As a seller, online malls appeal to me as well. I like the idea of having the chance to set my own price and the ability to have my stuff shown for longer than just the short length of an auction listing. When looking for a specific product, online malls also show up very well in the search listings, eBay shows up, but most times the auction has already closed.

There are numerous factors to consider when choosing a place to sell your stuff, explore the difference between these three online malls with proven track records. It's important to find the one that feels most comfortable to you, in looks, feel and inventory. And if there is no clear-cut answer, do the math. Figure out just how many items would be typical in your stock and what the final costs would be if they sold.

Read Online Malls, Are They for You? for more questions to think about when considering the best place to sell your stuff.

Below is a chart comparing three favorites of collectors.

• GoAntiques is best known for their live auctions on eBay, which can be as often as daily. Dealers have the option to see what auctions are coming up and add their inventory to the auction if it meets the criteria and fits the auction categories. Dealers are not charged a listing fee, just a final value fee of 5%. If the item does not sell, it automatically goes back into their store inventory. GoAntiques.com does not "discourage" reproductions, but instead has set up a special category, Design Studio, for dealers to list their newly manufactured reproductions.
• Ruby Lane has different requirements for each of their categories which include Antiques, Fine Arts, Jewelry and Collectibles. In the Collectible category all items must be at least twenty years old, unless the item is an authentic signed piece of memorabilia OR if the item appears in a printed price guide. New reproductions cannot be sold on Ruby Lane, nor can items that have been in been available in the past year from gift catalogs or retail stores. Also excluded are items handmade in the last 20 years, even if the materials are old.
• The TIAS umbrella includes AntiqueArts.com (which has a different pricing structure) for fine antiques and Earthling.com (available for TIAS dealers who wish to sell handcrafted or new items (e.g. non-collectibles) that don't fit in the other stores.) TIAS does allow clearly marked collectible reproductions and new collectibles. Phil Davies said that customer service is foremost in their minds and they make sure the dealers adhere to the TIAS standard. Each store has an About Us section that gives some of statistics that shows how long the store has been in business, number of items sold and in some cases links to their eBay ratings.