There is a tremendous amount of chatter going on about which is better? EBay? Amazon? So, after a great deal of thought, I have decided that both are better. That’s right. Selling on both platforms is better than selling on one platform or the other – no matter how good that platform is.

This year we are in the midst of a Presidential election. One candidate acknowledges that taxes will go up. The other says – No new taxes. One is an American hero, the other a supposed rock star. For the life of me, I can’t understand why the American public cannot embrace both sides of the same coin. Can’t some taxes be increased and others no? Can’t an American hero be a rock star too?

This is true of eBay and Amazon. We stubbornly view one side of the coin which is usually the side we have experienced at the expense of the other. If you have only sold on eBay, then choosing to sell on Amazon sounds like a betrayal. Amazon sellers, who have never come to eBay, pledge allegiance to Amazon.com.

So, in defense of my bilateral decision, I offer the following:

eBay is an auction site. Amazon is a fixed price site. The sad thing is that eBay seems determined to move away from their core value of an “auction site” and “level playing field” to become more like Amazon. Thus the term, Amazon wannabe.

Amazon just announced a new method of payment collection through their website that mirrors PayPal. Thus the term, PayPal wannabe.

eBay relies totally on third party sellers for their revenue where Amazon has their own items they sell and warehouses to ship and distribute these items all over the country as well as 3 rd party sellers.

For those of you who sell on eBay, the recently muddied waters have created some doubt as to whether you can be as successful on eBay as a seller – and for how long. The trend is there. More large stores, more fixed pricing.

What does all this mean to a seller like yourself?

• eBay buyers are different from Amazon buyers.
  
  It is well known that Amazon buyers have more disposable income. They also shy away from eBay because they worry about “scams” and “fraud”. eBay has, to date, not been able to really deal effectively with most types of fraud on their listing site. In fact, argued in court that they are a platform for others to use and cannot be held responsible for everything that goes wrong.
  
  

  By: Ina Steiner

  Tue July 29 2008 12:16:11

  eBay users in Australia are reeling after a PowerSeller has allegedly left many buyers in the lurch after its business failed. The Age newspaper said the seller, ebusiness_supplies, did over $15 million in revenue last year. It quotes PayPal Australia's managing director Andrew Pipolo as saying, "We're actually not liable for it but it's something that, because of the circumstances of this particular seller, the impact on such a large number of buyers, we've made the decision to make a fund available to cover the expense."

  Amazon, on the other hand, is clean, crisp and very strict with their sellers. Whatever methods they use to control fraud, they are certainly more vigilant and successful in dealing with this area.

• eBay best known as an auction site, while Amazon is based on fixed price listings.
  
  eBay should be promoting their strengths. One of these is the excitement of the auction....not the fixed price listings. The recent shifts that the eBay staff has made, are directed primarily at diminishing the auction portion and embellishing the fixed price listing.

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