Beyond eBay - Alternative Auction Sites

by Skip McGrath

Has eBay got you down?  eBay is still the 500 pound Gorilla when it comes to online auction sites, but there are some alternatives out there. I have tried a few of these with mixed success. So if you are an eBay seller and want to look around for some other selling opportunities you might give some of these sites a try. Frankly speaking you will probably not do as well as eBay, but if eBay had a little more competition it may help sellers.

1. Auction.com does not charge any listing or final value fees, but does charge you for optional features like bold or featured.  Traffic is minimal and they're not many features.
    
2. Bidz.com specializes entirely in jewelry. They have been very successful luring large jewelry sellers away from eBay.
    
3. Bidtopia.com is interesting in that bidding and selling have to be done from separate accounts.  No listing fees but there are final value fees. Most actions start at 99-cents.
    
4. Bonanzle.com is a new site that allows you to import your existing items from eBay and Craigslist. Unlike eBay, they encourage direct contact between buyers and sellers. Easy and simple listing tool. Sellers seem to like it, but they are still pretty small.
    
5. eBid.com has no listing fees and is growing fast with a large number of listings. They offer no auction fees for life for $99 but often offer specials off of this price.
    
6. eCrater has a pretty good following. Quick and easy to list. I have had some success with this site. Some things sell pretty well while others don't. It's one you might want to try and see if it works for you. Listings are growing pretty fast.
    
7. ePier.com - No Listing fees, but their final value fees are pretty high.  They stress local auctions with city listings for places like Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Washington DC and more. It is sort of like Craigslist with an auction flavor.
    
8. OnlineAuction.com - Basic Online Auction registration is free, but verification will cost you $4 a month, and selling will cost you $8 a month.  Paying the selling fee will keep you from paying any final value fees. They have probably the largest listing base on any non-eBay site except Overstock and they have a pretty good annual membership package that can save you money. I found if I use their featured auction listings I do much better.
    
9. Overstock.com - sells mostly overstocked surplus goods. They allow users to list auctions on their site.  They do have listing fees as well as final value fees. I have tried Overstock several times with little success.
    
10. SalvageSale.com specializes in bulk auctions and items a bit too large for your standard UPS delivery truck.  A great place for consignment sellers to unload large heavy items.
     
11. TheSOCExchange.com charges a flat rate of $1 a month or $10 a year for unlimited auction listings. I haven't heard of anyone doing very well on this site yet.
     
12. Webidz.com - No fees to list auctions, open a store and bid, but Webidz charges $5.00 to become a verified member, and you will be charged this fee any time you change your personal information.

Non-Auction Sites

1. Craigslist is the granddaddy of free classified sites. This is a great place to sell large items locally. No listing or final value fees.
    
2. iOffer.com is not an auction site. You buy and sell after offers and counter-offers with other users.  You can import your items and reputation from eBay.
    
3. Kijiji means Village in Swahili. It is a classified site owned by eBay designed to compete with Craigslist.