eBay & Amazon are unquestionably the two 800-pound gorillas of the online marketplace world. OK, maybe one gorilla weighs 801 lbs.
As you can see in this peak season chart, they were neck-and-neck in terms of unique monthly visitors. 2009 was the first holiday season where Amazon has had any kind of post-Christmas lead. In terms of actual page views and pure traffic, eBay still holds a notable lead, ranking #8 in the US compared to Amazon's current ranking at #11.
If you aren't a regular buyer on one of these markets, here are the basic differences:
Amazon is commonly frequented by buyers of media (books, DVDs, CDs) and new, unopened items at a fixed price where shoppers can get in, get what they need, and get out. Amazon is unique in that they not only 'host' the marketplace, but also have warehouses and inventory and compete with 'third party' sellers such as iSold It. One feature of Amazon I like that can't be found on eBay are the customer reviews. If you are on the fence between buying widget A vs widget B, there's no better equalizer than actual customer testimonials.
eBay has a much wider variety of items and generally deeper inventory selection, both new and used condition. Prices on new items are generally comparable to what you'll find at Amazon. eBay has a mix of fixed price listings and, of course, the auction listings that gives eBay its unique appeal. If you are looking to buy or sell in certain specific categories such as antiques, collectibles, auto parts, or jewelry (to name just a few) then going to eBay is a no-brainer.
eBay's marketplace advantage has slightly diminished over the past year. They have been tinkering and trying to improve eBay to stay ahead of their only real competition. They have with the way item results are displayed to buyers, radically changed selling fee structures, and generally tried to make themselves more similar to Amazon in terms of buying experience. The bottom line is what consumers think. iSold It will always be dedicated to maximizing the value of the items you bring us and will always give you to best prudent options that are available to sell your things. Should make for an interesting year as Amazon and eBay continue to alter their marketplaces and duke it out....stay tuned!
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