Easier to List on eBay than Amazon, Fees Close, Say Online Merchants

It's easier to list products for sale on eBay than on Amazon, and the fees sellers pay are close for both marketplaces according to a new survey. Vendio conducted its annual spring survey of small- and mid-sized online retailers and said respondents were highly confident in the future of ecommerce.

When asked about the future of their online sales, 84% of all respondents said they are optimistic about their growth potential while 16% of the respondents listed brick-and-mortar stores as a method they currently use to sell their goods. Only 11% of respondents are considering brick and mortar locations for future sales compared to 33% who are considering opening their own web store, 29% who would use email marketing and 26% who are considering selling goods on Amazon.com.

The survey also asked, "What percentage of your total sales is your cost of goods," shown in the chart above.

eBay versus Amazon: Seller Satisfaction
A majority of the users who sell products on Amazon.com and/or eBay are satisfied with their overall experience and overall sales: 80% were satisfied with the overall experience of Amazon compared to 76% that were satisfied with eBay.

When asked about their sales volume, 64% were satisfied with Amazon compared to 66% who were satisfied with eBay sales.

Where eBay and Amazon differ slightly is in ease of use for online merchants: 93% of eBay users rated the process of listing on the eBay site as either "Very Easy," "Somewhat Easy," or "Easy" as opposed to 80% of Amazon users who gave these same ratings.

eBay versus Amazon: Fees
The fees that sellers pay to eBay (and PayPal, its primary payment source) and Amazon.com appear to be very close: 42% of respondents said less than 15% of their sales are taken by eBay/PayPal fees compared to 36% who pay less than 15% to Amazon.com. Additionally, 88% said they pay less than 25% of sales to eBay/PayPal compared to 91% who pay less than 25% to Amazon.com.

About the Survey
Vendio has over 100,000 online merchants on its hosted webstore software platform that also allows them to sell across multiple channels, including Amazon, eBay, eBay Motors and Facebook. Vendio's 2012 Spring Survey is the fifth installment and over 750 small- and medium-sized ecommerce merchants participated in the survey.

Many of the survey respondents have a long-term history selling goods online: 26% of those questioned said they have been an ecommerce seller for more than 10 years. That rated second to those in business for 1-4 years (30%), followed by newcomers in business less than a year (20%), 15% say they have been in business for 4-7 years, while 9% have been using eCommerce platforms for 7-10 years.