Etsy vs eBay – Which One is Best?

Suzanne — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 01:32:04 +0000

I received this question from a reader this week:

“I am wondering if you must have a large inventory of items in order to have an eBay store? I would love to be able to sell the items I make myself on there (clothing and costumes, etc.), but I am not sure how to start out.”

No, you do not have to have a large inventory to open or operate an eBay store. Running all auctions and fixed price listings gets expensive. You can put items in your eBay store inventory for only a few cents for a 30 day listing. Having a store gives your items exposure for a very low price. There are different store subscription levels. If you are just starting out, you will want to begin with the basic store subscription which costs $15.95 per month.

First of all, start small. Buy a few things to learn the process and get a feel for how eBay works. eBay selling and working at home is not for everyone. And it is ok if it isn’t right for you. Sell some of your own things before you invest any money in other products to sell. Understand that eBay is more than taking pictures and typing on the computer – you need to be familiar with how to edit photos, shipping, customer service, and using Paypal.

If you are selling handmade items, you might want to look into a site called Etsy, “The place to buy and sell all things handmade.” Etsy is similar to eBay, however, the rules are slightly different. The platform at Etsy is fixed price items, no auctions, and each seller gets her own shop that can be uniquely customized.

Etsy charges 20 cents to list an item for 4 months. Once an item sells, the seller is charged 3.5% of the sales price. Sellers are permitted to sell anything handmade such as jewelry, clothing, handbags, baby items, accessories, and household items. Knock-off or counterfeit items are not allowed.Click here to read about selling on Etsy. This site is a good fit for crafters. Granted, eBay’s traffic is much heavier, (Etsy has just over 100,000 sellers) but Etsy has some unique offerings and is growing in popularity.