I was tired of ebay fees too, they will drain you dry... ecrater is free, just your time and effort is all it costs you and you can have paypal or a google account for payment. I have both on my site. I just need to promote it more. I know some people that say they pay thier bills with ecrater... I still have to reach that point, but you cant get there if you dont promote...:)
And yes you do have to remove your own items if you sell it, ecrater dosnt monitor your stock, thats all done manualy by you.
Wish you lots of luck with your new store.
If you have any questions just pm me and I will try to help.