eBay is closing....!

[ampapa1]

It won't happen today or tomorrow...  but the reason eBay is going to close is that Sellers when selling are being precluded by eBay trying to make money. It's no longer an auction site, it's too regulated and Sellers are always on the hook.

So I don't sell much on eBay anymore, in fact I avoid it like the plague...  for two main reasons:

   1) Their fees are ridiculous... do I need to say more.

   2) eBay looking for revenue streams, to make up for lost sales, are listing other sellers items in your auction before you even get to the description of the item that you're trying to sell.

Just venting about the system and how its morphed from what it used to be, really unique, to just another site trying to make money from the small guy.

[bonjourami]

Ive been hearing the sky is falling here for twenty five years..so far, so good.

[sumsum70]

eBay's pressure and false data campaign must have succeeded with you. I don't promote, have never promoted and never will promote. None of the sales numbers in the photo below came from promoting anything.

I do sell less on eBay, but I don't sell less overall. Another site has generated all of the lost eBay sales and more, so much so that I don't list certain items here anymore. eBay is still useful to me for selling weird stuff, wholesale lots and for converting some buyers into direct buyers.

If "if you really want to sell anything you MUST promote" ever becomes a true statement, I simply won't sell here anymore.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

It is more regulated and that is not solely a decision by Ebay.

The fees are in line with the major internet marketplaces.

Sellers who lack an appropriate business strategy for the 21st century will probably stop selling here.

If there were not too many sellers, there would be no reason for Ebay to be able to generate revenue from promoted listings. Ebay might make more money if the right sellers leave this site.

The interest in what it used to be declined, auctions are an unreliable and inefficient way of buying and selling. A site full of no recourse sales is no longer viable.  Very few buyers want to spend the amount of time on Ebay as they did in the past.

What Ebay used to be was highly reliant on Listing Fees as well as FVFs and many sellers left when the listing fees ate up their profits.

[dbfolks166mt]

And to be honest - eBay may work for getting a business going injecting cashflow, it's not wise for someone to build a business and expect it to last, using someone else's platform. eBay can ban you at any time for any reason, and that part of your business/cashflow is over for good. Then what? eBay does not care who you are or what you sell. If at any time they decide they don't want you here, you are done. It's not like it's never happened to sellers before, even without any reason to ban them

     I have lost count of the postings on this forum where sellers had all their eggs in eBay's basket and were suspended and basically up the proverbial creek without a paddle. 

[dbfolks166mt]

You failed to mention that the 13.25% also is charged on shipping and taxes, please explain why we should be paying 13.25% on taxes ebay collects, and gets paid monthly by the government, for holding and submitting.

     My canned answer to the multiple times this question has been posted. 

       You can blame the 2018 US Supreme court decision in Wayfair vs South Dakota for this one. The ruling basically stipulates that states may charge tax on purchases made from out-of-state sellers even if the seller does not have a physical presence in the taxing state. After the Courts decision individual states began to pass individual state laws regarding sales tax on interstate ecommerce sales. Missouri was the last to do so effective January 2023.

     That being said I have always considered the eBay FVF's on sales tax to be the best accounting bargain around. If you sell a $100 item to a buyer in a state with 8% sales tax the FVF on the $8.00 in sales tax amounts to 13.25% * $8.00 or $1.08 if you are promoting at 2% that adds another $.16 so the total FVF on the sales tax is $1.24. 

     For that $1.24 eBay keeps track of the 10,000 various state, county, city, parish, municipality..... sales tax rates, and laws, and applies and collects the proper sales tax from the buyer. The sales tax percentage may also vary depending on the type of items you are selling since some states, counties, cities…. Tax different items differently. Food and clothing for example. EBay then remits those collected funds to the 45 states with sales tax laws on whatever periodic basis is required. There is NO WAY I want to take on that burden as a seller for $1.24 +/- out of a $100 sale. "

[lilyswan2]

true. but things change, will same be true 100+ years from now? a lot of sellers feel alienated and many good ones have left with none replacing the immense variety and uniqueness of what the site once had to offer.

+

[lilyswan2]

they said have a few things listed

[anjofak]

Last year's totals 

Auction sales: 37k

Buy it now sales: 4k

Other site's got overly excited happy and 100s of thousands of followers for less then 100$ in low ball sales, or the others sold pretty much everything.

Live shop: was a so so year with bad weather and mad people looking for any reason to get off the hour's of road construction for what is pretty much a 15 min walk.

Guess we gonna keep doing something. 

[mam98031]

@ampapa1 

You may want to do some research in the Community here on this vary subject.  Every few weeks or months a seller will come along, be very upset with Ebay for one reason or another and make the very same predictions.  As far as I remember it has been happening for around a couple of decades.  It is no more true now than it was then.

While Ebay is not the cheapest site on the internet to sell on, it also is not the most expensive.  You can find sites you have less selling fees and in fact one now that has no selling fees [Mercari], but that absolutely does not mean your sales will be better.  

Ebay is a FOR PROFIT corporation.  Like ANY corporation, they are looking to be profitable and grow.  Pretty normal stuff in a capitalistic society.  

I have never understood why this stress some people out so much.  Ebay is her to make a profit and every single seller is here to make a profit.  It is what we are ALL here to do.  

[a-lotta-stuff]

"Closing Down Sale" and underneath in tiny letters "closing for refit".

Reminds me of a 'Going out of business' banner from the 70s in Brooklyn [Church Ave near the "D" train] that made me laugh so hard that I got my camera and took two photos of it. From across the street it read - in three inch tall black letters - Going out of business.  Cross the street and you can see, above the 'going' in small yellow letters - 3th annual - and below it was - unless sales go up.

[brabha_9]

I believe it. THe people who keep spouting, "well they been saying that for 20 years." Ya, 20 years ago isn't nothing like it is today.

 I already started throwing away my eBay shirts and hats and my complimentary mug that says "Go eBay!!!"

Once I throw my foam finger with eBay on there, it is pretty much over for eBay.

Glad I knew you eBay, you were good but you are starting to become like Kim Kardashian now. 

[inhawaii]

"I don't sell much on eBay anymore, in fact I avoid it like the plague."

You avoid it like the plague, yet you have items listed here.

You must not be too afraid of the plague.

[chapeau-noir]

Nothing is like it was 20 years ago...well, my old Subaru wagon is still running, so I guess that is the same.

Twenty years is like 10 generations in ecommerce world.

[tobaccocardyahoo]

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@mksports03 wrote:

You failed to mention that the 13.25% also is charged on shipping and taxes, please explain why we should be paying 13.25% on taxes ebay collects, and gets paid monthly by the government, for holding and submitting.

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Ebay is not paid by any government for the taxes it collects and submits.

I have always resented, as a merchant, when I have been forced to serve as an unpaid tax collector.

Ebay has to pay credit card exchange fees on the taxes and maintain a complex system with a huge number of different jurisdiction and rates.

Ebay has decided, the seller pays to support tax collection. They can do it because they provide enough value to retain many seller, more than they need.

If you cannot meet your profit goals on Ebay, there are other Internet marketplaces. You could add more or use them to replace Ebay. Given what you sell, there is an excellent chance you would not be allowed to sell these items on some of the other marketplaces, so you might need Ebay more than they need you.

I have sold on multiple online marketplaces. I cannot say that I love or even like any of them. I am selling on Ebay now because it is more welcome to what I sell than other marketplaces.

[mam98031]

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@chapeau-noir wrote:

Nothing is like it was 20 years ago...well, my old Subaru wagon is still running, so I guess that is the same.

Twenty years is like 10 generations in ecommerce world.

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I retired my truck a couple years ago.  It was more than old enough to vote.