Comparing eBay alternatives for vintage, antiques, and collectibles!

I'm back already! I couldn't resist plugging the major vintage and antique venues into Alexa.com and checking out the page view statistics. Of course there are a lot of variables involved in numbers like these, but it is interesting to see how they compare to one another!

Let's go from the most page views to the least, over the last year:

eBay.com - Of course. I've said before that eBay is still the main venue for vintage, antiques, and collectibles, it blows everyone away as far as traffic. Of course, all the eBay traffic isn't in those categories, but they are so far ahead of all the other sites that they are still the obvious leader.

Craigslist.org - Not that far under eBay, but hard to figure how much your specific area is getting, and how much is going to the antiques and collectibles categories... Definitely an option if you are looking to try doing local, face to face sales - and I think with the economy the way it is, more and more people might be heading to Craig's List to shop for deals!

Etsy.com - I love to see that Etsy is doing so well, but again you have to consider that a lot of their traffic is for handmade, not for vintage. But, vintage is the 8th largest category on Etsy, so it is getting a decent chunk of it. From what I have seen vintage is steadily growing, and it will be interesting to see what happens if Etsy does ever split up the site.

IOffer.com - I've looked at this site in the past, but some of the not so good things I heard from other people about it swayed me against trying it out. They do have a lot of traffic though, so it must be working for some people... Their collectibles category has tons of listings too!

eCrater.com - This is a storefront site, and actually I was pretty shocked by the traffic they are getting. Well below IOffer, but well above the rest of the sites I am about to list. I remember when I checked it out I didn't really like the look and feel of it... There are a lot of antiques and collectibles listings there though, I think it may be worth another close look.

Ruby Lane - Finally, one of the the antiques only sites! I found this comparison very interesting... Ruby Lane is the hands down winner when comparing the big three (Ruby Lane, Tias, and GoAntiques). Their traffic stats have a lot more big peaks and valleys than the other two, I'm not sure why that would be?

Bonanzle.com - A good tick below Ruby Lane, and just above GoAntiques and Tias - and growing steadily. When you factor out the non-vintage traffic though, it could be even with or even below them... it's hard to say. I think this year is going to be an interesting one on Bonanzle!

GoAntiques.com & Tias.com - These two sites are pretty much neck and neck. They had more traffic last summer, and over the last several months have been hanging steady at a lower level. I think GoAntiques could have gotten a boost a couple of times due to the WorthPoint merger, but what about Tias? Is it always busier in the summer? Do sellers tend to spend more time listing on the site during those months (the garage/estate sale season!)?

BuyItSellIt.com - I was a little sad to see BISI at the bottom of the list, I really like their storefronts! I think it is partly because it isn't set up (or promoted) so much as a place to browse and shop different sellers, but more as a tool for setting up your own independent webstore.

A couple more things I found interesting... Etsy and eCrater both had increased traffic for Christmas, but RubyLane, GoAntiques, and Tias stayed at about the same amount. I would equate higher holiday traffic as higher buyer only traffic, wouldn't you? So that would mean buyers aren't seeking out the Big Three antique sites at Christmas for gifts, but they maintain a pretty level amount of traffic, so the people who do use the sites are apparently there regularly.

What all this means in the grand scheme of things I don't know, really it is going to have a different meaning for each seller, depending on what they are trying to accomplish. I think it is definitely something to consider though, and should be a factor if you are looking to expand your business onto multiple selling platforms!

Comparing eBay alternatives - Video from ColderIce

One of the e-commerce bloggers that I really like is John Lawson aka ColderIce. He sells new items on eBay, so he isn't in the vintage selling niche, but much of what he talks about applies to anyone who has an online business.

I especially enjoy his videos, and the one he posted this weekend was the best one yet:

The eBay Alternatives: Planning for 2009



I think most of us are looking ahead to 2009, evaluating where we are and where we want to go, so this video couldn't have come at a better time! I know it has given me a lot to think about, and I'm sure there will be a couple more blog posts after this one about this subject.

I think most of us are also at least considering selling on multiple platforms, and deciding the best thing for your business is tricky, if not downright aggravating. I know I have been wrestling with it lately myself!

So do me a favor and check out the video. I will probably watch it one more time before I write in more depth about it - it's that good. ;)

Antique Week asks - is vintage on Etsy the future of the antiques trade?

I just found out about a truly amazing article from Antique Week about the vintage sellers on Etsy! I am so happy to have the hard work that all the vintage sellers are doing on Etsy finally be recognized... Most people still don't even know that you can sell antiques and collectibles there - it is kind of the site's best kept secret, really!

My favorite quote from the article:

"The growing legions of Etsy sellers and buyers are establishing an important Internet marketplace for vintage – as well as handmade – goods. This young and vibrant set may be the future of the antiques trade"

This is a very thought provoking idea - just like every other market, the antiques market changes and evolves over time. (The people who are active within it, as well as the items they buy and sell.) What worked 20 or even 10 years ago may not work now, and what no one was interested in then could now be the new hot thing...

Are the vintage sellers on Etsy helping to shape the market for the future? Have they tapped into what a younger generation of collectors are interested in, maybe things that older people (who have been in the trade for longer than some of us have been alive!) would never look at twice?

I guess only time will tell, but as a vintage seller on Etsy and a member of the Etsy Vintage Street Team, I can tell you that you will not find a more passionate and committed group of dealers - hard working, forward thinking, and completely in love with what they do!

This might be a good time to remind everyone that the Walking In A Vintage Wonderland holiday promotion from the EVST is still in full swing - we are giving away a $10 gift certificate to a different Etsy shop every day- click here to get all the details on how to enter!