eCrater rounded out the field, coming in 10th in the 2020 Sellers Choice Awards for Online Marketplaces. Easy and free with some avid fans, but don’t expect buyers to knock down your door.
In January 2020, EcommerceBytes asked readers to rate the marketplaces on which they had experience selling. An introduction to the Sellers Choice survey along with a summary of the overall ratings can be found here, along with links to results for each of the 10 online marketplaces included in the survey.
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Ecrater
Year Established: 2004
Description: Fixed price and storefronts; general merchandise and collectibles
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Summary:
eCrater came in 10th place in the 2020 Sellers Choice Awards for Online Marketplaces.
Sellers say eCrater is basic but reliable – “eCrater’s selling interface is a little basic. But then it’s free to list so I don’t expect bells and whistles.”
Many respondents said it was easy to use, though some said there was a learning curve for new users. “Their help pages are so outdated with nothing updated in many many years that no wonder new sellers have so much problem navigating the site and setting up shop,” wrote one respondent. But a number of sellers said the forums offered friendly peer support.
“For someone new eCrater can be a bit confusing but customer service is TERRIFIC and very helpful and they get stuff sold for a person and their rates are the lowest. Once you get it all figured out it’s very easy and profitable.”
One longtime eCrater seller said they wished more sellers would come to eCrater – “There is a lot to recommend it.” They noted things were really good “until Google started making changes that affected any online seller.”
Low fees were a big plus. One negative cited by respondents: it’s not a traffic driver on its own – sellers must invest time to get sales. “For smaller sellers, you can use it as your primary site and use limited exposure on the big sites to direct repeat customers to eCrater, but do not rely on it by itself,” one seller wrote.
Other pluses cited by sellers: no interference into sellers’ business, and no constant changes.
On sellers’ wish lists were better shipping and image-upload features and the ability to bulk edit listings and sync inventory with their shops on other marketplaces.
eCrater received a 4.49 in Profitability; a 4.56 in Customer Service; a 4.44 in Communication; and a 5.25 in Ease of Use. It received a 4.77 from sellers when asked, “How likely are you to recommend eCrater as a selling venue to a friend or colleague?”
Reader Comments:The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
I love eCrater. Very easy to use and they don’t insinuate themselves into the sellers’ business. Their fees are extremely low.
Customer service is always provided by a REAL person! I haven’t had to contact them much but the response has always been within 24 hours, very specific, and helpful. There is a definite learning curve with this type of selling venue. I wouldn’t describe it as a ‘plug and play’ type and requires more research and work on the seller’s part to get it going. However, once you get the hang of it, it really is so easy to maintain! Sales are hit or miss depending on your type of inventory. Traffic much depends on the investment of the seller. You can’t beat the fees! The fee structure is extremely reasonable and welcoming for any small business just starting out. Overall a great ecommerce site!
eCrater has been steady over time, but not a robust venue. The service is pretty basic, but it works. The fees are great, but you definitely need to bring your own customer base. It has never grown to what was hoped for in the early days, but it has been reliable unlike so many of the big players. For smaller sellers, you can use it as your primary site and use limited exposure on the big sites to direct repeat customers to eCrater, but do not rely on it by itself.
They let the sellers be sellers and own their product. Nice that they reply without “canned” answers. A place that you work at your shop and you will be rewarded. I wish that they would update the shipping portion. Need a better way to upload pictures. Free templates need some changes for a friendlier look. Something is wrong with their feedback percentages.
eCrater is difficult to understand how to get started if you’re not a geek. But once you figure it out it’s easy to list. My main complaint is no one can search an individual store name. Every sale is from an internet search engine. I have 40 things on eBay and 485 things listed on eCrater now. Sales aren’t everyday but neither are sales everyday on eBay. I’m happy to be back on eCrater. I do my self promoting to get sales.
I would like to make more money on eCrater. I have been selling there for 12 years now. Things were really good until Google started making changes that affected any online seller. I do my own promotions and am happy with eCrater. I have more than once carried on an email conversation with the owner and how many other venues can you say that about. He has kept his promise when it comes to lack of fees, etc. I wish more sellers would give it a try as I think having a bunch of great sellers on eCrater come and start selling there would be the boost that eCrater needs. I have recommended eCrater to many others. I have found it a very easy venue to sell on, list on, etc. Yet I am surprised by those that come from other venues that say how hard it is to list on eCrater. I have sold on Half.com, Amazon, eBay, Alibris, B&N.com and some other new startups. Of all of them, eCrater is the easiest venue I have found to list on. 10 free photos, 100 character titles, unlimited space for descriptions, selling fees only if you sell via eCrater’S Marketplace. If a buyer comes to your store via a link directly to your store, no fees. Your choice of payment sources. There is a lot to recommend it. Give us a chance and if you need help, we have a very friendly forum of folks happy to help.
Easy to use. No fees to list and you can leave it listed until it is sold or you delete the item.
eCrater is a nice place to get a few sales and perhaps if you really focus on promoting your work there, it could be profitable, but it is challenging site to post on and there is no real support there at all. Still I am grateful they exist.
Easy to list your items. FVFs aren’t too high. Sales come a few a month.
eCrater is no frills, and has minimal support for you as a seller. The import from other sites like eBay is bare bones, compared to Bonanza. But I have had respectable sales on eCrater, Much more than Bonanza though less than eBay. Also eCrater is not on the search for new ways to raise revenue from fees, unlike eBay. Therefore, I like eCrater and wish them well
I have been with eCrater for years. I like the site very much. Items that won’t sell on eBay I can import to eCrater…they generally sell better there.
eCrater is litter harder to use for a newer seller. You can see they are working on it. Even without all the bells and whistles it’s a good site. Since they are newer, less sellers on it. Gives you a new way to sell. I ever much enjoy using it.
It always surprises me when I see how much I have sold without even trying here.
eCrater is one of my favorite places to sell. Customer Service is great. They respond with useful answers to my questions within 24 hours.
So easy to use and no fees except if you opt-in to their marketplace, and then only the sales through it get a small charge. Any direct sales from your links have no fees at all. Love this place!
eCrater seems to be mainly self-service, you have to know what you’re doing first before jumping in. They give you an option to pay fees, which is supposed to give you preference on customer searches.
Having been using eCrater for many years. I find it a good place to sell my items. I find the forum especially helpful.
Simple, elegant interface that doesn’t change constantly. The only confusing thing was the Shipping Matrix, but when I finally figured out how to customize it for my store (eg. 1 is 250g, 2 is 500g, 4 is 1kg) it works fabulously.
Good, low commission. Hard to list stuff, no variations. Not much said and very little advice unless you go on a separate website to find out what’s going on at eCrater and the guidelines
Easy to move over listings but not so well known. I do enjoy the google search part which adds the possibility of a sale without having to pay for it. Further fees are low.
Requires learning curve to list effectively, and has limitations… but once you set up the store, it’s a breeze. Excellent fee structure (including NO FEE for direct thru storefront url purchases, and nominal fee thru other gateways). Very stable and consistent parameters year after year that won’t throw wrenches into your selling model. You pretty much must self-promote to be successful. But you retain more of the cash you earn by using eCrater over pretty much any other available site. I’m neutral on recommending the site because of the instant gratification desire of most individuals. You gotta really learn the rules and quirks here to get started. I’m good with that, and love eCrater. It’s all you, baby!
eCrater pretty much runs itself. Sellers learn through trial and error. If one needs a quick answer they can ask the forum where someone with experience is usually around to help. Otherwise, if you send a message it could take anywhere from a few hours to 1-2 days to answer.
eCrater may not have the bells ‘n whistles of other venues, and one does have to work at promoting one’s own items, but it is the best I have yet found in terms of not messing with seller’s options and basically providing a platform for running your own shop your way. They show well on Google and the fees are amazingly reasonable, with shop and listing still free for infinite items! Only small fee if item sells via their marketplace. They are the best if you want to just work your own shop!
I have been a seller on eCrater for over 10 years. It is a great site to sell on. You are not constantly pestered by suggestive emails trying to tell you how to run your business. Fees are reasonable.
eCrater is easy to use, but just doesn’t seem to have the traffic. I’ve had lots of sales, but it’s not anything to get super excited over.
eCrater is under rated at best. It is a good site, simple and basic which is good BUT the site is so way out dated with its seller tools and features. eCrater’s usage of categories and item attributes is atrocious. Their help pages are so outdated with nothing updated in many many years that no wonder new sellers have so much problem navigating the site and setting up shop.
I received more sales from this site, but they do not auto sync sales, price changes, which is a huge mess when dealing with 500 to 1000 listings.
Some sales but slow to sell on platform. Love import feature. Hate having to manually update product list.
This site has a lot of potential but needs to be overhauled.
Seems to be a regional site, very little integration with shipping programs. Not a whole lot you can do with eCrater.
If you are an Internet seller you are foolish not to have at least a small representation of your sale items listed on eCrater.
I use eCrater as a secondary selling platform with regards to selling.
eCrater submitting items to Google Shopping very successfully and you can see the results, the problem is that the stores are outdated, uploading images one by one is a pain job and when there’s an error, the won’t let you know unless you’ll ask them. A weird but working online store, the best free one there is, even better than paid online stores, in my taste.
I tried eCrater, but the fact that they won’t import changes from eBay was a deal breaker for me. There is no way I would spend the time to update over 1000 items on multiple venues individually.
When I first started on eCrater, I was selling more than now. When eCrater changed their Google contact, it got harder and now my sales are nonexistant.
Awkward to use. I lose a lot of buyers who can’t figure how to pay. But it has a presence, so why not use it.
Been on here for years and only sold a few things
Not great integration with other sites. If I sell an item somewhere else, I have to find it on their site to remove it.
I’ve tried eCrater a few times. The interface is extremely difficult to use – it seems very antiquated. I’ve never had a sale from eCrater, so it was a waste of time.
After using eCrater for years, their lack of connection to Google Search drove me away.
eCrater is not seller friendly, they terminate seller as they like and always side the buyer. The layout is sooo outdated, but the profits is high due to low fee structure. I would recommend them, but only if you can survive their ridiculous rules.
I like that eCrater doesn’t charge me commission on sales I bring to my store. eCrater has a lot of improvement to make in listings. I find their platform to be very limiting.
It needs more refinement for listing the product and marketing options.
There are no listing fees, and I like the stats I can get on items, but uploading photos is incredibly clunky and time consuming. It’s also not a popular platform for buyers, and I’ve literally only ever made 2 sales in the 5-7 years I’ve had an eCrater account.
I rarely get sales on eCrater and when I do the people never pay. How is that even possible?? Thinking about taking my listings off of there.
eCrater seems to have a decent setup. Not being able to bulk update is a major flaw though. They should also consider getting together with Shopify to import and sync products with Shopify users stores.
This is by far the most un-intuitive selling platform I’ve used. I was really hoping they would step up and improve to give unhappy eBay sellers a better place to sell.
Sellers Choice Awards:
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