Remind me again - FREE RETURNS & SHIPPING - INCREASED POSTAGE CHARGES - INCREASED PAYPAL & ebay fees

[avid.auctions]

FREE RETURNS - FREE SHIPPING - INCREASED POSTAGE CHARGES - INCREASED PAYPAL FEES - INCREASED EBAY FEES.

Remind me why I started selling here again.  BTW, I started in 1998...

Why did I buy stock in a company that does everything it can to screw the seller - bought 2006....

Remind me why a couple of years back I decided to pay ebay to establish a store.....

Remind me why I lied to my customers and said they were getting FREE S&H, when really it was me eating into my small margins.

Free Returns, no even I am not that stupid - good try ebay...  I wonder if they charge those sellers that offer than an additional 10% fee on that return shipping - if they don't yet (watch out fools).

Remind me why I worked so hard to keep 100% feedback (or at least until some moron didn't like an item last year, gave me my first negative and won't do anything about it, even when I offered him a refund minus my S&H costs)...

Please, somebody, remind me... Because I just took my second loss in two days on items (due to the increased S&H, which in turn increased my paypal & ebay fees, and along with my non-existent discount as a TRS.  Please, I need someone to explain to me why I do this...   I really used to love getting unique items or that special item that I found and sold it to get it into the hands of someone that had a memory that connected to it, or just needed something they couldn't find somewhere else.

I wonder if the P.O. understands without internet sales, they will not last for long - no matter how bad they screw the rest of the folks that actually use them.  Ok, I admit we send out 15-20 Christmas cards and some birthday cards - no more heavy cards shipped to New York - just paid $4 to ship one - reminder to self, they now get electronic cards.   Another nail in the coffin of the P.O.

I wonder at what point ebay will flip the switch and go back to helping Sellers as much as they do Buyers....  (or will Facebook or Google decide to take them on.)  Amazon is not any better... 

Remind me again...  I think tomorrow I will sell some stock.  

[turquoisetulips]

It is a problem on ALL sites, not just Ebay.  They don't just raise the rates for Ebay sellers -mam 

Yes of course .I didn't mean to imply that I thought only e bay sellers were being targeted  for higher  shipping rates . I've tried other selling sites and they just haven't worked out as well . I found that when buyers  find  out they actually need to get in their cars and come pick up the item  I'd say about  65 % of the time they just don't bother . So e bay selling  still remains my top concern. Tulips 

 it will smooth out, it always does. mam 

I hope so . However as before mentioned by the OP ,, its only one of the issues . Tulips 

[bmor3]

So to answer my question, you do sell on eBay ?  I seem to see a lot of advise from members with very low or non existent seller feedback sores. If you are a seller, why do you hide your seller account when you respond to posts? Thanks

[mam98031]

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@bmor3 wrote:

So to answer my question, you do sell on eBay ?  I seem to see a lot of advise from members with very low or non existent seller feedback sores. If you are a seller, why do you hide your seller account when you respond to posts? Thanks

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That is a personal choice for each one of us to make.  There is no right or wrong answer.  Some use posting IDs because conversations on the threads can get a bit heated from time to time.  Some posters don't know when to turn it off and may go after another poster that is posting with their selling ID via purchasing from them and causing issues.  Certainly that isn't the majority of posters, but it has been known to happen.

It happened to me once, but the poster wasn't very clever and it was easily seen by me and by Ebay.  So I was protected.  However that isn't always the case.

So never assume you aren't talking with someone with lots of experience but also you need to weigh things out because it could be someone that has never sold and really doesn't know how things work in application.

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@bmor3 wrote:

So to answer my question, you do sell on eBay ?  I seem to see a lot of advise from members with very low or non existent seller feedback sores. If you are a seller, why do you hide your seller account when you respond to posts? Thanks

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Most of the sellers posting here are smart. They are posting with posting IDs. These sellers have feedback in the thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands. Many have been here since the beginning of Ebay. They post with posting IDs so wackadoos, wingnuts and cereal people (nuts, fruits and flakes) can't maliciously buy to screw up their selling accounts. (Yes, it happens, more than you would think)

I'm one of the stupid ones - I post with one of my selling IDs, but I do on occasion post with a posting ID and a buying ID.

[mam98031]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@bmor3 wrote:

So to answer my question, you do sell on eBay ?  I seem to see a lot of advise from members with very low or non existent seller feedback sores. If you are a seller, why do you hide your seller account when you respond to posts? Thanks

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Most of the sellers posting here are smart. They are posting with posting IDs. These sellers have feedback in the thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands. Many have been here since the beginning of Ebay. They post with posting IDs so wackadoos, wingnuts and cereal people (nuts, fruits and flakes) can't maliciously buy to screw up their selling accounts. (Yes, it happens, more than you would think)

I'm one of the stupid ones - I post with one of my selling IDs, but I do on occasion post with a posting ID and a buying ID.

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OUCH!  I post with my selling ID.  Well at least we are in the same club.  LOL

[avid.auctions]

Yes, I made money and still selling.  As far as how I posted, I couldn't tell you why my id doesn't show, I had more sales last year before the increased postage charges (no not ebays fault - I get that).    I understand increased costs, I understand inflation, I understand buyers will be paying taxes - I am assuming that means ebay will simply take more of my thin profit at some point and tell me how nice that is to do all the accounting work for me.  Just like they charge a percentage of my shipping charges.    I'm a Financial Advisor by trade and retired young to focus on a part time ebay business.  I understand business.  I understand change.  What I really can't figure out is who runs a company that tips the scales to one side.  The buyer wants to return an item for free.  They just say something is wrong and yup, you guessed it - ebay offers you to pay for it.  Even if you say you don't do free returns.  I have had one negative in all my years on ebay.  The buyer was not satisfied with the purchase, I offered for him to keep the item and I would return him his purchase price (which of course included my S&H) - He said no deal and dropped a negative on me.  Ebay saw what I offered a complete refund and he got to keep the item.  There answer, just keep BEGGING to get the negative removed.  They would not do it.  21 years of PERFECT 100% drew to an end.    Again, tipping scales so far, either way, is not good for the company.  I simply believe that smaller sellers, I have fewer than 5000 feedback, should expect the worst.  I am however optimistic that some of the startups will compete on the same level as an Ebay or Amazon for auctions again someday.    I am blessed to have had a good 20+ year run.  But remember this is YOUR business and without your direct complaints to the Board of Directors, calls, emails, and letters.  NONE of this will change...  I have decided since it is now costing me to have a store, I will let it expire at the end of my contract this year.  Good Luck to all you old time, hard working, dollar making sellers.   

[sweetpieces4you]

Yeppers , that's the way it nowadays. Everything goes UP but you can't raise your product prices or they won't sell !! 

[dakota_67]

I would think about selling your stock. The way things are going if there are no sellers left the whole thing will collapse. With ebay fees, pay pal fees, taxes, overhead costs and anything else that sellers have to pay there is no profit. The new seller update is just another accounting trick used to screw sellers over.  Returns are another accounting trick used to suck the sellers account dry. I know how you feel.

[mam98031]

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@sweetpieces4you wrote:

Yeppers , that's the way it nowadays. Everything goes UP but you can't raise your product prices or they won't sell !! 

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Then you may want to start branching out gradually to a different product line.  Vendor price increases can't be avoided.  They are going to happen, it is the nature of business, prices go up.  Sometimes it takes a little time for customers to accept this fact, but they eventually do or none of us would be selling stuff.

USPS goes up almost every year.  Right after those increases the threads are full of sellers saying their buyers won't like or won't pay the increases.  But they will.  They really don't have a choice.  The carrier price increases aren't solely for Ebay, they are for everyone.  So the price increases will affect all sites that sell stuff of a similar nature.

[castlemagicmemories]

 I'm a Financial Advisor by trade and retired young to focus on a part time ebay business. 

May I congratulate you and say that that is very impressive.  

[castlemagicmemories]

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@sweetpieces4you wrote:

Yeppers , that's the way it nowadays. Everything goes UP but you can't raise your product prices or they won't sell !! 

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There does come a point where that can happen, but hopefully not, though.  

[southern*sweet*tea]

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@bmor3 wrote:

So to answer my question, you do sell on eBay ?  I seem to see a lot of advise from members with very low or non existent seller feedback sores. If you are a seller, why do you hide your seller account when you respond to posts? Thanks

---

Most of the sellers posting here are smart. They are posting with posting IDs. These sellers have feedback in the thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands. Many have been here since the beginning of Ebay. They post with posting IDs so wackadoos, wingnuts and cereal people (nuts, fruits and flakes) can't maliciously buy to screw up their selling accounts. (Yes, it happens, more than you would think)

I'm one of the stupid ones - I post with one of my selling IDs, but I do on occasion post with a posting ID and a buying ID.

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OUCH!  I post with my selling ID.  Well at least we are in the same club.  LOL

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Maybe stupid isn't the right word...how about reckless? Bold? Brave? Crazy? Devil-may-care?

If you don't see me for a while, it's because I'm hiding here in the corner, pulling my foot out of my mouth

[mam98031]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@bmor3 wrote:

So to answer my question, you do sell on eBay ?  I seem to see a lot of advise from members with very low or non existent seller feedback sores. If you are a seller, why do you hide your seller account when you respond to posts? Thanks

---

Most of the sellers posting here are smart. They are posting with posting IDs. These sellers have feedback in the thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands. Many have been here since the beginning of Ebay. They post with posting IDs so wackadoos, wingnuts and cereal people (nuts, fruits and flakes) can't maliciously buy to screw up their selling accounts. (Yes, it happens, more than you would think)

I'm one of the stupid ones - I post with one of my selling IDs, but I do on occasion post with a posting ID and a buying ID.

---

OUCH!  I post with my selling ID.  Well at least we are in the same club.  LOL

---

Maybe stupid isn't the right word...how about reckless? Bold? Brave? Crazy? Devil-may-care?

If you don't see me for a while, it's because I'm hiding here in the corner, pulling my foot out of my mouth

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OMG, I'm laughing so hard I can hardly stand it.  

It's OK, I've been called worse!!!  LOL

No need to hide from me as I never took any offense to your comment. 

[mam98031]

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@mam98031 wrote:

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@southern*sweet*tea wrote:

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@bmor3 wrote:

So to answer my question, you do sell on eBay ?  I seem to see a lot of advise from members with very low or non existent seller feedback sores. If you are a seller, why do you hide your seller account when you respond to posts? Thanks

---

Most of the sellers posting here are smart. They are posting with posting IDs. These sellers have feedback in the thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands. Many have been here since the beginning of Ebay. They post with posting IDs so wackadoos, wingnuts and cereal people (nuts, fruits and flakes) can't maliciously buy to screw up their selling accounts. (Yes, it happens, more than you would think)

I'm one of the stupid ones - I post with one of my selling IDs, but I do on occasion post with a posting ID and a buying ID.

---

OUCH!  I post with my selling ID.  Well at least we are in the same club.  LOL

---

Maybe stupid isn't the right word...how about reckless? Bold? Brave? Crazy? Devil-may-care?

If you don't see me for a while, it's because I'm hiding here in the corner, pulling my foot out of my mouth

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FYI, the reason I do it is so that those considering any advice I may offer can tell that I'm a seasoned seller / member of the community.  Often times non sellers give sellers advice and to me that seems more than a little odd.  Sometimes they are right, but then sometimes they are completely wrong and can do harm to others.  So this way, you know what you get with me.  And that is the only reason I use the ID that I do.

[castlemagicmemories]

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@gew6463 wrote:

There is no harm in venting a little bit; in fact, at times I think that is almost a necessity of selling here these days My husband occasionally gets a that-darn-Ebay earful from myself (thankfully, he is a good listener!). The frustration passes eventually, then it's back to the business of listing, and hopefully selling, in spite of it all. At least for now. 

You've been here longer than I have OP (almost 16 years myself) and I'm sure have seen a lot of change in Ebay policies. I know some categories/items have gotten worse for returns and/or scams. It pains me to see the discouragement & damage from often unfair, slanted policies that my fellow sellers are going through these days. I keep my head down and try to sell relatively low-value items now. And mostly have nice-to-very nice customers. But I am also conscious there could be trouble around the next corner with a dishonest buyer, or even a conniving competitor (been there unfortunately, done that). 

Perhaps the recent changes (and possibly more to come?) of some of those in charge will lead to eventual good news & more support for sellers. I'm not exactly counting on it, but one can (perhaps naively) hope. Just looking for that silver lining I guess.. 

OP, I hope you keep going in spite of the present frustrating circumstances. I understand only you can decide what is best for your business. However, Ebay (whether they choose to recognize it or not) still needs great sellers like yourself, who take care in offering those unique & special treasures. That's what brought me to Ebay as a collector of nostalgic collectibles, and a part of what has kept me here as a seller as well. I wish you all the best in the near (& far) future. 

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Just perfectly expressed, @gew6463