Facebook Marketplace vs eBay

Facebook Marketplace and eBay work equally for on-line patrons and sellers. However, every has distinctive options to distinguish itself from opponents and to cater to the wants of the goal patrons and sellers. 

If you’re weighing up whether or not to make use of Facebook Marketplace or eBay, you’re in the suitable place. This article opinions each platforms that will help you make an knowledgeable resolution. 

Exploring Facebook Marketplace and eBay Features

Although Facebook Marketplace was solely launched in 2016, it’s turn into so common it will probably now compete with eBay, which has existed since 1995. Both platforms permit sellers to listing new or used gadgets however they differ within the following facets.

1. Products You Can List

Facebook Marketplace and eBay have comparable classes of products you may listing, whether or not new or previous. Currently, eBay has 12 father or mother classes, whereas Facebook Marketplace has 18. However, every has subcategories that improve the products you may listing. 

Regarding organizing classes, eBay has carried out a greater job than Facebook Marketplace. For instance, the “Family” class on Facebook Marketplace doesn’t specify the type of household products you could find or listing. 

Also, each platforms have guidelines concerning product restriction. Facebook has 29 guidelines, and eBay has 69. Before itemizing your gadgets, it’s good to examine in the event that they meet every platform’s necessities. For instance, neither platform helps perishable gadgets like meals or gadgets that would trigger hurt, reminiscent of firearms and medicines. 

One product itemizing distinction, nonetheless, is on digital products. Facebook solely helps tangible gadgets, whereas eBay permits customers to commerce collectibles. You can promote sports activities playing cards, antiques, uncommon cash, and Pokémon playing cards. 

2. Charges on the Seller

To maximize profitability, you need to take note of the fees a platform imposes on you. Generally, eBay prices have many layers that would overwhelm a vendor, whereas Facebook Marketplace is honest and inexpensive. 

Listing gadgets on eBay isn’t free. First, you could pay a month-to-month subscription payment for using the platform, starting from $7.95 to $349.50. Each month, you get 250 free listings. If you exhaust them, you incur $0.35 per itemizing. Also, on each order you full, eBay deducts a predetermined share relying on the class plus $0.30 per order. That’s not all. You can incur more prices in the event you use eBay transport and product promotion.

Conversely, itemizing gadgets on Facebook Marketplace is free so long as you’ve gotten an energetic and verified Facebook account. For any full sale, Facebook Marketplace claims a 5% fee or a flat payment of $0.40 if the product worth is under $8.

As such, Facebook Marketplace is more favorable, particularly for a one-time vendor who seeks to dispose of things they now not use. eBay, alternatively, is likely to be supreme for well-established companies. 

3. Types of Listing

Facebook provides one kind of itemizing: mounted worth itemizing. You create an inventory, add product particulars, and set the value that patrons can use to check with different products on the platform or elsewhere. eBay, alternatively, has three kinds of product listings:

• Fixed worth itemizing: This is just like Facebook Marketplace itemizing and runs till you promote the product. You can promote a number of gadgets on this itemizing and use out-of-stock management while you promote all of your gadgets. 
• Auction itemizing: This choice permits you to listing one merchandise at a time. You can set the bottom worth and let aspiring patrons bid. The purchaser who locations the best bid will get the merchandise. The public sale can run for as much as 10 days, and you’ll’t use out-of-stock management while you promote the product. 
• Classified advert itemizing: This permits you to listing gadgets on eBay and full your transaction exterior the platform while you discover a purchaser. It’s supreme for products reminiscent of properties that may’t be shipped and merchants throughout the identical locality. You incur a month-to-month price of $9.95 to make use of this itemizing. 

4. Selling Features

There’s a noticeable distinction in how Facebook Marketplace and eBay deal with the promoting course of. First, let’s talk about branding. eBay has more sturdy instruments that assist construct your model and combine advertising methods. Because of the fierce competitors on the platform, it has a web page the place you should purchase store templates to differentiate your model from others. Once you determine your store, you need to use paid advertisements and search engine marketing methods to push your products to the highest of search outcomes.

Although Facebook Marketplace additionally makes use of advertisements to advertise products, it doesn’t provide enterprise branding choices. This limits the power to determine a good enterprise on the platform. Also, it doesn’t gather patrons’ particulars, which limits follow-up and advertising efforts. 

Regarding transport and fee, eBay provides transport companies anyplace on the planet. This permits you to transact even with folks exterior your locality. Also, it has built-in fee strategies like PayPal, money on supply, and credit score or debit playing cards. When a purchaser pays, eBay holds the cash till they obtain the merchandise, selling integrity on the platform. 

Conversely, Facebook Marketplace solely facilitates itemizing. The burden of transport and gathering fee lies on the vendor. This opens room for inauthentic dealings, which might hurt the customer or the vendor. 

Finally, Facebook Marketplace integrates solely with Facebook Messenger for clean communication. Conversely, eBay has over 270 integrations to assist in facilitating communication, promoting, processing fee, managing stock, and more. 

5. Sellers’ Safety Protection

If you’re promoting on-line, you’ll encounter manipulative and abusive patrons once in a while. Having safety from the platform you’re using protects the status of your corporation. 

Since eBay is more concerned in promoting, it has higher vendor safety insurance policies than Facebook Marketplace. Here are a few of the methods eBay protects sellers:

• Protection towards abusive patrons: eBay will facet with you if a purchaser damages and returns a product or calls for an merchandise you by no means listed. Also, if such a purchaser feedback negatively in your store, eBay will take away the remark. You even have the choice to dam an abusive purchaser. 
• Protection towards conditions past your management: Sometimes, you may do all the things required of you, however an occasion reminiscent of dangerous climate derails transport efforts. If a purchaser complains to eBay over late supply, they’ll take no motion towards you. 
• 50% refund deduction: If a purchaser damages or makes use of a product earlier than returning it, eBay permits you to deduct 50% of the refund quantity to cowl the decreased worth. 

Facebook additionally provides safety to sellers within the following methods:

• Delivery safety: Although there aren’t any rules specifying how a vendor qualifies for this safety, Facebook Marketplace states that sellers have safety over claims of misplaced, broken, and stolen items.
• Product description: When itemizing a product on Facebook Marketplace, you describe its situation and add photos to help the knowledge. If a purchaser experiences that your product doesn’t match the outline, the burden of proof lies on them and never the vendor. 
• No returning gadgets: Unlike eBay, the place patrons have a return policy, Facebook Marketplace doesn’t help product returns. It expects patrons to do their due diligence whereas inspecting the product. As such, sellers don’t should refund any cash after finishing a transaction. 

Make Your Evaluation

Facebook Marketplace and eBay each have their strengths and weaknesses. However, your buying and selling wants ought to dominate when evaluating which one to make use of. Facebook Marketplace is best while you need to promote products regionally and quick. On the opposite hand, eBay is good while you need a world attain and is most suited to well-established companies that may cowl the vendor prices with out impacting their profitability. 

Which is your go-to market, eBay or Facebook Marketplace? What made you select one over the opposite? Let us know within the feedback part under.