The problem is audience. Ebay cannot be beaten for its audience--you get a lot of eyeballs on every listing. That may not be needed to sell a T206 Cobb but it sure comes in handy for more esoteric items.
Candidly, the new fees should not be an issue for a casual seller because what Ebay has done is to move its fee structure into line with the lower end of AH consignment costs. Even if you get a 0% commission, you are still 'paying' the BP, which runs anywhere from 10% [Lew Lipset, who is running his last auction] on up to 20%. It just depends on the items. Sterling [15%] and LOTG [18%] were mentioned above; from where I sit, both of them charge more than the combo of Ebay final value fees and paypal fees. Not criticising them--far from it, I consign to both and find both to be exemplary in every respect and worth the cost--just referencing the math as a counterpoint. The thing I appreciate about Ebay is that I can use the free listings to fish for sales on rare items. An AH wants to sell the items outright, not let me roll them through for months in the hope of finding a buyer.
Starting an auction of your own is a nice idea but not exactly a viable one if you work full time.
Last edited by Exhibitman; 04-02-2013 at 01:20 PM.
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