Q&A: Is it better to use Ebay to sell items or set up your own website?
Question by lileli47: Is it better to use Ebay to sell items or set up your own website?
I have an Ebay store now, but with all the listing fees and all the other fees associated with listing on Ebay, would it be easier, better and less expensive to build my own website?
Best answer:
Answer by young mother
ebay
What do you think? Answer below!
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about 1 year ago
You can certainly build your own website – but the trick is getting people to it. It takes A LOT of marketing to do that.
about 1 year ago
I listed some pros and cons of selling on ebay vis-a-vis your own website
CREATING YOUR OWN WEBSITE
Pros
- allows you to establish your own “real estate” on the Web;
- allows you to attract a bigger audience; not limited to eBay buyers (not everyone buys on eBay)
- scaleable as it allows your business to grow;
- allows you to give more information about your business to your visitors and give them reasons to trust you
- allows you to give more information about the product, play around with factors that can increase conversion
- gives you a more professional look
- makes you look like a “big” business (an e-commerce seller that also sells on ebay “looks” so much bigger than a purely ebay seller)
- you can put in as many items you want without paying listing fees
- you can sell as many items as you can without paying value added fees
- less restrictions than eBay (you are more free to write your sales copy)
- easier to market on the Web
Cons:
- requires technical knowhow to create a website (or money to pay someone to do it for you)
- fixed price (price you set is what you get)
SELLING ON EBAY
Pros
- auction format; prices can go up higher than you originally set it for
- eBay’s brand and size of its market
Cons
- listing and final value fees
- lots of restrictions
- harder to get onto search engines
- link exchanges are more difficult
- increasing competition (it is not as easy to sell now on eBay compared to others)
I would say it depends on what you want with your business. If you have a steady supply of product to sell (not just based on what you can find in your attic), I would go create a website – and THEN use eBay as an additional sales channel. You just have more room to operate and grow your business with having your own store.
about 1 year ago
If you are in it for business in the long run it will be better. As you mentioned, you will save a lot on all of the fees associated with EBay. However, you will need traffic to your website and will probably suffer greatly in the beginning due to lack of traffic.
I would suggest you set up your website now and continue to sell on eBay until you can transfer all of your sales into your website (once traffic has been established)
about 1 year ago
You can, certainly have your own website.
Owning and Maintaining, your own website may be economical, comparatively. Practically, making your own website, work for you effectively, and give you business (i.e., promoting your own website), may not prove economical. Thus, your own website in totality may not work out economical, at all.
In short, ‘You better, continue using eBay, days ahead are of e-commerce”.
and
Good Luck !
about 1 year ago
Like ‘Random Precision’ said, it takes a lot of hard work and marketing to make your own website successful. This article I found also highlights some more reasons why you should consider sticking with the eBay route:
http://www.gowholesale.com/news/view/Migrating_Your_Offline_Business_to_eBay/
I hope this helps you reach a conclusion as to what is going to work best for you. Good luck!