Advantages for Sellers
Enhanced Customer Base
No matter if you have a physical store or an online store, the customer is going to walk into your store if followed an adequate marketing strategy. If you have a physical store then your customers will be those who live around your area. In addition, if your C2C business is online it means you are visible to a worldwide audience. This increases the chances of more customers.
Enhanced Profitability
As there is no middleman involved in the C2C business, the cost of the product and service can be lower which increases the profitability. As a seller, you do not need to pay salary, rent, website hosting, and others. C2C marketplace facilitates the transaction between the seller and buyer irrespective of hidden costs.
Disadvantages for Sellers
Competition
C2C marketplace is very popular among sellers due to its business model. So being in the competitive marketplace can be ominous for some business owners. Especially when they have to compete with the product or service at a lower price.
Fees
C2C marketplace might charge some fees from the sellers and sometimes buyers for using their platform for selling. It can be a standard fee, recurring fee, or commission on profit.
Advantages and Disadvantages for Buyers
Advantages for Buyers
Lower Price
As we have discussed there is no involvement of the middleman in the C2C marketplace which also cuts down the additional cost like salary. This makes the product available at a lower price for the buyer.
Quick Service
As there are fewer amount operations and an absence of middlemen involved, the transaction becomes faster and thus saves time.
Disadvantages for Buyers
Issues with Sellers
Many reputed platforms try to protect both parties, but there might be issues with the payment handline, or communication between both parties. This can be a burden for the buyer.
Quality Control
Many C2C platforms lack quality control. This means there is no guarantee that the product is of high quality. Another thing is the absence of a warranty which even the ordinary product or shop has.
No Refunds
With the no quality control or absence of guarantee there is also no refund for the product in case if something goes wrong.
Whether you are a seller or buyer, perform the deals on the trusted sites only for complete transparency. A site like eBay and Amazon has a strict policy to keep both parties safe.
