FAIR SHAKE

Hi All,

Since no one has posted to this area of the forum, I thought I'd get a thread started. I just wanted to know what kinds of experiences everyone was having out there with different sites. Here's what I've found:

For fixed price items, Ecrater.com and BuyItSellIt.com (BISI) seem to be the most popular for those looking for free stores. I started ID's at both but ultimately went with BISI because it allows for parcel post, Priority, and Express shipping options whereas Ecrater only. Unfortunately, it does not calculate media mail so people purchasing my books (over half my stock) have to wait for invoice or trust me to refund the difference in shipping costs, which I will of course do. Ecrater's items are submitted to Google Base automatically with no problems. BISI's Google Base interface was a little trickier--you have to create a Google Base account, and I didn't know they were submitting the title so I duplicated the Title information in my Base attributes and none of it was picked up. I'll have to resubmit those items later! Now that my store is mostly stocked, I think I'm happy with it though I have yet to make a sale. I know it will take some time, but people are looking, so I just have to stick with it.

For auctions, OLA.com is popular, and I've heard a lot of good things about Neoloch.com. I bought something off OLA, and it was a good experience. I think they could have a good chance of growing into the next big auction site.

I had my Etsy store long before I left Ebay. They're great for crafts, crafting supplies, and vintage items.

What have other people found as far as good sites to move to?

Hi Corrine--it's nice to hear from you again!

Thank you for your assessment of these places--it seems to be in line with what I have heard and gathered elsewhere. This is good information to have here--unfortunately, I don't have any personal experience to add to it. Perhaps others will come along and add their experiences.

I, like many others, am still reeling a bit by what has happened with e***y, and have not found a suitable replacement. As much as I admire the approach of Craigslist, and their refreshing attitude about life and the internet being about more than money for big companies, I am reluctant to list items there, because I don't feel comfortable with people coming to my house to make the transactions. I was only beginning to sell on e***y when all this happened, so I don't have a business set up, but I do still have a pile of things I was hoping to sell. I admire you for your efforts in just "getting out there" and trying different venues, and I certainly appreciate your feedback on them. While I haven't tried to launch anything yet myself, I very likely will in the future.

Something else I would be interested in hearing about is what people are experiencing if they have chosen to continue to try to sell on e***y. If anyone has experiences--good or bad--to report, I hope you will share them with us. In particular, I am wondering if people are noticing reduced exposure from the changed search, and if people are actually having funds held by P***l. My own account on e***y falls under the limit to protect me from withheld funds by P***l, and I find that policy outrageous and unacceptable. I honestly don't think I can ever bring myself to sell anything on e***y again, or to re-open a P***l account, but an honest appraisal of ALL options is probably a wise approach for us all.

Good luck to you Corrinne, and please continue to keep us posted on what you experience.

Laurel

Hi Laurel,

I don't think I can ever sell on Ebay again, either. The trust just isn't there now, and I don't think it ever will be. I'm afraid I'm still using Paypal. It's just the best option for me right now.

I know what you mean about it being hard to start again somewhere else. It takes time to get established and get that first sale (My BISI store got its first sale last night--yay!).

Good luck finding a new home, and good luck to everyone else, too!

Corinne

Hey--Congratulations on that sale! It might not be much, but it's a start. Something just HAS to "give" at some point. I think it will...it will just take time.

Yeah, it is going to take time for things to pick up, especially with the bad economy. I'm just glad someone found my site and decided to buy something! It's a small sale, but much better than NO sale. :)