Ever wondered which e-commerce platform is the most affordable? A small-scale study from 2020 broke down price lists on eBay, Walmart, and Amazon for 110 items in 11 categories to find out. It turns out, where you get the lowest price depends on what you shop for. Let’s get into the numbers.

Walmart usually has the lowest prices for items in baby supplies, toys, medicine, personal care products, makeup, kitchen supplies and appliances, and sports and fitness goods. eBay has the lowest prices when it comes to electronics. Amazon has the lowest price points for items in the household and cleaning Supplies, food, and pet supplies categories.

This breakdown may serve bargain hunters, but how do sellers fare? The study revealed that sellers are more likely going to make the most money on eBay where buyers are willing to pay higher prices for items in the categories of household and cleaning supplies, medicine and health products, personal care products, food, makeup, pet supplies, kitchen supplies and appliances and sports, fitness, and outdoor products. 

Since the sample used for the study included only 110 items, it’s meant to be a snapshot, not a conclusive study. Prices keep fluctuating, but here’s how the three sites fared comparatively. In the baby supplies category, eBay was 9 percent cheaper and Walmart was 16 percent cheaper than Amazon. 

In the household and cleaning supplies category, both Amazon and Walmart were about 16 percent cheaper than eBay. Toys sold on Amazon are the most expensive. Walmart offers the same products at almost 28 percent cheaper. Medicine costs the most on eBay but not by a huge margin. 

eBay was the undisputed winner when it came to low priced electronic goods and products, selling at 14 percent lower price points than its competitors. The study, which chose items from similar brands, did not account for shipping costs, Amazon Prime cards, and credit cards. However, we do know now that bargain hunters should head to Walmart for most things except electronics and sellers can charge higher prices on eBay.

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