Alternatives to ebay

[HSBCrusher]

I am fed up to the back teeth with ebay.

 

they have just ramped up the charges, and are changing the feedback system to make it difficult for sellers. They do whatever they like.

there was a boycott a few days ago, it had some effect, but as there are no well known alternatives available.... where does a seller go?

 

there must be loads of sellers on cag... where can a seller go, and not have to put up with the global monopoly that is ebay/paypal?

[Thailand]

Always wanted to learn how to do ebay, maybe my not doing isn't a bad thing. Paypal incorrectly held £900 of my mates money for 180 days I think, he was livid!

 

I've seen this site knocking about, but I don't have a clue if it's any good.

 

Football, Computing, Music, Movies, Collectables, Stamps, Books, Gaming, Telecommunication, Toys, Electrical, Over 18's

[Guest wino]

I've got a piano advertised for sale in my local paper today. Selling for under £100 so no charges

[HSBCrusher]

thanks thai.... we need to support these sites, there is no-one to compete with ebay

[gyzmo]

gumtree?

[barracad]

Plenty of alternatives such as eBid, QXL, etc. Problem is, nowhere near as many people visit those sites, so even if your item sells you'll generally get fewer bids and a lower price.

[HSBCrusher]

which is why ebay think they are sitting pretty and can do whatever they like.

if no-one uses any of the others then they will never become popular enough to become competition for ebay.

[renegotiation]

Plenty of alternatives such as eBid, QXL, etc. Problem is, nowhere near as many people visit those sites, so even if your item sells you'll generally get fewer bids and a lower price.

 

Can anyone recommend any of these alternatives? I may create another account and consciously sell at least 'some' stuff there.

[Overdrawn]

Hi Guys, I hope everyone is well.

HSBCrusher I absolutely, 100% agree with you about ebay.

Today is the final straw for me...PayPal is mandatory for all listings, PayPal will hold sellers money. Add this to the recent fvf increases, feedback changes, the non-existant customer service offered by either ebay or Pay Pal and the T&C's/policies that they don't adhere to - the list goes on and on.

I'm now SERIOUSLY looking for another outlet through which to sell. In the meantime I will ebay reluctantly until April/May.

I think there are enough people on CAG with an interest in ebay/internet auction sites to warrant putting our heads together - maybe CAG could do with a cash injection which could be sourced from auction fees??

I have a lot going through my mind about this tonight but if anyone has any comments/suggestions I would welcome hearing them

[sillygirl1]

If you have craft stuff to sell Etsy is the alternative to Ebay. I wouldn't use Gumtree myself but some people swear by it .

 

I've seen too many dodgy job adverts on it for comfort... and the result when people go for these and then want my help to sort out dodgy '3 month revolving contracts' when they were told it was full time and permanent...

[nikkiandmidgets]

There is also hotukdeals.co.uk - I have sold and bought a few things off there. Bit of hassle to verify you are who you are and they are getting a bit stricter with rules as some regulars have been banned for a week for not following procedure...plus it has some great bargains....and no fees unless you choose to pay or accept payment via paypal....

[HSBCrusher]

bump.

 

really fed up with ebay at the moment.

[Overdrawn]

Does anyone know anything about this new DSR ruling that ebay has now insisted on for business sellers? Apparantly I have to now display my address etc for "potential" buyers to see - even before they make a purchase? As I am home based (single mum) I do not want this info available to every Tom, DICK and Harry out there for safety and security reasons.

I've been reading around the ebay business sellers forums and some sellers seem to think it is in breach of the data protection act to have to display my personal info in this way??

If it is the case that I do have to display such info can anyone offer me a solution to get round it? I know PO adresses are not allowed..

I am FED UP with ebay in many respects but all said and done I actually need it! I know Ive said in the past "that's it I'm not selling" and I did actually stop for a while but have got back into it and taken all the changes on board but this one I really will not comply with - its just not worth it!

Any thought, comments or advice gratefully received x

[barracad]

Hey there, long time no see

 

The DSRs apply to any distance sale, so there's no reason why eBay should be any different - you are required by law to provide certain information before a consumer decides whether to purchase from you. This would be exactly the same if you were selling the goods on your own website instead of eBay.

 

However, what exactly you need to provide is open to some interpretation. In fact the information you need to give is

 

Your identity including sufficient detail for the consumer to be

able to identify the business they are dealing with.

 

Obviously eBay have taken that to mean your postal address. Whilst this is probably a good way of showing your identity it isn't necessarily what is required.

 

Unless you have separate business premises, your home address is your business address so you have to be prepared to lose a certain degree of anonymity - but I'm not sure eBay should be forcing you to show your address in such a way.

 

If you have to use eBay and they say you have to use display your address, then if they won't accept a PO Box and you want to avoid giving your own address then you could consider using an 'Accommodation Address', but this may put consumers off if it's obviously an accommodation address as fraudsters tend to use these.

 

Finally, it's worth noting that DSRs only apply to 'Buy It Now' listings as far as eBay is concerned and do not apply to auctions.

[Overdrawn]

Thanks for quick response Barracad - good to see you are still doing a great job around these boards.

There does seem to be some confusion amongst sellers regarding this new regulation, I understand why it is being done and I think maybe auctions are the way for me to sell for the moment then, though it's not ideal. Is it possible for me to display my accountants address? Some people have had luck discussing this issue with their local trading standards and TS have found other ways around this problem...

[barracad]

If the accountant is willing to forward the mail, then certainly that is what some websites tend to do. In fact, some limited companies use the accountant's address as their Registered Office address.

[Overdrawn]

I'm only a (tiny) sole trader. I will have to ask accountant in the morning, though I have a feeling the answer may well be "No" as they are quite a large firm and will have far more important, time consuming things to do other than forward me bits of mail to the likes of me, but it's worth an ask because that does seem one way round it for me..

[Paintball]

I finally got fed up with ebay recently and when I wanted to sell some bulky items I decided to use my local post offices' Items For Sale sections (before they're all done away with!!). I print notices and pay between 20 pence and £1 per week to advertise as a seller.

 

Result? Items collected and paid for in cash ... no fees, no mess, no fuss.

 

[PriorityOne]

I used to sell on Ebay with a view to going into business at one time, but found the fees crippling when things failed to sell.... so didn't bother. Glad I didn't now... the site's becoming too greedy, IMO. I very rarely use it for selling now, but still buy a fair bit off there.

 

I also used Ebid with no problems around the same time, but it was a lot slower... so until you can get regular customers on there, don't expect a fast turnover.

[Overdrawn]

For anyone that is interested in overcoming the same problem as me regarding displaying your address: I have spoken to my accountant who says that any 3rd party address is OK (ie my mum or a friend) however I am still not happy about that so he is considering if I am able to display his office address. He says there are ways around this and he will get back to me so I will keep you updated.

 

I agree with Paintball that small local ads in shops can work for larger bulky items (and some smaller ones too) however I need to reach a wider audience, especially with some more specialist items and I have too much to shift through local paper and shop ads...

[HSBCrusher]

especially with some more specialist items

 

I had heard the stories..

[Overdrawn]

[eBay Monster]

Had lots of bad experiences on e*a* - resulting in my current fee dispute, now overflowed into Debt Recovery Agency & still unsettled

 

eBid is where we live most of the time.

 

It's still a little slow - not helped by recession.

 

New Site is big improvement. 8-)8-)

 

Even the forum software is the same !

 

Give it a try - it's worth a try and way cheaper to sell