When I tell people I sell my Antiques online they immediately jump to the conclusion that I sell at Ebay. Although selling on eBay has its benefits there are also additional ways to sell online. Consider the fixed price online Antique Mall. There are many benefits when selling on an online Antique mall.

Important benefits are you sell at a fixed price, you benefit from the co-operative effort of many items within the mall site which brings repeat customers and more links into your shop from Google than you can possibly get on your own website. Important functions are part of the shop, for example a shopping cart where customer can add to cart, input their payment information and your antique is sold. If you have considered opening a shop at one of the Antique malls available there are many thing you must consider when determining which fits your needs.

What is the REAL cost?

What is the REAL cost of opening a shop? In our example we will talk about a well known Antique Mall.

Initial Signup Fee $50. Once you are open you pay a monthly fee which includes 50 items within the price.

This is where it can get costly. In addition to your monthly fee you will be charged a $0.30 cents for uploading your item to your shop

You are also charged a monthly maintenance fee of $0.30 cents per item.

Another well known mall has options for members

A one year contract

$79 - unlimited items + 6% commission or

$39 - unlimited items + 10% commission

What Features Are Offered To Shop Owners?

Another important consideration is functionality provided to shop owners. Does it provide your shop with a shopping cart system making it easy for your customers to buy or do your customers need to send emails back and forth before the actual purchase takes place? Remember make it as easy for your customer as possible.

Look at the cost carefully. Imagine you have 100 items and sell one item for $500. Then compare cost taking into consideration monthly fees, listing fees, monthly maintenance fees, commissions and fees to gain exposure within the site. The above example appears very inexpensive initially but as you can imagine it can add up.

Getting noticed within the online mall:

Most malls are set up so the last item listed is listed first within the category or search. You must list and list but this becomes expensive. If you do not list you can pay for listing enhancements. You can opt for the Featured Listing for example where you pay a set price and you are listed higher or in a highly visible spot on the site. Take the time to look at the cost of using this feature and compare. When comparing also look at the time your listing is given the elevated listing status.

Is it easy for customers and shop owners to navigate the site?

Is the site confusing? Can you get lost easily?

How many pictures can you add per item. Remember Antiques can be expensive and 4 pictures per item just does not give the buyer the security they need.

Is it easy for shop owners to manage their shops?

Can you view a demo or login to a demo account?

What will your neighbors be like?

What are the restrictions? Is there any type of quality control. Are shop owners listing correctly? Does the mall owner so much control that it now appears tacky. Is it a high end venue with high quality control standards or does anything go? Will the type of Antiques you are selling fit the site?

Selling at malls definitely has its benefits and I would consider the best option out there but there is much to consider.