# Is there an alternative to eBay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761 "2020-01-02T02:45:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/1 "2020-01-02T02:45:06Z")
With the outrageous cost for the new/casual sellers and the licence for buyers to scam & steal along with having to do everything PayPal is there some aution site that is like the eBay of old? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/2 "2020-01-02T03:42:04Z")
> **[Home - shopgoodwill.com](https://shopgoodwill.com/)** > > Online Marketplace for Goodwill thrift stores Are you talking about for buyers or sellers? ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/3 "2020-01-02T04:05:43Z")
OP is asking about selling. Also, at least for old video games/systems, ShopGoodwill prices are reported to be extremely high. Edit: And of course it’s only items donated to Goodwill ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/4 "2020-01-02T04:08:15Z")
Craigslist. ---
**Author:** ![atimnie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atimnie/32/11_2.png) [@atimnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atimnie)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/5 "2020-01-02T04:37:42Z")
There’s this new thing called a search engine. > **[alternative to ebay - Bing](https://www.bing.com/search?q=alternative%20to%20ebay&pc=cosp&ptag=G6C999N1D070219AA794BFC089&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT3210127)** > > Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/6 "2020-01-02T05:43:02Z")
Try your local buy-and-sell weekly. Vend from the roadside - every speed bump is a sales opportunity. Leave fliers on vehicle windshields. Shout your wares via megaphone as you walk the sidewalk. Rent an empty storefront as needed. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/7 "2020-01-02T06:18:04Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@atimnie](#): > > There’s this new thing called a search engine. > > [alternative to ebay - Search](https://www.bing.com/search?q=alternative%20to%20ebay&pc=cosp&ptag=G6C999N1D070219AA794BFC089&form=CONBDF&conlogo=CT3210127) There is also a thing called the [General Questions Rules & FAQs](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466202), which says this: > [@](#): > > By the same token, we aren’t interested in hearing about how stupid the question was because a search could have answered the question. Nor are we interested in hearing how simple it was for another poster to find the answer in a search engine. If it’s that simple to find the answer, go ahead and post the answer. Keep the snarky responses out of GQ and don’t tell someone how easy it is to find their answer using a search engine in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/8 "2020-01-02T08:31:20Z")
When you say you don’t want to “do everything Paypal,” do you mean you have a specific beef with Paypal Inc., or that you don’t want to use _any_ third-party payment processor? The former is doable but the latter means you’re only going to be selling to locals who come to you with cash (pretty much nobody is going to be willing to go through the hassle of getting a postal money order in 2020). ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/9 "2020-01-02T12:47:36Z")
I think craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are probably your best options. IMO, ebay isn’t much different than Amazon now. When they A)Added the ‘buy it now’ option, B)Gave sellers the ability to combine listings (ie selling something, but the listing will say 275 Sold or 110 remaining) and C)Gave them the option to not removing the bidding process, the turned the place into a store, that a small handful of people still use as an actual auction site for stuff they’re trying to get rid of. I stopped using ebay like the ‘old ebay’ probably 20ish years ago when I started to notice sellers with feedback numbers in the 10’s of thousands. These were clearly not people just cleaning out their spare bedroom or hoping to make a few extra bucks to swing rent this month. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/10 "2020-01-02T17:18:49Z")
It all depends on the products you want to sell. For example Amazon is better for used books. eBay is in the process of moving away from just Paypal for payments–adding Apple Pay and Google Pay, for example–but the process won’t be completed for a couple years: > **[Managed payments | Seller Center](https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/seller-updates/2019-spring/managed-payments)** > > More payment options, easy management of orders and refunds in Seller Hub, and expanding participation to more sellers. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/11 "2020-01-02T19:36:09Z")
I have a few collections of antique/vintage items. Sometimes I’ll find things on Etsy, but the vast majority of the time I find things on eBay. Often I’ll google and not find anything, then, go to eBay and find items that fit in categories I’m interested in. It simply has the widest selection. I actually prefer But It Now, because I don’t like waiting, and I don’t use any apps that bid for me, so I need to watch the final moments of a bid. Auctions are a hassle. I’d just prefer to get what I want at a reasonable price. Because I’m mostly buying items that are not available in bulk, those people selling dozens or hundreds of items are not really on my radar. Also, I have a pretty fair idea of what is a reasonable price, so if there’s a Make An Offer button, and the price seems too high for me, I’ll make that offer. More than half the time, my offer’s accepted. If it’s not, and I feel it’s too high a price, I just pass. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/12 "2020-01-02T20:10:07Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > When you say you don’t want to “do everything Paypal,” do you mean you have a specific beef with Paypal Inc., or that you don’t want to use _any_ third-party payment processor? The former is doable but the latter means you’re only going to be selling to locals who come to you with cash (pretty much nobody is going to be willing to go through the hassle of getting a postal money order in 2020). The fees and how they do (scammy) chargebacks. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/13 "2020-01-02T23:38:01Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I think craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are probably your best options. IMO, ebay isn’t much different than Amazon now. When they A)Added the ‘buy it now’ option, B)Gave sellers the ability to combine listings (ie selling something, but the listing will say 275 Sold or 110 remaining) and C)Gave them the option to not removing the bidding process, the turned the place into a store, that a small handful of people still use as an actual auction site for stuff they’re trying to get rid of. This kind of comment comes up regularly, but I think it’s basically wrong. There are _more_ people using eBay as an auction site than there were before ‘Buy it Now’ and professional sellers. So the auction part of eBay still exists, and still thrives. There’s just other stuff too. This comment is like being dissatisfied with Amazon because it’s not just a bookstore any more. But it’s still a bookstore, and it’s a bigger bookstore than it was when it was just a bookstore, and you can still use Amazon and eBay just like the bookstore/auction site they used to be very easily, excluding all the new stuff from your search. You’re absolutely true that eBay is no longer just an auction site, and also that most of its business is as a generic web store. But… so what? It’s still an auction site if that’s what you want to use. The thing you liked still exists, and is bigger than ever. Also, for B), I’m pretty sure that eBay had dutch auctions (an auction with more than one item available) back in the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/14 "2020-01-03T06:38:41Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > The fees and how they do (scammy) chargebacks. Is your problem _PayPal specifically_, or is it that you don’t want to pay _any_ fees or be exposed to the risk of chargebacks? I see both types of complaints about PayPal, the people who have a very specific beef with PayPal and also the people who want the magic money tree to drop some fruit on them. There are alternatives to PayPal but you’re not going to sell something to a remote buyer online without paying _someone_ to handle the money, with strings attached. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/15 "2020-01-03T06:45:51Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > With the outrageous cost for the new/casual sellers and the licence for buyers to scam & steal along with having to do everything PayPal is there some aution site that is like the eBay of old? You know, I used to post on the old eBay pages, and I challenged anyone to show a verified case of something like a buyer returning a rock instead of the goods. No one ever came up with one. And that’s because no sane person would want to risk _five years in the Federal pen_ for mail fraud for a $50 piece of crap. But all you gotta do is give us a cite for a ebay _buyer_ being arrested for mail fraud. Got cite? However, books can be sold on\* Amazon\*, and likely for better prices. Handmade stuff on _Etsy_. There’s sites for antiques, collectables, Vintage clothing and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2020, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-alternative-to-ebay/845761/16 "2020-01-03T12:29:42Z")
Kijiji is an eBay-owned website massively popular in Canada and some countries around the world. [Reverb.com](http://Reverb.com) is great for musical instruments, etc… FTR, I’ve used Paypal for hundreds of transactions and never had a problem, unexpected fee, chargeback, etc… I too would appreciate some cites for the claims made against eBay and Paypal.