their own intrinsic way.
But the truth is that both are excellent resources to take advantage of.
Yes, you really did read that right -you should consider using both eBay and Etsy at the same time. Overall, selling on eBay vs Etsy should not be a battlefield debate but rather a duo partnership to help you spearhead your business goals.
In the end, instead of selling on eBay AND Etsy together is the sure-fire way to grow your market faster and more efficiently to a much broader target market base. Luckily, with the dynamic exporting and syncing support of Export Your Store, mirroring your products across both platforms can become a seamless, fast, and enjoyable process. So, go ahead and try out both Etsy and eBay at the same time, and have peace of mind knowing that you have the perfect syncing software on standby that can help you streamline your way to ultimate selling success.
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