In the ever-evolving landscape of eCommerce, two giants, Amazon and eBay, stand tall with their own ways of connecting buyers and sellers across the globe. Indeed, the Amazon vs eBay comparison has represented eCommerce competitiveness at its finest. Yet, in this race between two top online marketplaces, which one will stand out to be your best sales channel?
Let’s find out in our following analysis. From our experts’ viewpoints, here are 6 key differences between Amazon and eBay:
- Products
- Selling methods
- Seller fees
- Shipping and order fulfillment
- Advertising and marketing
- Support and selling resources
Are you ready, online merchants? Let’s discover if selling on eBay or Amazon is the best for your business!
Amazon or eBay - Why Not Sell on Both?
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Amazon vs eBay: The Very Basics
For anyone who is new to eCommerce and online selling concepts, you should definitely take some time to learn the basics of Amazon and eBay. In the following section, we will come some highlights, including:
- Competitive levels;
- Pros and cons of selling on Amazon vs eBay.
Amazon at a quick glance
When you come across the term selling on Amazon, remember that you sell on Amazon Marketplace. There is a slight difference between Amazon and Amazon Marketplace. Specifically, Amazon is a global eCommerce corporation specializing in online retail, computer services, consumer electronics, digital products, and many more.
Meanwhile, Amazon Marketplace is where third-party sellers approach consumers worldwide, and it is the main character in our Amazon-eBay comparison. Many may mistake Amazon Marketplace for Amazon because Amazon Marketplace is tightly integrated into Amazon. Not to mention, it usually just goes with the name Amazon.
So back to our topic, how competitive is Amazon (the marketplace)? The latest update shows that Amazon has 9.7+ million sellers in 2023. Will there be more sellers in 2024? This is pretty unpredictable because Amazon is changing its policies for Amazon Vendor (models that affect selling on Amazon). However, not counting the chances of an increasing seller amount, Amazon is already a fiercely competitive marketplace.
Check our guide on Amazon handmade vs Etsy to see which is the best marketplace to sell on.
Based on the figure, have you ever wondered why this marketplace attracts so many sellers daily? Here are the pros and cons of selling on Amazon!
Pros of selling on Amazon
- Diverse products range from used to new;
- Excellent fulfillment services;
- Various learning sources for merchants;
- Great branding and advertising opportunities.
Cons of selling on Amazon
- Extra charges for Amazon FBA;
- Listings difficulties (for beginners).
That’s for Amazon. Next on our Amazon vs eBay comparison, let’s skim through eBay’s summary on selling pros and cons.
A sum-up of eBay
Established in 1995, eBay is a worldwide eCommerce company providing C2C online sales services and one of the main Amazon competitors. eBay mainly focuses on its auction platform and shopping website. It allows people and businesses worldwide to buy and sell various products and services.
Opening a store on eBay is a real battle with its increasing competitiveness. Up to this moment, eBay has roughly 18 million active sellers. This number almost doubles that of Amazon. However, the mentioned seller amount doesn’t mean eBay is twice as competitive as Amazon. In fact, eBay allows many more selling methods and services compared to Amazon.
Speaking more about eBay, “Buy it Now” shopping services, online classified adverts, and online event ticket trading are all part of the business. Surely, they have attracted a lot of merchants to sell on eBay. But is eBay better than Amazon, and why? As a part of the Amazon vs eBay comparison, let’s look at the benefits of an eBay store and the drawbacks of selling on this platform.
Pros of selling on eBay
- Easy registration and initial eBay store setup;
- The most diverse product ranges so far;
- Flexible selling methods;
- Fewer product restrictions.
Cons of selling on eBay
- Probably higher risk of scamming;
- No fulfillment services.
That’s our highlights for Amazon eBay basics. Moving on, let’s get to every detail of the Amazon vs eBay analysis!
If you are selling on a web-based store and want to know how a web-based store is different from one on eBay, we got you right here with a detailed comparison of Shopify vs eBay.
Amazon and eBay Comparison: Which is Better?
Is Amazon better than eBay? Which should I sell on, eBay or Amazon? You must be eager to find answers to these questions. From our experts’ viewpoint, there are 6 key differences between Amazon and eBay:
- Products;
- Selling methods;
- Seller fees;
- Shipping and order fulfillment;
- Advertising;
- Support and selling resources.
Let’s keep you waiting for no more and dive into our ultimate Amazon vs eBay comparison!
1. Products
Here comes the first difference between eBay and Amazon – products. Although these top online marketplaces have diverse product ranges, the difference is remarkable. Keep scrolling through to find out how they differ from one another and if your products might fit in.
Amazon products
Speaking of selling products to Amazon, there are a few highlights you should know:
- Amazon allows selling used and new products, as long as they follow the Item Condition Guidelines;
- Some of the best products to sell on Amazon are books, baby items, electronics, household and kitchen supplies, pet supplies, cosmetics and makeup, sports equipment, and school supplies.
- Amazon is the only place you can sell digital books through the KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).
- Amazon has its own brand to compete with third-party sellers.
- There are prohibited items on Amazon. Once you sell those items or services, you might face a permanent ban from the marketplace.
That’s a brief for products in this Amazon vs eBay comparison. Based on those highlights, here is what our experts think:
- Selling products on Amazon is tough. You not only come against other sellers but also Amazon retailing brands.
- Amazon would make a wonderful place for anyone who wants to sell books, from individuals to writers.
- Amazon doesn’t seem like somewhere you would sell or buy “rare items” but consumption ones.
eBay products
Similar to Amazon, eBay offers a wide range of products, which might be even more diverse. So, regarding the product aspect of eBay vs Amazon, what can you expect from eBay? Let’s skim through the following highlights!
- eBay doesn’t compete against its sellers. This means eBay doesn’t have retailing brands available on its marketplace. There are just you and other third-party sellers.
- Some best-selling products on eBay are car accessories, fireplaces, collectible rocks, fragrances, music discs, and jewelry.
- You might find the best chances to sell your rare or unique products on eBay due to the auction-selling style.
- Product ranges on eBay go far beyond those on Amazon. Apart from consumption goods, eBay allows event ticket trading, real estate and automobile listings, and many more.
- eBay is the go-to place for secondhand items, from used to new and ordinary to luxury goods.
Considering Amazon vs eBay products, here is what our experts think:
- Go on eBay if you don’t target customers who are just buying consumption goods. Automobiles, homes, and rare antiques are flourishing on eBay.
- For those who sell secondhand, this marketplace would be offering selling opportunities. You can sell secondhand items from all price ranges, including non-luxury and luxury. If your items are in great condition and rare, they may even go high in auctions.
Amazon vs eBay products – The verdict
Considering criteria such as diversity and flexibility, eBay seems to have a winning point over Amazon. Indeed, eBay products and services offer a much wider range with more selling methods. For both buyers and sellers, you can find almost anything on eBay, from ordinary to luxurious.
2. Selling methods
eBay is popular with its Auction and Buy It Now, while Amazon sticks to the ordinary. However, more methods don’t indicate suitability. It all depends on your business scale, model, products, and target audience.
For now, it’s time to dive deep into Amazon vs eBay selling methods and find out which might suit you better!
Amazon selling methods
Amazon’s selling method and process are simple. You list a product and start selling it to customers. They click and buy. That’s done. Furthermore, you will likely follow an only selling method, which resembles the eBay Buy It Now. Until now, Amazon has yet to implement auction-selling styles within its sellers.
More on the Amazon seller process, you can easily learn how to sell on Amazon in 4 steps:
- Prepare the initial setup (Getting the required information, learning about Amazon Seller Central, and signing up for a seller account).
- Start listing products on Amazon.
- Set up your shipping and order fulfillment methods (You can choose to use FBA or FBM).
- Handle your after-sale tasks (Getting reviews and monitoring your business performance).
That’s quite everything about Amazon’s selling method and process. Now, let’s discuss eBay’s selling methods further and decide if you should sell on eBay or Amazon.
eBay selling methods
As mentioned, eBay has more selling methods than Amazon. Here is a grasp of these methods!
eBay auction-selling style:
- Your customers can bid on the item, and the person bidding the highest wins.
- Auction is about timing. As a matter of fact, timing affects your final price and the overall onsite competition.
- Your items can either exceed profit expectations or remain unsold.
- Auctions on eBay definitely take you a bit more effort to list and start selling.
That’s for eBay Auction, let’s look at some highlights about eBay Buy It Now:
- It is like the usual selling method on Amazon. You list and sell without bidding or waiting.
- You likely rest assured about your customers’ payment and timing.
- You already get fixed-priced listings on eBay. The listing fees are quite different when you go to auctions.
Our summary has shown a big difference in selling methods of Amazon vs eBay. So, what about eBay’s selling process? Check out the steps right below:
- Choose your products and find your suppliers.
- Set up an eBay seller account.
- Create and manage listings.
- Set up payment, shipping, and fulfillment.
Amazon vs eBay selling methods – The verdict
eBay is a perfect place for anyone who wants to sell one-of-a-kind items during auctions and expect their risks, while Amazon is good enough if you look to stay assured about your profit. Apart from that, the selling processes of eBay and Amazon are pretty much the same, except for the auction-selling style.
3. Seller fees
Here comes another key factor when you decide whether to sell on Amazon or eBay. Some users have dubbed eBay “feeBay” because of its high fees. However, Amazon has its own set of seller fees depending on what you’re selling.
Without further ado, let’s deeply discuss eBay vs Amazon selling fees!
Amazon selling fees
Speaking of Amazon selling charges, there are quite a few sections you need to take note of:
Amazon's pricing | ||
Individual plan | $0.99/ product sold + additional selling fees | |
Professional plan | $39.99/ month + additional selling fees | |
Category referral commission | 8 - 20% of total sale price | |
Fulfillment by Amazon fee | Depends on sold items |
- Individual plan: This is suitable if you are starting out and selling fewer than 40 units.
- Professional plan: If you sell more than 40 units each month and need to use Amazon selling tools, the Professional plan is ideal.
- Referral commission: This charge ranges from 8 to 20% and goes from $0.30. Apparel and gift cards are among the categories with the highest commission rates.
- FBA charges: Such fees are determined if Amazon recognizes your items as Compact or not. If your items belong to the Compact list, FBA fees likely stay low.
Additional fees on Amazon you might have to pay include advertising, variable closing fees, shipping fees, and removal fees. Check out our detailed analysis of Amazon seller fees and stay updated!
eBay selling fees
Many merchants are asking if eBay fees are too high. Is it true? Or is eBay cheaper than Amazon? To find out and conclude about eBay vs Amazon fees, let’s look more closely at eBay!
First of all, below is the overview of eBay seller charges:
eBay's pricing | ||
Subscription | From $7.95 to $349.95/ month | |
Listing fee | $0.35/ listing (after 250 free listings) | |
Final value fee | $0.30/ order | |
Category referral commission | 8 - 15% of total sale price |
Apart from eBay’s compulsory fees, you are likely to pay for:
- eBay selling taxes (This mainly includes income taxes and VAT or GST);
- International seller fees (You will pay 1.5% extra of the final value fees based on your sale price);
- Listing upgrades (You only pay for this if you add features to your existing listings);
- Added eBay final value fees (It applies when your business performance doesn’t adapt to eBay’s standards).
Amazon vs eBay seller fees – The verdict
So, is it better to sell on eBay or Amazon regarding seller charges? As it comes to eBay vs Amazon fees, eBay seems a lot more complex, and expensive in many cases. Although, it doesn’t charge referral fees (final value fees) as high as Amazon, feeBays may still outweigh. So, to conclude about Amazon vs eBay seller fees, we vote for Amazon.
4. Shipping and order fulfillment
Obviously, shipping and order fulfillment are key players for any marketplace, and this eBay Amazon case is no exception. Both marketplaces offer different shipping and fulfillment options for sellers. So, here’s what you should know about shipping and fulfillment when selling on Amazon vs eBay.
Amazon shipping and fulfillment
Fortunately, Amazon FBA and FBM are among the most appealing features for third-party sellers. In fact, Amazon FBA may be the answer to why Amazon is better than eBay. So what exactly is Amazon FBA?
FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is a service that allows you to store your products at an Amazon warehouse near you. Amazon will pick, pack, and ship on your behalf when a sale is made.
By this, sellers can allow Amazon to store and fulfill orders which is way more convenient. Furthermore, FBA also gives sellers customer service and marketing benefits, such as eligibility for Super Saver Shipping and Amazon Prime.
If you don’t want to use FBA, check out FBM (Fulfilment by Merchants). In particular, FBM requires you to handle all fulfilling and shipping tasks. This would mean more work for you but greater control over customer data and feedback. Regarding this matter, choices are up to you.
Apart from Amazon FBA, the marketplace provides “Free two-day shipping” to Amazon Prime members, which can entice shoppers to click “Buy”. Counting these features solely, selling on Amazon truly sounds tempting.
With Amazon FBA and Free two-day shipping, will eBay win this round? Let’s discover the next section on Amazon vs eBay shipping and fulfillment!
eBay shipping and fulfillment
While eBay does not have a program similar to FBA, it finally launched Managed Delivery in 2020. This fulfillment service allows sellers who sell a lot of inventory to fulfill orders more conveniently and swiftly.
Plus, eBay has an International Shipping Program, which lets sellers ship to eBay’s global shipping hub in Kentucky. Then, it will be in charge of taking care of any customs formalities and shipping to buyers worldwide. Hence, this marketplace will be accountable for any delays in delivery.
In case you don’t want to use eBay fulfillment services to reduce selling costs, you must learn how to ship on eBay properly. You’ll be responsible for choosing, packing, and shipping your own orders if you’re selling on eBay to people in your own country. Don’t worry much about it, there are plenty of service providers who will do it for you if you’re willing to accept a blow to your profit margins.
In terms of shipping and fulfillment, is it better to sell on Amazon or eBay for you? Evidently, shipping and fulfillment on eBay will be more challenging because you have to start from scratch. However, there will always be ways to ensure fast shipping and increase purchase rates. Our suggestions for eBay shipping would be:
- Combining shipping;
- Choosing the right carriers;
- Optimizing packaging.
Amazon vs eBay shipping and fulfillment – The verdict
In a nutshell, Amazon offers more shipping options to merchants than eBay does, this is a no-brainer. It’s possible that eBay businesses should attempt to undercut FBA on pricing, opening up new markets. But until it does, Amazon is the winner.
5. Advertising and marketing
Advertising and marketing are always a good idea to get an edge over your competitors, which are worth the investment. In the Amazon vs eBay comparison, both offer additional services to help you push your product ahead. Are you ready to figure them out? Let’s roll in!
Amazon advertising and marketing
Amazon advertising operates on a pay-per-click (PPC) program in which you pay each time your customers click through an ad link. This mechanism resembles that of Google. Due to the PPC model, keeping track of your budget for ad campaigns and avoiding any Amazon advertising mistakes is critical.
More about Amazon advertising, here are 3 major types:
- Sponsored Products: This applies to one listing you wish to promote on Amazon search result pages. What’s more, Amazon Sponsored Products ad type operates on the PPC model.
- Sponsored Brands: Like Amazon Sponsored Products, Amazon Sponsored Brands is a PPC model. However, it is a self-service ad that helps brands showcase in shopping results.
- Sponsored Display: Last but not least, Sponsored Display is a self-generated ad targeting interested shoppers on Amazon. This would be a helpful tool for your advertising.
Besides, Amazon provides you with other tools to enhance advertising results and marketing efforts, such as Amazon demand-side platform or Amazon A+ Content.
Notes: Keep in mind that advertising can immensely affect your overall charges. In accordance with that, rising advertising costs will lead to different results in Amazon selling fees vs eBay.
eBay advertising and marketing
Continuing to answer “Which is better – eBay or Amazon?”, we’ll now delve into the world of eBay advertising and marketing. In summary, eBay offers you the following tools to promote products and provoke purchase rates:
- Promoted Listing: This is probably the most popular advertising type on eBay. You choose your listings to promote and choose your ad rate. Then, eBay will display those in search results or relevant product pages.
- eBay Sponsored Products: It is quite similar to Promoted Listings. You choose your products and then set your daily budget. eBay will display them within search results.
- Markdown Manager: Despite not being an exact advertising tool, eBay Markdown Manager allows you to schedule sales events for your products.
- eBay Terapeak: Before implementing any ad campaigns, use eBay Terapeak and get real-time insights into market trends.
Once again, when starting advertising campaigns on Amazon and eBay, pay attention to your budget. Needless to say, your cost to sell on eBay vs Amazon will be heavily impacted by this fee.
Amazon vs eBay advertising and marketing – The verdict
Overall, it’s a tie. Amazon offers more ways to control how you advertise your products, while eBay gives you more tools to make data-driven decisions.
6. Seller support and resources
Last but certainly not least, it’s time to give a final round and answer our big question: Is eBay or Amazon better? In the upcoming part, we’ll walk you through Amazon vs eBay seller support and resources!
Amazon seller support and resources
Amazon offers various support types and learning resources to all newbies entering the realm. In short, there are 6 sources you can take as learning hubs when joining Amazon. Comparing Amazon vs eBay, learning materials from Amazon would be a huge competitive edge.
- Amazon Seller Guide: Simply put, this is where you start and learn the very first steps of becoming an Amazon seller. From getting to know Amazon Seller Central to monitoring your business metrics, all are presented in the Amazon beginner guide.
- Amazon Seller Univerity: Take it as a library. Amazon Seller University provides you with selling strategies, store management methods, and advertising practices.
- Ecommerce business guide: If you are new to dropshipping, inventory managing, and fulfilling, Amazon eCommerce guide is all you ever need.
- Amazon support team: Like any marketplace, Amazon has a dedicated support team to resolve your concerns. You can contact them through email or the Help section on the Amazon homepage.
- Seller FAQs: The FAQs page is where new sellers like you ask questions and get answers. It almost resembles a forum for inexperienced and experienced sellers to share and learn from each other.
- Amazon for brands: Finally, if you are starting a brand on Amazon, go and see what other brands have done to succeed. Many useful case studies are on Amazon for brands!
eBay seller support and resources
Comparing eBay vs Amazon in terms of support and resources for sellers, eBay might not be the ruler since there are only three popular sections. Here are more details about them:
- eBay Help Center: To begin with, eBay Help Center contains articles that answer or explain sellers’ concerns from listing and shipping to bans and restrictions. The eBay Help Center is constantly updated, but it takes some time to find answers to your questions.
- eBay Community: Like the eBay Help Center, eBay Community is where you can get answers to questions while selling on eBay. However, this is more specific, and chances are you can find questions that resonate with you more. There is only one note eBay Community doesn’t always have answers to every situation.
- eBay for Business Podcasts: For anyone who wants to hear experts sharing about selling strategies, from inventory optimization to effective listing promotion.
Amazon vs eBay seller support and resources – The verdict
Based on our analysis, Amazon wins eBay regarding support and learning sources. Evidently, Amazon provides more support and learning materials for sellers both new and experienced. Although eBay has improved over time when it comes to seller support, it still cannot compete with Amazon at the moment.
Sell on Amazon and eBay to Power up Your Business
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Which is Better – Amazon or eBay – FAQs
From our point of view, Amazon seems safer. An eCommerce can be a risky industry, but Amazon may have more safeguards in place because you don’t have to engage with your customers. The payments to the seller are completely handled by Amazon. Having that said, Amazon and eBay have numerous measures in place to protect both their buyers and sellers. Yes, eBay is still popular. In fact, eBay has the second highest ranking in the U.S. for eCommerce and Shopping. Also, according to the latest data, eBay got 722.7 million visits in September, 2023. There are roughly 18 million sellers on eBay, and 9.7+ million sellers on Amazon in 2023, according to the latest data. Both Amazon and eBay are quite easy to set up with a straightforward process. You just need to create an account, list your products, and set up your payment, shipping, and order fulfillment method. No, eBay isn’t bigger than Amazon. As a matter of fact, Amazon ranks first in eCommerce and shopping worldwide. Also, this is by far the largest eCommerce companies that has expanded to other branches with its web services and streaming services. There are plentiful alternatives for Amazon eBay USA such as Etsy, Walmart, TikTok Shop, Google Shopping, Facebook Marketplace, and many more selling platforms. Check out our Retail Blog for more information!
What’s Better – eBay or Amazon?
What is the difference between eBay and Amazon? In case you need a recap, here they are – 6 key differences between Amazon vs eBay:
- Products;
- Selling methods;
- Seller fees;
- Shipping and fulfillment;
- Advertising and marketing;
- Support and resources.
Is eBay better than Amazon? Should I sell on eBay or Amazon?
There is no right or wrong answer, it depends on your business size and demand. However, just because Amazon is a better fit for you or your products doesn’t mean you can’t sell on eBay as well.
Many sellers list their products on multiple marketplaces, including Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, to name a few. In fact, 80% of Amazon sellers also sell on other platforms. That’s why LitCommerce’s multichannel selling solution makes it simple to sell on various marketplaces while managing your inventory from a single central catalog.
If you need more info, leave us a message. We’re always ready to help. Also, you can follow our Retailer Blog for more exciting eCommerce news and tips.
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