I think that
Etsy and
Ebay are the 2 most prominent marketplaces on the internet. However, therein lies the only commonality. Both are distinctly unique and I'd like to point out the similarities and variances. I think
Ebay (don't quote me on this) has been around longer and appeals to quite a large demographic. It used to be solely an auction house, but now has "Buy It Now" features that allow buyers quicker attainment. Anything you can think of can most likely be found on
Ebay - collectibles, handmade items, vehicles, vintage items as well as your basic pair of jeans. And, most of the time, your basic consumption is cheaper on
Ebay. However, you have to be aware of the shipping fees, which tend to be a bit pricey, if you ask me. So unless you're scoping out something very eccentric, it may, in fact, cost the same as if you purchased the items in a store near you, when you factor in shipping fees. I think many sellers make their money by jacking up the shipping costs. You can figure it out if you really want to by estimating the size of the item and then going to
www.usps.com to check on the shipping. The S/H is not regulated by
Ebay - they're soley providing a forum for you so they can make money. Sometimes you think you're getting a real bargain until you notice that the shipping fees are virtually the same as the item. Maybe if the item is coming from another country I'd understand, but they tend to be unusually high within state to state. Suspicions abound! As for ease of discovering your fancy, you simply search for it as you would in
Google. You may contact the seller and ask questions, but I've found that they don't reply immediately. So if it's an auction that you're attracted to, you may not get your answer in time. If you're interested in selling,
Ebay makes it fairly simple for you to follow their directions. There are even people and shops that will photograph the item and post it for you - for a fee, of course. When I've sold things on
Ebay, the fee usually started at $.50 and rose depending upon the amount of pictures that you'd like to have included. Then
Ebay takes out a portion of your final selling price. There is also a monthly charge just to keep your items posted on the site. (These fees are all stated in
Ebay's provisions - I don't know them by heart) You can also have your own shop now on
Ebay, for an extra fee as well. Now that we're talking about shops, though,
Etsy is actually a huge marketplace consisting of individual shops. Although you can find some vintage and eclectic items, I'd have to say that 99% of
Etsy items are handmade.
Etsy used to be solely viewed as an artisan venue, and still to some extent is (though like I said, some shops sell man-made goods). To me,
Etsy used to be synonymous with crafts - unique, handmade, one-of-a-kind finds that tend to satisfy its ever-growing fan-base. Having been a seller and buyer on both
Ebay and
Etsy, I honestly find
Etsy to be a much more nurturing, communal market. The sellers respond to questions with enthusiasm and create their art with such love and care. The shipping costs are considerably lower than
Ebay's, and I don't even bother to look at them anymore. As a seller, you have the option to be on various teams with various interests. Artisans are in constant communication via blogs, posts, treasuries (theme-based, curated lists of
Etsy items), etc. They provide learning tools and applications as well. To me, the analogy is a simple one -
Etsy is one big family, whereas
Ebay is a huge commercial corporation. Even
Etsy's fees are much lower than
Ebay's. It is only $.20 to post an item and you have the option of using up to 5 photographs. A nominal fee is taken out of the final transaction and there is no monthly charge for sellers. What can I say, I love
Etsy! I'd much rather buy items on
Etsy than
Ebay nowadays. As for variety, though, you can't beat
Ebay.
Etsy doesn't sell vehicles or locks of hair from dead celebrities. If you're interested in beautifully, lovingly crafted items, though,
Etsy wins hands down every time.
