eBay

seller_update@ebay · ‎02-09-2022

We’ll be aligning the Promoted Listings Standard ad fee calculation more closely with how we calculate final value fees. You can learn more about that here, feel free to ask any questions below!

Please note that eBay experts will be present and engaging on the boards between 8 am and 4:00 pm PST on 2.9.

minervas-loft · ‎02-09-2022

We're already getting nickel and dimed on final value fees applying to tax and shipping and those fees are being increased as well. There is no reason for an ad fee applying to taxes collected. I agree with others that this goes against the small business supporting image that's been built up the past few years.

pokemoncatches · ‎02-09-2022

I sit here with so many cards to sell, but I have come to loathe eBay so much.

You are headed for a crash course, my once go to site is now a site of considerable irritation, both for buying and selling.

pokemoncatches · ‎02-09-2022

It's the eBay specialty.

mi-294 · ‎02-09-2022

no need to wait March 1st
from 150 promoted listings i end up having just 3 promoted listings
i may loose some sales but that's okay

myantiquestore · ‎02-09-2022

As a seller, perhaps putting a cap on how much eBay can collect off each item for shipping would be a better way to approach the issue. If my shipping is $65 and someone else's is $4 for the same $100 item - it would be much more fair to capped my fee at a max so my fees are limited in some regard. I have had boxes I shipped to Australia be over $105 for the shipping alone. I am in Illinois and shipping to Washington State is outragous. There does have to be some sort of limit set or the fees will be too cost prohibited.

mi-294 · ‎02-09-2022

True you can't compare a shipping of $5 with a shipping of $100 for example.

At the same time, with a deeper reading everyone can understand that it is also a way to benefit people who are offering Free Shipping and Promoted Listings and get more people to do that.

mombulldog2 · ‎02-09-2022

So, am I understanding this correctly? Right now if I sell a $20 item and select 10% in Promoted Listings. Let's say it costs $10 to ship. It sells through PM, so I would pay a fee to eBay of $2.00 for the promoted listing over and above my final value fees, which include a 30 cent transaction fee and also include taxes and shipping. So roughly, when all that is added together, I have grossed maybe just under $16. Ebay is getting about change about 20%.

After March 1st, I would now also be charged an additional 10% on the shipping, plus the transaction fee and taxes on my item which, depending on taxes, would be around an $2 additional. Ebay is now getting approx. 30%. My $20 sale has only made me about $14 before I even figure in cost of goods and shipping supplies. That's a hefty little increase, especially given that some of the other platforms I sell on are more aggressive about getting our listings out on Google without extra fees.

Right now I have over 900 items on Promoted Listings. I think my first response will be to figure out what percentage I will need to lower them to so that I won't be paying more when the new rates kick in, and then think hard about whether it's even worth it to participate in the program at all. I'm getting as much organic traffic as I am through Promoted Listings, so it might make sense to focus time and money there, where I can control the rates.

dustydaffodils · ‎02-09-2022

Promoted Listings Standard itself has become a necessary evil. I say evil, because it takes away from a fair playing field. Sellers are already paying a listing fee, at minimum, and many times a store in addition to that; but now if we want our items to be seen we have to pay a "fee" to promote the item.

But this added fee - in addition - is just really hard to take. We are paying to promote the item itself, not the shipping, government fees, and eBay enhancements. Please, eBay, reconsider.

jackassretro · ‎02-09-2022

Charging an extra fee on fees and taxes? Another money grab. Sure would be great if ebay actually cared about its sellers instead of empty promises and lip service and PR that means nothing to the average seller. Where is the justification? Advertising budget? Improved customer service? Fixing glitches on the site? Maybe instead of charging us extra fees, you could increase revenue by collecting fees when our customers can actually accept offers we send reliably. Seriously? Fees on sales tax collected. My god.

seller_update@ebay · ‎02-09-2022

@coffeebean832 wrote:

Will there be an option added to make PL exclusive to domestic sales? If not- can you make that an option effective soon- and by soon I mean build out that function by May 2022?

If the answer is no, then will there be any reprieve on the fee for international sales? If not- can you create one and code in that reprieve effective the same date the fee increase goes into effect?

With international shipping and VAT/GST- that will mean adding a higher handling fee specific to international sales because it's too cost-prohibitive to absorb a PL fee on the entire international payment. My international buyers pay more than double domestic buyers because of shipping costs.

Hi @coffeebean832 - Not at this time. Your promoted listings may appear anywhere your listing is eligible for sale. At this time, in order for your promoted listings to exclusively show domestically you would need to update your listing settings to only ship domestically.

Please note that any changes to where your listing is eligible for sale would impact both the promoted and non-promoted version of your listing.

d-eberly · ‎02-09-2022

Given this change - could you please change the minimum of 1% for a promoted listing to something less? Like 0.5% ? On less expensive items, which seem to be popular now, the ad fee could more than double. This might give us more flexibility than to just remove the promotion of the listing. EVERYTHING counts up when you are a small business.

rakdistribution · ‎02-09-2022

It's beyond unethical, especially for eBay.

eBay in the past has worked overtime to convince US sellers that they are the "champions of small businesses". The company through their eBay Main Street/Government Relations program actively sends select sellers to the US Congress to represent small businesses to lobby along with eBay against additional taxes and government policies that impact small sellers.

Now the eBay of today... rather than support small businesses by removing the Shipping & Sales Tax allocations from the FVF fees they doubled down own using the mandatory US Marketplace facilitator tax (which they pushed against) as a mechanism to increase their own ad rate fees disproportionately against the small businesses that they claim to "support" in the same breath.

Today we see that all of that "support" was a potentially a bold faced lie.

Jon
eCommerce Sales Manager
RAK Distribution (on eBay)

ryrostine · ‎02-09-2022

Two thumbs down.

stephenstephens · ‎02-09-2022

As a smaller seller, I gave Promoted Listings a try, but saw no considerable benefit or sales. I currently have some odd listings still with PL, but come this price increase I will be cancelling most of them and lowering the rate on the others. Fees and loss are already high, and customers only expect lower & lower prices, they do not care much regarding inflation from the seller's perspective.