ebay views don't really record the number of eyes seeing your item, only the number that click on the link and really think about it. The standard layouts give more information than the topic listing in B/S. I'd rather sell here or POTN than ebay because i think the rate of fraud is lower and you don't have to give a big cut to ebay (or Amazon).

Agreed.

As for selling speed I just listed 6 lenses (about $2,000 worth) and they were all gone in less than a week. Actually gone in 3 days. And they were viewed about 800 times in that period. That puts ebay to shame!

I have done a few buy/sell transactions on FM and only have 1 feedback review so I don't necessarily see feedback as the be-all and end-all requirement for the purchase of expensive gear. As I commented on someone else's post regarding this topic, I use the conversation with the buyer/seller to determine whether they are a reliable and trustworthy person. Even if they pass that "good joo joo" test, I still only use regular paypal and never gift payment to someone without having met them in person. I think a lot of what makes a transaction good stems from aligning the expectations of the sale and what the product is/is not.

Just last week I sold a guy on craigslist a lens and had him send payment via paypal. The transaction went smoothly and everyone was happy.

Regardless, I would NEVER ship someone a product without first receiving payment. If someone even asked for me to do that I would end discussion of the sale because it just doesn't feel right to me.

Yep, and here's a recent case where a guy on EBay had like 18,000 "positive" feedback points yet acted like a total crook - even going so far as to try and frame the buyer (me) for extortion in order to appear innocent to the EBay deciders. Selling this as "Like New", Listing it as "Manufacturer Refurbished", and knowingly using the wrong image for the auction:

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_ThemesEvents/E-Bay_Crook/content/index.html

http://tesselator.gpmod.com/Images/_ThemesEvents/E-Bay_Crook/content/index.html

eBay Customer Support has made a final decision and the case is closed. Feb 02, 2013 at 8:57 AM
eBay Customer Support comments:
Based on information provided in the case, the item you received matched the seller's description but you no longer wanted the item. eBay Buyer Protection doesn't cover situations where an item is accurately described.
Final decision:
This case has been decided in the seller's favor.

eBay has a MUCH larger market for sales of camera gear. I don't like the fees for eBay and Paypal very much, but for rapid sales, that offsets the better percentages here on FM. That said, I usually offer my gear here first if I'm not in a hurry.

Unfortunately, there has been a huge dumping of used gear to finance all the new offerings around. So prices, especially here on FM, have been driven way down. (As a buyer, I love this!) Even stuff that I bought used at great prices, such as Leica R and Contax Zeiss, have trouble recouping those prices on resale. I'm not used to that! I'm used to breaking even or making a couple bucks for my time. I've got some items here on FM that haven't sold in 4 weeks, like 1Ds2 and other decent gear. I'll need to break up my RB67 Pro SD collection (who wants film, anyway? ) and place on eBay (I thought I'd avoid the tedious listing and shipping!) to get it to finally move.

People will rave about IQ of certain Alt or used gear, but when it comes up for sale, that tiny market is saturated and stuff sits unless you really discount it, or it's really collectible/desirable.

It all depends really. I like FM a lot and always try to find deals here and offer stuff here first. But as they say, business is business. So you have to be flexible.

Good luck, and enjoy the gear you have to the max, so you don't mind pushing it out the door when the time comes!