Online retailers are experiencing a huge shift in moving from giant marketplaces like eBay and Amazon to smaller, more boutique and community-orientated marketplaces such as ArtFire, RubyLane, Addoway and Bonanza.
I’ve seen a lot of these spring up in the past few years, but only in the last two years or so, have I really started being impressed by some of the options these emerging marketplaces offer. Now is definitely a great time to check them out because a lot of sellers – including SaleHoo members - are really hitting the right market and making an impressive amount of sales when they start selling on these sites.
So where can you find new marketplaces to try out, and how do you know if they are any good?
The Exciting New Tool Allowing You to Find the Best Marketplace
This month, eCommerceBytes launched a new feature called Ratings and Reviews for online sellers. The Ratings and Review feature provides a platform for you to get unbiased reviews on marketplaces before you spend time (and/or money) listing your items there.
The new rating system allows users to rate marketplaces and auction sites on performance, reliability ease of use, customer service and value. Reviewers can also leave written comments to tell you all about their experience using the marketplace.
eCommerceBytes’ Ratings and Reviews also allows you to review and view ratings for inventory management systems, payment services, storefronts and carts, shipping services, email list hosting, and consignment services.
Pretty cool, huh?
Now you can get a snapshot of what other users are saying about these service providers before you sign up to use them yourself!
The new ratings system is starting to gain traction and is getting more reviews every day so I recommend that you check it our yourself and review what others have to say, and rate your own experiences to share with others.
Want to know my pick for the very best marketplaces on the web? I recently went undercover and posed as a brand new seller: I created new accounts on 5 of the top marketplaces and tested them for profitability, customer services, fees and more. To find out which marketplace came out on top, you need to become a member of my new product, Online Selling Tactics by SaleHoo. Check it out here.
I really encourage you to take a look at this rating system and find a couple of marketplaces to look around at. I'm please you like learning from the blog, but always try to take action with what you learn too :)
If you ever need help finding a supplier, remember you can always ask our staff on the forum to run a search for you. Just go to http://www.salehoo.com/forum/wanted and start a new post explaining what you are looking for. Try to be as detailed as possible so the staff can start searching right away.
I hope that helps!
Alice
some people here not legit
I've used eCrater a little and I was impressed with how much you get for free (there are no fees and you get your own storefront) but I found the site to be pretty dead.
I got a little traffic to my listings (they ranked OK in search results in Google) but overall, sales were very low.
I do a full review of eCrater in Online Selling Tactics and compare it to other options if you are interested to see what I found, you can check it out here: http://www.salehoo.com/tactics
I have heard of sellers doing well there, but it's not for me. If you are an eBay seller, eCrater has an import tool you can use so you could setup a store there pretty quick if you want to try it out.
I hope this helps :)
Thanks for sharing your experience with Addoway. Yes, that feature that allows your Addoway Storefront to sync with eBay is a massive time-saver for sellers.
I guess you hear mixed reviews about all marketplaces. I have sold on Bonanza since the 1 million cash injection and I have to say, their customer service was wonderful!
I'm very fond of both Addoway and Bonanza and I hope you do well when you set up your Storefront on Addoway!
My best advice for successful selling on Addoway would be to make sure you utilize their social media marketing tools and apps. When you sell on Addoway, you MUST take full advantage of these and reach out to new buyers and engage with existing ones.
Addoway don't hide the fact that they are a new and emerging (albeit VERY fast growing!) but in order to get enough traffic to your listings to make a lot of sales, you need to work for it.
I hope this helps. All the best on Addoway, Dale! Keep in touch :)
Nice to see you on SaleHoo :)
Glad to hear your favorable comments about Addoway and to know that you are still experiencing success there.
I might recommend Etsy, which is really good for handmade items. There's also Artfire and Bonanza, and Ruby Lane. They're all a bit smaller but more tailored for niche markets seeking unique items.
I would like to add this website to the list;
Hamalaia.com
an online community marketplace: sell & buy books, musical instruments, music & films, computers, software, video games, electronics, fashion, furniture, toys, baby products, health & beauty, sports & outdoors, & jewelry.
– No listing fees
– No monthly store fees
– No other hidden fees
Thank you