I still remember the exact moment I decided to cheat on eBay. It was a Tuesday in late 2019, and I had just checked my monthly invoice. I had sold about $8,000 worth of vintage electronics and clothing that month, which felt like a massive win. But when I scrolled down to the "Final Value Fees" line item, my stomach dropped. Between the listing fees, the final value fees, and the promoted listing costs, I owed them nearly $1,200.
It felt like I had a silent business partner who did none of the sourcing, none of the photography, and none of the shipping, yet demanded a massive cut of the profit. That invoice was my wake-up call. I realized that relying solely on one platform was a dangerous game, not just because of the fees, but because of the dependency. If eBay decided to shadowban me tomorrow, my income would vanish.
If you are reading this, you’re likely staring at a similar invoice or dealing with a frustrating suspension and wondering what ebay alternatives actually exist. The good news is that the resale landscape in 2025 is vast. I’ve spent the last five years testing every platform from Mercari to Whatnot, and I’ve learned that the "best" alternative depends entirely on what you are selling.
Mercari: The Digital Garage Sale
If you are looking for sites like ebay that don't require a degree in logistics to figure out, Mercari is usually the first stop. I started cross-listing to Mercari in 2020, and it immediately felt like the "lite" version of eBay.
How it works: Mercari is heavily app-focused. You snap a photo, add a description, and set a price. The interface is cleaner and less cluttered than eBay’s decades-old listing form.
My Personal Anecdote: In 2021, I found a stash of discontinued IKEA mugs at a thrift store. On eBay, the competition was fierce, and prices were tanking. I listed them on Mercari for $25 each. They sold within 48 hours. Why? Because the Mercari buyer is different. They aren't always comparing prices across the entire internet; they are browsing a feed. They see it, they like it, they buy it.
Here's where it gets interesting... Mercari recently experimented with a "0% Seller Fee" model in 2024, shifting the service fees to the buyer. This was huge. On eBay, I was losing 13%. On Mercari, for a brief period, I kept 100% of the sale price. While policies fluctuate, Mercari consistently tries to undercut eBay on seller costs.
My Honest Failure: I once sold a heavy vintage typewriter on Mercari. I underestimated the shipping weight. On eBay, the calculator is precise. On Mercari, I selected the "5-10 lbs" label option. The package weighed 12 lbs. The post office charged me an extra $18 in postage due, which ate my entire profit margin.
-
Lesson: Mercari’s shipping labels are rigid. If you go one ounce over, they charge you.
I use Closo Crosslister to move my listings from eBay to Mercari automatically – saves me about 3 hours weekly – and it helps copy over the weights correctly so I don't make that mistake again.
Poshmark: The Social Commerce Giant
When asking is there a better alternative to ebay for clothing, the answer is almost always Poshmark. eBay is a search engine; Poshmark is a social network.
The Culture Shock: On eBay, you list it and leave it. On Poshmark, you have to "share" your listings. It requires active participation.
-
The Audience: People here are looking for fashion, specifically. While they have expanded to electronics and home goods, I rarely sell hard goods here.
-
The Fees: Poshmark takes a flat 20%. This sounds high compared to eBay's variable ~13%, but Poshmark’s fee covers credit card processing and simplifies shipping significantly.
The Shipping Advantage: This is the biggest perk. Poshmark charges the buyer a flat fee (around $7.97) for any package up to 5 lbs.
-
Anecdote: I sold a bundle of 10 heavy winter coats to a buyer in Alaska. On eBay, shipping would have cost me $60. On Poshmark, it cost the buyer $7.97. The flat-rate priority label is a cheat code for heavy clothing items.
(Parenthetical aside: I honestly hate the "social" aspect of Poshmark. Having to share other people's listings to get exposure feels like a pyramid scheme sometimes. But the sales volume makes it worth the annoyance.)
Etsy: The Vintage and Handmade Sanctuary
If you sell items that are strictly vintage (20+ years old) or handmade, Etsy is the premier ebay alternative. It is not for selling your used Playstation 4 or your modern Nike sneakers.
The Gatekeeping: Etsy is strict. I have seen sellers get banned for trying to sell modern used goods as "vintage."
-
The Clientele: Etsy buyers are willing to pay more. They aren't looking for a bargain; they are looking for an aesthetic.
-
The Price Point: I can typically price a vintage mid-century lamp 30% higher on Etsy than on eBay.
My Experience with Fees: Etsy’s listing fee is $0.20 per item (which eBay doesn't usually charge for the first 250 items).Their transaction fee is around 6.5%.
-
The Hidden Cost: Etsy pushes "Offsite Ads" aggressively. If you make over $10k a year, you are forced into this program, which takes an additional 12-15% if a sale comes from an ad.
Opinion Statement: I believe Etsy has the best photo quality of any platform. The layout encourages high-resolution, artistic photography. If you are good at styling your items, you will crush it here. If you take blurry photos on your carpet, you will fail.
Facebook Marketplace: The Local Heavyweight
For items that are too big to ship or too cheap to justify fees, websites like ebay can't compete with the local reach of Facebook.
The "Porch Pickup" Economy:
-
Best for: Furniture, tools, exercise equipment, and low-value household goods.
-
The Fees: 0% for local cash sales. 5% for shipped sales (significantly lower than eBay).
My Honest Failure: I tried to ship a fragile ceramic vase via Facebook Marketplace checkout. Their shipping protection is murky at best. The vase arrived shattered. Unlike eBay, where I can easily file an insurance claim with the carrier if I bought the label myself, navigating Facebook’s support bot was a nightmare. I never got reimbursed.
-
Lesson: Use Facebook for local meetups. Use eBay or Poshmark for shipping.
Depop: The Gen Z Challenger
If you are wondering are there any alternatives to ebay for younger demographics, Depop is the answer. It is essentially Instagram with a "Buy" button.
The Vibe:
-
Keywords: Y2K, Vintage, Streetwear, 90s.
-
The Fee Structure: As of mid-2024, Depop removed selling fees for sellers in the US and UK markets (shifting costs slightly to buyers and processing fees). This makes it incredibly competitive against eBay.
Specific Product Focus: I listed a pair of vintage Levi’s 501s on eBay for months at $40 with no bites. I cross-listed them to Depop, styled them with a cool belt and a crop top in the photo, and they sold for $65 in two days. The presentation matters here more than the SEO keywords.
I use Closo to automate importing my eBay listings to Depop – saves me about 3 hours weekly – because re-uploading photos from my phone to my computer and back again is a workflow bottleneck I can't afford.
Whatnot: The Live Auction Revolution
Now the tricky part... live selling. Online auctions other than ebay used to mean sites like eBid (which we will get to). Today, it means video.
How it works: Whatnot is QVC for the iPhone generation. You go live, hold up items, and people bid in real-time.
-
The Speed: You can sell 50 items in an hour. On eBay, listing 50 items takes me at least 3-4 hours.
-
The Catch: You have to be entertaining. If you are shy or hate being on camera, this is not the alternative to ebayfor you.
My Experience: I did a "closet clearout" show in 2023. I sold 40 items for an average of $8 each. On eBay, I would have priced them at $15, but they might have sat for a year. I traded profit margin for velocity. It was exhausting but efficient.
The "Ghost Town" Alternatives: eBid, Bonanza, and Ruby Lane
When searching for auction sites like ebay, you will inevitably run into legacy platforms like eBid or Bonanza.
Are they worth it? Honestly? Mostly no.
-
eBid: It looks like eBay from 2005. The fees are practically zero, but the traffic is also near zero. I listed 100 items there as a test and sold one in six months.
-
Bonanza: They integrate well with eBay (you can import listings easily), but they rely on Google Shopping ads to drive traffic. If you aren't paying for advertising, your items are invisible.
-
Ruby Lane: Excellent for high-end antiques, but the vetting process is strict and the monthly maintenance fees are high. It is not for the casual flipper.
Opinion Statement: I don't bother with these sites anymore. The time it takes to manage the inventory, even with cross-listing tools, isn't worth the single sale I might get once a quarter. Stick to the platforms with active user bases.
Managing the Chaos: The Multi-Platform Strategy
The secret to surviving the death of eBay (or just its high fees) isn't finding one ebay alternative. It is using all of them.
The "Cross-Listing" Workflow: If you have a pair of boots, list them on Poshmark, Mercari, Depop, and eBay simultaneously.
-
The Exposure: You quadruple your chances of selling.
-
The Risk: Double selling. If it sells on Mercari at 2 PM and you forget to delete it from eBay, and it sells on eBay at 4 PM, you have a problem.
The Solution: This is where software becomes essential. You cannot manually manage 500 items across 4 platforms without losing your mind.
Why I Use Automation: I rely on tools like Closo Crosslister to handle this. It detects when an item sells on one platform and automatically delists it from the others. It transforms the daunting task of "leaving eBay" into a manageable strategy of "expanding beyond eBay."
People always ask me...
"Is there a cheaper alternative to eBay?"
Common question I see. Yes, practically all of them are cheaper in specific ways.
-
Mercari: Generally lower fees (especially with their new buyer-fee model experiments).
-
Facebook Marketplace: 0% fees for local cash sales.
-
Vinted: 0% selling fees (buyers pay the fee). However, "cheaper" fees often mean "less traffic." eBay charges 13% because they have 130 million buyers. Vinted has 0% fees, but a much smaller (and cheaper) buyer pool. You pay for the eyeballs.
"Can I import my eBay feedback to other sites?"
People always ask me this. Generally, no. You start from zero.
-
The Workaround: When I started on Poshmark, I put a little card in my packages that said, "Trusted Seller on eBay with 5,000+ positive reviews - check me out there to verify I'm legit." It helped build trust early on. Some platforms like Bonanza allow you to import eBay feedback, but the major ones (Mercari, Poshmark) do not.
"Which site is best for electronics?"
Common question I see. Stick to eBay or Mercari.
-
Poshmark: Allows electronics now, but the buyers aren't there yet.
-
Swappa: excellent ebay alternative specifically for phones and laptops. They have lower fees and verify IMEI numbers to prevent scams. I use Swappa exclusively for selling old iPhones.
Conclusion
Finding the right ebay alternatives is about matching your inventory to the right audience. There is no single "eBay Killer." Instead, there is a fragmented market where specific platforms excel at specific categories.
-
Sell Clothes? Go to Poshmark and Depop.
-
Sell Household Goods? Go to Mercari.
-
Sell Furniture? Go to Facebook Marketplace.
-
Sell Antiques? Go to Etsy.
My advice is to stop looking for a 1:1 replacement and start looking at diversification. Start with one new platform this week. Maybe cross-list your ten best items to Mercari and see what happens. You might find, like I did, that the grass isn't just greener on the other side—it's also a lot cheaper to mow.
If you are ready to start moving your inventory, check out our guide on How to Import Listings from eBay to Poshmark to get started fast. And if you are worried about keeping track of it all, read our deep dive on Inventory Management for Multi-Platform Sellers using the Closo Seller Hub.
FAQ Page Schema
Here's something everyone wants to know: Is there a website better than eBay? "Better" is subjective. If you want lower fees, Mercari and Vinted are better. If you want a simpler shipping process for clothing, Poshmark is better. However, for international reach and obscure collectibles, eBay still holds the crown for the highest volume of traffic.
Common question I see: What is the best alternative to eBay for selling stuff locally? Facebook Marketplace has largely replaced Craigslist as the go-to for local sales. It connects to real profiles, adding a layer of transparency (though not total safety). OfferUp is another strong contender for local pickups, particularly for furniture and tools.
People always ask me: Are there online auctions other than eBay? Yes, but they are niche. Whatnot offers live video auctions which are very popular for trading cards and vintage clothes. ShopGoodwill is a massive auction site for thrifters. Legacy sites like eBid exist but suffer from low buyer traffic compared to the giants.
