Best Online Auction Sites of 2018

Ryan Brown ·
Updated
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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.   

Best Overall

eBay

eBay has the largest user base of all the online auction sites. Though it has some steep fees, it also has an easy-to-use interface that makes listing items simple.
View on eBay
Best Value

eBid

This site has one of the lowest final value fees and doesn’t charge you to list your items. If you’re looking for a cheap way to sell, eBid is our top value pick.
View on eBid
Best for Sellers on Multiple Sites

Bonanza

Bonanza has easy tools to help you manage inventory across multiple auction sites. It doesn’t have as many registered users as other auction sites, but it’s fees are relatively low compared to eBay.
View on Bonanza

Product
eBay
eBid
Bonanza
Webstore.com
OnlineAuction.com
Atomic Mall
eCRATER
Price
Check Price
Check Price
Check Price
Check Price
Check Price
Check Price
Check 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
Best Overall

eBay

eBay is one of the oldest and best-known online auction sites and it has the largest body of active shoppers and sellers out of all the sites we researched. With over 160 million registered users, your products are more likely sell.
Unfortunately, this company does charge higher fees than other websites we researched. You don’t have to pay a seller verification fee, but after your first 50 listings, you pay 30 cents to list items. When you sell an item, eBay charges a 10 percent commission on the total sale amount. You also pay extra fees for upgrades such as adding additional photos to your listings. If you want to host a web store on eBay’s platform, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee depending on which subscription you choose. Store subscriptions remove the need to pay listing fees, but you still pay for upgrades. eBay lets you list items internationally, share your past transaction history with potential buyers and allows you to block buyers. You can accept payments through PayPal, eBay’s preferred method, or through Skrill, ProPay or credit cards.
Pros
  • This site has over 162 million registered users
  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Live chat support
Cons
  • Only your first 50 listings are free
  • Charges a 10 percent final value fee, the highest we researched
  • Extra fees can be confusing
Visit SiteeBay
Best Value

eBid

If don’t want to deal with extra fees that other sellers tend to charge, eBid is our top value pick. This company never charges you more than three percent in final value fees and there is no cost to verify yourself as a seller. There are two sign up options: as a buyer or as a seller. If you sign up as a buyer for this site you can’t also sell items. As a seller, you pay eBid three percent of the final value of your items, but you can both buy and sell.
You can also sign up for a seller plus account which removes the final value fees, but is a paid account. Seller plus has weekly and monthly subscriptions, or you can pay $99 for lifetime access. This site has over 2 million registered users, which is significantly less than our top pick eBay. However, eBid is active all over the world. You can view how many people have looked at your listings and show your buyer feedback from past purchases so new customers can know that you are trustworthy. This auction site doesn’t offer as many payment methods as other sites we researched. You can accept payments through PPPay.com, PayPal or Skrill, and eBid does charge a transaction fee on all purchases.
Pros
  • Only charges a 3 percent final value fee
  • Free to list items
  • You can purchase lifetime seller’s access for discounts
Cons
  • No traffic reporting for your items
  • Only option for customer support is through email
  • You can’t pay with a credit card
Visit SiteeBid
Best for Sellers on Multiple Sites

Bonanza

Selling items on Bonanza is easy if you’re a seller with multiple product stores across sites Bonanza has a product sync feature that lets you coordinate your inventory with other sites like eBay and Etsy.
This company doesn’t charge seller verification fees, which is a nice bonus. It’s also free to list items on the site and you get one free relisting if an item doesn’t sell the first time. This company charges a 3.5 percent final value fee, which Bonanza deducts from your sale. The minimum fee is 50 cents, no matter how small your sale and the maximum fee is $250. If you sign up for professional subscriptions you get a seller’s badge, which boosts your credibility. You also can see your traffic and give buyers coupons for your items. Bonanza’s listing feature comes with a photo editing feature called Background Burner that automatically removes the background from product photos you upload. In our research, we found this feature was slightly glitchy, but a built-in-photo editor can save you time and money as you upload your listings.
Pros
  • Syncs products across multiple auction sites
  • Photo editing tools
  • No fee for seller verification
Cons
  • Extra fee for live chat support
  • This site has fewer registered users than many other sites
  • No automatic bidding
Visit SiteBonanza

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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