The Death Of eBay Leaves Online Sellers With Only One Real Legitimate Alternative.

Well eBay might not be dead and buried yet, but the world's biggest online marketplace is on life support, and the obituary has already been written. There is an empty plot in the Internet graveyard, between Napster and Myspace, and it has got eBay's name on it. If the current economic situation in Europe and The United States isn't bad enough, recent policy changes have forced sellers to leave eBay in droves. In these tough times you might think eBay would give their sellers a break, but instead, they have recently increased their fees, putting more pressure on sellers that were already struggling.

This trend started back in 2008, when eBay decided that sellers will no longer have the option of leaving negative feedback for buyers. The decision raised a lot of eyebrows, with many sellers wondering why they should leave feedback at all, after all, if they aren't able to be honest about the experience, a positive feedback has no real value. The results have been that buyers have more opportunities to complain, or make unreasonable demands, using the threat of negative feedback to get what they want. Buyers who bid on items and don't pay for them, don't have to worry, they won't get any negative feedback.

It got worse in 2010, when eBay introduced selling limits, targeting new sellers, as well as those who have low feedback scores or detailed seller ratings. This has forced many sellers to abandon eBay all together, finding that they are no longer able to make a profit. The sellers are not the only ones that have suffered, with the departure of so many sellers, and the increase in fees, prices on eBay have skyrocketed, leaving buyers paying much more for items, if they can find them at all.

It seems that the party is over, eBay had it's glory days and it was great while it lasted, but the days of finding anything you want on eBay for an unbelievably low price are over. These days many of the items are over priced, if you can find them at all. This doesn't necessarily have to be bad news for online sellers, this actually opens the door for competition. Over the years many sellers have been seeking alternatives to eBay, only to realize that there is no real alternative. The reality is that nobody has ever come close to competing with eBay, however the inevitable demise of eBay opens the door for competition. Buyers will be forced to seek new sources for the goods that they used to find on eBay.

There are plenty of websites claiming to be an alternative to eBay, but you shouldn't believe the hype. While Amazon may work for a few, it isn't a real option for most online sellers that have been doing business on eBay. There is no easy answer, the best alternative to selling on eBay is to market your products from your own website. This is not as difficult as it might sound, there are plenty of free programs that are easy to use, allowing you to design your own online store.

Marketing your website has never been easier, with Facebook you can reach your target audience with ease, if you put a little time into it. If you have been selling on eBay for some time, you will also have access to all the email addresses of your past customers, allowing you to send them a newsletter, informing them of items new in stock or sale items. You can also blog about your products, creating even more traffic to your website by establishing back links from your blog.

You need to realize that the simplest solution is not always the best answer, sure it takes time and effort to establish your own website, but when you achieve success, you will find the reward to be well worth the effort. You won't have to worry about negative feedback, selling limits, final value fees or any other hassle that you have already experienced on eBay. You can be your own boss, make you own rules, and I guarantee you that you will enjoy every minute of it!