Is EBay completely worthless or does it just seem that way to me

[yatg]

Shipping costs are not in there....lets call it a minimum of $5.00

in the above example, the item was sold with "free" shipping.
presumably the seller factored the shipping into the item price.
it could just have easily been 21.99 + 5 shipping and the numbers would be the same.

either way, the seller pays a fee on the total sale of item+shipping+tax
in fact, more expensive items and shipping actually lower the percentage because the order fee and the backdoor fee on sales tax are less significant in relation to the order total.

item 5
shipping 5
tax 1
order total 11
fee 1.80 (11 * .136 + .30) (orders $10 or less are charged a 30 cent order fee)
percent = 18.0 (1.80/10)

item 100
shipping 20
tax 10
order total 130
fee 18.08 (130 * .136 + .40)
percent = 14.7 (18.08 / 120)

don't confuse what the buyer pays for shipping with what the seller actually pays for shipping,
what the seller pays for shipping has nothing to do with the ebay fees.
the difference does factor in to the net profit on the item.

my rule of thumb is the buyer's shipping cost is about 20% more than the actual shipping cost to cover ebay fees and related shipping expenses.
there are real costs in shipping that you need to account for.
materials (boxes,envelopes,packing,tape)
fuel if you have to drive the to post office or UPS or FedEx.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I still buy some small stuff from China. Typically less than $10.

 

[kylexj88]

At one time, maybe five years ago, EBay was a worthwhile marketplace and I sold a lot of TOPTUL tools using it now every time I order something from it it's a scam of some sort. I ordered a 4.0 A-hr Bosch battery which was clearly marked as such in the listing and the seller sent me a 2.0. I dare not buy any Milwaukee or Makita power tool batteries from EBay as there is a 95% chance of them being fakes. When did EBay turn to ****?

I got scammed on a land deal for over 5K contacted ebay just so other people wouldn't fall for the same scam. explained it all thoroughly and calmly and was told no "she" is legit. (she is currently being sued by the county for a class 6 felony). Months pass I find a deal on butyl rubber. weeks go by and it does not ship...no recourse. can't even contact a human being who speaks decent english.... Ebay is a massive joke these days.

 

[four.cycle]

anatomy of this ebay sale

you're not doing the math correctly.
the fee is nowhere even close to 16%

Shipping costs are not in there....lets call it a minimum of $5.00

all of my sales include free shipping.
that was MY sale from a couple days ago you were looking at:

The fee is computed from the ORDER TOTAL, not the sale price of the item:
$28.95 X .1325 = $3.84 + $.75 transaction fee (on sales over $10.00) = $4.58
The total transaction fee on this one was $4.34, so it's actually less than what they're telling me on their website.

This comes up repeatedly here. You're simply not doing the math correctly.

 

[lbhsbz]

you're not doing the math correctly.
the fee is nowhere even close to 16%


all of my sales include free shipping.
that was MY sale from a couple days ago you were looking at:

The fee is computed from the ORDER TOTAL, not the sale price of the item:
$28.95 X .1325 = $3.84 + $.75 transaction fee (on sales over $10.00) = $4.58
The total transaction fee on this one was $4.34, so it's actually less than what they're telling me on their website.

This comes up repeatedly here. You're simply not doing the math correctly.

OK, but shipping is not free, so how much did you pay for shipping? Assuming you bought the label outside of ebay, since it would have showed up there otherwise.

 

[cgrutt]

That's a far cry from the 25% ish that somebody else claimed they stole!

That buyer's premium always has to be part of the calculation when figuring out how much to bid. I wonder how many people over pay because they forget about it.

You're referring to me. So show me where I ever said they stole anything. Everything I said was factual and supported with transaction records. I even said I always pay for the optional promotional fee because I believe it helps getting the item sold. Get your facts straight before making unfounded accusations.

 

[yatg]

you're not doing the math correctly.
the fee is nowhere even close to 16%


all of my sales include free shipping.
that was MY sale from a couple days ago you were looking at:

The fee is computed from the ORDER TOTAL, not the sale price of the item:

where did i not say that?

"you pay the final value fee of 13.6% on item+shipping+tax and a 40 cent order charge"

go back and read that post carefully. it explains how ebay says they are charging 13.6% but because you pay the fee on the sales tax and they tack on an order fee, the percentage goes up, especially for lower cost items.

$28.95 X .1325 = $3.84 + $.75 transaction fee (on sales over $10.00) = $4.58
The total transaction fee on this one was $4.34, so it's actually less than what they're telling me on their website.

This comes up repeatedly here. You're simply not doing the math correctly.

first of all, you're not even using the right constants.

the current ebay final value fee is 13.6% for most items, but there are other percentages for certain special categories
you're still using 13.25% which was increased to 13.6% on 2/14/2025. "happy valentines day, ebay loves you"

the current ebay order fee is 40 cents for orders over $10, 30 cents for orders $10 or less.
you're getting 75 cents from where?

read here:

Final value fee changes | Seller Center

www.ebay.com

again ...
26.99 item + 0.00 shipping + 1..96 sales tax = 28.95
28.95 * .136 final value fee =3.94 + .40 order fee = 4.34
... exactly what it says

as far as calculating the ebay percentage taken from your sale

(ebay fee) / ( (item) + (shipping) )

4.34 / (26.99 + 0.00) = .161 or 16.1%

going the other way, 26.99 * .161 = 4.3454

sales tax is not included in the percentage calculation because its a pass through.
ebay charges the buyer, keeps the tax, and supposedly pays the state.

if you think i'm simply doing the math wrong, then show me yours

OK, but shipping is not free, so how much did you pay for shipping? Assuming you bought the label outside of ebay, since it would have showed up there otherwise.

The "shipping" in the transaction detail is what the buyer paid for shipping and is included in the ebay sales and fees.
_ the seller can tell ebay what to charge the buyer, or can let ebay calculate it.
_ the seller can print the label outside of ebay, or can print the label with ebay
What the seller pays for shipping has nothing to do with the ebay sale and fees.
The seller's cost for shipping does factor into the seller's profit/loss on the item, a different calculation.

 

[cgrutt]

@yatg I happen to agree with you but think some are not seeing the forest for the trees. Yes, technically and mechanically the math is stated fee times the sum of selling price, shipping and sales tax (plus the fixed fee). I don't think anyone is suggesting otherwise. All I've been saying, and what some are not seeing or understanding, is the economic reality of the transaction from seller's perspective is the effective costs are higher, on percentage basis, than their stated rates.

 

[four.cycle]

the current ebay final value fee is 13.6% for most items, but there are other percentages for certain special categories
you're still using 13.25% which was increased to 13.6% on 2/14/2025. "happy valentines day, ebay loves you"

the current ebay order fee is 40 cents for orders over $10, 30 cents for orders $10 or less.
you're getting 75 cents from where?

ah! I wasn't aware they'd upped the ante on the fee!
the "75 cent transaction fee" was what one of their "customer service" people told me on the phone.
I'll have to perhaps consider bumping some prices up.

again ...
26.99 item + 0.00 shipping + 1..96 sales tax = 28.95
28.95 * .136 final value fee =3.94 + .40 order fee = 4.34
... exactly what it says

okay!

OK, but shipping is not free, so how much did you pay for shipping? Assuming you bought the label outside of ebay, since it would have showed up there otherwise.

I don't know... this one will be in the neighborhood of $6-$7 to ship out. I cannot count "fuel cost" to drive to the post office, because I drive over there all the time to go pick up my mail. It's not like it's an "extra trip".

I do not buy labels from ebay - why would I?
I'm perfectly capable of making a shipping container and putting an address on it. I worked shipping and receiving in two different automotive parts warehouses.
took all of about 3 minutes to make a box and pack it up (see below)
I must be doing it right, my customers love my packaging

What the seller pays for shipping has nothing to do with the ebay sale and fees.

correct.
I pay for the shipping. It's built into my selling price. It's not ebay's concern.

 

[lbhsbz]

I don't know... this one will be in the neighborhood of $6-$7 to ship out. I cannot count "fuel cost" to drive to the post office, because I drive over there all the time to go pick up my mail. It's not like it's an "extra trip".

I do not buy labels from ebay - why would I?
I'm perfectly capable of making a shipping container and putting an address on it. I worked shipping and receiving in two different automotive parts warehouses.
took all of about 3 minutes to make a box and pack it up (see below)
I must be doing it right, my customers love my packaging


correct.
I pay for the shipping. It's built into my selling price. It's not ebay's concern.

I buy my labels through ebay more often than not because they're the same price or in some cases better (in a few case worse) than I can do through my accts with USPS or whatever....and I don't have to type in an address....I just go down the list and create 10-20 labels in one shot after verifying package size/shipping method, etc....it doesn't cost me any more than other methods, and it's more convenient.

All of my listings include free shipping (for the buyer, not for me).

I don't really care how all the deductions from the sale price get added up, I just care what they add up to. Doesn't matter if you subtract your externally purchased $7 shipping label/box or if you buy it from eBay for $7 and it shows up on the eBay page/report whatever you want to call it....result is the same (if the shipping pricing is the same).

Gross sale price, minus selling fee, minus fees on sales tax charged, minus my shipping cost = my net for the sale. This total number averages right about 22% for me. If we ignore shipping, it ends up being about 14%, but that changes a bit based on buyer location and whether or not sales tax comes into play.

eBay does have some ******** going on with their shipping prices...I ship a lot of flat rate, and I can ship 5 of the same flat rate package and they're all different prices (say $9.20-$9.80). Not a big enough deal for me to care, but annoying. I called and questioned it and they just blamed it on the packages going to different locations, so whoever I talked to clearly doesn't understand anything.

 

[Maui]

There was a time long ago when Ebay was a great place to source hard to find parts and get some really good deals. Now it just *****.

 

[four.cycle]

@lbhsbz
^ You are talking to a person working in a phone room in the Philippines when you are talking to "ebay customer service". How could they possibly know how USPS works?

 

[Farmall450]

Do many people actually order just one thing at a time?

The few times when I want to order from Amazon and the item is less than $35 I just add it to the cart and wait a week or two until I think of other things to bring the total over $35.

Yeah, if you need a part or something and time is critical. Even on eBay, unless it's from the same seller ordering together won't save any money.

 

[slowtwitch73]

Reading this thread I'm thinking some guys probably have a hard time shitting straight much less navigating Ebay.

 

[whateg01]

Reading this thread I'm thinking some guys probably have a hard time shitting straight much less navigating Ebay.

That's why we need a bathroom wall material that can be hosed down and is cheap!

 

[PowerWagonBuilder]

I sell a number of industrial hardware components on eBay as a little side business. I bought some NOS stuff at a few auctions, sorted it and sell it as such. 100% feedback as a seller so I guess I am doing okay.

However, can't say the same for a lot of other sellers. I actually had a gift card that I wanted to burn, and needed new filters for my FASS pump on my old Cummins swapped Dodge. I hadn't really priced them elsewhere because I knew I was using the gift card. Find a seller with okay feedback and a decent price that is under the balance of the GC, so I order it. Then it doesn't ship for a few days.. Hrmm, so I dig deeper into the feedback and start seeing a few feedback claims of faux items. I request to cancel the order. No response for another 2 days, then "I sent"... uggh. And a tracking number for the slowest ground shipping from across the country, when it was listed as ships same day, priority.
The filters show up, and they are rusty INSIDE the plastic wrap. NO WAY am I installing these on my common rail turbo diesel truck. I message the seller, with pictures. His response Manfact defect no liable talk company. I request a return which eBay supports. I reach out with pictures to FASS and say hey, I am 95% certain that these are fake, the box screams of imported junk, the labels look like screenshots reprinted, and the rust inside the filters indicates zero quality control.

They call me an hour later and say yea, we know. We have a running list on our website of known faux sellers, and if we could get more information, that would be great. Etc. They also said that they have tried and tried with Amazon to get the fake stuff out of there but stuff that is FBA is hard to track because it gets dumped into the system and then its hard to tell what isn't real and they said Amazon only cares if the customer actually notices and cares.
Buyer beware of things that you can't verify the origin. This also explains why a lot of my NOS hardware in original boxes is bringing good money because its getting harder and harder to tell what is of any quality these days.

I'm almost 100% certain that the seller will claim that the return wasn't received and try to burn me.

 

[four.cycle]

^ another big win for brick-and-mortar retailers!

 

[liliysdad]

I'm almost 100% certain that the seller will claim that the return wasn't received and try to burn me.

Did you return, or open a "Not As Described" case?

 

[PowerWagonBuilder]

Did you return, or open a "Not As Described" case?

Yes, then provided photos and eBay wasted no time in the review and sending me a return label, covered by them / seller.

 

[liliysdad]

Good. As long as tracking shows it was delivered eBay will refund you.

 

[bwringer]

^ another big win for brick-and-mortar retailers!

You still gotta open the box and look... I've been burned more than once by used, broken, or defective shite shoved across a counter, and so have developed a healthy paranoia.

 

[four.cycle]

You still gotta open the box and look

every single time.
on every. single. spark. plug.
and everything that comes in a box.

Having worked in the automotive parts aftermarket, I never take merchandise out the front door until I have opened the package and inspected the parts. EVER. I get ZERO push-back on this at O'Reilly's.
Only place I ever had an issue was an outfit called "Best Buy" - they started hollering when I went to open the package at check-out.
I told them to stick it and never went back.

Hence my reticence about purchasing any of the "ICON" tools which are sealed up in black cardboard boxes.

My money. My rules.

"I will never buy the pig in the poke -
there's many a foul pig in a fair cloak."

- old 15th (16th ?) Century saying

 

[mobiledynamics]

Thread Brump. This is the most recent thread....about Fleabay.
I was looking on eBay....for a cheaper option and just noticed something very much different that past-years...it's been maybe 9 months or 12 months since I search for a Milwaukee Item on this platform.

I gotta say, it looks like they have cleaned up shop ....to some degree, but gone are all the high dollar, more than retail, typical marked-up drop shipper listings

 

[whateg01]

I guess it's been awhile since I really bought a lot of stuff from eBay, but how can you tell that stuff is drop shipped?

 

[mobiledynamics]

Let's say a drill is $199 bare tool. Homers, Acme, etc. All the same pricing. A drop ship listing is usually more than retail. $280. $350...
Some dummy may buy it at the inflate price....and hence the net profit. For any and every thing...it used to be flooded with this.
Not a single one per my observation today. The ban hammer or some sort of new policy or AI that allows them to filter this stuff out and ban is a nice welcome....to clean up the search listings IMO

 

[Robinson1]

I’ve been on eBay for 26 years it’s been a ride. Back in 04 it was just a giant online flea market. It started going down hill when eBay bought PayPal. In that time frame I lost count of the number of times I had accounts hijacked and locked. When eBay moved away from forcing you to use PayPal it got better again but then all the third party resellers moved over from Amazon. Today’s eBay is still worthwhile as a buyer if and only if you are knowledgeable about the item you are buying. The selling side of it has went totally ridiculous and is only worthwhile if you’re trying to unload a bunch of stuff you have basically nothing in and just want rid of. The fees and regulations make any type of resell operation extremely frustrating. At one point in time I had a very profitable side business on eBay. About 10 years ago if you typed “military surplus” into the search bar 9 of the first 10 results were my listings. Then eBay got stupid and imposed their own made up “assault weapons” policy and the geniuses wanted to argue with me a piece of web gear was actually a machine gun part.

Long story short I still use eBay but it’s more of a place to source random obscure things that aren’t easily available anywhere else or no longer in production. Once in a blue moon I manage to snag a random tool for half price but it’s rare. On the selling side it’s strictly an outlet to get rid of things that are too valuable to donate and don’t have a big enough market to move quickly on FB Marketplace. It’s a shame really as eBay is a powerful selling tool with a worldwide audience but the corporate greed has killed it

 

[ssjones]

I've been on Ebay since 1999. Buying on Ebay - you definitely need to do your homework. I'm at an 800 ranking for sales, primarily vintage, restored tobacco pipes. Since they stared 1099'ing sellers, I rarely sell there anymore. The fees are kill any modest profit.

 

[b-dog]

I've been using ebay a little lately, replacing lost/missing wrenches & sockets with matching replacements. It's been awesome for that and still certainly has it's value. I wouldn't be on there for new power tools and the like, amazon price drop alerts surely beats some person just trying to flip things.

 

[esben57]

For about 20 years. Was ok selling items I no longer needed, all decent quality no junk. Even buying tools for pence that were worth pounds.
Supplemented my income. Old joiner workmate had an out building full of tools and fishing tackle, made him £1000 without making a dent.
Then the fees went up and more added. The 12 year olds and their crayoning books were replaced with bots. Bots now replaced with AI.
F###kwit government we have will now only allow you to sell 30 items per year or £1700 worth and then it's the inquisition.
ebay think I'm giving them my National insurance number. Definitely not happening.

 

[liliysdad]

If the eBay fees are eating all your profit, you’re selling the wrong stuff.

13% is hardly excessive for what you get with the platform. Nothing else comes close.

 

[Shiftless]

13% is hardly excessive for what you get with the platform. Nothing else comes close.

Agreed!

What other platform connects me (who found a low mileage pair of 40+ year old Florsheim Royal Imperials made of shell cordovan leather 3 sizes too small for me at Goodwill) and anybody else in the world with size 6 1/2 feet who appreciates ultra high quality made in USA shoes?

SOLD !!

 

[theoldwizard1]

I still buy some small stuff from China. Typically less than $10.

I no longer buy anything that ships from China. I can usually find the same thing already in the US for a couple bucks more.

 

[ssjones]

If the eBay fees are eating all your profit, you’re selling the wrong stuff.

13% is hardly excessive for what you get with the platform. Nothing else comes close.

Perhaps, restored tobacco pipes are pretty niche.
They take 13.6% of the total - that includes what I paid for shipping and sales tax (not the selling price)

Here's a fly reel I sold recently:

 

[liliysdad]

Perhaps, restored tobacco pipes are pretty niche.
They take 13.6% of the total - that includes what I paid for shipping and sales tax (not the selling price)

Here's a fly reel I sold recently:

Where could you have sold it for more, as easily?


I’ll pay the eBay cut all day. The increased exposure and higher sales prices more than make up for it.

 

[Ultradog MN]

I still like ebay. Haven't sold anything in years there but for finding oddball parts or items I'm glad it's there.
For me it's not always about making money. Some things I have that are good but I never use and I would be glad to get them into the hands of someone who wants them.
I year or so ago I was looking to replace our old APSCO pencil sharpener which was horribly dull. I didn't want an electric one or some pos plastic thing from china
I went on ebay and found an NOS cutter for $15 or something. Was tickled to get it and thanked the seller profusely in my feedback.
Some day I will get rid of all the unique junk I have around here. I will start listing stuff on ebay - not to make big bucks but for the satisfaction of seeing things go to people who appreciate them.

 

[boom_bap]

If you work on bicycles ebay is good for getting tools from small businesses who sell specialty bike tools for a fraction of the OE mfg.

Press fit bottom bracket bushings, fork stanchion seal drivers, all that kind of stuff.

 

[seber]

I used to sell on Ebay many thousands of dollars/year. But the rules have changed. Not only have fees gotten insane and unintelligible but if you sell anything over $100 (my bread and butter) your odds of getting scammed are almost 100%. Ebay ALWAYS sides with the buyer. I started taking a net loss on the year before I gave it up.

 

[impactims]

You have to be careful buying certain types of NEW product from eBay.

Used, vintage is pretty safe.

But NEW is where it gets tricky unless you know exactly what you are buying and who you are buying from. You have to do your homework or you may get a counterfeit product.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I picked up a working pressure compensated piston pump power unit for $1k. i find it useful.

 

[liliysdad]

Not only have fees gotten insane and unintelligible but if you sell anything over $100 (my bread and butter) your odds of getting scammed are almost 100%.

Dramatic much?

The fees are very well defined and completely transparent.

Yes, eBay does lean toward the buyer in most cases…but 100% scam rate? Absolute nonsense.

I sell somewhere close to the $10,000 range annually, and my wife many times that. The vast majority of my sales are well over your magical $100 mark.

Neither one of us can recall a single “scam,” although we’ve each had some difficult and downright silly experiences.