Everyone knows about the illustrious Ebay, of course, but there are other auction sites out there too. Yahoo! Auctions comes immediately to mind but I'm quite certain there are more. What are some of the pros and cons of using lesser known auction sites as opposed to Ebay? I can't really think of any good reasons, since you get so much less exposure.

the key is that you do get that less exposure. I know some do charge a lot less than ebay and if you have a very small profit margin this may be a good thing. i also know that there are some specialty sites oput there, like for sports cards that may be benficial because all of the traffic is geared to your product.

I can't really think of any reasons you'd want less exposure that comes from using an opposing, general auction site. I do, however, use speciality auction sites to buy books occasionally. The audience in this case is much more selective and specialized.
As for general auction sites like Yahoo acutions, every once in a while you'll see a new auction site pop up, but I just don't see anything rivaling Ebay soon. However, it is inevitable that eventually something will come along. Online auctions (and really all ecommerce) are just in their infancy. Change and new competition are inevitable.

Both emdar and bustour make some really good points. I was actually going to say the same thing. When you, and/or the majority of people think about buying from an online auction, what's your first thought? Ebay. While using the lesser known auctions, you won't get maximum exposure, and I've found that in the past I've made less money. The cost of saving just a little bit to use an alternative auction just isn't worth it in comparison to listing on ebay.

Also, bustour...thanks so much for the idea of specialized auctions.

I have a friend that uses hibidder. Because there fees are so low. Most of her items are sold with only one bid, so what she does is just list all of her items for what she wants it to sell at. I guess you have to weigh all the pros and cons and decide for yourself. I sell once and awhile on eBay.

I do ebay every now and then, but I never have hot items and don't like losing all the fees. Sometimes it is fun if I am on the roll, but when I get in slumps is kind of pain having to do up 1 package at a time.

I guess the only good reasons is maybe if you have certain items and the site is in need of? Or maybe less fees on stuff that can sell anywhere?
Sorry but am a ebay adict, HTH

The firstthing that always comes to mind when I am looking for a product I can't locate anywhere else is Ebay. I would never use any other site for auctions and I have never been disappointed with my buying or selling experiences.

I prefer to be with ebay and Yahoo auction. Both the sites are very professional about provides with a flexible interface. Being old companies with good rep is one point I like about them. New auction sites are many times used up by Spammers and abusers. So, I go with eBay and Yahoo Auction.

I tend to agree with James and some of the other posters... there is just no other auction sites on the block that can put your item in front of so many viewers as Ebay can. Yahoo is the only other alternative but they pale in comparison to Ebay.

The fees are high on both but it's the price you have to pay to get your items found.

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