Ebay vs Amazon. Which do you prefer, and why ?

For myself I've used Amazon for several years now, but recently tried ebay for stuff I was having a hard time finding on Amazon.

Having used it for a few months now, I can see that there appears to be quite a bit of target market crossover with Amazon (myself a case in point), but interstingly I don't see one killing off the other, so both companies surely know that the hell they're doing (duh).

So anyway I've been pretty impressed so far with Ebay, I have found stuff I needed, particulary used stuff, at prices I can't duplicate on Amazon.

So do you use one or the other, or both, and why ? What are the differences if any in their target markets, business models, reasons for each company's success etc. Anything along those lines or other information or opinions you have about these excellent companies.

Apples and oranges. Amazon is in general a store with at least some accountability. Ebay has become the wild west, for sellers anyway. I quit eBay long ago as a result.

No eBay for me. I think they're only using PayPal as payment now. It's all about protecting the buyer. Buyer files a complaint, even unfounded, and it's held against the seller.

They both have their uses.

I use Amazon for more and more everyday stuff I don’t feel like going to the store for: baby wipes, toothpaste, deodorant, household items.

I use eBay for more one-off stuff or things I can’t seem to find easily on Amazon, and used stuff. I find that you can get some pretty good deals on CPAP supplies there too.

Haven’t sold anything on eBay in a while though like I used to.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
No eBay for me. I think they're only using PayPal as payment now. It's all about protecting the buyer. Buyer files a complaint, even unfounded, and it's held against the seller.

I didn't know that. Not a balanced situation. But if you're an honest buyer I guess a case could be made for buyers using it. Do you think that the Sellers Reputation Scoring feature is accurate, and helps Sellers in spite of that problem ? When I see a Seller with a 98.7% approval rate for example, I tell myself that the other 1.3% were just bad and dishonest buyers, and buy from said Seller anyway. Sort of like watching dishonest customers returning stuff to the store when the store could easily tell them to take a hike.

I sell a shitton on ebay, and they are a pita as far as being a seller,
but they have a big market share of customers


I bought some batteries today for my car key fob
bought them on ebay, cause they were a few dollars cheaper than amazon ,

saying that as a prime member,


just like anything else, compare prices and ship times, as well as shipping fees and go with the best deal

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
They both have their uses.

I use Amazon for more and more everyday stuff I don’t feel like going to the store for: baby wipes, toothpaste, deodorant, household items.

I use eBay for more one-off stuff or things I can’t seem to find easily on Amazon, and used stuff. I find that you can get some pretty good deals on CPAP supplies there too.

Haven’t sold anything on eBay in a while though like I used to.

When you were selling on Ebay, how did it work for you ?

I use eBay a lot more than Amazon, I guess because I hooked up with them early on so I kinda know the ropes. And yes, the buyer is well protected and I like that. I don't know how so many eBay sellers offer free shipping but they do. The one warning for either is note where your item is shipping from. I only buy from US shippers.

Everyday, common use stuff: Amazon.
Vintage stuff: Ebay.

Amazon. easy return policy

Too many friends have bought stolen stuff from E-bay, so I avoid them.

Those retail thefts that we see on the news, much of that stuff ends up on e-bay.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
No eBay for me. I think they're only using PayPal as payment now. It's all about protecting the buyer. Buyer files a complaint, even unfounded, and it's held against the seller.

They still take CC.

I do a lot more business on Amazon but I do use ebay for the hard to find stuff.

About 50/50 for me. No particular reason either way. Amazon is nice for the reviews.

Amazon for day to day, and eBay for bargains. A few examples of what I mean by eBay bargain:

$84 for a new in sealed package Ryobi 4Ah 40V battery. HD wanted $159.

$30 for a new in sealed package Ryobi 40V rapid charger. HD wanted $119.

Nissan SD card nav system upgrade for $75. Nissan wanted $600.

I probably wasn't buying or at least deferring purchasing a long time all 3 of those. I occasionally trolled eBay until I found the bargain.

Mostly Amazon anymore but still a few things I cannot find on Amazon or the prices are better on ebay.

I use Amazon as more of a store, and Ebay as more of a garage sale.

Amazon sells counterfeit stuff. They don’t care when you report it. Besides they hate you.

We use Amazon Prime a lot! Free second day shipping which could take a week or more. But I price shop, and found many times better pricing elsewhere. I check EBay often. Sometimes find great deals! I’ve bought several sets of Warne scope rings at a fraction of the price elsewhere.

Amazon is the easiest for new products. Shipping used to be fast and free for my account. Something has changed there. I use Ebay when I want an item not likely to be new. Auctions take time and there is the chance you won't win. I've chosen not to bid on a gun at gunbroker because I didn't wait to wait 10 days to see if I won. Sometimes it's worth the wait if what I want is scarce but if I want something I don't have to compete for, I go to Amazon or buy locally.

Amazon for us and the wife loves the Prime, so I pay for it. First step when we want something-check Amazon.

The Bay is okay, keeping in mind that there are a lot of unscrupulous sellers there and you gotta watch out.

Bob