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The COVID-19 pandemic caused a crisis in many industries, but definitely contributed to the growth of the e-commerce industry. Lockdown and its results: work and study from home, reflected in a global increase of interest in online shopping.
The dynamics of this increase differs between countries, but a distinctive trend is the interest of new social groups in online shopping (this particularly applies to older people). Baby boomers generation ( people born between 1946 and 1964) and generation X (people born between 1965 and 1979) – everyone over the age of 40 – have started to enter the world of online shopping. The pandemic caused an e-commerce boom, and the online shopping habits seem to stay with us longer.
Global e-commerce trends include:
Globally, 47% of e-commerce sales are processed through marketplaces. Platforms such as Amazon, Allegro and eBay offer huge opportunities for sellers and comfort for buyers.
Interesting fact: What is a marketplace? It is an online platform, a common place for sellers and buyers, where purchases are made without leaving the website or app.
Why is it worth selling online at all? Is it necessary to put your offer online? E-commerce is in constant growth, further accelerated in the last two years by the pandemic. Between 2014 and 2021, the number of online shoppers worldwide increased from 1.32 billion to 2.14 billion, and global e-commerce retail sales grew from $1.34 billion to $4.28 billion!
Interesting fact: In Europe as many as 92% of households have access to the Internet and 7 out of 10 users have ever shopped online. Globally 59.5% of the population are active internet users.
Online sales are developing not only locally but also globally. Thanks to the Internet, it is possible to reach potential buyers from all over the world. E-commerce also means lower costs compared to a stationary shop and the possibility of running more effective marketing operations. In the 21st century, it is hard to imagine a business that operates only stationary!
Not all marketplaces are equally popular, some cover a specific market, others operate globally. Which platforms are the most popular among buyers? Which ones generate the highest profits for sellers? Today, we’ll compare Amazon versus eBay and Allegro to help you make your choice.
No. |
Marketplace |
Visits/monthly |
Sales range |
1 |
Amazon |
5,2 B |
Global |
2 |
eBay |
1,7 B |
Global |
3 |
Mercado Libre |
683,9 M |
South America |
4 |
Rakuten |
575,8 M |
Japan |
5 |
AliExpress |
534,4 M |
Global |
6 |
Shopee |
457,9 M |
South-East Asia |
7 |
Walmart.com |
410,3 M |
USA |
8 |
Etsy |
391,8 M |
Global |
9 |
Taobao |
329,4 M |
China |
10 |
Piduoduo |
241,5 M |
China |
11 |
Tredyol |
206,2 M |
Turkey |
12 |
Allegro |
190,2 M |
Poland |
13 |
Target.com |
182,2 M |
USA |
14 |
Wayfair |
179,1 M |
North America, Europe |
15 |
JD.com |
178,8 M |
China |
In our comparison, we take a closer look at Amazon versus eBay and Allegro as platforms available not only in European markets but also on other continents.
Founded in 1994, Amazon’s sales platform is not only top 1 in the world, but also far ahead of its competitors. It is visited by 5.2 billion people every month. The annual sales generated by Amazon are estimated to be $442.4 billion, and by 2023 it will be $580 billion per year.
Amazon has a total of marketplaces in 18 countries to reach even more customers.
Amazon is available in countries such as
Sellers can operate simultaneously in up to a dozen markets. More than 180 fulfilment centres located around the world make international transactions extremely simple.
You can estimate your Amazon sales margin using dedicated calculator.
The second most popular sales platform, eBay, operates in a total of 37 countries worldwide. Every month, the platform is visited 1.7 billion times and the total value of transactions in 2020 exceeded USD 100 billion. eBay also allows individuals to sell second-hand products – running a business is not necessary.
– for listing the product,
– commission based on sales,
– eBay Store charges.
Allegro is the largest e-commerce platform in Poland. Founded in 1999, over the years it has become firmly established in the consciousness of the domestic consumers. Products available on the platform can also be put up for an auction. Each month Allegro is visited 190.2 million times. Allegro’s GMV (Gross Merchandise Volume) for 2020 was PLN 35.1 billion (approximately USD 8.65 billion).
Amazon and eBay are often put together as global sales platforms with a wide reach. However, when you compare Amazon versus eBay, the former is far ahead of the latter – not only in terms of the number of visits or the level of profit generated for sellers, but also in terms of customer loyalty. So what is safer: Amazon or eBay? Or, in other words: is Amazon or eBay more trustworthy?
Amazon is trusted by users. 89% of US shoppers agree that they are more likely to buy products from Amazon in comparison to other e-commerce platforms. Amazon Prime has over 200 million users globally, 20% of them shop online several times a week and 7% use the platform daily or almost daily! eBay does not offer free shipping programs – any discounts are on the seller’s side.
Interesting fact: The average Amazon Prime user spends USD 1.3k per year. The average non-Amazon Prime user spends around USD 700 per year.
Just like on eBay: not only companies but also individuals can sell on Allegro. How does this marketplace compare to Amazon?
So far, Allegro remains more popular in Poland than Amazon – but this may change soon. The disadvantage of Allegro is that you are limited to selling only within the country.
In November 2021 Allegro acquired Mall Group a.s. (mall.cz), one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Central and Eastern Europe. So we can assume that they will expand their offer to this area of Europe as well.
Currently, Allegro is not a great choice and if you want to develop your sales on foreign markets – Amazon will definitely suit this purpose.
Allegro tried to adapt the platform to other markets, in 2016 Allegro.de was launched, but the portal was not competitive compared to the far more popular Amazon.de and was eventually closed down. In a similar period, attempts were made to implement the portal in the Czech Republic, Russia and Ukraine. Ultimately, the foreign sites were either closed or sold and are no longer part of Allegro.
When it comes to marketplace importance in the global economy, Allegro still has a lot to catch up on. The company only started being listed on the stock market in 2020, Amazon has been listed for almost 25 years, being a Silicon Valley giant.
Allegro is admittedly a well established e-commerce platform in the consciousness of Polish internet users, but only Polish ones – outside the country the platform is not that popular.
Customers are not only guided by their habits, but also by quality and price, and that’ s where Amazon has a lot to offer, for example with Amazon Prime and the ability to simply buy goods from sellers abroad.
Amazon versus eBay and Allegro? Which platform should I choose? Is aAmazon or ebBay better for selling? Or maybe Allegro is the best of them all?