As the online shopping experience continues to improve, eBay and Craigslist continue to dominate the market share of online shoppers.
Positive Aspects of eBay
For buyers, eBay has the reputation of having anything and everything in the world for sale. For sellers, their items have the potential to be seen by millions of people around the world increasing its likelihood of selling and the chance for higher bids.
It’s integrated with PayPal, which is one of the most secure payment methods in the world and it has a near flawless feedback system which allows users to gain real insight to the products, sellers, and buyers before they enter into a transaction.
Positive Aspects of Craigslist
Craigslist resembles a familiar local newspaper classified section. Its simplicity, popularity and lack of fees have made it eBay’s most successful alternative. It has millions of users all shopping locally in their hometowns.
This cuts out shipping time and costs since most sales are done locally and paid with cash. The site has no ads and generally no fees for using it. It can be quicker and easier than using eBay and it’s great for finding jobs, real estate for rent, and for selling larger items that aren’t worth shipping.
Negative Aspects of eBay
Over the years eBay has become better known as FeeBay for hitting users with fees in every direction, even if their item didn’t sell. The site is so large it can be overwhelming to some and the bidding process can be difficult for new users to get a hang of. Auctions typically last a week but end up with multiple bids at the last second which causes a lot of frustration for everyone but the winning bidder.
Negative Aspects of Craigslist
Craigslist is a one and done site which makes it difficult for stores to conduct business or individuals trying to sell multiple items. Users remain anonymous and thus there is no feedback system to tell whether the product is any good, or if the buyer or seller is even legitimate. Sales are usually done in person and not everyone is thrilled about meeting someone from the Internet. Craigslist’s assumes no liability for its users and therefore provides no protection to buyers or sellers.
Which is Better, eBay or Craigslist?
For sellers, try using Craigslist first since there are no fees. If it doesn’t sell locally in a week for the asking price then try listing it on eBay to broaden its exposure. For oversized items stick to Craigslist, no fees, no shipping, and local pickups are what make this site ideal. For buyers, eBay is more likely to have a bigger selection to choose from, which may make it possible to snag a better deal than on Craigslist. It will also be easier to find rare or foreign items such as antiques or collectibles on eBay.
Other Useful Sites
Two other popular online shopping sites are amazon.com and overstock.com. More useful sites like buy.com, shopping.com, and pricegrabber.com are helping consumers save time and money by sorting through the best deals online. Other great sites like CouponCabin.com, ezcouponsearch.com and ReatialMeNot.com are gaining popularity for compiling printable coupons for in store purchases and coupon codes for online purchases.
These sites and others give consumers a chance to step up into the competitive world of business. They provide an outlet for individuals to truly experience free enterprise at its best. Buying, selling, auctioning, and bartering online can be exciting and fun but what works for some may not work for others. Users may need to try some different methods or some different sites until they eventually find their comfort zone.