Community > Watto's Junk Yard
Everything eBay! Scams, questions, etc...
Greg:
EBay and Paypal double-dipping on fees is very annoying, especially on shipping. With the top-rated discount I'm paying around 10% total in fees for my sales... I imagine fees could get to 15% or more for casual sellers who don't get discounts. I actually switched over to free shipping for all of my lastings last year. I figured there was no sense in leaving myself open to lower feedback ratings on shipping price if I was going to get hit with eBay fees either way. Ultimately I think that move boosted my sales, so I guess it was a win-win for me.
Rob:
--- Quote from: Dave on March 5, 2014, 12:28 PM ---Yeah, its pretty sad when you have to mark up shipping just to break even.
Don't forget your PayPal fees as well.
I'm with you Justin. If I can strike a deal off-line with people I do it every time, especially if I'm the seller. It saves you a TON in fees.
--- End quote ---
See, I'm almost with eBay on this... you're not 'breaking even' by marking up the costs. You're just making more.
When you sell something, you do so knowing full well that the cost of using their platform where you have access to millions of potential buyers is that you pay their fees. That's just the cost of eBay. If you don't like that, you're free to use Craig's List or have a garage sale.
I think eBay does a lot of dumb ****, and obviously they're pushing the percentage that they charge and at some point they'll need to increase profits on volume instead of fee percentage. The charging a fee on shipping is because people were charging $2.00 for an expensive item then asking $30 to ship to avoid fees.
McMetal:
--- Quote from: Greg on March 6, 2014, 09:18 AM ---EBay and Paypal double-dipping on fees is very annoying, especially on shipping. With the top-rated discount I'm paying around 10% total in fees for my sales... I imagine fees could get to 15% or more for casual sellers who don't get discounts. I actually switched over to free shipping for all of my lastings last year. I figured there was no sense in leaving myself open to lower feedback ratings on shipping price if I was going to get hit with eBay fees either way. Ultimately I think that move boosted my sales, so I guess it was a win-win for me.
--- End quote ---
I ended up doing the exact same thing...plus I was sick of people sticking it to me on combined shipping if they won multiple auctions. I never advertised that but people apparently expect it and at the rate they decide is fair, so it became tiresome quickly arguing with people over that crap.
The fees definitely suck but they way I look at it, I'm making way more off this stuff selling it there than anyplace else I could go, especially places like the local comic shop.
Rob:
Auction houses typically charge anywhere from 10% to 25%
Seriously, I know eBay isn't Christie's, but it's not that terrible.
Jesse James:
--- Quote from: GrandMoffNick on March 6, 2014, 08:38 AM ---For the most part I won't "pay" for shipping on ebay. So if I would bid $x then I actually bid $x - shipping cost. Unless I really want it. So shipping cost stops me from bidding on a lot of things.
--- End quote ---
This is what I do... I gauge what the shipping added on is, and if it puts it out of my reach of what I wanted to pay in the first place, I walk. I do this even with online retailers like Amazon or EE as well. If their shipping jacks it or I can't get free, I bail on the purchase... It's all consumer perceptions really, but it's enough to make me walk on many auctions on Ebay. You see something BIN for $10 you really wanted then the guy wants $12 shipping and you know you're getting it in the cheapest shipping method possible? It's a turn-off to the seller, but that's me.
I never sell stuff on Ebay... Looks like too much hassle. I buy, but even that I do less of than I used to.
The other day I was buying a model kit from Asia... Only way to get these kits, and they're awesome, but incredibly expensive. I went through a 100 listings easily before I settled on the cheapest one between shipping ($3? Asia? Wow.) + BIN price... I got it for less than $40 where these go for well more than that usually.
Likewise my RC tanks, I get many from Asia and they're huge. I have to see a shipping I can live with or it jacks the BIN so high... A friend of mine who sells and is in HK tells me how shipping isn't bad at all if you do it right, but many sellers overcharge because US customers assume it costs a ton to get something from them. It's all in the packaging and the shipping method, and of course tracking it so it gets from A to B for sure.
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