This is a difficult subject for me to address, mainly because I can’t see a reason that someone would choose a eBay Store over having their own website. Especially since our goal is residual income, which drives people back to your business website. In looking at what people out there are saying when they compare an eBay store to a business website, I think one person summed up the difference perfectly:
eBay store = eBay makes money
website = YOU make money
Just like an eBay auction, with an eBay store you pay for each item listed and sold out of your store. However, in addition to the price of each item’s listing in the store and for each sale, you also pay a monthly fee based on the store format you choose. You can examine the eBay store fees on their website.
I suppose that there is an avenue for money to be made from an eBay store, but I don’t see the connection for the average person who wants to have a successful Internet business. In reviewing many of the forum comments people who are making money out of their eBay store are making more off of their website. I found this to be true several years ago when I was selling a line of products on eBay. The competition on eBay was fierce and there were people out there who were buying in quantities that afforded them a lower selling price. I found that I was able to sell at 300% profit (gross) off of my personal website, while on eBay I could sometimes gross as much as 10% profit.