Ebay's Final Value Fees Too High!

[blondtxnurse]

Am I the only one that is concerned with ebay's recent increase in final value fees?  Ebay is making it hard to make even a small profit off items sold!

[myst8199]

Agreed.  I just hopped back on and being smart, I didn't think to anticipate the fees.  paypal skims 3% off of the top of financial transactions (merchant account, not full business acct), and if you are your average joe just selling off random stuff, you now have to pay ebay directly 10% off the top-  so whatever you sell, expect 13% to go right back to ebay they work together.  It's free to list and setup, but you pay for it later.  

[fishingfun12]

THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY, THE FEES ARE TOO HIGH! Ebay probably doesnt even care they are losing so many customers because they're making so much off of the people who do sell! I am starting on Etsy and thinking of making my own website so there isn't these high fees. If somebody were to make a website like Ebay and Amazon that wasn't jacked up on fees they'd be hauling in loads of money from tons of annoyed Ebay-ers! I usually sell lots of lower price items, therefore making me pay more shipping. I used to be doing pretty good, but now it's hard to make a profit at all! I understand a normal amount of fees for using their website, but this needs to be fixed!

[mjhowe260]

I totally agree the fees are too high.

I have 2 ebay accounts - my personal one, which is used if I want to buy something, but I also have a business one, wher I occasionally sell things. However, I won't be using the business one at all any more, as I cannot make any markup at all. The only way I can make any markup, is to set the price so high, that no one would buy it anyway.

If I used ebay, I'd actually be selling at less than cost, and the buyer is paying way more than they would anywhere else.

[namebrandthriftstore]

While I agree that the fees could be lower, where else are you going to get the traffic? They pay for the advertising, not us. I make a living off my Ebay store, and while I'm not rich, I provide for my family. It's the same here as it is in any other business: buy low and sell high, just not too high. 

[mjhowe260]

That's a wee bit hard when what you're selling cost you upwards of $300...

People come to eBay... eBay does not advertise my items in any other way than displaying a listing on their site. I appreciate that things like eBay do cost money to run, and maintain but this is a bit excessive. The fees probably aren't too bad if you're selling something for like $10, but when you get up into the hundreds, the fees eat almost all, if not all of your profit margin. To break even, you have to list items as such a price that a potential buyer could get them elsewhere way cheaper.

In this instance, the only way you're going to sell it, is if it's not available instore, or online anywhere else. People came to know ebay as a place where you could pick up a great bargain. It's simply not the case anymore, because the ebay fees are too high, and that pushes up the price of anything of value that gets listed here.

[mjhowe260]

ebay became popular because people were able to buy things at a great price, and people were able to sell things with low overheads, and get a good profit margin. This built a large audience, and good traffic flow. Now that things have changed, the traffic will die down - just read these posts, there's already people packing it in, and moving on.

[namebrandthriftstore]

People have been saying they'll leave for years. I agree that fees could go up where people would stop selling, but we're nowhere near that level yet. I sell enough that I get 20% back on my fees each month and find that USPS shipping prices are more of a concern than Ebay fees, I've tried Craigslist, but it takes too much time meeting people, gas money, frustration, and you don't sell anywhere near as much because of limited buyers. I tried eBid since their fees were really low. I had high hopes, but after I FINALLY got my first sale over there, the buyer never even paid and eBid did nothing about it. They still bill me to this day for the fees in fact lol

People aren't going anywhere because Ebay is a recognizable name and yes, they do advertise. I wish they wouldn't charges fees on Ebay and Paypal since they are the same company I think a flat 10% fee with no hidden or upcharges would be nice. No listing fees, payment fees, etc...

[envyotb]

Ive commented on this topic way more than I should even spend time with, however I feel the need to one last time since this thread is specifically dedicated to the topic.

Ebays fees are too high.

Ok, so Im assuming that the 1000 plus people asserting this daily can provide me with concrete, factual statistics that will clearly prove this assertion.

Because obviously so many people wouldnt be constantly stating this as fact if they had absolutely no metrics or data to back the statement up, right?

they couldnt possibly all be saying this based solely on their "feeling or assumption", right?

I mean, who would run around boldly stating as fact something they posess no actual information or numbers on supporting the theory?

Oh, wait, ...only EVERYONE the past 10 years who repeats this ad nauseum?

YEAH, EVERYONE.

See, I could understand if people were stating "Ebays final value fees or the cost to sell at my personal level of selling have made this not worth my continued attention relevant to what I make doing it."

Thats an honest and fair assessment. Everyone has a different threshhold personally regarding how much profit they need to generate from selling in relation to what they put into it. I get that. thats each individuals personal standard and there is no right or wrong to it. Consequently I understand if the discount an ebay storefront provides is acceptible but the amount some people sell simply doesnt justify the added expense of opening one.

Totally understandable.

This running around boldly stating ebays fees are too high, etc etc though is ridiculous and devoid of any value added to discvussions, debates, or conversations on related topics. If you have personal knowledge of the costs associated with operating and offering a selling solution THAT REACHES A CUSTOMER BASE EQUALLY AS VAST as ebays selling services. by all means PLEASE enlighten us to the metrics that show this statement to be true.

On the other hand, if its more of the same devoid of factual basis statements proclaimed without a shred of knowledge regarding the costs of doing business please refrain from sharing. Its rendering forums devoid of any positive, constructive discourses of any measurable value.

Quite simply: the people who keep saying this as fact DO NOT KNOW ANY INFORMATION that proves this to be true. Nothing. Not one fact, number, cost, or any measurable truth they can base that opinion on with any validity. Thats just how they feel about it, based on..well their feelings.

On a side note to an earlier poster in this thread, why does it cost you $% to go to the post office? You reaslize they will come to your house and pick up any shipments and you can schedule that FOR FREE online with them? I dont understand how you arent able to sell small items cost effectively or the post office cost you are claiming.

reality check, some things depending on ones situation are simply not cost effective enterprises to pursue. The cost to do business out weighs the profit it generates under your particular circumstances. Business is like that at times, it happens. Its not the fault of ebays unfair pricing, etc etc. Its simply a reality of business at times. Period.

Stop taking it so personal and demonizing buisness entities because of it.

[mtsaihab]

I get that the goal of a business is to make profit, and that they will continue to charge the highest amount and margin they can to maximize profit.  E-bay is a business and thats what businesses do.  The fees are high in perspective of the goal of fostering transaction volume, but again that is not the goal of E-bay as a business per se.  Besides, the free listings they are very generous with counteract that, and show that the listing fee is not the primary business model any more.

Profits are its goals, and I am sure there was/is a room of eggheads figuring out that a fee that is not advertised clearly out front when creating a listing (listing fees are very clear, try and find a clearly spelled out rate statement on the final value fee) is a much more profitable charge model.  Now yes I know they have a "calculator" - but even in that do they clearly break down the %s and charge model - no.  In the calculator they say according to that sale - we are PROBABLY going to jack you for X amount of dollars - but hey if we decide that it wasnt enough and want to charge more, you can suck eggs.  I don't see any obligation or attempt to inform users of changes in the final value fees.  The ability for them to skew the final value fees according to membership and/or item category at will also seems a little underhanded as a business model, again mainly because nowhere are these figures clearly shown or explained to the community at large.

So in summary - high fees sure, that is a reality of living in a capitalistic world, I can deal.  As many have already said - if I cant make a profit I wont use the service.  If there is something better and cheaper I will go use it instead.  What sucks in my opinion is not being able to readily decide the aforementioned without gambling that E-bay feels they are making enough profit and don't "adjust" the magic numbers.

B-Funk

[sven555]

I am now trying other avenues first. The fee is double what it should be. They even take a percentage of my postage fee. **bleep**!!

Thanks eBay it was fun but you have become tooo greedy.

[kdg.bg]

This is **bleep**in bull**bleep**. You sell an item for the Price u want and ebay takes like half of It with all there bull**bleep** fees STOP RIPPING US OFF EBAY YOU GREEDY BASTEREDS

[jdigslanmods]

I agree with the Title Post but what really burns me is when I went to post an item, it kept SHOUTING out free listing and I took it for that.  Then I saw there was a fee through Paypal and figured...okay....I can hang with that.....but then I get this invoice that says it took another 10% of what my item sold for.  Where was all that when I went to create the listing.....likely buried in the details which they seem to do their best to obfuscate from casual users.  I am DONE with selling on Ebay.  Now I know why it's gotten harder and harder to find a good deal on Ebay. 

"Feeling" Ripped Off

Would a complaint to the FTC force Ebay to be more OBVIOUS about these fees on the backend?

[theleader2012]

Bow your heads peasants !

Let them eat cake.

[theleader2012]

You are shipping it twice ?

[jpuppy10]

the same thing happened to me. i am **bleep**. Sold a $300 gift card for $285 and between the $9 fee on paypal and $28.50 fee on ebay.. I am losing $53 on this gift card.  I will NEVER EVER EVER use eBay again!!!!