Softwr

E-commerce · head to head

eBay vs Substack

E

eBay

E-commerce

Buy and sell on the world's online marketplace

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substack logo

Substack

News & Media

The newsletter platform for writers and publishers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Substack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: eBay final value fees run up to 13.6 percent of the sale price plus $0.30 per order in most categories, on top of any optional listing upgrade fees; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which eBay and Substack actually diverge.

Attributes where eBay and Substack differ
AttributeeBaySubstack
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile
CategoryE-commerceNews & Media
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in eBay

Nothing recorded that Substack does not also cover.

Only in Substack

  • Newsletter publishing
  • Subscriber management
  • Paid subscriptions
  • Email analytics
  • Post scheduling
  • Archive creation
  • Free/paid tier split
  • Comments & discussion

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

eBay

No use cases recorded yet. See the eBay review.

Substack

  • Newsletter distributionnot eBay
  • Reader monetizationnot eBay
  • Community buildingnot eBay
  • Subscriber managementnot eBay

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

eBay

  • Final value fees run up to 13.6 percent of the sale price plus $0.30 per order in most categories, on top of any optional listing upgrade fees

Substack

  • Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees

Pricing, plan by plan

eBay

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the eBay review.

Substack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited newsletters
    • Basic design
    • Archive access
  • Pro$12/month
    • Custom domain
    • Advanced analytics
    • Member chat

Which should you pick?

Choose eBay if

Nothing in the data separates eBay from Substack on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

eBay review

Choose Substack if

  • You need newsletter publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want subscriber management.
Substack review

Questions people ask

Is eBay or Substack better?
Neither clearly leads. eBay starts at On request and Substack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, eBay or Substack?
Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for eBay and Free for Substack.
Does eBay or Substack run on more platforms?
eBay runs on Web. Substack runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use Substack for free?
Yes. Substack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. eBay starts at On request.
What can eBay do that Substack cannot?
Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics.
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Related pages

More on eBay

More on Substack

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