Bonanzle: An exciting eBay alternative

by salehoo_group - 18 Feb 2009

bonanzle.gif

Its traffic chart on Alexa shows a 182% increase over the last three months and looks like the trajectory of an aircraft taking off, an image that would excite the most jaded seller. It’s got a rabid, extremely loyal core of sellers, and it gets great coverage in both the press and social media  networks. So is Bonanzle the eBay killer we have been clamouring for?

Bonanzle lists ten and a half reasons why you should take your business there, and we’ve  analysed each and every one to see whether they deliver!

  1. See one item, see ‘em all. Bonanzle says buyers can see up to eight other items prominently featured when they click into a listing. This is inaccurate. Bonanzle actually cross-promotes 10 of your items, giving the visitor more opportunities to make a purchase (or perhaps even two!).
  2. Offers on your terms. Bonanzle allows users to communicate directly to sellers to haggle terms and prices. This social-networking paradigm departs from eBay’s auction model, and encourages a more community-centric feel to the Bonanzle experience. There is an internal messaging facility so that buyers can chat with sellers when they are online, and the system now interfaces with external messaging platforms such as Gmail Chat, Yahoo Messenger, and MSN. This demonstrates Bonanzle’s understanding that commerce is a social activity, and buyers and sellers ought to be able to communicate with each other freely and directly. It’s a new paradigm, and sellers used to eBay’s “big brother” administration may still be getting used to the idea.
  3. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Bonanzle charges absolutely nothing for starting up a booth and listing items and they collect only a tiny commission on sales. If I sold at shirt for $30 Buy it Now on eBay, I’d end up paying $3.95 in fees. But if I sold that same shirt for $30 on Bonanzle I’d pay just $1 in fees. That’s a pretty significant saving!
  4. Importers. You can easily import your items from eBay and Craigslist. No-brainer here!
  5. Price Guesser. This tool means you’ll never make listing price mistakes again. When adding items to your booth, you can use it to grab product descriptions and the prices of three similar items on Amazon.
  6. Picture Cropper. Another time-saving device, the built-in image cropper lets you edit photos on the fly to speed up your listings. It’s a simple tool that offers a simple, specific benefit. But its impact is significant enough to have some users wondering why no one else thought of this before.
  7. Go from “want it” to “possess it” in minutes. A small but significant innovation is that sellers can specify pick-up times in their listings to add more certainty to the transaction process.
  8. The miraculous one page, one minute item post. The listing process is easy to use, painless, and the output is clean, easy to read, easy to navigate, and visually appealing. And when you’re done, you get all the standard niceties like online chat thrown in, without any added cost or effort.
  9. Chat while shopping. The internal chat system means it’s absolutely impossible not to build relationships with your buyers. As one blogger puts it, the difference between Bonanzle and eBay is that on eBay, customers purchase items from eBay. On Bonanzle, buyers buy directly from you!
  10. Bonanza! This is the online equivalent of big sale events used by traditional bricks-and-mortar shops to generate buzz and traffic. Bonanzle understands the hype value of a good old fashioned sale and made it a prominent feature in its ecommerce platform.

Here’s the half point: Simple is beautiful! Bonanzle has worked hard to keep everything simple and transparent. Sellers definitely appreciate this, as it allows them to focus on selling, rather than on having to deal with complex issues that have nothing to do with their business.

There’s a reason Bonanzle is experiencing tremendous growth. Well, ten and a half reasons, actually. But it all boils down to a simple business model that promotes communication and builds trust among members, a simple interface that’s easy on the eyes and even easier to use, tools that make simple things even easier, and reasonable rates. So far, people are happy - and it shows.

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Comments

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  • CSC0313 2

    irene_salehoo
    SaleHoo Staff

    Commented at 00:45 2 May 2011

    @Gaby: Yes, if you register at their site, Australia is among the dropdown list for countries. :)

  • avatar

    Gaby

    Commented at 11:39 1 May 2011

    Can Australian sellers use Bonanzle?

  • avatar

    Wholesale

    Commented at 11:44 29 Nov 2010

    Hm I have analyzed Bonanzle and found out that at last eBay has a worthy competitor but their is one thing that I am afraid about is that at start such online malls perform really well for the both buyer and seller but with the passage of time the activity increases many times and at that stage it becomes difficult for the management to control everything and maintain the quality so let's see can they handle it or not.

    Regards its David from http://www.wholesalepages.co.uk

  • Us2

    foreverlookingup
    New SaleHoo Member

    Commented at 18:03 25 Nov 2010

    Hi everyone. Just wanted to drop by and say hi, been reading some of the posts, and I think maybe I can be of some help. Bonanza is a fantastic site to do business on, simple and easy, user friendly. In a short while, I do believe it is going to blow right past eBay. We have 4 booths on Bonanza, and probably will open 2 to 3 more very soon..each selling its on niche of items. Unfortunately, we are a powerseller and top rated seller on eBay, which by the way, means nothing to me..lol. About the post by C.Hoffman...it all comes down to how serious do you take your business, and believe me, it's hard work to operate an online ecommerce business. A lot of times, the problems that you might expect the site host to take care of, you have to take care of yourself..customer follow-ups, personal phone calls, follow-up emails etc., especially when there is a problem with the customer. Customers like and need to be kept up to date about their purchases, problems, returns etc. They are looking for personal service, and you need to give it to them if you want your business to succeed. In business, there are times, a lot of times, when you have to take control, which you really should have in the first place, and take care of the problem yourself, no matter what it is. Make follow-up calls like " Hi, we just wanted to know how you like your item that you purchased, are there any problems?". Or.."We just wanted to make sure your item arrived safely and on time". Always contact the customer when there is a problem, don't wait for some one else to do it for you..bad business. Keep a "Follow up" folder in your email program to keep track of all the followups you need to be aware of. Take the bull by the horns, take control, and I am sure things will go a lot smoother for you.

    Have a Blessed Day everyone..

    Dave Green - Proprietor
    Forever Looking Up Home and Garden
    Delray Beach, Florida

  • IMG7337 Copy

    richellemonfort
    SaleHoo Staff

    Commented at 23:10 16 Nov 2010

    Hi Gerard Barbier,

    Yes, we know the site name has been changed unfortunately we cannot change the blog title though :( But thanks for pointing that out!

    Cheers

  • avatar

    Gerard Barbier

    Commented at 17:19 16 Nov 2010

    It is now called BONANZA, enough with the Bonangle already. Nov 2010

  • avatar

    Andy

    Commented at 21:11 14 Oct 2010

    Bonanzle looks good, however, like on nearly all eBay "alternatives" you get absolutely NO sales. I have items in my store there already since July and I did not make any sale at all.

  • avatar

    commercial loans

    Commented at 15:04 27 Aug 2010

    Terrific, that' s exactly what I was seeking for! You just spared me alot of work

  • avatar

    personal loans

    Commented at 18:22 25 Aug 2010

    Hi buddy, your blog' s design is simple and clean and i like it. Your blog posts are superb. Please keep them coming. Greets!!!

  • avatar

    Carleton Hoffman

    Commented at 16:05 13 Aug 2010

    i had one very frustrating experience with Bonanzle that demonstrated to me that neither the seller nor Bonanzle management had respect for the potential customer. i was surprised and very much disappointed to find that they wouldn't bother to contact the unresponsive seller or straighten out a simple problem.

  • avatar

    darklordau
    New SaleHoo Member

    Commented at 02:40 29 Jul 2010

    I am new here and have just been done over by Ebay for around $380.00 AUD for sale that did not go through and yet they their commission fees. Sick of trying ask them to take it off the final fees owed and they just keep sending even more invoice. this was my first and last time selling there.Nothing but a bunch of idiots who do not understand plain English. They say I cannot delete any of it until its paid in full, and then the other will be credited to my account. I do not want the credit because I will not be there but that is so hard for them to understand. My actual fees come to around $248.00 AUD which I do not have a problem paying them but no they want it all. Think hell will freeze over before that happens. Just in passing the so-called buyer was a scammer. I was smart enough to figure that out even before Ebay did.........

  • avatar

    ralph

    Commented at 19:33 12 Jul 2010

    I have had 2 now 1 booths as they are called on here almost since the week they opened up for business. I now have just 1, reason is because after all this time I think that I sold 3 items and they were to members on there. Yes my items are diverse and very low priced. This place is nothing more than a big site for the sellers to chi-chat about how cute their grandbabies are or please send prayers for our sick 30 year old dog or cat. Seems that the sellers have a pecking order on there by who can post the most nonsense and worthless dribble, the more you post the higher you are.
    The one thing that I will give them is that their customer service is very very good and of course their selling fees are great. But if you can't sell anything then its not so great. Yeah I also sold on eBay since the day that hardly anyone showed a picture of their items (that was before all the scams) I probably still would sell on there if they didn't keep raising their prices and changing their rules in mid-stream. And don't even get me started on Pay-Pal (pal yeah right, pay yes)
    But back to Bonanzle , since it doesn't cost anything to list you might as well give it a try but don't expect much in the way of sales.

  • avatar

    Cj

    Commented at 21:45 1 Jul 2010

    Bonanzle needs to stop allowing people to offer Free Stuff, it junks up the place and makes it look cheep. I have been on Bonanzle for 2 months and nothing, I can't even find my own thing in the search I don't know how a customer could. They have a long way to go to make buying easy.

  • avatar

    ralph

    Commented at 12:24 29 Jun 2010

    I had 2 "booths" on Bonanzle since almost day 1. Business was non-existente, I closed 1 "booth" down. Kept the other "booth" open because it doesn't cost me anything. Yes the customer service is great (for now) This place is actually nothing more than a big chat room, people want to show you pics of their pets,grand-kids and asking for prayers for their dear pets or their ailing loved ones.
    This alone turned me off and of course you have your KING and Queen of the posters (gag) people think that they are making life-long friends on here in my opinion just a bunch of lonely people who don't know how to use my space.
    So don't believe all that you read about this place, for me there was no money to be made. The 1 "booth" that I shut down because of no sales I put all of the items (all similar) on Craigslist and sold everything in 5 days but while on Bonanzle I made 1 sale in 1 1/2 years. Maybe in a few years it may be the place to sell but not right now.

  • avatar

    Dee

    Commented at 22:07 22 Jun 2010

    I have been with Bonanzle, since February 2009. I am very pleased with the results. Since I was a first time online seller it was very nice to have a community that made me feel welcome.

    They have just won Seattles Best boot strapped company, had angel investors of one million and have Dan Shapiro (formerly of Photo bucket) on board.

    It is very difficult in this economy to determine any particular online selling venue. However, in reading various forums it seems like everybody is complaining about one thing or another. No sales, etc. etc.

    However, no matter what, unless Bonanzle drastically changes I am a lifer. I am there to build my business and to help them build theirs. I feel a great sense of community, professionalism and just down right good business sense, happening at Bonanzle. I do believe in a couple of years, or sooner, Bonanzle will be right up there with the biggest of them.

    In a word Bonanzle is a great place to be.

  • avatar

    paul Cost

    Commented at 09:53 10 Jun 2010

    Any Assie sellers used Bonanzle or is it a US based sight only?

  • avatar

    Sheera

    Commented at 18:12 27 May 2010

    OMG... Bonanzle is the best site ever, i never wanna go back to amazon and ebay, as they are the gangsters of online selling world. i am sooo impressed by this site, as soon as i opened an account the users starded welcoming me, each time i login i feel that i am on the best place here. Way to go Bonanzle

  • avatar

    fahad malik

    Commented at 18:05 20 Apr 2010

    No hope for indian seller.its far better that ebay but ebay is more user friendly to buyer as well as seller.yet ebay run to cutoff profit margin of seller,and making buyers happy but still i have to use ebay for selling the products.:-(

  • avatar

    Mele

    Commented at 06:32 3 Apr 2010

    Why aren't you folks using the sites on ansak and ecrator and blog to your site? My niece is pulling her items off eBay and listed it on ansak. KyWahine Treasures. She is small time but makes some money to help with the groceries. So why not go to free stores?

  • avatar

    Brandi

    Commented at 23:44 12 Mar 2010

    I've been selling on Bonanzle for about 5 months now and I love it. Fees are almost nothing, people are really great and helpful (even when you don't ask), and its simple. I think Feebay is taking a dive and Bonanzle might just make it to the top.

  • avatar

    ugg boots

    Commented at 02:29 27 Jan 2010

    I bought something on this web site, Bonanzle, and it turned out the seller was bogus. I had my money stolen because I bought the item with a Visa gift card and they do not replace stolen funds! This web site is responsible and should pay me back my money but so far has ignored my requests.

  • avatar

    AnnaMarie

    Commented at 07:16 10 Dec 2009

    I bought something on this web site, Bonanzle, and it turned out the seller was bogus. I had my money stolen because I bought the item with a Visa gift card and they do not replace stolen funds! This web site is responsible and should pay me back my money but so far has ignored my requests.

    Beware of what you buy and who you buy from, this web site can NOT be trusted. There are thieves on this site waiting for suckers.

  • avatar

    me

    Commented at 23:33 30 Sep 2009

    Hey yeah lets join bonanzle where you say and do what ever you want to anyone.
    sell to each other. call people all sorts of names and just run wild and pretend its the best acid trip that has come out of the west coast. LOL
    ebay alternative hey west coast come out come out where ever you are LOL.
    what a bunch of west coast hype
    the site is slow, and after a all most of what 2 years and items in your shop just disappear and not cause they sold. sell at bonanzle? LOL
    another west coast joke
    and how is bonanzle who is not an auction site be an alternative to an auction site ebay?
    can't you bloggers get a real story going?
    oo they pay you a percentage from bonanzle.
    I seen that up over there where you can advertise at places like this on the net for a fee from your so called sales LOL.
    you know that more than half those shops or booths at bonanzle are closed.
    they just never took them down right DUH WHA!!! LOL west coast is so hip I really LOL LOL
    cheeeeeese you internet bloggers are starting to sound like FOX NEWS
    gimme me a percentage Ill say anything
    OK just tell mark hes cute and bill hes a hunk and your in at bonanzle

  • avatar

    Momspennies

    Commented at 09:10 8 Sep 2009

    Been with Bonanzle nearly a year now...I would have to say, I have morphed into the venue and you couldn't carve me out if you tried. To me, there is only one place to be. I have every reason to believe that Bonanzle will be a force to be reckoned with very soon.

    Just over a year old and we are so close to having 100,000 members. Wow! THe progresion has come on quicker than it did when eBay was young.

    If you haven't checked it out yet...you should. Get in on the ground floor...the train is leaving and we'll squeeze in and add more cars for you. You may come to buy or sell, but the friendliness of the community is what will hook you. Looking forward to meeting you soon!

  • avatar

    cb on bonanzle

    Commented at 23:56 7 Sep 2009

    Bonanzle has other marketplace beat on certain features. I do believe that in time, Bonanzle can be bigger than ebay.

  • avatar

    Norma

    Commented at 07:26 6 Aug 2009

    well if bonanzle sounds like an online garage sale, then I'm selling super well there:)

    I highly recommend this site. selling there better than any other place ever! and easy to set up too. and fees are reasonable.
    ~Norma

  • avatar

    ccfashions

    Commented at 20:51 2 Aug 2009

    I am fixing to try this website out, tired of ebay robbing all my profits on fees. They are so worried about there buyers but not concerned when a seller contacts them with an issue. Hope this website takes off and leaves ebay in the dust.:)

  • avatar

    S

    Commented at 14:48 25 Jun 2009

    Sounds like an online garage sale.

  • avatar

    Jerry Whitney

    Commented at 16:48 9 May 2009

    ebay is still King in the online auction world, but efleaa is the crowned Prince, heir to the throne. We are efleaa, We are You.

  • avatar

    phillip hill

    Commented at 14:37 21 Apr 2009

    After eBay, I've been on Bonanzle [www.bonanzle.com], iOffer [www.ioffer.com] and Wigix [www.wigix.com] and they've all been great!

  • avatar

    alex

    Commented at 14:38 10 Apr 2009

    this is awesome , i think the only reason why ebay was so popular is that, there wasn't a lot of alternatives out there . now competition will be in all buyers side . like t-mobile and Metropc now . i think honest competition is what we need in this market so we can have better fees and better choices

  • avatar

    Craig

    Commented at 11:53 10 Mar 2009

    Has anyone ever used ebid.net or WeBidz.com? How does Bonanzle compare?

    Thanks,
    Craig

  • avatar

    dogdug

    Commented at 07:03 5 Mar 2009

    i like your blog very much,i think your blog is excellent! very super!
    i will come to see you next time!

  • avatar

    Tom Murphy

    Commented at 11:06 28 Feb 2009

    Those new sellers on Bonanzle are currently meeting and exchanging ideas, selling tips, and general online selling information at a new Network called "The Bonanzle Network" or TBN.

    You can find it, and join in if you are a Bonanzle Seller, by visiting www.bonanzle.ning.com

    Tom

  • avatar

    John (aka bacpro)

    Commented at 09:33 28 Feb 2009

    I opened my booth a few weeks ago & hope it works out. So far no sales & no inquiries YET! O'Well.

    John

  • avatar

    kashmir31

    Commented at 08:44 28 Feb 2009

    I've tried a few other selling sites, and I'm so glad I tried Bonanzle! Definitely by far my favorite place to buy and sell. The site is fun and easy to use.

    I've been spending the most time there now, and have more of my inventory there than anywhere else. And when I want to shop, Bonanzle is the first place I look now as well!

  • avatar

    Alilbirdy2

    Commented at 07:42 28 Feb 2009

    I have been with Bonanzle since Oct. 2008. I had a problem getting the Google DataFeed to work. Co founder of Bonanzle, Mark Dorsey, fixed it for me personally. Where do you get customer service like that ?

    Not only do they personally take care of their members on Bonanzle, they also visit the forums and chat. They let us know what they are doing. Where else do you get that ?

    I had my doubts about this Bonanzle site when I joined, but after being there and seeing all the positive things, as well as the small commission fee, and all the goodies they have built into the site, I decided I had made the right move.

    I don't have to worry about listing fees, or adding more images at a cost, I can upload 4 images at no cost. I can also add more images inside the description area if I want to.

    I can communicate with the buyers and the sellers. I am Both buyer and seller, and so far I have had a good Bonanzle experience no matter what I am doing.

    For those who do not want to check out the Bonanzle site all I can say is Good luck, I found my new home and I have planted my roots there.

  • avatar

    TimeWize

    Commented at 16:15 27 Feb 2009

    Thx for the heads up on Bonazle. I'm not ready to switch from ebay yet, but was impressed with Bonz.

  • avatar

    John (aka bacpro)

    Commented at 18:26 23 Feb 2009

    Hi

    Recently I discovered Bonanzle & I'm very impressed. I'm so sick of ebay & its policys, that Bonanzle is welcome site. I just hope that I start getting some sales. There are so many alternatives to ebay and the whole problem is traffic, I hope this works out.

    Thanks
    JOhn (aka bacpro)

  • avatar

    Eruwan Gerry

    Commented at 08:19 22 Feb 2009

    Bonanzle still has a long way to go to prove itself in terms of capability and community.

    I'll wait to see what happens next.

  • avatar

    Kathy F

    Commented at 13:02 20 Feb 2009

    I quit selling on eBay last Sept. and it is the best decision I have ever made. I joined Bonanzle a couple of weeks ago. Bonanzle is in a class by themselves. If you want a caring and vibrant community Bonanzle is the place to join. The forum is great and I love being able to talk to customers in real time.

    Kathy

  • avatar

    missjonie

    Commented at 06:57 20 Feb 2009

    The BOYZ have created a simple online selling site giving the seller much freedom so we can concentrate on OUR Booths and OUR listings and OUR specfics It is so wonderful to not have the pages and pages of rules and regulations that keep getting revamped and updated leading sellers to complete frustrations ....at the bonz WE are free to be as WE desire and it feels great you will see that as well planes!

  • avatar

    SherAhnn

    Commented at 03:08 20 Feb 2009

    I have been a member of Bonanzle since Oct 2008. I have seen the fantastic growth in just a few months.
    They say old fashioned "Customer Service" is gone, but not on Bonanzle ! The interaction with customers is super !
    And even if you are working somewhere else on the internet the Instant Message feature lets you know when someone enters your booth. You can choose to go help them, or just welcome them and let them browse.
    Have to say my Kudos to Support as well. Attention to any user problem is handled promptly and friendly by the owners themselves. You couldn't have a better set up that this.

    Sher

  • avatar

    InfoHQ.us

    Commented at 02:12 20 Feb 2009

    I want to buy, buy and buy and I want to sell, sell and sell on Bonanzle.

    Good bye eBay.

  • avatar

    Nightgirl

    Commented at 00:47 20 Feb 2009

    I'm having FUN at Bonanzle! I have sold over 250 items in 5 months and have 138 positive feedback at Bonanzle. I like to sell and I like to buy. Just as I did on eBay.

    I am a hobby seller and sold on eBay for 8 years with over 2000 positive feedback.

    Our hard work as a sellers helped build ebay into a household name. eBay turned itself into the 500lb Gorilla.

    Our hard work can do it all over again by building Bonanzle! and we are! Without any Gorilla!

    Hold on World! We're getting there! Pretty soon Bonanzle will be your household name.

  • avatar

    RedFoxLox

    Commented at 23:28 19 Feb 2009

    I'm a 3 week old Bonanzle newbie (and a 4 year ebay veteran). I currently have the duplicate items listed on both sites. (Just until my e*bay listings run out). During my 3 weeks at Bonanzle, I have made MORE sales than in that same time frame at the bay.

    The place is AWESOME! Folks couldn't be nicer. Everyone is happy and helpful. The sellers' common goal is for everyone to sell. I can list a good 5-6 items in the time it took me to list 1 at e*bay.A person can't possibly believe it without trying it!

    I couldn't be happier being at Bonanzle! Thanks soooo much Bill & Mark!

    ~ Sharon

  • avatar

    yellowsand1964

    Commented at 22:21 19 Feb 2009

    As a seller have profits is the most important goal and for us Bonanzle is that 88% profits I can have a good amount of items because is good amount of sale
    ty BOYZ

    Mary & Family

  • avatar

    Reen

    Commented at 22:17 19 Feb 2009

    I'm thrilled with this friendly, kind community of devoted people who give fabulous service and are doing fantastic work!
    You won't be disappointed. Please join us today!

    Warm regards,
    Reen~

  • avatar

    Beetique

    Commented at 21:51 19 Feb 2009

    Bonanzle is a great and fast place to list your items. It's very user friendly. I'm not sorry for moving there and look forward to more sales in the future. Stop by and check us out.

  • avatar

    Jo

    Commented at 21:31 19 Feb 2009

    Yeah Bonanzle is definitely where auctions are heading far as I'm concerned.

    I also use shopping feeds, that's how I would get instant sales off ioffer.com and the like. Now after dealing with bonanzle I think I can definitely be excited about auctions again, at least for a while. uBid grew very boring for me.

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