As ebay makes responsible selling more difficult and continues to allow the "new" ebay buyer to damage the good reputation of sellers I can draw only one conclusion. ebay is going to eventually fail.
ebay was founded on open, dynamic, free market trading, and good old fashioned wheeling and dealing. I have been involved since 1998 as a seller.
I am saddened by what it has become. What I am looking for is something that is close to the original ebay, before the attack that shut ebay down for about a month. When ebay came back online it was never the same. Sadly it has been sliding down hill ever since.
With so many online auctions its hard to figure out which one's are good.
Any help would be appreciated.

Of the top 4 contenders listed on the Auction Site Count Bonanzle has the best and most professional interface. They are growing fast and no fees to list. Plus very easy to use. I rate them the best chance to compete with eBay in the long run.

I think eBay will always be around, but more than likely not as a viable option for the masses, especially the small and medium seller.

There are a lot of 'alternative' venues out there, but it is important to remember that what works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. That's why it is so important to do the research for yourself and your business.

OP

I would recommend Wensy.com

Why?

Fast & Easy to use

Totally FREE

It has SALES

I've been on Wensy since Aug 08, as of today I've had 2142 sales, my Feedback is 1933 100% Positive, that is pure feedback not imported.

Things to consider when looking at alternatives (Not in any order)

Site Speed

Ease of use, for you & the BUYERS

Your costs.

Does it have buyers.


Good luck in your search.

Welcome to PSU and super glad you're here!

I strongly recommend you explore various sites and not put all your eggs in one basket. Many folks here also end up building their own site/web presence, so what might work best for you may be very different than what works best for me.

Best sites currently for me are eCrater and AtomicMall.com. My items show fast in search engines, and I get quite a bit of traffic/sales. If auctions are your preference, you may want to look at Plunderhere.com.

Best to you as you explore alternatives. Watch the hype - find the data...

Best Advice Ever I Copied Form LurkeyLou With His Permission

“if you depend on your eBay income at all, you'll want to continue selling there while you create an exit strategy to establish yourself independent of eBay.

I don't recommend starting with finding "the best" auction site beyond eBay. I recommend setting up a store for yourself as a first step. PSU offers an inexpensive option for the intermediate to advanced tech type. BuyItSellIt.com offers a free option for the non-tech type. Yahoo offers stores, not the easiest to set up but millions use them. ZenCart and OSCommerce are free for the more advanced tech type.

Once you get set up I recommend using "alternative" venues for additional M&P. The reason is you're going to work 10X harder for 1/10th of the sales (if you're lucky) you got on eBay with the "alternative" venues. The "alternative" venues do little to no advertising; traffic is much lower than eBay.

Folks will tell you this venue or that venue is better for this reason or that reason but the majorities seem to have between a 1% and 3% sell through rate. Essentially, if all the sales for the entire venue were counted most would not qualify as a Silver PowerSeller on eBay. There are exceptions but nothing consistent. A big-ticket item here and there might make the numbers look better for a month but the stats are a bumpy ride at best.

The alternative to eBay on an income replacing level doesn't exist unless you're willing to do the work that the fees you pay to eBay pay for, the marketing and promotions (M&P) - getting buyers to your goods. If you're willing to do the work, then I recommend investing in yourself first and then using the "alternative" venues as a means to increase your own M&P.

If you start by using venues first, you're going to invest a lot of time trying to make as many sales as most sellers make by accident on eBay...your own store will be hard going, too, but you won't be at the mercy of anyone elses changing business plan or some owner pulling the plug in the middle of the night without warning.”

Most of the sites that have been recommended (Bonanzle, eCrater & Atomic Mall) are NOT auction sites.

I would sit down and determine just why you require an auction site. Do you not know what the item goes for? Or are you hoping that someone will get into a bidding war and pay more than they normally would?

If you know what you want for your items, there are several paths you can take. eCrater and Vendio both offer free store space. That would make starting out inexpensive. Then once you've gotten your feet wet, and you felt ready, you could then perhaps look at adding Atomic Mall or Bonanzle to the mix.

This way, you have multiple sites that can be bringing in sales, rather than relying on just one.

Of course, you have to learn how to promote the sites yourself, since NONE of these sites have the money to do million dollar ad campaigns.

I strongly recommend you explore various sites and not put all your eggs in one basket. Many folks here also end up building their own site/web presence, so what might work best for you may be very different than what works best for me.

I disagree

JMHO, but if you have to do triple the work it only means you have not found the site that works for you.

I lucked out and found one that does work for me.

Thank you one and all for the valuable input. I appreciate all points of view and opinions.

The best alternative to eBay: the World Wide Web ie, your own website.