As eBay continues to increase its fees and other marketplaces like Yardsellr.com shut down, sellers are scrambling to find the next best option. A few months ago, we looked at a few eBay alternatives that incorporate real-time auctions into the online community. Read More

Q: Do you have any advice for using eBay reserve price on auction listings? I sell high-end watches, and I want to preserve my investment, but I’m worried about scaring away bidders by setting a reserve. A: Setting an eBay reserve price is one way to ensure you don’t take a loss on a listing, but reserve pricing can be tricky business. Read More

It’s been almost four years since eBay shut down its live auction service that incorporated real auction houses with online bidding. The marketplace wanted to focus on creating a retail-like experience. Live auctions didn’t fit within that vision. Since eBay retired the gavel in late 2008, auction houses and online auction sites have been left to evolve virtual live bidding for themselves. Read More

With new stringent policies taking effect on eBay, hundreds of eBay sellers told The Online Seller they were looking for alternative venues on which to sell their items. Some readers said they would try their luck on Yardsellr, a social marketplace; others mentioned Etsy, an online marketplace for homemade goods. Read More

eBay alternative auction sites Proxibid and Auctionopia are expanding their marketplaces to make selling and buying more flexible. Live online-auction provider Proxibid just unrolled a “buy now” feature called Instant Purchase, which allows auction houses to offer an “instant purchase” price that will override any existing bids on an item. Read More

A new auction site that allows sellers to control their own “fast-paced, customizable auctions” launched on Thursday. At the new site, Outbid , merchants can open an account with their name, contact information and PayPal email address. Then they can create auctions with titles, photos and a description of the items that will be featured in the auctions. Read More

eBay’s decision to treat auctions with the Buy It Now option as fixed-price listings means some sellers will have to update their auctions before May 28 to ensure their listings will post. With the new policy, announced today as part of eBay’s 2012 Spring Seller Update, auctions with the Buy It Now option will be considered fixed-price listings. Read More

For buyers and sellers who still enjoy the online auction experience, a new auction site has just opened up. Auctionopia today announced its online auction platform is open for business, the latest in an expanding hodgepodge of eBay alternatives. The site aims to set itself apart by making buyer-seller communication more efficient, and by eliminating hidden costs, two issues CEO Tom Popomaronis characterizes as recurring problems with auction platforms. Read More

A class action lawsuit has been filed against eBay, claiming that eBay’s bidding system defrauds sellers of potential income. Since its launch, eBay’s bidding system has allowed bidders to privately place a maximum bid they are willing to pay for an auction. Read More

TV shows like “Storage Wars” and “Auction Hunters” have captured the imaginations of millions of viewers. People seem to love watching resellers seek out gems among the seemingly forgotten contents of rented storage lockers, which are being auctioned off because of nonpayment. Read More