E-commerce is constantly expanding year after year. In 2009, e-commerce sales accounted for 14.1% of global retail sales. By 2023, it is expected to account for 22% of all retail sales.
As a customer, you've probably heard of Shopify and eBay, but selecting a better platform can be challenging for a business owner. Before making a decision, you should thoroughly research these two platforms.
Now we'll compare Shopify vs eBay in depth, examining their advantages and disadvantages, standout features, and a variety of other factors.
Let's get into more specifics!
What is Shopify?
Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform for creating an online store. Shopify had over one million store owners worldwide in 2019. The platform provides users with a wide variety of beautiful templates, amazing SEO features, and flexibility. Furthermore, it is so simple to use that no technical knowledge or skills are required.
Shopify's goal is to provide a simple platform for creating an e-commerce store where you can sell, ship, and manage your products.
Pros
- Web hosting for your store supported
- Ease-to-customize product and web pages
- 24/7 customer service
- Different currency included
- Abandoned cart saver
- No transaction fees with Shopify payments
- Automatic VAT rates for EU
Cons
- Limited reporting
- Real-time shipping rates are only supported on higher-tier pricing plans
- Minimal free themes
- Integrations can be costly
How does Shopify work?
Shopify provides the framework and basic platform for users to set up an online shop, ranging from new entrepreneurs to SMEs. The platform is designed to make the process of selling products online easier. It handles a lot of the legwork in one place, which includes:
- Purchasing your domain
- Branding
- Building product pages
- Storing customer information
- Processing payments
- Fulfilling orders
You'll manage your Shopify store from a simple backend dashboard. You can manage existing orders, interact with customers, manage payments, create and edit product pages, and examine analytics.
You will receive reports on recent activities, real-time actions, consumer behavior, and the performance of your business. Analytics can be a fantastic resource for understanding the impact you're having on consumers and the broader market.
Furthermore, Shopify will host your store, eliminating the need for you to find a hosting solution.
What is eBay
eBay is widely regarded as the most popular website for selling and purchasing goods on a global scale, from both personal and business accounts. While eBay began as a place to sell used products, it has since expanded to offer new items, liquidations, and even handmade items.
Customers can buy a variety of items from sellers on eBay by bidding on an auction or clicking the Buy it Now button. You can set up an eBay store, but it is significantly more limited in terms of branding and customization than Shopify.
However, according to research, there were more than 180,000 million eBay users and 476 million app downloads worldwide in 2019. That means it's a very active playground with thousands of people interested in buying your products.
Pros
- No technical knowledge needed to build a store
- No extra fees for private listings
- International sales
- Access to healthcare solutions thanks to PowerSeller status
- PayPal integration
Cons
- Manual inventory syncing
- No integrated shipping and fulfillment logistics
- Restricted customization options and improvement tools
How does eBay work?
Sellers can list their items for sale on eBay, complete with photos, descriptions, prices, and shipping information. Sellers are limited to a certain number of free listings per month. Following that, they must pay a fee for each subsequent eBay listing. Those who have registered for eBay receive a lower final value fee on each successful sale transaction.
eBay makes it simple for buyers to navigate the online retail website that offers a wide range of goods and services. Customers can search for the desired item or service by logging in to the company's website or using the mobile app. As a result, they can compare prices from various sellers and select the best deal.
Shopify vs eBay: Which One Outweighs The Other?
Shopify vs eBay: Ease of Use Comparison
Shopify's Userfriendliness
You don't have to be a Shopify expert to set up shop and create an online retail store in a matter of minutes. Here's how simple Shopify is to use:
- The platform provides you a working online shop structure. Therefore, you can adjust the already pieces rather than building a store piece by piece.
- You can select from pre-made templates.
- The templates are responsive in design, making them well adaptable to any screen sizes.
- Online payments are managed for you. You don’t have to work with sensitive credit card information.
- You can have your product catalog processed via a module within Shopify.
eBay Ease of Use
You don't need any technical knowledge or prior experience navigating an e-commerce dashboard. eBay is extremely simple to use. Some business tools, such as File Exchange and Selling Manager Pro, are simple to use, intuitive, and well-documented.
Shopify vs eBay: Design Templates Comparison
Templates for Shopify
Shopify offers approximately 100 modern and sophisticated designs. You will find something that complements your personal style and the personality of your online store. Furthermore, all of the templates are perfectly optimized for desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.
You don't have to be concerned with the type of products available for purchase within that demo theme when selecting your design. You can sell anything using the design theme you choose. Consider the following example. It has a modern, minimalist design that is functional for a variety of purposes.
Furthermore, once you've chosen a template, you can freely make changes until you're satisfied. Shopify's customization interface provides a number of options that are displayed one after the other. You can change every aspect of the template by scrolling from top to bottom.
Design Templates for eBay
eBay does not allow for much design freedom. Stores and listings adhere to a consistent format. Users can customize the storefront by changing the logo, banner, descriptions, and photo. Furthermore, you can change the navigation section on the store's left-hand side by creating new categories and subcategories.
Sellers have control over the title, variation options such as color, size, and model, and the initial description of their listings. More product information and images can be added to the central overview area.
Shopify vs eBay: Support Comparison
Shopify Assistance
Over time, Shopify's customer service has become more professional.
The marketplace offers 24-hour customer service helplines in various parts of the world. Users can contact support and communicate with them via phone, email, and live chat.
Its customer service team is knowledgeable, and they are practically experts in all things Shopify. In rare cases, the customer and the support team may be unable to resolve the issue. When this happens, they will suggest alternative paths to finding the answers you seek.
Shopify also provides a helpful knowledge base. You can read frequently asked questions or read tips and tricks recommended by other customers. There is also an online Shopify community where you can post any questions or concerns.
eBay Assistance
eBay's help and support services vary depending on the plan you choose. Higher-leverage subscription plans include eBay Concierge, which provides users with more support options than the basic package. The most basic is supported primarily through live chat and email.
The Concierge plan allows you to contact well-trained members of the support team, receive sales and marketing training, and receive support with shorter wait times. Furthermore, you can get help with negative reviews and listings that do not meet eBay criteria. Furthermore, there is a wealth of documentation and training materials available to help you learn.
Shopify vs eBay: Shipping Comparison
Shipping with Shopify
To assist Shopify store owners, Shopify now offers its own shipping software. Shopify Shipping is a free service that is built into every account.
Shopify Shipping provides tools for store owners to calculate real-time shipping rates, purchase and print shipping labels, and track shipments. Despite the fact that it is free for Shopify merchants on all pricing plans, keep in mind that it is only applicable to orders delivered from the United States and Canada.
This shipping suite offers users discounted rates on various shipping services thanks to its partnerships with USPS, UPS, DHL Express, and Canada Post. These discounts are typically between 20% and 50%, but they can reach up to 90%. Because of the rates of these shipping carriers, you can add real-time shipping calculations to your order processing page and your customers' checkout. This allows you to charge exact shipping amounts, reducing the risk of underestimating your shipping costs.
Furthermore, Shopify Shopping includes a number of features that can help you with order fulfillment. You can also manage orders and print shipping labels in bulk from the admin panel. Furthermore, international shipping tools can be used to generate and print custom forms as well as provide shipment tracking data to your customers.
eBay Delivery
First and foremost, you can ship your eBay items on your own. Although self-shipping requires more effort, you can avoid paying additional fees to third-party services or dropshipping providers. Furthermore, self-shipping can provide more opportunities for branding, such as using branded packing slips. You can use these slips to print logos, promotional announcements, or personal messages.
You could also consider using a third-party logistics partner. You must pay for this service, but it will be in charge of your shipment.
Furthermore, eBay offers a Global Shipping Program to make international sales simple and easy. Sellers can use the program to ship items to eBay's international shipping center in Kentucky. The items are then delivered to your customers all over the world by eBay, who handles any customs paperwork.
Shopify vs eBay: Pricing Comparison
Shopify Pricing
Shopify does offer a 14-day free trial as well as three different pricing plans:
- Basic Shopify: $29 per month with all the basics for running a brand new e-commerce store.
- Shopify: $79 per month with everything on the Basic plan and more staff accounts, improved reports, gift cards, POS, and shipping methods.
- Advanced Shopify: $299 per month with everything on the Shopify plan and more staff accounts, advanced reports, POS, and shipping options.
Another option for high-volume store owners is Shopify Plus. Furthermore, Shopify Lite allows you to sell on Facebook, communicate with buyers through the Messenger app, accept credit card payments, and add items to a website. This plan is only $9 per month.
eBay Pricing
eBay provides five pricing options, which are as follows:
- Starter: $4.95 per month (with annual subscription). This plan is for new sellers who list up to 100 products a month as a fixed price or an auction format.
- Basic: $21.95 per month. This is for sellers who list at least 250 products in a fixed price format or list high-value products to leverage lower final value fees.
- Premium:$59.95 per month. This for sellers who list at least 1,000 products a month in a fixed-price format.
- Anchor: $299.95 per month. This for sellers who list at least 10,000 products a month in a fixed-price format.
- Enterprise: $2999.95 per month. This for sellers who list at least 100,000 products a month in a fixed-price format.
eBay provides users with a certain number of listings per month within the price packages, and then charges a small fee for any additional listings.
Final thoughts
Which one should you pick? eBay or Shopify? The correct answer is entirely dependent on your company, products, and target audience.
If you want to compete on price, eBay is a great place to start. Meanwhile, if you want to build a strong, long-term online retail brand, you should create a dedicated Shopify site.
Take your time and hope you make the right choice.
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