Carousell Vs Facebook Marketplace Vs Shopee vs Lazada, Which Is Best For Me As A Seller?
As much as we try to be mindful of our expenses, we are all human and are prone to impulsive buys.
Don’t worry, your secret is safe with us!
Back to our impulsive buys…
Sometimes, you’ll eventually find a use for them, but most of the time, they’ll end up in a small corner in your room.
Or you might just be looking to start a side hustle for more income, I mean, who doesn’t want more money, right?
Before you can sell your stuff, you’re likely to need a platform to reach potential buyers and whatnot.
With so many online marketplaces like Carousell, Facebook Marketplace, Shopee and Lazada, which one is suitable for you?
TL;DR – Carousell Vs Facebook Marketplace Vs Shopee Vs Lazada, Which Online Marketplace Is The Best For Me?
| Carousell | Facebook Marketplace | Shopee | Lazada | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setting Up & Listing of Items | Easy & low effort set up and item listing | Separate app & website for sellers, more effort required to list items | ||
| Seller Fees | Free, unless renewing expired listing | Free | Transaction & service fees payable | Payment & shipping fees payable |
| Payment Services | Cash on delivery, third party or CarouPay | Cash on delivery or third party | In-app payment services linked to credit or debit cards | |
| Delivery Services | Fully arranged by seller with option of meet-up or delivery | Logistics partners available for delivery | ||
| Best For | Casual sellers | Casual sellers | Casual sellers & home businesses | Home businesses |
Carousell
Am I the only one who hasn’t sold anything on Carousell before?
Ease Of Setting Up
Anyway, Carousell is probably the first option you’ll think of if you’re looking to sell something, probably because it’s so easy to get started.
All you need to do is register for an account, decide the price, take and upload photos of the items you’re selling and you can make a listing!
I guess that’s why it’s so popular since it’s very low-effort and you can easily do it yourself in a couple of minutes.
Seller Fees
It’s probably also one of the more popular platforms since there are hardly any fees you need to pay as a seller!
The only time you’ll be required to pay any fee is if you’re listing items in the Cars, Motorbikes and Property categories, which is unlikely for you since you’re probably selling products or services.
If you are considering selling items from the above categories, you’ll still be able to list for free, up to your listing quota.
| Category | Free Listing Quota |
|---|---|
| Property | 1 free listing, every 30 days |
| Car | 5 free listings, every 30 days |
| Motorbikes | 3 free listings, every 30 days |
But you can’t expect too many seller features since it’s pretty much a free service to you, so a lot of it is still left up to you!
Payment Services
You’ll probably end up spending some time negotiating the prices and arranging for payment with potential buyers.
While CarouPay is a relatively new payment feature that allows buyers to make payment in-app using their debit or credit card, more often than not, payment is through third-party transfer apps or by cash.
Delivery Services
The beauty of a marketplace like Carousell allows flexibility as you can choose between meet-up or delivery for your dealing methods.
The only downside? You’ll have to deal with the whole process yourself.
Most of the time, sellers will offer a lower price for meet-ups since it also takes some effort on the buyers’ end. You’ll be able to list locations and schedules of your choice and coordinate directly with the buyer.
Carousell has pre-loaded delivery options and the pricing for ease and speed, but you can also choose to use a custom courier and set your own price.
Best for: Casual Sellers
Facebook Marketplace
Ease of Setting Up
Facebook Marketplace is the easiest amongst the various platforms here!
As long as you’re logged on to your Facebook account, you can access it under the Marketplace tab. There’s no need for a separate application or whatsoever.
Similar to Carousell, the listing process is also really straightforward – you just need to decide the pricing, upload the photos, add your description before waiting for buyers to contact you.
Seller Fees
Likewise, Facebook Marketplace is free for sellers to list their items and use their platform.
Payment Services
Facebook Marketplace currently doesn’t offer any in-app payment services, so it’ll take a little more effort on your end to coordinate with the buyer when it comes to the payment method.
Buyers are also able to negotiate the prices so good luck with that!
Delivery Services
Similar to Carousell, you’ll have to deal with this yourself.
Facebook Marketplace works mainly on a meet-up basis, with a toggle option to offer shipping.
However, there are no pre-loaded shipping options, so again, you’ll have to discuss with your potential buyers.
Best for: Casual Sellers
Shopee
Ease Of Setting Up
I’m not sure if you’ve thought about selling on Shopee since it’s one of the most popular shopping apps we use.
You can use the same app and log-in to buy and sell on Shopee so it’s really rather easy to set up as well!
The basic steps are the same as Carousell and Facebook Marketplace, with additional details required, such as the weight of the item you’re selling and your stock quantity.
Seller Fees
While Shopee does not charge you for commissions or for listing your items on their platforms, they do have miscellaneous fees since they offer useful seller features to make the process easier.
You know this by now, but you can link your debit or credit cards to Shopee to make a payment, which means Shopee needs to deal with these services, right?
That’s why, as a seller, you’ll need to pay a transaction fee of 2.14% of the total amount you received as payment.
Apart from the transaction fee, you’ll also need to pay a service fee on completed orders to maintain the seller features you enjoy.
Payment Services
As mentioned above, you won’t have to spend time arranging for payment with your buyers since the payment service is built into the app.
Being a marketplace that also hosts official brands, buyers will not be able to negotiate prices with you. Along with the fact that you don’t have to arrange for payment, you’ll be able to focus more on other things.
Delivery Services
If you find having to meet up with buyers or carrying the items to the delivery points troublesome, well, Shopee would make a good consideration.
The reason why you had to find out the weight of your item is to calculate the shipping fees with Shopee’s delivery partner, Ninja Van.
You’ll still have to pack the necessary items, of course, but Ninja Van will pick up your parcels and handle the rest!
Best for: Home Businesses & Casual Seller
Lazada
Ease Of Setting Up
Unfortunately, Lazada is the most tedious to set up amongst the few platforms here…
You’ll need to download a separate seller app and site that contains a wide range of features and a dashboard to track your sales.
Besides, there are so much more details that you have to fill up, such as the brand and model of the items, the weight, height, length and width of the package.
If you’re a casual seller, this might not be for you.
Seller Fees
Since Lazada is such an established marketplace, you’ll also need to pay for the services they provide.
If you registered as a seller under Lazada Marketplace, you won’t be charged for a commission.
Some examples of the seller fees payable by you include payment fees, shipping fees, a reversal of item fees and other miscellaneous fees.
Payment Services
Just like Shopee, of course, payment services are built-in since it’s such a popular marketplace with lots of orders daily.
There’s no need to spend time negotiating prices with buyers as well, so you’ll really be able to allocate more time on other things.
Delivery Services
With Lazada, you can choose a range of service providers for delivery, but it seems like Ninja Van or SingPost are the most common ones.
Similarly, you just need to handle the packaging of your items and you might need to bring your items to a common drop-off point, depending on the provider chosen.
Best for: Home Businesses
