Is sales tax affecting your sales?

[hollygolitly]

I am feeling the pinch, sales down from last year and vs just a month ago....anyone else?

It is harder and harder to make it work as a seller on Ebay!!

Holly

[mam98031]

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@turquoisetulips wrote:

If you do an internet search on this subject I think you will find that to be true as well.  What buyers like about Free Shipping is that they only have one price to look at.  They don't need to do math.  It is just easier for them and therefore they like it better.  mam ------------

e bay  put out a message that I seen one day  saying   offering free shipping helps to increase sales by 18 % ,,, at least  I think they said 18 % - Tulips 

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I don't remember exactly what they have said, but they certainly have said something like that a few times.  

What I have found through testing and years of experience is that with some products free shipping works very well and with some products, not so much.  So I don't think it is right for everything, but I do believe that buyers like free shipping on many types of items.  

Sometimes we just try to overthink things and make them more complicated than they are.  Ebay seller just needs to find what works best for them and what they sell, then stick with that.  There is no right or wrong answer.  And the answer will differ from seller to seller.

I agree with Ebay, I think with products that buyers like free shipping on, it will improve sales.  But don't let Ebay determine for you what those products are, you need to do your own research and testing.

[mam98031]

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@00pothole wrote:

Don't different Product Markets have Differing Shipping Rates?  I speak domestic and foreign in context to this question.
What no-one speaks about (as it applies on International Only) ---- that be the bigger enemy:   the Customs Fee.

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Offering Free Shipping on a US shipment doesn't mean you are offering Free Shipping worldwide.  You will be able to see this on your listing set up as you are creating the listing.  You have the ability to put in shipping rates for worldwide if you want to.  I do it all the time.

Sellers are not responsible for "custom fee", they never have been.

If you want to be more specific to what concerns you, we can answer your questions.

@00pothole 

[00pothole]

My context was:  that depending of the PRICE VALUE of the Order, the Customs Fee can easily outdo the sales tax fee.
But in LISTING On Ebay:  Many prospective buyers of internationally listed items, forget to think of Customs Fees.  As many International Sellers not list of such fees having to be paid.  

[pink.fish.rule]

The customs fees should be the buyer's concern, not the seller's.

[zoot666]

Between the fees, which is **bleep**, and the taxes yeah it has an effect.

I'm not as excited about selling or buying as I was even just a year ago.  I'd rather just save my money...but sometimes there is a need for a good or service.

Extra fluff items that I may have looked at before are getting far and fewer.

Probably a good thing anyway.

Beyond that - greed begets greed.......

[reallynicestamps]

@hollygolitly 

I have had a couple of buyers ask for discounts to cover sales tax.

Yes. That happened in Canada in 1985 when the federal government brought in a 7 % Goods and Services Tax that covered almost all sales, wholesale and retail.

It took about two years for things to settle down.

The only sellers who can say for sure that the Internet Sales Taxes are affecting their sales are

• those who had strong sales from the 34 affected states and seen those disappear or drop off.
• those who have seen in process sales be cancelled
• those who have been asked for discounts to offset the IST.

Everyone else is guessing.

Keep in mind that sellers whose sales have not been affected are not posting here. They are too busy shipping.

[reallynicestamps]

It would be interesting to read the Seller Boards on those other sites that are doing so well and see if those posters are equally concerned by the IST.

Has anyone been looking at the Seller Discussions on Amazon? Do they even have one?

[mrdutch1001]

As a longtime seller on various selling venues for over 18 years now, have heard it all -  sellers have thrown anything and everything into the mix for reasons, causes, excuses for slow sales.

Let's face it, if there is something to blame it on, sellers will do so...weather, day of the week, time of the year, fees, taxes, lack of buyers, competition,etc... and the list goes on...

Successful online selling comes down to the item/product...it's all about the product; supply and demand, uniqueness, quality, pricing, target market...

and eBay may have been king back in the day but those days are long gone...

The world no longer revolves around eBay...

Que sera sera...c'est la vie!

[mam98031]

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@00pothole wrote:

My context was:  that depending of the PRICE VALUE of the Order, the Customs Fee can easily outdo the sales tax fee.
But in LISTING On Ebay:  Many prospective buyers of internationally listed items, forget to think of Customs Fees.  As many International Sellers not list of such fees having to be paid.  

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That isn't a seller's responsibility to do.  That is all on the buyer.  That would be a whole lot of work for a seller to maintain that info on every single listings and to keep it accurate and up to date.  With somewhere around 195 countries in the world, not that all have customs fees, but still a lot of work to be sure.  

It isn't on the seller because a buyer doesn't take into consideration custom fees or sales tax for that matter.

@00pothole 

[mam98031]

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@mrdutch1001 wrote:

As a longtime seller on various selling venues for over 18 years now, have heard it all -  sellers have thrown anything and everything into the mix for reasons, causes, excuses for slow sales.

Let's face it, if there is something to blame it on, sellers will do so...weather, day of the week, time of the year, fees, taxes, lack of buyers, competition,etc... and the list goes on...

Successful online selling comes down to the item/product...it's all about the product; supply and demand, uniqueness, quality, pricing, target market...

and eBay may have been king back in the day but those days are long gone...

The world no longer revolves around eBay...

Que sera sera...c'est la vie!

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I agree with what you have said.  The only exception I would throw in that mix are the multiple site issues that Ebay is experiencing right now does have an effect on some, not all, sellers.  You can review the announcement board for more info and there is a thread on the tech board started by Ebay for those to post issues on the site.  

There are some very serious issues on the site that Ebay has acknowledge that is causing some sellers significant issues and this can't be ignored either.  I know most of the time this is not a factor.  But at this point in time is most certainly is.

[bigbuck06]

No, buyers wont settle in and be fine. I am a buyer and have used ebay for many years and I can tell you this tax bull**** is exactly why my ebay shopping is curved. 

Why would I want to be charged sales tax on a used/second hand item. That would be like going to a garage sale, craigslist etc and being charged tax.

No, its absolutely ridiculous to even think its ok and "buyers will settle in".

Sellers are adding/padding $$ to the item price already to cover costs and now buyers getting to eat the added shipping cost as well. I just bought an item for a little over 130.00 was charged 40 for shipping when actual cost was 24.95 using usps and their free box, then charged 11 and change on top of that for taxes for a used 30 yr old item.

None of it is ok with this buyer and I know many that are thinking the same way.

Its just another way to steal from the consumer, being double taxed and robbed.

[mrdutch1001]

This sales tax fiasco IS NOT an eBay thing....This is a GOVERNMENT thing - something YOUR  USA states governments think is a good thing. This is an internet sales tax brought about by the governing bodies of your country. eBay is abiding by the law - eBay has no choice in this matter.... and in time all online selling venues will be forced to join this collection of sales taxes for all internet sales. This is not eBay's doing so any complaining ought best to be taken up with government representatives.

[johnrj1226]

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@turquoisetulips wrote:

If you do an internet search on this subject I think you will find that to be true as well.  What buyers like about Free Shipping is that they only have one price to look at.  They don't need to do math.  It is just easier for them and therefore they like it better.  mam ------------

e bay  put out a message that I seen one day  saying   offering free shipping helps to increase sales by 18 % ,,, at least  I think they said 18 % - Tulips 

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For  several years in  a row sometime after 2010, maybe 4 or 5 yrs, eBay used to say FS increased sales by 11%.  I always  thought that  was odd for the percentage not to  change  from one year to the  next.   Heck my weight does  - right now -10 lbs.  So I came to the conclusion  this was just a made up number  by someone in the Head Shed in San Jose came up with.  Think I'm real close to being "spot on".

[johnrj1226]

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@pink.fish.rule wrote:
The customs fees should be the buyer's concern, not the seller's.

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It  has been often reported on these  boards that the international buyer does not pay the customs fee as they are "surprised" at the amount or thought the seller should have paid it.

[lex-talon]

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@hollygolitly wrote:

I am feeling the pinch, sales down from last year and vs just a month ago....anyone else?

It is harder and harder to make it work as a seller on Ebay!!

Holly

No, but a rash of cancellations have.

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