Left in the Dark: Alternatives to eBay.

Things have a fun way of working themselves out.

I had to leave work a bit early today to get in a $20 massage [more on this to come] with my dad before our dinner. So I decided to wake up at 6am and jump on an earlier train to Oakland. I make it to Bart and miss the train as I am walking through the ticket gate...no big deal. I stand there and listen to Lil' Wayne tell me about how he is a Duffel Bag Boy. I get to my office and do what I do every morning: boot up my laptop [which has 1GB of ram and is slow, thus explaining why I do this first], empty my pockets [phone/keys/mp3 player], get my morning protein [1 part Cocoa Kashi, 3 parts Heart to Heart Kashi and 4 parts non fat milk]. But since I got up earlier than usual, my body wasn't up to speed with my day and I felt a sudden urge to use the bathroom.

As I walk out of the office I notice all of the lights going out and my laptop shutting off, but I thought nothing of it because there was tons of light from the window [which is directly in front of my desk btw]. I walk down the hall and see people opening their doors and complaining about a power outage and I continued to ignore this as my main goal was to get to the Men's room. As I open the door to the bathroom, the facilities gentlemen mentioned to me that it was going to be dark as night in there. Again, I ignored that fact and made my way to the handicap stall [it is the biggest and most comfortable]. Now I have a problem, I emptied my pockets and do not have my cell phone to use as an emergency flash light and it really is PITCH DARK. I decide at this point to pick a couple of senses to use...I decide "smell" and "taste" are definitely out the door, so I am now relying on touch and my sixth sense: memory. I also decide it is probably smarter to use my Rockports than my hands to feel around the bathroom. I finally make it to the porcelain seat, wipe it down and all my immediate problems become solved.

This morning felt like my career as an online merchant. I have always sold on eBay, but this past month when my account got "suspended" due to their new policies, I went out and searched for new avenues to push my product. It made me realize sight wasn't the only powerful sense I had. I will be 100% honest and admit that I do continue to sell on eBay, but am actively trying to figure out the perfect marketplace.

I have come across these alternatives:

Amazon.com: Seems to be the leader of the pack right now. Most people have reported a larger margin on Amazon as the buyers are not in the same position as most eBayers, who are trying to find a steal. People coming to Amazon are expecting more of a retail experience, thus some of their return policies are heavily favor the buyer.

UBid.com: Have pushed their site via TV ads and gained some traction this past year. They have NO listing fees, which is awesome for a seller who wants to try a new site out. All of the payments go through UBid, which does make things safer for the seller, but at the same time might take up to 2 weeks to clear.

eBid.com: Have distinctly position themselves as the 2nd largest auction site in the UK. They are also present in other countries, such as: US, Canada, Australia and more. Their site has been a little slow in the past, but seems to be picking up. Their biggest selling point: NO FEES. So it never hurts to have your items listed here.

Wigix.com: This is by far the newest concept, it seems to be a hybrid of a couple Web 1.0 sites. Once the catalog is loaded and running properly, it will function as a Price Grabber-esque site and provide the market clearing price for all SKU-able items. It will also act as a Wiki for products. Last but not least, it will be a marketplace for people to shop. I am going to give them a shot.