Do B.

Etsy is definitely a niche market. However, I consider it very good at what it does. I don't normally go to Etsy when I'm looking for your average consumer product, but sometimes for gifts or special items, it's a great place to check out. I have also had my own store up and running for a while. Although I haven't had much success with sales, it's fairly easy to use and pretty straightforward, and also Etsy doesn't take out nearly the amount out of your revenue that eBay does. I do love eBay for certain things, but when it comes to selling my handmade product, I would much rather sell through Etsy than eBay.

I have been on eBay for many years since the early days when you could buy lots of sketchy stuff on it. I give my rating of 5 stars, but I would prefer 4.5 if that were an option. It's not a perfect place all around, and it's strengths are definitely in it when it comes to buying and selling is a little more of a hassle and they take a decent chunk of money out of your revenue. But out of all the years I have used it, for probably every 20 or 30 items I've bought, I've sold one thing. When I consider all the great deals I've gotten on eBay, they regularly have much better deals than Amazon and whatever else I can find through Google shopping. Once in a while, I will check other websites and find they have better deals, but it is rare. Ebay is the way to go for getting consumer products for a fraction of the cost, and many sellers offer free shipping on their items. You rarely see that on Amazon unless you're a Prime member.

Amazon is the place I primarily go for product reviews, then buy them elsewhere. Amazon never really seems to offer great deals unless you have Amazon Prime, in which case you would want to use it very regularly for it to become worth the yearly fee. Once in a while, I'll find something on Amazon that has a cheaper price than eBay or other random websites I find through Google Shopping, but probably 3 out of 4 times, I find that their prices are higher than the super discounted prices you can find on eBay, and are more on par with your local department stores. I also almost never find free shipping an option on Amazon, but you see it all the time on eBay. The only thing Amazon has going for them is the convenience factor of buying online, and of course a ton of product reviews to narrow down what you're looking for. Fortunately for me, I've been buying online well before Amazon became a big thing and I know of other places to grab good stuff for a fraction of the price.