Amazon vs Ebay

Holy hell batman! I opened up a seller account and got my bank account and cc validated, but
when I went to try and post my first listing for sale, it's so damn difficult!

The first listing I attempted, after spending a lot of time filling out the details, it tells me later this
item is not able to sell on Amazon with no explanation why.

Then I tried to list another item and it wants me to study all of their policies and then take this exam and answer all these questions, and the very last question asks me to provide documents of the item I'm selling, when I bought it, from who, etc.

After about 30 minutes, I didn't get anything done. Is it that hard to list on Amazon?
Ebay is such a synch. I don't even to have list a UPC code or anything. I'm done in a minute to post a listing.

Is Amazon really this difficult to list or maybe since it's my first time trying to list there, I am missing some info on how to properly and easily post listings.

If you have the asin number for the item you are listing it should be super easy for you to list on Amazon. If Amazon is making you jump through a lot of hoops like that then there must be a a reason. It might be the item you are listing or something having to do with the account.

Hmm.... that's probably why. I was creating a new listing/product, not using a pre-existing ASIN number in amazon's database. So if the products I'm selling are found already on Amazon, then I just use the ASIN number? If the product is not found on Amazon, then I have to jump through all these hoops to create a brand new listing?

oatmeal said:

So if the products I'm selling are found already on Amazon, then I just use the ASIN number?

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Yes. But you see the what would be the problem with this. Since items with same ASIN # is exactly same, you are literally competing with buyers doing apples to apples comparison with every other seller on Amazon. An advantage a seller has over another seller is magnified on Amazon.

oatmeal said:

If the product is not found on Amazon, then I have to jump through all these hoops to create a brand new listing?

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You can get approval to list items without ASIN # if you get brand approval from Amazon.

Word of warning about selling on Amazon. If you think eBay is unfair to you like you state in your previous posts, Amazon will be a LOT more unfair. For example, on Amazon having confirmed delivery isn't good enough. You must get signature upon delivery for it to count. Also if there is a problem with your account or the items you are selling Amazon has this nasty habit of just banning you and confiscating your funds.

Yes, so my understanding of Amazon was completely off. Amazon is nothing like ebay. It sounds like on Amazon, you have to be the actual seller, manufacturer, or have the rights to sell something.

So basically, I can't dropship using Amazon unless I ask my dropshipper to give me permission whom which they would have to probably ask the actual brand/manufacturer for approval?

What I wanted to do was to simply list items for sale on Amazon from my dropshipper's store. Then when an order comes in, I'd simply it from my dropshipper's store and have it shipped out to the address of the buyer on amazon. Easily done on ebay, not so easily done it sounds like on Amazon?

Every thing I want to list for sale says, "Listing limitations apply" and then asks me to get approval to list. I'd have to get brand approval and submit documents etc. This sounds like hell for someone who just wants to dropship.

If there is still a way to sell on Amazon (listing items for sale from my dropshipper's store), I'd love to know how. But I've tried so far and it sounds like too many documents and approvals I'd need to provide.

Just to clarify: people will use Amazon as a dropshipper, meaning, they will put a listing on ebay and when a buyer buys it, the seller will then go over to Amazon and purchase it there and have it shipped out to the ebay buyer's address. That's not what I want to use Amazon for. I want to be a seller on Amazon (but dropshipping from another website and ship to the buyers ebay/paypal address). Is that possible?

If Amazon is a no go for me, then should I consider Etsy? Is Etsy a lot more like Ebay or Amazon? After that, my next project will be to try a little store maybe using shopify or another website and start my own store.

Etsy is more for arts and craft type items. Theres not much for buyers from what I have seen either. Your best bet would be eBay or learning the works of Shopify for dropshipping.

oatmeal said:

I can't dropship using Amazon unless I ask my dropshipper to give me permission whom which they would have to probably ask the actual brand/manufacturer for approval?

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Well, technically you can, but the problem with Amazon is that every drop shipper worth his salt will also be on Amazon because the drop shipper can make more money using FBA instead of having someone sell for them. So the drop shipper doesn't really need you to sell his product on Amazon. You will see pretty much every big drop shipper in Ali on FBA with another name.

oatmeal said:

But I've tried so far and it sounds like too many documents and approvals I'd need to provide.

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This also has benefits, since once you are in, it creates a barrier of entry so some random guy in Pakistan or Estonia isn't arbritraging and cutting into your profits like on eBay.

Hmm interesting, so FBA sort of acts like a single mega sized dropshipper for all these businesses?
It really sounds more advantageous to be a business and get Amazon to sell and do everything for you,
all you have to do is list and send Amazon your inventory? So basically it doesn't sound like it's any good for
someone who wants to dropship from and outside company using Amazon as the mode to sell? Most people use Amazon itself as the dropshipper (which works fine of course), but what I was thinking of doing was being a seller on Amazon but dropshipping from an outside company, then maybe other buyers/sellers could even start dropshipping from me as a dropshipper lol. Confusing to explain but I think you get what I was thinking. So does this explain the reason why most people dropship from Amazon and sell it on ebay as oppose to the other way (using ebay as your dropshipper to sell on Amazon)?

I have another question coming, and it doesn't have anything to do with amazon anymore so I think I'll start a new thread.

oatmeal said:

all you have to do is list and send Amazon your inventory?

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Yes, that's pretty much it. eBay is moving in this direction also. eBay is going to set up a fulfillment center in US for Chinese manufacturers. This is why I keep saying that small non specialized drop shippers are going to be squeezed to death because the manufacturer's inventory being directly linked to the selling platform means that both sides don't need you any more.

oatmeal said:

what I was thinking of doing was being a seller on Amazon but dropshipping from an outside company, then maybe other buyers/sellers could even start dropshipping from me as a dropshipper lol.

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The problem with that is there is 20% amazon fees each time it is dropshipped and the list of items where you can get big enough profits for the people trying to dropship is getting smaller.

oatmeal said:

So does this explain the reason why most people dropship from Amazon and sell it on ebay as oppose to the other way (using ebay as your dropshipper to sell on Amazon)?

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Yes, and couple of other reasons...1. Amazon will just close your account and confiscate your funds on a whim. and 2. Amazon pays your bank account every two weeks so if you're out of US, it's a lot more harder to do.

Thanks for the replies. Would you know how many shipping addresses I can change/add to my ebay purchase when I pay with paypal? I recently listed a product from another seller on ebay (just took and altered the photos a bit and the title of the listing to make it seem unique). Someone just bought it from me today and now I went over to the original seller's ebay store to purchase it, but I had to add my buyer's shipping address at checkout since I want them to ship (dropship) to my buyer's address and not to my address which is on my paypal file/ebay file. I'm just wondering if there is a limit to how many times you can change shipping addresses or how many you can add without ebay/paypal getting suspicious or do they not care? If another buyer keeps buying from me, I'd imagine I'd have to keep changing or adding more shipping addresses to my paypal checkout option in ebay checkout.

oatmeal said:

I'm just wondering if there is a limit to how many times you can change shipping addresses or how many you can add without ebay/paypal getting suspicious or do they not care? If another buyer keeps buying from me, I'd imagine I'd have to keep changing or adding more shipping addresses to my paypal checkout option in ebay checkout.

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I think this is okay as a once in a while type of deal, but I don't think this is a viable long term strategy. Remember, the whole point of drop shipping is to make it seem like you are not. If you just keep adding shipping addresses, at some point it will set off flags at either eBay or Paypal.

To Amazon a seller is a turd and a buyer is a diamond.

They are horrible to deal with on the sales side, disgusting.