Online Selling: eBay vs. Amazon, Conclusion

While the previous two posts provide a comprehensive evaluation of the differences between selling on Amazon versus eBay, it is probable that not every reader may be willing to plow through the mass of information. In this post, I will list some items that are typically sold, and explain why they should be sold on either Amazon, eBay, or Craigslist (which I will discuss in a later article).

1. Books->Books should always be sold on Amazon (if you have a lot of books, it is not worth selling them in bulk on eBay because it is unlikely anyone will want them). On Amazon, books generally sell very fast and at a pretty high price. Usually, when people are selling books, they have 30+ books to sell. Since Amazon makes it so easy to list books, a seller has nothing to lose listing books at 50 cents a piece. However, if you are only interested in selling books which will earn you a lot of money, the following rules generally apply:
-Hardcover books sell for a lot more than Paperback (Hardcover picture books, such as those depicting places and landscapes or cooking books generally sell for a lot).
-School help guides (i.e. SAT Tutor Books/Bio Tutor Books) generally sell for a pretty good amount as long as you don't write too much in them.
-Books more than 10 years old generally don't sell very well (unless they are very well known such as "7 Habits of Highly Effective People").
-Books that come in a series generally don't sell very well (i.e. "The Hardy Boys," "Nancy Drew," "The Boxcar Children" etc.)
-"Classics" or old books that are still very popular generally don't sell well (i.e. "The Scarlet Letter," "The Catcher in the Rye" etc.)

2. Movies/Videogames->Movies and Videogames should almost always be sold on Amazon. If you check both sites and the price of the items is generally higher on eBay than Amazon (it happens), try selling them on eBay. Generally, Amazon will offer you the higher price and the items will sell faster.

3. Electronics->Electronics can be sold on either site. For the sake of this article, let's assume that you are trying to sell a TV. The first thing to consider is the year of the TV. If it is more than 10 years old, it should be sold on eBay, since it is unlikely to have a market on Amazon. If it is less than 10 years old, the next thing to consider is whether or not the TV has been opened. If it has not been opened, Amazon is probably the way to go, since it will sell very quickly and you will get almost full price for it. If it has been opened, and is used and has some small defect (i.e. scratch or another mark), eBay would be the best site since eBay would make it easier to explain the problems with the item.

4. Large Items->An item can only be so large before the shipping costs become exorbitant and shipping the item stops making sense. If the item is over 20 pounds or doesn't fit into any box, you should consider selling the item on Craigslist or in your local community. Nevertheless, I have managed to sell a number of large items, such as a foot massager, a guitar, and a large keyboard. For the most part, large items should be sold on eBay. There is not a clear reason why, except for the fact that people that buy on Amazon are generally looking for books, movies, and other small commercial items.

5. Antiques (i.e. Records, Stamp Books, Memorabilia)-> Antiques should almost always be sold on eBay. eBay is a much more specialized site than Amazon and has a greater number of buyers that are interested in a wider variety of things. My one piece of advice is that you must price the item carefully, because if it is a rare item it has the potential not to sell which will leave you paying a fee (as I discussed previously eBay has a fee to list items and Amazon does not). While the item generally will sell, it is probable that you will not get full value for the item (expect to get 20-30% of the item's actual worth). This never used to bother me, and I don't think it will bother most people who are trying to clean out their house or get rid of old items, but if the item is sufficiently valuable, this might not be acceptable. If the antique is worth over $100, I would find another way to advertise it. Either craigslist or selling it at a live auction house would probably be the best solution in this case.

I hope this article helped to illustrate what sites are best for selling different items. If you have a specific question about an item I failed to mention, shoot me an email at JMCritelli6@Yahoo.com, I would be more than happy to help.