In the past, if you wanted to sell something you had to place an advertisement in the local newspaper or rely on word of mouth. Nowadays, you can easily go online, upload your product, write a description, and it is ready to sell to a massive consumer market! Selling things on the internet is now very simple, which is why millions of people around the world do it.
According to Statista, over two billion people purchased goods and services online in 2020. Thanks to all of the different e-commerce platforms, selling items online is a simple process; the only question is which platform to use?
Here are five of the best-performing online selling platforms:
1. Amazon Marketplace
Launched in 2000, Amazon Marketplace has been one of the most popular online places for individuals and small businesses to sell just about anything. CNBC explains that Amazon Marketplace has millions of sellers that account for about 60% of Amazon’s retail sales. As of 2020, there were 1.9 million active sellers on this e-commerce platform. The platform is available worldwide, which makes it easier to sell things because it connects buyers and sellers from all around the world. Amazon Marketplace also help facilitate shipping through different types of shipping plans for sellers.
2. Shopify
Created in 2004, Shopify is one of the most well-known e-commerce platforms to do business on. As of 2022, Shopify had the largest e-commerce platform market share in the U.S, with nearly 32% of businesses using it. An article about Shopify by AskMoney describes how the subscription-based service can be an effective e-commerce tool for anyone wanting to sell online. Shopify allows business owners to have an online shop with low startup costs (as low as $29 per month) and customizable website templates, along with web hosting services and web servers. In short, the only thing a business owner needs is to have a strong internet connection to access their e-commerce store on this platform.
3. Facebook Marketplace
Facebook is an already famous social media platform used by roughly 2.93 billion users around the world. In 2016, Facebook Marketplace was launched as a way to allow Facebook users to sell their merchandise through the platform. Since then, the platform has grown to be one of the most successful e-commerce platforms globally. In the first quarter of 2021 alone, Facebook Marketplace reported having more than one billion monthly global users.
Popular features that make Facebook Marketplace a great platform for selling is how it doesn’t cost anything – it’s absolutely free – and it is integrated with Facebook Messenger which allows direct communication between buyers and sellers. Since it is based on social media, buyers and sellers can check each other’s profiles should they wish to do background checks on each other.
4. Craigslist
Started in 1995, Craigslist has grown to become a successful e-commerce platform with over $1 billion a year in revenue. It maintains a simple, text-based website that makes it easy for users to find what they are searching for. The categories are specific and users can set geographical locations, thus making it easy to buy and sell goods and services within the buyers’ area. Users can make an account, upload a product, write a description, and “post to classifieds.” It is simple, easy, and free – which makes the platform so popular.
5. eBay
Launched in 1995, eBay is still a powerful e-commerce platform for both buyers and sellers. In fact, eBay had approximately 159 million active buyers worldwide in the second quarter of 2021. This platform is a little different than other platforms because it has the option to sell items at auctions. An article at Entrepreneur points out that sellers on eBay are often able to get more money than what the item is actually worth because any interested buyer can put in a bid. This is one of the reasons selling on this platform is still very attractive and lucrative, particularly for one-of-a-kind items.
Selling is easier than ever before, and with the best online platforms connecting people all over the world, buyers and sellers can now do business from anywhere at any time. We hope you’ve enjoyed this article, and for more content on marketing, please read our advice on ‘How to Market to Big Brands?’
