Ebay...price gouging fees.

lkalliance · Feb 2, 2017

TXFlyGuy said:
I have had it with the Bay....Oh well, live and learn.

Sad to hear it's come to that. Back in the day I sold items on eBay, but not as a moneymaking effort, just a means of recouping some value from items I intended to get rid of anyway. Back then the fees were not nearly so onerous. On the one hand, it's just supply and demand. There is just one eBay, no other challengers have emerged. I fear it'll take a fairly large migration away from it and into other venues. But so many businesses have now invested so much in their own eBay infrastructure, I don't see that happening.

Given my priority is usually "get a little something for it but more importantly get rid of it," I've moved over to Craigslist. In the end it's a cash exchange, I've got the ability to check the wares first, and so do buyers from me. To be fair, I haven't sold anything as expensive as vintage leather in a long time, so that's more freedom for me to prioritize "just get rid of it" higher than "get the most return."

TXFlyGuy · Feb 2, 2017

Lean'n'mean said:
Auction house will take up to 25% of the sale price & you have to add onto that; insurance, storage & cataloging fees & some auctioneers will take a percentage for withdrawn or unsold items + VAT of course were applicable. In comparison, eBay's percentage doesn't sound too bad.

That is too high also. But, at least it appears that they do earn it to sum degree. Ebay does nothing, other than allow you to post your own photos. Then a computer sorts out the bids, if there are any. I understand a small fee for listing. But they do nothing to help you sell your product. Hence, the 10% plus upcharge is highway robbery.

Monitor · Feb 2, 2017

Lean'n'mean said:
Auction house will take up to 25% of the sale price & you have to add onto that; insurance, storage & cataloging fees & some auctioneers will take a percentage for withdrawn or unsold items + VAT of course were applicable. In comparison, eBay's percentage doesn't sound too bad.

Sure, but the auction house will make sure to bring in all those interested in your item, they will properly and professionally advertise your item, arrange the viewing and the auction itself, they will make sure that the item is authentic, they will guarantee the condition of the item and most importantly, they will do everything in their power to get you as much money as possible because it also means more money for them.

eBay does nothing of the above. It's all up to you. Not only that, they'll charge you the additional listing fees for tons of crap that in no way or form improve your chances of selling the item. Bold subtitle!? What the actual f?

You have to do everything yourself and if you make even the smallest mistake, your listing will get compromised and worst case scenario, might not even show up to those interested in it because - or worse, it will sell for a fraction of its value without anyone from eBay informing you of the mistake. So the 13% they're charging is too much. Way too much.

Monitor · Feb 2, 2017

TXFlyGuy said:
That is too high also. But, at least it appears that they do earn it to sum degree. Ebay does nothing, other than allow you to post your own photos. Then a computer sorts out the bids, if there are any. I understand a small fee for listing. But they do nothing to help you sell your product. Hence, the 10% plus upcharge is highway robbery.

Didn't see your post as I was typing mine but yeah, agreed 100 per cent!

Lean'n'mean · Feb 3, 2017

Monitor said:
You have to do everything yourself and if you make even the smallest mistake, your listing will get compromised and worst case scenario, might not even show up to those interested in it because - or worse, it will sell for a fraction of its value without anyone from eBay informing you of the mistake.

Prehaps eBay overestimates it's sellers.

...I'm not sure it should be evilbay's duty ot inform sellers that they have made a spelling mistake, placed their item under the wrong category or haven't supplied sufficient info in their object description to optimize the sale. It would be great because sometimes the sellers just indicate what the item is i.e. HAT or JACKET with no other info, not even size & the potential buyer is obliged to contact the seller in the hope for a more detailed reply.....I think Darwinism plays a large part in eBay success rates. Those that put a wide range range of words in the object title to catch buyers looking for that particular item, take the time to compose a thorough & detailed description & include several good photos, put all the chances on their side for a successful sale.
Ebay offers a worldwide market, easy to use, relatively secure & on the whole, appreciated by it's users. I don't think 10% of the sale price is too high for such a service. If anyone resents paying eBay fees they can try & sell their stuff elsewhere, there are plenty of other online second hand sale sites, I don't kow if their fees are cheaper but they have fewer people visiting them, a narrower market & for the buyer, higher sale prices & a more complicated means of buying (which often involves having to phone the seller) & payment which dissuades many, me included. Of course, the really disgruntled can create their own auction site & offer a free service to the grumblers.

I would go out tonight · Feb 3, 2017

I think of the fees in the same way that gamblers do not mention their losses. They can be a bit of a shock when they come in at the end of the month but I consider them the costs to support a hobby. The USP is the global reach and the mass of buyers and sellers. I am pretty sure I have bought a few things on eBay that would just not be available locally or perhaps nationally and may even be unique on this island. When I first started on Ebay I traded books but now the fees make this pointless unless you have something quite rare. I do slightly resent the double hit with final value fees and Paypal fees. Perhaps the final sale fee should cover the transaction costs as well?

Justhandguns · Feb 3, 2017

The thing that I do not like about ebay right now is that the charges are usually not very transparent and too complicated. I know sometimes they offer free listings from time to time, but then there are so many hidden charges such as high res photos, additional subtitles, stringent limitation on postage calculations etc etc, and the worst of all, a now separated Paypal charges.

I am 99% a buyer these days, the good thing is that, we've got pretty good buyer protections in case if anything goes wrong. I guess there are too many people claiming these days so they decide to charge you more? Much like our insurance premium?

Lean'n'mean · Feb 3, 2017

Justhandguns said:
and the worst of all, a now separated Paypal charges.

As long as I've been using PayPal (since 2008) there have always been separate PP fees. The relationship between eBay & Paypal is a little cloudy. At first they were independant entities, then eBay bought PayPal, then they split up...not quite sure what their current marital status is but they offer different facilities so each their fee. The 3% PayPal takes is very competitive compared to banks. If you calculate bank charges for money transfers, handling cheques or currency exchange they may well be higher than 3%.

Cooper A-2 · Feb 3, 2017

Lean'n'mean said:
As long as I've been using PayPal (since 2008) there have always been separate PP fees. The relationship between eBay & Paypal is a little cloudy. At first they were independant entities, then eBay bought PayPal, then they split up...not quite sure what their current marital status is but they offer different facilities so each their fee. The 3% PayPal takes is very competitive compared to banks. If you calculate bank charges for money transfers, handling cheques or currency exchange they may well be higher than 3%.

PP asks 4.5% and has NO Office in EU. PP has a cloud with yours and plenty of other CC´s (hackers welcome). PP discriminates the seller and favors the buyers (crooks or not ), regardless of the case or whatever claims there are.
Paypal decides with the buyer whether a product or a service is Ok or needs to be paid or refund or not.
My Bank is not like that, my (international) bank charges me 8 Euro max. for any international transaction below 1800,--Euro.
PM me and I give you the references and address of my (international) Bank even represented in the US and surely in Europe and Asia.
I always wonder why Ebay still conducts a negative feedback policy, even with the "use of Paypal" considering that only the buyer has full claim priviledges and only the buyer can give negs and only the buyer is protected...All this should not be... because of the Paypal protection...

Plumbline · Feb 3, 2017

I've never had an issue with Ebay ( and I'm a frequent user) the fees are what the fees are - pretty much 10-15%.

As a buyer it gets me access to a world of products I had no real access to in the days of "Loot", "Exchange and Mart" and post office notice boards. The online facility has transformed how I buy and sell jackets ... the prices have risen accordingly in line with the market .... but by and large all is good. There are two simple rules :

Set your price ( as a buyer and a seller)
Research the product before you bid .. seller details etc. etc.

in over 3000 transactions I can count on my fingers the number of issues I've had ..... It has a cost and you can either accept it or go to the alternative ( and there are many alternatives ) ..... for high value items vintage clothing items this can be an issue as a seller but the choice is always there and I seldom sell anything worth more than £500 on the bay ( unless it's a car or a bike) but for the £2-400 arena is good value IMHO.

As a buyer it awesome ( and I do think Ebay has a bias towards buyer protection which is significantly detrimental to the seller .... but that's there model ... and me disagreeing with it isn't going to change it )

As with all things you pays yer money and takes yer choice INHO.

Cooper A-2 · Feb 3, 2017

Plumbline said:
I've never had an issue with Ebay ( and I'm a frequent user) the fees are what the fees are - pretty much 10-15%.

As a buyer it gets me access to a world of products I had no real access to in the days of "Loot", "Exchange and Mart" and post office notice boards. The online facility has transformed how I buy and sell jackets ... the prices have risen accordingly in line with the market .... but by and large all is good. There are two simple rules :

Set your price ( as a buyer and a seller)
Research the product before you bid .. seller details etc. etc.

in over 3000 transactions I can count on my fingers the number of issues I've had ..... It has a cost and you can either accept it or go to the alternative ( and there are many alternatives ) ..... for high value items vintage clothing items this can be an issue as a seller but the choice is always there and I seldom sell anything worth more than £500 on the bay ( unless it's a car or a bike) but for the £2-400 arena is good value IMHO.

As a buyer it awesome ( and I do think Ebay has a bias towards buyer protection which is significantly detrimental to the seller .... but that's there model ... and me disagreeing with it isn't going to change it )

As with all things you pays yer money and takes yer choice INHO.

Thx and very well expressed and said.
Now try the same as a seller...and we meet again in 6 months....
Kindest...

bn1966 · Feb 3, 2017

EvilBay works here, has enabled me to pursue my hobbies, loaded against the seller these days I'll agree.

I've purchased some nice kit from the Bay including vehicles & have been enabled to off-load mistakes & changes in taste to new owners. Pre-bay I recall being totally ripped off by vintage clothes dealers when moving stuff on..limited options!! Overall I'm glad the Bay exists.

Americanaaa Mark · Feb 3, 2017

Cooper A-2 said:
Thx and very well expressed and said.
Now try the same as a seller...and we meet again in 6 months....
Kindest...

Yup, rule of thumb is buy from Ebay, don't sell. Too much hassle and fees.

I'm thinking of selling all my stuff on here. I have some coats and shirts that may sell on here.

Cooper A-2 · Feb 3, 2017

Americanaaa Mark said:
Yup, rule of thumb is buy from Ebay, don't sell. Too much hassle and fees.

I'm thinking of selling all my stuff on here. I have some coats and shirts that may sell on here.

Its not only the Fleebay...its the obligation to sell via PP...at least if you sell from UK , AUSTRALIA , NZ, USA...BUT NOT FROM EU...how is that? welcome in discriminating land...

Americanaaa Mark · Feb 3, 2017

Paypal? Yea I know it sucks but what other alternatives are there?

Bushman · Feb 3, 2017

I was never a seller much on eBay. I tried selling a few items, they never really sold well, so I just stuck to buying. Now I'm glad I did.

AdeeC · Feb 4, 2017

bn1966 said:
EvilBay works here, has enabled me to pursue my hobbies, loaded against the seller these days I'll agree.

I've purchased some nice kit from the Bay including vehicles & have been enabled to off-load mistakes & changes in taste to new owners. Pre-bay I recall being totally ripped off by vintage clothes dealers when moving stuff on..limited options!! Overall I'm glad the Bay exists.

My brother when walking his dog about 15 years ago found over 500 NOS Parker fountain pens in boxes of 20 thrown out on the street. All dated from late 50's to early 60's. He was offered a $100 for the lot by a second hand dealer which he refused. An auction house put an estimate of about $1000 less 20% commission of course. Instead he gave them to me to sell on Ebay for which I took 30% commission. Each pen sold for between US$35 to a max of $325 each worldwide over a couple of years. Most sold within the 80 to 130 range. I only had to refund one customer due to non arrival. No way we could have made all that money without Ebay.

Cooper A-2 · Feb 4, 2017

Americanaaa Mark said:
Paypal? Yea I know it sucks but what other alternatives are there?

Bank transfer, Money order , banker drafts, Billions of Euro/£/$/¥ are made in real business every day...and all all without Paypal...just via bank to bank wire, etc...

rocketeer · Feb 4, 2017

If there was no eBay what would we do?
It has helped me complete collections of various items and got me parts for projects very quickly. All just by sitting at home in front of a computer screen.
Without eBay I would have to meet people, ask questions, look in papershop windows, search magazine ads maybe wait years to find that elusive vintage magazine for my collection, maybe even visit an antique show.
Now I can still visit the antique show where I can pick up something, the vendor gives me a price and as I look at the item sceptically he says to me "Thats a good price, they sell for........ on ebay" I refrain from saying "Why don't you sell it on eBay then?" But think blissfully back to the days before eBay and all the fun I had searching for these things.
Oh well, thats progress.

Lean'n'mean · Feb 4, 2017

Cooper A-2 said:
Its not only the Fleebay...its the obligation to sell via PP...at least if you sell from UK , AUSTRALIA , NZ, USA...BUT NOT FROM EU...how is that? welcome in discriminating land...

Most eBay sellers I've had dealings with prefer PayPal to other methods of payment anyway. It's really only the occasional ebayer who is selling an item for a few $/£/€ & doesn't have a PayPal account that ask to be paid by alternative means. I've even sent cash to a few sellers (my choice, not their's) & everything worked out fine. Trust goes a long way in Ebayland.
To anyone who doesn't like either eBay or PayPal I can only suggest that they don't freakin' use 'em & stop bitchin' about it.

Ebay...price gouging fees.

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