Whether you currently sell on eBay or Amazon, Powersellers have a lot of advice to share about these two platforms that can substantially increase your income.

Amazon vs eBay

Jenn Glidden of AnyoneProfits offers this video comparison of the pros of eBay and Amazon:

eBay Pros

• Great for Beginners
• Customize Listings
• Customize Shipping
• Auction or Buy It Now
• eBay pays daily

Amazon Pros

• Moves stock faster
• Products with great reviews increase income
• Standardized listings
• Higher competition gets customers the lowest price
• Amazon pays every two weeks direct to your bank account
• Fulfillment by Amazon product handling and shipping

Both can handle international shipping. While they each have their pros and cons, they are the two largest eCommerce sites available to sellers.

Chris Dawson, co founder of Tamebay and a UK-based eBay Professional Seller, explains in this video that eBay is easiest for beginners because Amazon is somewhat more complicated to sell on:

• Amazon products need an UPC codes
• Some of the categories at Amazon are gated, so you must apply to be able to sell in them
• Buying products right is the key to making a profit

SavvySeller.co recently interviewed Power Seller and author Skip McGrath for ListerTV on whether Amazon or eBay is more profitable. This is one video you will want to watch:

• Skip McGrath, Powerseller and author of 14 books including The Complete eBay Marketing System
• How the Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program greatly increases volume of sales
• Amazon UPS shipping discount ~ lowest rates in the country both directions
• Amazon ships products he sells on eBay so he is more competitive on eBay by selling on Amazon
• Comparison of fees and profit margins between eBay and Amazon
• Using virtual assistants
• Trade Shows
• Retail Arbitrage

Do be aware that Amazon favors products they sell directly and FBA listings over third party merchant fulfillment (where you ship the products yourself).

Award-winning Amazon seller and best-selling e-commerce author Jordan Malik offers advice specific to what you can sell on Amazon versus what eBay allows and more specifically about the FBA program:

“The days of Amazon just shutting down accounts on a whim is long gone…the risk of Amazon stopping you is pretty slim; but I like to keep my eBay account open and active just in case worst case scenario there is a problem with my Amazon account I can resume or pick up selling on eBay.”

His advice includes what you can’t sell on Amazon, but can sell on eBay. His advice is to just get started and offers free ebooks on getting started on Amazon.

What You Need

• eBay – must have a PayPal account
• Amazon must have a checking or savings account

What Sells Better Where?

Most power sellers suggest that vintage, one-of-a-kind, and collectibles will sell best on eBay while products with UPC codes sell better on Amazon. In Should I Sell It On Amazon Or eBay?, Stuggleville recommends listing all your products that are eligible on both because sometimes where they sell best is a total surprise.

Why You Need to Sell on Both

Still on the fence about selling on more than one platform? Here is the most important reason: both eBay and Amazon have been know to suspend temporarily or permanently even sellers with stellar records. By having your own store and selling on both eBay and Amazon you can keep your income coming in!

While we hear more about eBay suspensions and they get more publicity – such as this eBay Stuns Community by Purging Well Known Power Seller – Amazon suspends sellers, too.

Skip offers this advice on What To Do If Your eBay or Amazon Account is Suspended or Cancelled. The best “cure”, though, is to already have your own store and to be selling on both sites.