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Fees & shipping costs
I’m struggling to understand how sellers are expected to make money on eBay with the current fee structure.
There are fees on nearly everything—transaction fees, ad fees, shipping costs—and they add up to the point where sellers are left with little to nothing, especially on lower-priced items. In some cases, we’re actually losing money.
Charging several dollars in fees per item—rather than something more reasonable like $0.50 or $1.00—feels excessive, especially when eBay is collecting these fees across millions of transactions. It’s hard to believe the platform is hurting for revenue.
At this point, it almost feels like sellers should be able to charge eBay a fee for overcharging us—if only that were possible.
I’ve also noticed that the supposed USPS shipping discounts don’t appear to provide meaningful savings. If they exist, they’re not clear or impactful enough to make a difference.
eBay relies entirely on its sellers. Without us, there is no marketplace. A more balanced and transparent fee structure would go a long way toward making this feel like a fair partnership again.
Does anybody agree with this?
jfre4589
OP4 months agoya i read everything i need to know about ebays playing field rules. Doesnt mean i have to like them. Im just getting a tally on how many agree or dont agree.
monroe67
Mentor4 months ago"Does anybody agree with this?"
Oh, lots and lots of people agree with it, and agree with you.
The fact remains, though, that this is eBay's platform, eBay's playing field. eBay is allowed to set their own rules and regulations. eBay has not been known to change much of anything -- let alone their fee structure -- based on popular opinion of sellers.
You have an eBay store. If you did not originally read everything about your store's "partnership" with eBay, I suggest you read it all again. I am sure the fee structure was included in your store agreement; thus, the fee structure is and always was transparent.
I took a look at your current listings, all of which are listed with free shipping. You have listed an unopened set of king size sheets for $25, with a subtitle in your listing stating the MSRP of $69.99. But you're not asking your potential buyers to contribute to the shipping cost? Of course you are going to have a very very small profit if those sheets sell because you will have to pay the full shipping cost. On all of your "free shipping" listings.
Many successful eBay sellers take the position that their buyers pay their eBay fees. They do this by being aware of the fee schedule, strategic item pricing, and making sure that any "free shipping" listings have at least some shipping costs built in to the item prices.
I strongly suggest you add shipping prices to your listings.
jfre4589
OP4 months agoim just getting a tally on who agrees and dont.
mr_lincoln
Mentor4 months agoHi @jfre4589
wrote: " ... Does anyone agree with this?"
For myself no, Sellers need to price their items to cover their 1) Cost, 2) eBay fees and most importantly 3) their profit. If an item can't be priced to cover those items and still sell then it should not be sold on the venue.
Sellers have to realize that low priced items may not be a good fit to sell on the internet, period. Whether it is eBay or any other online sales venue they make their income from fees and care little about a Seller's profit margin. The Seller has to protect their own interests.
jfre4589
OP4 months agojust getting a tally on who agrees and who doesnt.
disneyshopper
Mentor4 months agoIf you are not making any money, you need to find items with a lower cost that can be sold for a higher price. I try not to sell items for less than $20 unless I can get them at a good price, as it takes the same amount of time to photograph and list an item regardless of the selling price.
jfre4589
OP4 months agojust getting a tally on who agrees and who doesnt