Ebay alternatives to online shopping
On Ebay you can make great bargains on used and new products. But there are also alternatives that, while not reaching the giants, still invite bargain hunters to browse. Some even get better prices - for both the buyer and the seller. We show you the four best alternatives.
1. The biggest Ebay competitor is Hood
- Ebay claims to offer around 50 million products. The competitor Hood has around four million products. That sounds like a big difference. The assortment of the two online auction houses is however similar and you will hardly miss anything.
- Hood does not incur any costs for the seller - neither hiring fees nor sales commissions. However, if an offer is to be highlighted in bold or if you want to draw attention to the product with other extras, there are low additional costs - usually 9 to 40 cents per option.
- As with Ebay, there is also a classified ad market at Hood, which ranges from jobs and real estate to a partner and animal exchange. This area is a bit smaller, but it contains a similar range of products.
- Conclusion: Hood may not be able to keep up with eBay by far, but it is particularly worthwhile for sellers thanks to low or no fees. There are also many unusual products here.
2. The slightly different Ebay alternative: customs auction
- Products seized by customs are auctioned online at a customs auction.
- To be able to bid, you must register free of charge. Of course there are no fees or membership fees.
- In order to buy a product, you have to enter a minimum and maximum amount. You can of course increase this until the end of the auction. If you bid again 5 minutes before the end of the auction, the end of the auction will be postponed for another 5 minutes. So you can bid again if necessary.
- Conclusion: The selection is significantly smaller than on Ebay and Co, but you have a trustworthy provider here. The goods are often still in their original packaging and you definitely don't have to worry about a product not arriving.
3. The AuVito toll-free shopping portal
- The AuVito auction house is financed by advertising banners and is therefore almost free of charge. A surcharge applies only to highlighted products.
- Almost a million products are on the virtual shelf here. Most come from wholesalers. However, you will also find numerous cheap items from private individuals who use the free auction house.
- Conclusion: AuVito is a paradise especially for bargain hunters. Thousands of items change hands here every day for just one euro. As a seller, you can of course also set a starting price so that you are not exposed to too great a risk during the auction.
4. Search engines, books and Co.
- In addition to those online auction houses, a price comparison with price search engines such as idealo.de, guenstiger.de or preisvergleich.de is always worthwhile.
- Selling books: Particularly rare or expensive books fetch high prices on Amazon. There are high fees here. But there is also the greatest chance of finding a buyer for a very special product.
- Buying books: Although you can also buy books from one cent on Amazon, there is usually a shipping fee of 3 euros. Platforms like Rebuy and Medimops are recommended. You also pay shipping costs for both. However, the prices are often lower than for the used goods on Amazon.
