EBAY alternatives? and my idea
 

It really amazes me how much ebay sucks, and how it was once such a goldmine. Crazy.

But I know there has to be some way to bring that same magic together again in today's market. Okay maybe not 100% what it was, but I tell myself there is even more traffic online today than back then, and there are still people who want to buy used goods online, so there has to be a way.

My thoughts are that since all these big broker sites are out there, and all want to charge money to list, why not bypass them and attempt to do something myself, for myself. I don't need all the bells and whistles these sites offer anyways.

I really think I am just going to make pages with these items I have, put them on a nice and friendly mainstream domain, and just throw up paypal buttons on the pages. Has anyone tried this with good results?

Really, we all know traffic is the point. If I can get SE listings for these items, and send my own traffic to the pages, why should I bring my surfers to some site where they are going to continue to buy more stuff, when I don't even get a cut?

Are there any good Ebay alternatives where they don't shaft you on their traffic?

Has anyone just started selling used goods on their own site and developed their own traffic?

The little business voices in my head are telling me to make my own site. KISS = profit

thoughts?

ebanned?

a site for ebay rejects? :1orglaugh

no thanks, trying to climb up the ladder. :1orglaugh

u can try that and after setting up ur site u can add it in ur signature on all forums u join. also make a post on ur blogs promoting that, and also put small links on other webpages that u own or whatever, this way the search engines will index it quickly and then u'll start getting seo traffic in.

View Ebay as a framework or service, rather than a site you sell your stuff on.

Its highly profitable. Amazone still beats it, but still good

Yeah I realize that. I am very small volume though, but I am always coming across things I could have gotten money for on ebay really easily. Now if you don't do volume or have something really special, ebay kind of sucks.

LMAO there will simply never be an ebay alternative. Just like nobody will beat GOOGLE, once its in the dictionary they've dominated enough to be a permanent fixture.

I have even looked at shopping cart solutions, but I just don't really need something that is going to cost me $40 a month or so to unload some household goods.

keeping it simple sounds good to me right now.

I suppose so.

But I've been present for numerous housewife conversations in the last year, and all I hear is how ebay sucks now and they shop on craigslist! :1orglaugh

I'll just make items on pages and then hit CL and probably do better even.

People thought the same when theHun was the only large TGP. DMOZ and Yahoo as well.

Its more an evolution than a alternative

I believe you will see MS launch a new community with features that will accelerate the development of the net even further.

Sites like Facebook or Myspace are short-lived, even in Internet term. You got to think outside the box.

Its only funny that its MS that will take the lead this time.

kijiji is good and its free, and run by ebay, better for local stuff.

cool thanks, never heard of them but looks alright. :)

there's alot of shopping cart solutions that's opensource, just google "opensource shopping cart"

:)

I've got tons of shit including old networking equipment and computers as well as household items, but it just doesn't seem worth the effort for a couple hundred bucks.

I agree.

At the same time I think, what the hell am I going to do with this crap? I have a bunch of vintage avon stuff, some brand new in the package, and I feel bad sending it all to goodwill or tossing it. Stupid disney happy meal toys and shit, but people collect this crap! :1orglaugh

then I tell myself I am just being lazy, but when I look at ebay and paypal fees I say fuck it!

hey thanks, I just found this:

http://www.opencart.com

looks pretty cool, I might try it out. :)

no problem :) u can even setup a mainstream biz by buying 2nd hand stuff cheap and sellin em off ur site :D