eBay knows what we pay for shipping / eBay should not charge commission on these postage huge rates

[augustin.trading.company]

eBay needs to reconsider their taking commission on shipping.  With shipping and taxes driving me off the platform eBay (you would think) do all they could to help us make money.  eBay knows what we charge for shipping.  The only thing I can tell is that they want to force everyone into Free Shipping.  Free Shipping is a headache and unprofitable except to Amazon.  BTW, we are subsidizing Amazon with these rates and these upcoming rate increases especially that 8.8% First Class Package increase come January 9th.  The USPS has adjusted its zone system with more and more tightly spaced meaning there is a price increase done with slight of hand in the past.  Whenever I have used Free shipping people from California are always who I ship to not Tennessee or Alabama (most of it in 1 or 2 zones higher than 1).

eBay needs to NOT take commission on shipping (the rates they pay for you to the USPS and others).  This is monopolistic behavior.  I assume when Amazon is forced to spin off their 3rd party sellers, eBay might get some competition (real competition).

The problem here at Ebay is that no one knows their cost structure and sell stuff at a loss and a lot of it.  This has hurt many on both sides except the post office, Ebay or the sales tax authorities.

Does anyone know what their cost structure is: box, mail cost, personal time, returns, eBay hassles and the time that takes, dunnage such as bubble wrap, dealing with the post office which will not pay off a damaged claim even if they stamp the box was damaged by them (and if you do you won't get postage back).  Here I had to buy 500 boxes of Priority padded envelopes and they are still floating around (but my postman knows to refuse Victory Packaging now).

Personally I had hoped to do small items that people need rather quick.  That strategy is in jeopardy.

[muttlymob]

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@augustin.trading.company wrote:

eBay knows what we charge for shipping.  The only thing I can tell is that they want to force everyone into Free Shipping.  Free Shipping is a headache and unprofitable except to Amazon. 

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What a seller charges for shipping in the listing is irrelevant to the actual cost of shipping.  Sometimes sellers charge the exact postage cost.  Sometimes sellers charge postage plus handling to cover materials.  Sometimes sellers charge a lower rate (including free) for shipping and set their item price to cover the difference.  Sometimes sellers charge a lower rate (including free) for shipping but do not account for it in the item price.

Every seller does things their own way.  Some of them know what they are doing, others don't.  Broad generalizations don't always work.

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@augustin.trading.company wrote:

dealing with the post office which will not pay off a damaged claim even if they stamp the box was damaged by them (and if you do you won't get postage back). 

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The USPS marks packages as damaged based on the condition of the package, it does not mean that the USPS is accepting responsibility for that damage.  If a poorly packaged item is damaged while in USPS possession it might get stamped as damaged.  But the responsibility is on the sender who inadequately packaged it.  Thus insurance claims are not a guarantee even if the package was stamped as damaged.

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@augustin.trading.company wrote:

Here I had to buy 500 boxes of Priority padded envelopes and they are still floating around (but my postman knows to refuse Victory Packaging now).

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I'm also curious as to why you would buy Priority envelopes?

[augustin.trading.company · Accepted solution]

What a horrible response from most of you.  You write yet don't think.  Yes I was mentioning several themes; but you all should have pulled them out and not gone off contrasting different issues.  My opinion of these boards has worsened into a bunch of know-it-alls that don't know jack!  Sad, that most of the information on the Internet is just wasted bits, without a filter for 99% of you.

[chapeau-noir]

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@uniwarehousewares wrote:

you bring very important issue in this thread, i have brought this issue to ebay many times on their helpline but the issue is no body is willing to listen and as result ebay is loosing sellers in my eyes.

The main issue is, ebay force sellers to use dimensions on its website , if you have business account on UPS or if you printing labels through amazon, they do not force sellers to use dimensions  but when you print UPS label through ebay, ebay force dimensions , so its mean carrier itself do not force sellers its ebay who force so they can get their commission.

since i sign deal with UPS directly,  i am saving plenty of money for labels.

2 : ebay also force sellers to use dimensions for first class labels, 90% sellers use polybags for first class , poly bag is not in solid shape so why need dimensions for first class ebay ? 

if you print first class on USPS website you are not require to use dimension to ship the item. so its a fantasy of ebay. 

my last year turnover was about 1 million , now ebay loose shipping from me. i save 25% shipping cost by using labels directly from UPS. ebay was charging me 25% extra and USPS was the who overcharged me on ebay.

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eBay's shipping service does not force you to use dimensions for 1st class.  It doesn't even force you to use measurements for priority (which can get people in trouble if they exceed the 12 x 12 x 12 size).  Pirateship, for example does.  Labels on eBay are at the commercial base pricing - oftentimes I find they're a tad cheaper than Pirateship, for instance, though I think I get a bit of an edge being TRS.