Which online marketplace do your prefer these days? We know the "top two" differ in philosophy. While eBay is great for in auctions and person-to-person deals, Amazon keeps its roots as a marketplace for companies and individuals to do business in a way providing an experience resembling retail in a non-opportunistic way (yes, most in my circle see eBay as an "opportunistic marketplace"). So... which one is your favorite: eBay or Amazon? Also, perhaps you may be an active participant at one of the many alternative online marketplaces out there; is there one in particular you'd like to recommend to the fellows around? Why are the reasons convincing you to go to to such alternative marketplace as opposed to the big guys? Thanks.
I like Amazon because you don't have to bid. You just add the item that you want to your cart and check out. But it's incorrect to say that Amazon isn't an opportunistic marketplace. I personally know some Fulfilled by Amazon sellers who will mark an item up 300% if they have the only copy of that item. There's a rare, discontinued kitchen appliance that one seller bought at Goodwill for $10 and sold on Amazon for $190, so Amazon is just as cutthroat as eBay.
You don't have to bid for Ebay either. For years, I had thought that you had to bid if you were going to shop on Ebay. But the one time that my smartphone broke, and I was desperate for a cheap replacement, I found myself on Ebay, and discovered that you do not always have to bid. You can just make a simple purchase!! Since then, Ebay is my go-to shopping website with Amazon coming second. The prices are a lot better on Ebay than on Amazon, I find.
I always use Amazon, but only because I earn a lot of their gift codes online. I've no complaints about them, they usually have the best prices and the fastest shipping.
I have to disagree with the best prices and the fastest shipping. Ebay is a lot faster with shipping than Amazon, at least they are in my experience, and always have been. And the prices are almost too good from Ebay. I can get things from there, that would be at least a few dollars or pounds more than the item would cost on Ebay.
The only time I shop on eBay is when I am looking for inexpensive clothing. I got spoiled for may years because there was a Dillards outlet near me that sold clothes dirt cheap, so I barely every paid more than like $8 for anything - however that closed down about a year ago, so I turned to eBay to look for similar bargains. I've had mostly good experiences, but sometimes it can take a while for your purchases to ship depending on who the seller is. And they don't always package things up properly - they'll try to cram a shirt or pants into a small envelope then they arrive all wrinkled up. Pretty much everything else I buy online I get it through Amazon whenever possible. I feel more secure having them handle my order, even if it's coming from a third party vendor and not one of their warehouses directly, because if I have a problem with the order they will generally take care of it properly as opposed to haggling with some smaller vendor who might give me a hard time. I've tried ordering from Wal-Mart's web site, but strangely they are always out of stock on a lot of the items I am looking for. This is weird considering their actual stores are usually stocked with these same items every time I go to one. Yet for some strange reason their online warehouse is always out of stuff.
Where Ebay is concerned, I have only ever purchased electronics and tech items? So I can only really speak on or for the prices on those items, and they've been really good. Better than any other online brand, I think. But as far as clothing and other types of items, I am not sure what the prices are like for those things.
I am a huge fan of Amazon. I like it more than e-bay because it's a lot easier to find things, in my opinion and I hate the whole having to bid for something thing. I know you can get better deals on e-bay if you're patient, but I just don't have the time to wait around for things or to go browsing. Besides, you can still find really great deals on Amazon anyway.
I have Amazon Prime, and it is amazing. As long as you have Prime, the shipping is always amazingly fast. I can order the package on Monday and have it at my house by Wednesday, Thursday at the very latest. I definitely prefer Amazon since its return policy is amazing, and sellers on Amazon are a lot more trustworthy than sellers on eBay. I've heard so many horror stories about eBay that I've pretty much convinced myself to never buy anything from there, especially not anything expensive. I also love how you can buy the item immediately on Amazon, where on eBay you sometimes have to bid, which can take forever, and many people often pay way more than they should because they're trying to beat competitors in the bidding.
When I am shopping for an electronic item I usually go to Amazon because the return policy is so liberal and there is no question where or not I will get my money back. I don't really do a lot of shopping online for clothes or shoes, the cost of shipping often will be a big decision maker for me.
I am most definitely an Amazon girl; I love Amazon. Before I started exclusively using Amazon I used eBay and I had some really good experiences - no horror stories to report - but I was always weary of the horror stories I would read about eBay from buyers and sellers alike. So when I found Amazon and started using them I was quite pleased; of course there are horror stories with Amazon too but not as many as with eBay. Now, I may look through eBay and see if there are better prices than on Amazon but most of the time I can't find what I'm looking for anyway. Plus, Amazon has gift cards; that saves me a lot of moolah.
I'm loyal to Amazon and have been for quite some time. They have just about every product you could ever imagine both new and used. Easy to search for, affordable and reliable shipping. Really nothing to dislike. See no reason to use Ebay or any other online retailer.
I don't understand why many in this thread are only looking to the bidding aspect of Ebay?? You don't always have to bid. In fact, i have never had to bid, or exercise patience lol, whether that be to bid in order to get a better deal, or having to wait for an ordered item to reach me.
I prefer Amazon because I feel it monitors it's sellers better. It maintains some standards in regard to who is selling and how they are selling and they have to follow Amazon policies in regard to shipping and return. So, you have a bit more of a guarantee with Amazon. With Ebay it is all up to the seller as to how the transaction happens and if are really going to get your product.
I agree in the sense that Amazon feels more like a legitimate organization where sellers are concerned. Even though I have had bad experiences with sellers on Amazon. In fact, I didn't know that Amazon was doing there whole seller thing, and just placed an order, thinking that it was coming from Amazon, and not a go-between seller. Little did I know... I had a bad experience. With Ebay, I find that most of the power and control lies within the buyer's hands though.
I tend to like Ebay better. Although, both are good websites. The reason I choose Ebay is because there are sellers out there who not just offer buy it now at a low price but also offer free shipping. For the most part on Amazon you have to buy at least forty dollars in merchandise to get free shipping. So, for me it doesn't work too well at least not now. Yes, I prefer to get items with free shipping.
I'd forgotten to mention this part too, so thank you for pointing it out I have NEVER had to pay a fee for shipping when I have purchased something off of Ebay. If I have ever had to return an item, the seller most likely will reimburse the money that was spent returning it too. I always make sure that I check the seller's policy before purchasing, so that if there is anything wrong with the item and I have to send it back, I am not the person who is out of pocket even a little.
When deciding between Ebay and Amazon, I would have to say that in my opinion Ebay is much better. When I buy something off of Ebay I never bid, because I realized that I always pay too much for something and could generally have gotten the thing for a lower price with the option to buy it now (and avoiding the bidding process). Sometimes I order on Amazon too, but I am more inclined to shop on Ebay due to complications I experince with Amazon every time I order something. A great alternative that might be even better than Ebay is Aliexpress. The site is awesome and I really like their style and ease of purchasing something. It is similar to Ebay, but there are many differences. You should definately check it out!
Exactly!!! I have never understood what problem people have had with the bidding thing, when you are not forced to bid. I have never bidded, and for the reason that you gave above. I'm not about to be ripped off, and pay a substantial amount of money more than I otherwise would have, had I not been bidding. I have never heard of Aliexpress. I will have to check it out. It is a new website?
That is my reaction and explanation as well when I talk to people and bidding is all it comes to their minds when thinking about Ebay. It is so much better than that with endless opportunities for everyone! Yes, Aliexpress is a fairly new site. It is actually an Alibaba branch and when you register with them, you actually open an account on Alibaba. In case you haven't heard of Alibaba, it is a big Chinese seller that sells in bulk. Aliexpress is the same, but you don't have to buy in bulk. The only drawback I can see is that they don't accept PayPal and you have to type in your credit card number every time you purchase something. However, I have never experienced any trouble and I have bought 40+ things on Aliexpress so far (they have great Daily Deals, Weekend Deals and all kinds of promotions Ebay doesn't have) . What surprises me the most is that up to now, I had no need of opening a claim under their Buyer Protection programme. With Ebay, I had to open claims about damaged goods or items not arriving on a regular basis. Check it out, I am sure you'll love it!
