eBay Fees...ugh!

[4Runner]

I sell here and there on eBay and it seems like they've increased their Final Value Fees to 10% of the total purchase price. Does this sound right? Does anyone else here sell on eBay and if you do, have you been charged the same percentage? It just seems high to me.

[Creek Indian]

I've never sold on eBay but assumed I would in the future being that I have tons of shit. I researched it a couple years ago and I'm also eager to find out what the current cost of selling on eBay is.

[Thunderblaze16]

Haven't they always done 10%? lol

[Lastcallhall]

It varies on your final amount sold. Here's a good calculator to see what your fees would be:

http://www.fees.ebay.com/feeweb/feecalculator

[NeoGeoFanatic]

I have always called it FeeBay...don't forget, PayPal takes a small cut too....

[Lastcallhall]

I have always called it FeeBay...don't forget, PayPal takes a small cut too....

Which is owned by eBay. I never understood how they could get away with double dipping on fees like that.

[MaxWar]

And you get double teamed when selling junk From Canada since Ebay now charges you final value on shipping too. Since Canada has possibly the highest shipping fees of the civilized world, ebay will actually walk away with something more like 20% of my 'profit' on some sales.

While I think Ebay is taking advantage of its monopoly and I frown upon it, It is still better than getting stuck with otherwise unsellable junk. I mean, I just sold a TV stand I found in the trash for 30$, no kidding.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/131080896824?...84.m1559.l2649

[Iron Lizard]

I make most of my money off of Ebay and I can't even keep up with their god damned fees. The paypal thing does irk me so I write off all the fees. Its a cost of business afterall. I really do like the no listing fees these days but they get you one way or the other.

The shipping fee is ridiculous. What the fuck difference does it make if I pocket $.18 on an order. When a person buys something they know what they will be paying for shipping. I can't be 100% accurate. Sometimes I have to swallow the cost as well. Do I get a discount for that?

The way to get around it is using "free shipping" but then my customers outside the US pay for shipping twice when you think about it which isn't fair at all. With that in mind I can't offer free shipping on extremely heavy items for that reason. I wish they would just let me charge customers the least amount for shipping that I can and not charge/ punish me for that. The guy in California pays as much as the guy in Vermont. The guy in the UK pays for Vermont shipping and then has to pay for international. Its crap.

There is one thing you can do. Make use of that comment box. Everytime you run into their nonsense let them know you think they are bunch of scum sucking cheating scheisters that will as one my favorite books says " will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes" Don't be nice. Let them have that. After all you are also an Ebay customer and the customer is always right.

[4Runner]

There is one thing you can do. Make use of that comment box. Everytime you run into their nonsense let them know you think they are bunch of scum sucking cheating scheisters that will as one my favorite books says " will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes" Don't be nice. Let them have that. After all you are also an Ebay customer and the customer is always right.

The only problem I see with that is I sincerely doubt they're gonna give a comment of that nature a second look. Like my maw maw used to say "you catch more flies with honey". I just thought that final value fee was steep and it can't possibly be based on the final value (even though it says it is) because everything I've sold so far (about 30 items) has been under $100 and they take 10% regardless of the price.

[4Runner]

Are there any reliable alternatives to eBay? Just because they've been around the longest doesn't mean they're the best choice.

[Lastcallhall]

If you're looking to stay within a few specific categories, forums such as this one are good alternatives. I've only used eBay lately to either buy electronic parts I can't source elsewhere, or cheap blu rays. I haven't sold anything on there in years.

[Iron Lizard]

The only problem I see with that is I sincerely doubt they're gonna give a comment of that nature a second look. Like my maw maw used to say "you catch more flies with honey". I just thought that final value fee was steep and it can't possibly be based on the final value (even though it says it is) because everything I've sold so far (about 30 items) has been under $100 and they take 10% regardless of the price.

Maybe not but do you think they pay any more attention to a "please sir don't charge me so much" comment.

Are there any reliable alternatives to eBay? Just because they've been around the longest doesn't mean they're the best choice.

Depends on what you sell. Usually no though I have made a bit selling Etsy. Its good for vintage things, clothes antiques. It has problems of its own like being run by crazy snobbish art people people who insist you take washed out looking pictures using old wood as a background. But it is cheaper and less evil.

[MaxWar]

I make most of my money off of Ebay and I can't even keep up with their god damned fees. The paypal thing does irk me so I write off all the fees. Its a cost of business afterall. I really do like the no listing fees these days but they get you one way or the other.

The shipping fee is ridiculous. What the fuck difference does it make if I pocket $.18 on an order. When a person buys something they know what they will be paying for shipping. I can't be 100% accurate. Sometimes I have to swallow the cost as well. Do I get a discount for that?

The way to get around it is using "free shipping" but then my customers outside the US pay for shipping twice when you think about it which isn't fair at all. With that in mind I can't offer free shipping on extremely heavy items for that reason. I wish they would just let me charge customers the least amount for shipping that I can and not charge/ punish me for that. The guy in California pays as much as the guy in Vermont. The guy in the UK pays for Vermont shipping and then has to pay for international. Its crap.

There is one thing you can do. Make use of that comment box. Everytime you run into their nonsense let them know you think they are bunch of scum sucking cheating scheisters that will as one my favorite books says " will be the first against the wall when the revolution comes" Don't be nice. Let them have that. After all you are also an Ebay customer and the customer is always right.

I don't follow you there. In truth there is no 'real' advantage to 'free shipping' the way I see it. Ebay will not charge you less for it. It's just a psychological thing, the way a 4.99$ item will sell more than a 5.00$ one.
The other advantage is that buyers can't give you bad star rating for shipping.

The Final value fee on shipping is there because before it, Sellers cheated by selling items for 0.01$ and put the real price on the shipping instead. Apparently ebay tried to counter this for years but it never worked, sellers didn't give a fuck and kept doing it. So now everyone is penalized because otherwise a few would exploit the system against the rules.

[4Runner]

The Final value fee on shipping is there because before it, Sellers cheated by selling items for 0.01$ and put the real price on the shipping instead. Apparently ebay tried to counter this for years but it never worked, sellers didn't give a fuck and kept doing it. So now everyone is penalized because otherwise a few would exploit the system against the rules.

Ah, the good old "let's punish everyone for the actions of a stupid few"...I just love that rule.

[4Runner]

Maybe not but do you think they pay any more attention to a "please sir don't charge me so much" comment.

Probably not, but I just don't see any good coming out of an all out angry attack on them. How many people would respond positively to someone calling them a low down, skank, double-dipping, cheating bastard? My guess would be very few. I may be in the minority, but I try to use tact when I speak to customer no-service and I usually get results. Not all the time, but usually. On the flip side, the couple of times I acted like an ass, I got nowhere and actually made the situation worse so I refrain from doing that now. There is more than one way to skin a cat. I do appreciate the info on Etsy though. I will look into that. Is it a bidding site or buy-it-now thing? I'm being lazy atm