With more than 180 million active buyers worldwide, eBay is one of the world’s biggest online marketplaces. Statistics suggest that as many as two billion transactions are made through the platform every day. According to eBay itself, a car part is sold every second, a cosmetic item is bought every three seconds, and a video game is purchased every four seconds. The platform allows both individuals and businesses to sell their products online and businesses that set up an eBay shop get access to inventory, insight and marketing tools, as well as perks like discounted postage labels.

The eBay platform isn’t for everyone, though. To sell with it, businesses have to pay two types of eBay fees – listing fees (per item) and final value fees. Both listing fees and final value fees vary, depending on the package you have and the sort of product you’re selling, and some businesses are put off or confused by these. Other businesses choose not to sell on eBay for reasons such as not wanting to sell their goods alongside sellers that only focus on second-hand or pre-loved goods. So with this in mind, let’s take a look at six alternatives to eBay available in the UK.

1. Etsy

Launched in America in 2005, Etsy is an online marketplace that specialises in vintage and handmade goods.

Statistics suggest that the platform has more than 93 million active buyers worldwide and its sellers have a reputation for being curators and artisans.

Like eBay, the platform charges businesses fees to sell on the site. These include a 20-cent (17p) listing fee per item and a commission fee when a sale is made.

One of the things that attract businesses to Etsy is the fact that there are no additional monthly fees. Businesses don’t have to pay a monthly subscription for a shop plan, for example.

2. Your own ecommerce website

The idea of setting up an ecommerce website might seem daunting at first, but it’s easier and cheaper than you might think. At 123 Reg, our Website Builder makes it easy.

Starting your own e-commerce website offers control over branding, customer experience, and pricing. It allows you to tailor the design, features, and user journey to match your unique business goals and niche.

With your own direct website, you are empowered to manage your own customer relationships. Marketing can be personalised, with added flexibility to scale up as your business develops.

At 123 Reg, we offer all-in-one Ecommerce Website plans that allow you to design a website, list products, set up a variety of payment methods, set up customer emails, and promote your products on social media sites without any technical or IT experience.

With our annual Standard plans, you are given all the templates and tools you need to design an attractive website and list up to 100 products – for just £17.49 a month. With our annual Pro plans, meanwhile, you get to list an unlimited amount of products. Plus you get extras like competitor insight tools and mobile site management, for £34.99 a month.

3. Facebook Shop

It’s free and quick to set up a shop on Facebook, you just need to have an existing Facebook Business page to get started.

The first thing you’ll be asked to do when setting up a Facebook Shop is to choose your payment method. Businesses can take payments directly through Facebook or they can choose to have customers message them through Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp to arrange payment. Once businesses have chosen their preferred method of payment, they can start listing products for sale.

As with eBay and Etsy, Facebook charges seller fees. This fee is 5% per shipment, or a flat fee of USD 0.40 for shipments of USD 8.00 or less.

4. Amazon

Amazon needs no introduction. This online marketplace has 300 million active buyers online.

There are two main selling plans to choose from on Amazon.

Designed for people who sell less than 35 items a month, the Individual Plan charges sellers 75p for every item they sell.

For businesses that sell more than 35 items a month, meanwhile, there’s the Professional Plan. This costs a flat fee of £25 a month.

Amazon also charges sellers Referral Fees, which vary depending on the product category from 8% to 15%. Then there are Fulfilment Fees. Again, these vary depending on the method you choose for fulfilling your orders and what sort of product you’re selling.

5. Not On The High Street

Not On The High Street is a marketplace for small creative businesses based in the UK. The site has more than 38 million unique visitors every year.

In order to be able to set yourself up on Not On The High Street, you’ll need to have done some work on your brand. You’ll need a logo, a clearly defined product collection, and either a website or a Flickr page where Not On The High Street’s curators can view your product range to see if your business is a good fit for their site.

Not all businesses who apply to join Not On The High Street will be accepted to the site.

In terms of fees, meanwhile, businesses are charged a £199 set-up fee plus VAT. Once established, a 25% commission is charged on all sales, too.

6. Pedddle

Pedddle is a great option for businesses who regularly attend real-world markets.

The site features a list of markets that take place around the country and also features a list of the makers, artisans and small businesses who sell at these markets.

Visitors to the site can search for both events and stallholders, stallholder memberships are just £12 per month.