Expert: Marvinator - 9/29/2006

Question
The cost of EBay has risen so much.  Is there another site that is effective and cheaper?

Answer
There are literally hundreds of smaller sites which have sprung up over the years, but very few with the viewership that Ebay has.  You can list for free on Yahoo Auctions, and on Plunderhere.com, but if there are less than 25% of the viewers that Ebay has, the  chance of making a sale must also be 75% LESS.  

And while I'm at it, is the cost of ebay really so high?  I mean lets say you sell an item for $100.  Ebay's listing fee is a couple of bucks, and the final value fee also only a few dollars totalling under 10% of the selling price.  What would the cost be for a Newspaper Classified Ad for the same item? (I priced this today: $25.00, no picture and limited viewership.)  When you price compare, the value you get from Ebay is really incredible.  Yes, the prices have gone up, but in the long run they are still the best deal going.  

Geez, I just read that over and it sounds like I work for Ebay's public relations department.  I'm really not trying to be some sort of Ebay Cheerleader.  I know the problems in selling cheap items when set against the prices that ebay sets for listing and final value fees.  Perhaps this is a really good time to not only check out the other sites, but to also examine your pricing, marketing, and auction layout to be sure you're getting the hits you deserve.  Work with the system, not against it.