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Selling on Amazon vs. eBay: Where should You Sell in 2025?

Choosing the right platform is like finding the perfect match for your business—it can help you reach the right people and boost your sales. When you're deciding where to sell your product, Amazon and eBay are often the first platforms that come to mind. They've both been around for nearly 30 years, and both have worked hard to earn trust from millions of shoppers from around the world. But if you’re selling for the first time, choosing between the two can feel overwhelming. Each one has its own pros and cons, and unique features.

In this article, we’ll explore the key differences between selling on Amazon vs. eBay to help you determine which one is the right fit for your business.

Marketplace Overview: Amazon and eBay in 2025

Both platforms have evolved in unique ways, and understanding their current status can help sellers make more informed decisions. Here’s a brief overview of each marketplace to help you get a clearer picture of where they stand today:
Note: If you are curious about selling on Amazon, check out this guide to learn how to make money on the platform.

Amazon remains the dominant leader in e-commerce, while eBay has increasingly focused on unique items and second-hand goods.

Audience Comparison: Who Shops Where?

When deciding between Amazon and eBay, it’s crucial for sellers to understand where their audience prefers to shop. Understanding the typical shopper profiles on each platform can help you determine which option is a good place to sell your stuff.

Let’s take a closer look at a comparison of average profiles of Amazon and eBay shoppers:
Amazon is prioritized by Prime customers for its fast two-day delivery and easy navigation, while eBay attracts bargain hunters and collectors seeking unique deals and rare items.
If you're still unsure where your audience shops, consider testing the waters by listing a few products on both platforms to expand your reach. Just be sure to account for all associated costs before diving in.

What Kinds of Products Sell Best on Amazon vs. eBay

Let’s answer the question, "Where should I sell my products?" by examining which types of goods are best suited for Amazon and eBay:
  • Amazon: Amazon excels in categories like electronics, household goods, and branded items. Customers trust Amazon’s return policy, making it a go-to platform for buying new products. Shoppers often look for trending items, sometimes driven by platforms like TikTok, and are drawn to Amazon for its convenience and fast shipping.
  • eBay: eBay thrives from sales of collectibles, used items, and vintage products. The auction format makes it an ideal platform for rare or hard-to-find items, such as antique furniture or sports memorabilia. Shoppers on eBay are willing to engage in bidding wars, making it the perfect marketplace for second-hand goods and unique products with history.
However, no matter where you choose to launch your store, it’s essential that you have good things to sell. This involves researching the market, studying your competitors, and assessing how much potential revenue you can make.

One of the advantages of Amazon is the availability of streamlined services, like Sellerhook. Their team of experts offer personalized research to help you find money-making products for your Amazon store that match your preferences.

Finding the Best Products Ideas for Your Business

With Sellerhook’s research services, you can quickly get profitable ideas tailored to your budget, goals, and niche, saving you time and effort.

Here’s how to order this service:
1. Place an order on the Sellerhook website.
  • Choose your business model (Online Arbitrage & Wholesale or Private Label brand)
  • Select how many product ideas you'd like: Choose between one or five curated ideas that align with your business needs.
2. Fill out the questionnaire. Complete a brief questionnaire to share key details about your product preferences, such as product category, price range, and other relevant factors. The more information you provide, the more effectively Sellerhook can tailor the research to match your goals.
3. Receive your report. Within 10 business days, you'll receive a comprehensive report that includes an idea for a product. The report will include detailed data analysis to help you assess a product's potential for profitability and market fit.
With this approach, you’ll find high-demand products that sell well on Amazon (or even eBay), giving you the perfect foundation to launch and grow a thriving business.
See what your research report would look like.

Cost to Sell: Fees, Commissions, Hidden Costs

When choosing between Amazon and eBay, it’s important to consider the costs associated with each platform. While the full lists of fees can be found on each site’s respective websites, here are the key costs to keep in mind:

Amazon

Obligatory costs:
  • Referral fee: On average, 15%, but it varies by product category
  • Account fee: $39.99/month for a Professional account, or $0.99/sale for an Individual account
  • Refund fee: Amazon charges a refund fee of up to 20% if you issue a refund to a customer.
Optional costs:
  • Advertising: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising is flexible, allowing you to set your budget (many beginners start with $300).
  • Amazon FBA fees: Fulfillment by Amazon starts at $3.06 per unit for standard-size items.
  • Storage fees: Start from $0.78 per cubic foot during off-peak seasons
  • Return processing fees: These vary by category and size, typically between $2.50 and $5.00 per return.
Additional costs: Including labeling fees for sending products to FBA centers and other hidden costs.

eBay

Obligatory costs:
  • Listing fees: Your first 250 listings are free each month, and then $0.35 for each additional listing.
  • Order fees: For orders under $10, a $0.30 fee applies. For orders over $10, the fee is $0.40, plus, a category fee of around 13%.
  • Dispute fees: If you’re found responsible for a disputed amount (e.g., chargeback), there’s a $20 fee/dispute (excluding sales tax).
Optional costs:
  • Shipping: Using eBay labels typically costs around $10/shipment.
  • Classified Ads: Insertion fees for Classified Ads are $9.95.
Additional costs: Sellers are given a rating of less than “Standard” face an additional 6% penalty on the final value fee, there are also other hidden costs (e.g., a fee for auction listing).

Profit Margin Comparisons

Now that we’ve reviewed the costs, let’s see how they correspond to the potential profit you can make on each platform:
  • eBay: Most sellers offer used or unique items on this platform. For example, you can sell a used Louis Vuitton handbag for $4,000. After all costs are deducted, you might still pocket around $3,500. However, if you don’t have many bags to sell, this could be a one-time sale, which means less consistent income.
  • Amazon: In contrast, Amazon provides the opportunity to sell newer items due to its large customer base. For each beach towel sold on Amazon at $30, after deducting $10 for shipping, $4 for the purchase price, and a 15% Amazon fee ($4.50), you’re left with $11.50 in profit/sale. With 200 sales per month, this would result in a total monthly profit of $2,300.
This shows how Amazon's high-volume sales can lead to more consistent earnings, even with smaller profit margins compared to one-time high-ticket sales on eBay.

Ease of Use: Setup, Tools, Support

Let’s take a look at how easy it is to use each platform, as both time and effort are important factors. Here’s an overview:
  • Verification process: Amazon has stricter rules and a more involved verification process for new sellers. eBay, on the other hand, is generally easier to set up.
  • Ease of use: According to users on Reddit and Quora, many prefer Amazon’s interface for its simplicity and ease of navigation. eBay can be a bit more complex, especially with its auction format.
  • Operations: Amazon offers a range of services that simplify operations for sellers, such as Amazon Posts to drive traffic, brand protection tools, and FBA to outsource shipping and customer service. eBay has fewer built-in services, but also allows for more flexibility in how you manage your store.
  • Personalization: eBay provides more opportunities for customization in terms of store design and listings, giving sellers more control over their branding.
  • Safety: Amazon is considered safer in terms of protecting personal information, with robust security systems for both buyers and sellers.
  • Tools and Services: There is a range of available tools designed to help Amazon sellers succeed (like Sellerhook for SEO-optimized compelling listings), while eBay sellers must rely more on their own efforts.

Fulfillment and Logistics

Another important factor to consider is logistics and fulfillment. When comparing Amazon vs. eBay, you need to take the shipping system of each platform into account.

On Amazon, you can outsource your logistics to FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), where Amazon handles all of your storage, packing, and shipping. This option offers tremendous convenience, especially during peak sales periods. If you're managing large volumes, FBA allows you to scale your business quickly without worrying about fulfillment, but this convenience also comes at a cost.

On eBay, you can either use prepaid shipping labels through eBay or manage shipping yourself. However, you’ll still need to store your products at your own location and handle shipping, which might not be as convenient, especially during high sales periods.

In this sense, Amazon offers more convenience, particularly for high-demand, popular products, but it can be costly.

The Best Options for Different Types of Sellers

Now that we’ve explored the specifics of selling on eBay and Amazon, let’s define which types of sellers can benefit from each platform and why:
While eBay may seem cheaper and easier for the first-time sellers who are just starting out, it’s important to consider Amazon's strong features that could be highly relevant to your business.

Conclusion

While choosing the right platform is crucial, it's equally important to find products that sell well. Consider using Sellerlook’s professional services to identify the best products for your business. This way, you can build a sustainable business regardless of whether you sell on Amazon or eBay.

FAQs

Can I sell on both Amazon and eBay at the same time?

Yes, you can sell on both Amazon and eBay simultaneously. Many sellers use both platforms to expand their reach and diversify their sales. However, it’s important to consider the costs associated with selling on each platform. You can find more details about these costs here.

Which platform boasts a larger customer base: eBay or Amazon?

Amazon has a much larger customer base than eBay. As of 2025, Amazon leads the global e-commerce market with over 300 million active customer accounts, while eBay has around 134 million. However, the choice between the two platforms can also depend on your product category, as eBay is particularly strong in niches like collectibles and used items.

Which platform has fewer restrictions for new sellers in 2025?

In 2025, selling on eBay generally comes with fewer restrictions than Amazon. However, be aware of potential hidden hurdles, For example, eBay imposes charges for poor performance, which could affect your profitability. Additionally, it's crucial to consider which platform aligns better with your audience, the scalability of your business, and the size of the customer base on each.
See what your research report would look like.
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