This blog is entitled eBay Video Game Selling Tips so why is it that I would be telling people about alternatives to selling one eBay? The truth is that while eBay is still one of the top ecommerce sites on the web that many people may do better with a different strategy. It could also be that some have gotten tired of some the things that are inherent to eBay like taking endless pictures and uploading them, listing and relisting the same items and paying fees of up 20% percent on some items. Another problem with eBay is that since it is the biggest online market you are also in direct competition with every other seller out there. If you rely on BIN prices the auction sellers will generally get more attention because most buyers are looking for bargains. Even if those things aren’t affecting you it may still be a good idea to know of alternatives in case a change in fee structures (as has been happening lately on eBay) hurts your business. Also it is a good idea to have more than one venue to sell on. More eyeballs equals more purchases. With that clearly in mind you also don’t want to waste your time on sites that produce no results at all. So here are some alternatives to eBay:
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Amazon.com

This one is a no brainer and also the closest rival to eBay. They differ though in that amazon  doesn’t require you to take a picture of every item. You also need not come up with shipping terms and return policy because they are standardized for most items. You can upload large amounts of inventory with spreadsheets and you never have relist them again. All prices are BIN so you never have to worry about whether or not your item sold at a loss. The system though is not without it’s faults. You don’t get paid for an order unless you buy Delivery Confirmation within two days, they are very strict about their shipping policies. Buyers almost always will win any dispute. If you have a low feedback rating even for a short period you can be suspended and will not be allowed back on under any circumstances. You also have to deal with many fees as well you either have to pay $1 dollar per item fee or $40 a month subscription. Plus you still have to pay a percent much like FVF that varies by category of item. Video games though are a big seller on amazon and it’s less hassle than relisting items on eBay.

Ioffer.com

Many people will try to tell you that this site is a scam. The truth is the site is not a scam but many of the sellers there are in fact scam artist. The site is just that a site it doesn’t guarantee any transaction or do mediation in the way that eBay does between buyer and seller. The great thing about this site is that you can list as many items as you want for absolutely nothing. So it’s great for those items that you are just not sure are going sell like say an attic of old comic books. Another good thing about this site is that you can upload tons of pics and even video for free. You can also give your buyers many options for checkout PayPal, Google Checkout, Amazon Payments and many more. You only pay a 7% fee when an items is purchased and the transaction is complete. Your items go into your own store that you can then promote in any way you like. The main problem with this site is that many people don’t know about it or don’t trust the sellers there. The search engine also doesn’t work well as they allow the sellers to add tags and use them for searching. Many sellers have abused this and in so doing ruined the search experience for the buyers. This site works best if you treat it as your own personal store which you must promote through advertising such as AdWords, Blogs and Social Networking.

Webstore by Amazon

For twenty dollars more a month than the regular Amazon.com subscription amazon.com will help you set up a customizable Webstore that is not in direct competition with other third party sellers. You can use their extensive catalog of items to quickly list items. You can list unlimited items without any extra fees you pay only 7% when an item sells. You can accept Amazon Payments which will make it familiar to buyers who have used amazon. Also, when you don’t have an item a buyer wants you can refer them to amazon.com and get an associates commission. One drawback is that you have to have your own hosted domain and likely you’ll want to know a little HTML to really make your site unique. Also you may have problems listing items that are not in amazon’s catalog. A good way to promote a webstore by Amazon is to advertise your items on Amazon by using Product Ads By Amazon. A PPC advertising program that allows you to advertise directly on Amazon. This gives your products and store instant credibility. Plus, people who click the ads are more likely to be ready to buy since they have already visited Amazon. This option is probably good alternative for big sellers on eBay who already have built a brand for themselves and would like to save on fees.