Amazon or eBay in Australia: Which Should You Actually Start On?

Everyone starting out in Australia asks this, and most of them want someone to just name the winner. The honest answer is that Amazon and eBay are not two versions of the same website — they are two different businesses that happen to both involve posting parcels. Choosing on audience size alone is the most common way new sellers end up on the wrong one. What we cover: • The overtake: Pattern's 2026 Australia Marketplace Consumer Report has Amazon passing eBay as the leading Australian marketplace for the first time — Amazon reaching around 60% of Australian shoppers, eBay usage down from 62% in 2023 to 51% in 2026 • Why the traffic estimates (Amazon roughly 60–80 million monthly visits, eBay high-20s to mid-30s millions) should be treated with suspicion, and what IS reliable about them • The seller-side numbers from Amazon's Australian accounts filed with ASIC: total revenue around $3.8 billion, direct product sales $2.33bn up 20%, third-party seller services $839m up 48%, Prime $480m up 38.8%, advertising $242m up 58% • What it means that the money Amazon makes from sellers is growing more than twice as fast as the money it makes selling its own products — and that ad revenue is growing fastest of all • The cost of walking in: eBay's free selling for Australia-based sellers under $25,000 in the past 12 months (postage-label caveat included), versus Amazon's $49.95/month Professional plan plus referral fees of roughly 6–15% • Why cheap to enter is not the same as easy • The Amazon buyer has changed: price down 42% as a motivator, with speed (35%), Prime benefits (31%) and simple preference for Amazon (28%) taking over • The question actually worth asking — which business are you starting? eBay rewards having stock nobody else has. Amazon rewards owning a listing that ranks. They suit different people. • A sensible low-risk sequence if you have never sold anything online More at https://amzproductlauncher.com.au Fees and platform policies change — check eBay's and Amazon's own current fee pages before deciding anything. Traffic and market-share estimates come from third-party research and vary considerably between providers. General information only. Not financial, tax or legal advice, and nothing in this episode is a claim or prediction about income, earnings or business results.