We researched and compared the top seven online auction sites to find the best. We compared selling and listing fees, payment options, support features and the size of each site’s user base. After our research, we think that eBay is the best online auction site because it has over 160 million registered users. Though this site charges a higher final value fee than other sites we researched, it doesn’t charge for seller verification.
eBay
eBid
Bonanza
Product
|
|||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Price
|
|||||||
Overall Rating
|
9.1
|
8.9
|
8.8
|
8.6
|
8.5
|
8.3
|
7.8
|
Selling Fees
|
6.9
|
8.8
|
8.1
|
10
|
7.5
|
7.5
|
8.8
|
Selling Features
|
10
|
9.4
|
8.8
|
8.8
|
8.1
|
8.8
|
6.3
|
Listing Options
|
10
|
9.4
|
9.4
|
8.8
|
8.8
|
8.1
|
6.9
|
Payment Options
|
10
|
8.8
|
10
|
7.5
|
10
|
10
|
10
|
Help & Support
|
10
|
7.5
|
7.5
|
5
|
9.4
|
7.5
|
7.5
|
Submit Items to Search Engines
|
|||||||
Page Views Count
|
|||||||
Advertise Internally
|
N/A
|
||||||
Registered Users
|
162 million
|
2 million
|
50,000
|
300,000
|
100,000
|
173,000
|
65,000+
|
Traffic Reports
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
||||
Search by Seller
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|||||
Feedback Options
|
|||||||
Automatic Bidding
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
||||
Resolution Center
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|||
Buy Now Button
|
|||||||
Credit Card
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|||||
Alternative Payment Options
|
N/A
|
||||||
PayPal
|
|||||||
Store Subscription Fees (monthly)
|
$19.95 - $299.95
|
$1.99
|
Free - $250.00
|
None
|
$4.00 - $96.00
|
Free - $19.00
|
None
|
Listing Upgrades
|
N/A
|
||||||
Listing Fee
|
50 Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Relisting Fee
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Final Value Fee (per item)
|
10%
|
3%
|
3.50%
|
None
|
None
|
0.75% - 7%
|
2.9%
|
Seller Verification Fee
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
Free
|
$8/month
|
$10.00 - $29.00
|
Free
|
Block Bidders & Buyers
|
N/A
|
||||||
Early Listing Cancellation
|
N/A
|
||||||
Ease of Use
|
100%
|
95%
|
95%
|
92%
|
90%
|
80%
|
90%
|
International Listings
|
|||||||
Save Seller Option
|
N/A
|
||||||
Extra Photo Options
|
|||||||
Live Chat
|
N/A
|
$
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
|
Phone
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
||
Community Forum
|
N/A
|
||||||
Email
|
eBay
-
This site has over 162 million registered users
-
Easy-to-use interface
-
Live chat support
-
Only your first 50 listings are free
-
Charges a 10 percent final value fee, the highest we researched
-
Extra fees can be confusing
eBid
-
Only charges a 3 percent final value fee
-
Free to list items
-
You can purchase lifetime seller’s access for discounts
-
No traffic reporting for your items
-
Only option for customer support is through email
-
You can’t pay with a credit card
Bonanza
-
Syncs products across multiple auction sites
-
Photo editing tools
-
No fee for seller verification
-
Extra fee for live chat support
-
This site has fewer registered users than many other sites
-
No automatic bidding
Why Trust Us?
We picked the top seven online auction sites to research for our comparison. While eBay is the most well-known online auction site, our research uncovered several other alternative sites with almost as many registered users and lower fees. If you’re interested in becoming a seller on online auction sites, it’s important to consider all the fees.
We also compared each site’s payment and support options. If you’re a seller, look for sites that organize your payments in a logical way. Some of the sites we researched only have email addresses for technical support, while the best offer phone support too and even live chat support.
Top Ten Reviews has reviewed tech products and software for over a decade. We’ve published reviews about online auction sites since 2006.
How We Researched
We researched the top online auction sites and compared them based on selling and listing fees, options for listing products, payment options and each site’s help and support features. We compared the sites' buying and selling processes and to see how simple it was to set up a listing on each site.
We also looked at the cost of each service and whether the fees outweigh the benefits. Fees can take away a large chunk of your selling profits, so make sure you understand what each company charges for listing fees, final value fees, and seller verification fees. We calculated all these fees and found that eBay has the highest final value fees, while companies like eBid doesn’t charge listing fees.
What’s the Difference Between a Listing and a Web Store?
A single item that you list in an auction is a listing. A listing has a description of the product, a suggested selling price and photos. Unfortunately, most sites will only let you list a certain number of items for free before charging you for each listing. If you want to avoid this fee and have many items to sell, look into opening a web store.
A web store lets you pay a monthly subscription for lower listing fees and fewer fees overall. Buyers can browse all your listings in one place, instead of finding you by searching for the individual items.
Are Online Auctions Safe?
Auction fraud usually occurs when a seller doesn’t ship a purchased item. It can also happen when you accidentally purchase black-market goods and are subject to numerous hidden fees. It’s important to research any seller you’re buying from. Be cautious of sellers outside your country or any who ask that you mail payments to a P.O. box.
If you make a purchase on an auction site, be sure to pay with a credit card or another payment option where you can dispute the charges if you don’t receive the items. Don’t mail a check and never send cash.
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