It doesn't matter they still charge buyer fees on shipping and sales tax regardless.
Is EBay completely worthless or does it just seem that way to me
- Thread starter dnschmidt
- Start date
Ultradog MN
Well-known member
Ebay is still a great resource for finding old or odd stuff.
We have this older Apsco (Automatic Pencil Sharpener Co) in our pantry.
The cutters were very dull so I was looking at replacing it.
Went to Ebay and lo and behold, I found an NOS cutter assembly for it.
It took about 3 minutes to install the new one.
Happy Day and a thumbs up to folks who list odd stuff.
We have this older Apsco (Automatic Pencil Sharpener Co) in our pantry.
The cutters were very dull so I was looking at replacing it.
Went to Ebay and lo and behold, I found an NOS cutter assembly for it.
It took about 3 minutes to install the new one.
Happy Day and a thumbs up to folks who list odd stuff.
Attachments
It does matter when the clam is that eBay is charging 25-30%, when that's simply not true.
I sell a couple thousand a year on eBay, my wife well into the five digits. She pays some promotion fees due to the nature of her business. 18%. That's the number, on average, that eBay takes from her including the promotional costs and the cost of her business account. The costs are EASILY worth it, as no platform offers the same reach and exposure.
She gets the semi regular screwing from buyers, but its simply the cost of doing business. eBay is absolutely tilted toward the buyer at the expense of the seller, but one could argue that is a large part of why its such a popular and productive platform. When I sell things on there, they are typically rare, obscure, or otherwise unique. I have found that the buyers of those sorts of things are unlikely to try to screw you, or be otherwise disingenuous.
Tugging at my nostalgia strings pretty hard there, @Ultradog MN.
Ii posted actual transaction summary you do the math. What I said is absolutely true. $48.14 went to eBay on a $140 sale. Call it whatever you want.
Even without the ad fee, which is optional, they charged $25 on a $140 sale. Thats 18% not 13%, which is all I'm saying. They shouldn't charge fees on shipping and sales tax. I get why they charge on shipping, because sellers were gaming the system selling for low prices with high shipping to avoid fees. But now eBay is gaming the system charging buyers $36 in shipping when it costs $22. That hurts sellers and only goes to putting more revenue in eBay pockets.
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pcmeiners
Well-known member
Definitely buy less on Ebay, much less than years back due to more scams and in my opinion poor redesigned search engine algorithms.
Years back when you did a search it caught most of the listings in one search, now I need to do multiple searches to pickup all the related listings. Instead of minutes it may take an hour or more to find most of the related items.
What's the "Ad fee general"?
"Transaction fees" are what we used to call final value fees? Correct me if I'm wrong.
lbhsbz
Well-known member
That's the additional money the seller decided to pay eBay to get their listing "promoted" in some fashion or another....so that doesn't really count.
I sell on eBay as a business...6 figures last year. I have about 500 listings at any given point. Last year my selling fees and shipping costs were 23% of my gross (ignoring sales tax collected).
Considering the amount of worldwide exposure that eBay offers, you really can't beat that. A website with all the add-on apps to make it work half as good as eBay and paying for SEO optimization to get some exposure is gonna run you more than that.
Hell, just the fact that with eBay sales, I don't have to sift through the sales tax return process is worth a chunk of change.
I sell new auto parts, and I've set things up so that I have about 3 package sizes that everything I sell fits into, and have put significant effort into figuring out the best ways to ship everything. Those who sell all kinds of things of different weights that go into all kinds of different boxes are at a disadvantage here. I don't pay for any extra advertising/promotions.
eBay is providing a service, and they should get paid for it.
Was that ad fee for a promoted listing?So let's analyze it here is recent sale.
Sold nice set of wenches for $140. Ebay charged $36.05 to ship but only chased me $20 25. How nice of them.
I sold for $140, received $107.66 net, so 23.1%. Well thats not the whole story. So ebay charged buyer $36.o5 shipping but only me $20.25 that's a good thing right? Not so fast. Ebay charged $48.14 in fees. 34.4% of $140 selling price. $32.34 was paid by me and $15.80 paid by buyer in overcharged shipping fees. Ebay generated 34.4% on the $140 sale. F ebay.
Overall, if the fees eBay fees are unfair, would you have made more money selling the item elsewhere? If so that would probably have been the place to go.
We made way more money selling on eBay despite the fees, than screwing around with area buyers on FBM Craigslist etc., where there is less interest or who just want lowball deals.
I posted here for less than I made with ebay no interest lol.Was that ad fee for a promoted listing?
Overall, if the fees eBay fees are unfair, would you have made more money selling the item elsewhere? If so that would probably have been the place to go.
We made way more money selling on eBay despite the fees, than screwing around with area buyers on FBM Craigslist etc., where there is less interest or who just want lowball deals.
And that's exactly why eBay is still relevant......
Ultradog MN
Well-known member
Yeah,
And the smell. It'll bring you back...
Oh, and don't forget that girl in 8th grade study hall who couldn't sharpen a pencil without her bottom shaking so nicely
Yeah,
And the smell. It'll bring you back...
Oh, and don't forget that girl in 8th grade study hall who couldn't sharpen a pencil without her bottom shaking so nicely
Fair enough guess why eBay charges what they do - because they know they are still the best game in town.
People used to gripe because auctioneers charge 25%. Seems like a lot but hey, they have to eat and all of one's **** is sold and gone in one day.
That's what I thought but wasn't sure.
Agree they shouldn't charge fees on the sales tax. They charge fees on shipping for a reason- because of people gaming the system when the fee structure changed 20? years ago. People were selling $20 items, that cost $10 to ship, for $1 with a $30 shipping cost- so they only had to pay the seller's fee on the $1 sale price. This worked for a few weeks or months, then Ebay caught on; this is why they charge fees on shipping.
Complaining that you voluntarily paid a fee for a highlighted listing, or similar, is ridiculous. You chose to pay it. And like you said, you couldn't sell your item without Ebay, so you can either sell on Ebay and pay their fees or keep unneeded stuff until you die. I agree the fees are too high. But at this point it's probably too late for someone to take Ebay on at a lower fee structure- that probably passed 20 years ago.
I'm not complaining about paying a voluntary fee and have made it pretty clear the promotion fees are optional. I always pay the promotion fees with anything I list on ebay because I believe it helps get the item sold. Thats not the point. My main complaint with ebay is how they structure their fees and how they go about disclosing it. People still believe they only charge 13% when that arguably is not true. Id be happier if they charged 20% only on the selling price and just be truthful about it. I get why they charge fees on shipping as already stated. But to charge buyer $36 shipping when it costs $22 only hurts seller. They are pocketing the difference through higher fees either way so to say you can't beat their discounted shipping is very misleading. The Seller doesn't benefit from the discount only ebay does. All im looking for is truthful disclosure I get that they are in business to make money and have no issue with that. My other complaint is how they hold onto your money. I liked it much better when the funds were immediately available through PayPal. Thats no longer an option. My last complaint has nothing to do with ebay but with the buyers. I go above and beyond to make sure items are packed securely and shipped promptly. It just irks me that most buyers don't have enough courtesy to leave seller good feedback if they're happy with transaction. Just sick of the whole platform lol..
I'm with you on the transparency of fees. As for ebay holding onto your money, I have consistently had my money within a few hours of the sale. Not sure if I am in the norm here or not. I also can't stand when buyers and sellers do not leave feedback. I always leave feedback since it is the only way to realistically judge a buyer/seller. I have done thousands of transactions since joining in 2004 and my feedback is 637 @ 100%.
four.cycle
Well-known member
Ebay's selling fee is 13.25% of the total transaction, which includes the freight and sales tax.
It's NOT 25%
If you choose to pay for "promoting your item", it's going to cost you more.
If you choose to buy your shipping labels from ebay, it's going to cost you more.
I've crunched the numbers on innumerable transactions. It's 13.25% plus the 75-cent "transaction fee".
Not sure how you guys are doing the math.
And the claim about "waiting for money" is BS - they'll direct deposit that money within 48 hours. Every time. If you're a new seller, they'll make you wait a few more days. Otherwise, it's one or two days. Every time.
Here are the numbers for this morning's sale:
^ that sure as hell ain't no 25%
Aaron_W
Well-known member
Ebay is best as an online garage sale.
I can't say I've never bought something new from Ebay that is sold elsewhere, but that would be a rare event. I've found most vendors with actual store fronts tend to offer better deals than what they offer through their Ebay store.
I have bought new, discontinued items in which case Ebay may be the only easy option. I've also bought new hand made items, but Etsy is taking a lot of that market. I have a handful of Ebay stores I use that carry imported items hard to find from other US sellers, but they are well established sellers that I have some history with so I'm not worried about scams.
For me Ebay is where I buy old stuff, tools, parts and pieces for old things etc.
I do buy some used books from Ebay, but AbeBooks is usually my first look.
I can't say I've never bought something new from Ebay that is sold elsewhere, but that would be a rare event. I've found most vendors with actual store fronts tend to offer better deals than what they offer through their Ebay store.
I have bought new, discontinued items in which case Ebay may be the only easy option. I've also bought new hand made items, but Etsy is taking a lot of that market. I have a handful of Ebay stores I use that carry imported items hard to find from other US sellers, but they are well established sellers that I have some history with so I'm not worried about scams.
For me Ebay is where I buy old stuff, tools, parts and pieces for old things etc.
I do buy some used books from Ebay, but AbeBooks is usually my first look.
whateg01
Well-known member
So, sell your stuff somewhere else. Nobody forces you to use eBay.
bwringer
Well-known member
Yep. eBay works for niche goods.
The bigger the potential market, the worse it gets for both seller and buyer.
seber
Well-known member
I quit leaving feedback for sellers when Ebay discontinued the seller's feedback for buyers. If it isn't two way then it has no value.
four.cycle
Well-known member
what?
been a while since you've sold something on ebay?
feedback goes both ways. same as ever.
I have never seen this. as far as I know there never was the inability for sellers to leave feedback
four.cycle
Well-known member
So did shipping costs, which is probably part of the price increase you are seeing.
When the announcement came out about "We're going to be sending out 1099s to the IRS," a lot of smaller sellers left the platform.
Many of those who remained simply padded into the selling price the tax they anticipated they were going to be owing.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ No idea where that myth came from. Feedback is the same now as it ever was, with a few more bells and whistles.
As a seller, I leave "feedback" for buyers. Here's the "feedback" page for a ratchet I sold about a week ago:
Not sure if there is a way to leave negative feedback for a buyer, but there is an option to "Report Buyer", although in those cases where I had a problem with a buyer I dealt with ebay on the phone and did not leave "feedback" for the buyer - I simply added them to the "blocked buyers" list, where they can never waste my time again.
Not sure why every "Let's bash ebay" thread is so riddled with myth.
* Not sure what the problem is with that one.... Sold on: Feb 14 ... USPS still hasn't delivered it to my customer in Colorado Springs. Go figure.
Ebay has been a great source of NOS parts for my 1981 Yamaha. I got parts from ebay that were no longer available from Yamaha at reasonable prices vs. other parts I was able to get from Yamaha. I did have to sort through the made in China **** that claimed to be compatible, but then It’s that way on Amazon too. Overall I’m pretty happy with my ebay purchases.
You as the seller set that shipping price (or the shipping policy that generates that price) and you collected difference between those two numbers, not ebay...
whateg01
Well-known member
Hmmm... Windmill jousting, anybody?
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
Bosch 18V batteries? I watch the Lowe's sales.
Discontinued stuff? eBay all the way.
Discontinued stuff? eBay all the way.
I'll have to look into that the price charged is calculated automatically by ebay based on buyers location I set policy to use UPS Ground and exclude locations outside of Continental USA. I don't recall any settings about what the actual price is.
As far as me collecting difference, yes, technically true it was credited to my account, but its really a matter of perspective. In my view it simply offsets some of the selling costs. At the end of the day, any shipping discount remains in ebay's pockets not the Sellers. In example I posted I sold an item for $140 and received a check for $108. Buyer paid $190.57 and ebay sent $14.52 to Buyer's state, $20.25 to UPS and $107.66 to me. They kept $48.14 for themselves, or 34.4% of item's selling price. I "paid" $32.34 of that fee (or 23.1% net effective selling cost, which is why I've been saying 25% with rounding) and buyer "paid" $15.80 of ebay's total fees on that particular sale.
Draftpick1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2018
- Messages
- 326
the tax situation is why I stopped ebay, they send you a 1099 and I doubt we all have receipts to show a loss as not everything goes up in value.
If your weight is accurate, it's probably retail vs discounted pricing.
If you're a volume customer UPS will offer better pricing than if you walked up to the customer counter directly. Shipping by printing labels through eBay means eBay is most likely getting volume pricing, and actually passing at least some of the savings along as an incentive to use them.
I never let eBay calculate shipping. I use a flat rate system. I ship enough that I know roughly what things cost. I use numbers like $2.95, $5.95, $9.95, etc, flat rate shipping. Usually I’m very close, sometimes I’m over a dollar, sometimes I’m under. Either way there’s no mystery to the buyer and it all evens out on my end.
I still use eBay’s discounted shipping as it’s very reasonable. I can sometimes beat it by using Pirate Ship, but typically only on very heavy or very bulky items.
I still use eBay’s discounted shipping as it’s very reasonable. I can sometimes beat it by using Pirate Ship, but typically only on very heavy or very bulky items.
four.cycle
Well-known member
^ I'm paying the full fare at USPS for outgoing packages, because I would rather do as little business with ebay as possible.
All items are sold "FREE SHIPPING", and I simply pad the shipping costs (which are pretty easy to figure when you're shipping most everything in "flat rate" packages) into the selling price.
Respectfully, your math is not connected to the reality of how it actually works.
All items are sold "FREE SHIPPING", and I simply pad the shipping costs (which are pretty easy to figure when you're shipping most everything in "flat rate" packages) into the selling price.
Respectfully, your math is not connected to the reality of how it actually works.
I agree on fees charged on tax and shipping. But the shipping charged by eBay, was your choice. You could use free shipping using actual cost or the calculated that you chose.
I usually use free, especially when the item will fit in a Flat Rate box so I can use that price + handling fee as the adder to my asking price. Buyers prefer that IME.
There absolutely was. I've used the bay since '98 and remember it well. Buyers that made false claims about products and sellers could and would have feedback with the 'rest of the story', borrowing from Paul Harvey there.