Chaging final value fee
A seller states in his ad that "an additional fee will be added at check-out based on the final value of the auction." Is this allowed?
18 comments
A seller states in his ad that "an additional fee will be added at check-out based on the final value of the auction." Is this allowed?
simba6
·4 months agoNo it's not. Is that a new seller?
Back when eBay started I saw an auction listing the seller said was a 10% auction. Went on to explain that meant if you bid a dollar your really bidding 10.00. The listing was removed in under an hour. Cute way to save on fees. eBay does not muse so well............
eoma689485
·4 months agoPlease be aware that we fully insure every irreplaceable item we ship, so an additional fee will be added at check-out based on the final value of the auction. We require signature-delivery on all items valued at over $100, which entails an additional $6 fee. As stated above, we DO NOT profit from shipping costs; however, we DO take extra care in properly & professionally packing every one-of-a-kind item we sell!
It appears the seller is attempting to add the cost of insurance - hence the added fee - insurance is purchased by the sellers for their protection, not the buyers - buyers have eBay's money back guarantee.
As for the requiring signature delivery on items over $100.00 - since eBay doesn't require it, the sellers should be purchasing that out of their pocket too.
Find another seller who knows how eBay works - this one, it appears, does not.
tobaccocardyahoo
·4 months agoSkip this seller and find a reputable seller to buy from.
albertabrightalberta
·4 months agoThe same seller also sells comic books with media mail shipping.
ETA: For purchases over $250, buyers are expected to pay $6 for s.c.
Ugh!
stephenmorgan
·4 months agoI am not so sure it is allowed per eBay but many auction companies charge a seller fee and also charge a buyer fee. Not sure if they may be tying to recoup their Seller Fees? Maybe they think putting the statement in their auction listing is getting around the eBay rules?
Technically it could be done thru eBay if an invoice is sent prior to you making payment. If you pay prior to being sent the invoice then it could not be done without a second transaction of some type.
monroe67
·4 months ago"I am not so sure it is allowed per eBay but many auction companies charge a seller fee and also charge a buyer fee."
eBay is not an auction company. Auction companies are allowed to do things that eBay does not do.
Some live out-cry auctions may require potential bidders to place a deposit before they can even enter the room.
On eBay anybody can place a bid on an auction. Even small children. And every so often there's a post here in the Buying Community from a parent whose two-year-old "bought" something on eBay, asking what to do.
In eBay's User Agreement, Item 6, Fees and Taxes, the first two sentences say:
"We charge sellers for the use of our Services. In some cases, where buyers receive supplemental Services such as authentication or storage Services for items in certain categories, we may also charge those buyers for such supplemental Services."
"Not sure if they may be tying to recoup their Seller Fees? Maybe they think putting the statement in their auction listing is getting around the eBay rules?"
That's a reasonable interpretation of what that apparently new-ish seller was trying to do and/or thinking.
NB: "Thinking."
"Technically it could be done thru eBay if an invoice is sent prior to you making payment."
Nope. Not through eBay, and not if that seller wants to continue selling on eBay.
Maybe that eBay "seller" will post his/her gripe in the Selling Community after the OP does not pay for his/her purchase.
gator08041971
·4 months ago@stephenmorgan @monroe67
Just to clarify.
On past auctions that I have had, if the buyer hadn't paid right away, I can send them an invoice. On that page, I can update the method of shipping, and add any additional fees. So yes, there is a place to put in extra costs, before sending that invoice to the buyer, providing they have not yet paid.
Of course, I have never done that, but there is indeed an option for it when an auction sells that has not yet been paid for, when you choose to send an invoice.
This could have changed since the last time I had tried of course. It has been a few months since my last auction sale and I have not specifically looked for this either, but I knew it was there before.
stephenmorgan
·4 months agoThat is the point I was trying to make. That is if a seller sends a Invoice before item is paid for they can add additional money to the cost. This can be done with Auctions or if there is a request for Combined Shipping.
Here is a sample of the invoice I am talking about and I have used this feature occasionally.
gator08041971
·4 months agoI actually did a search for that specific phrase and found a few listings that use it. These are auctions.
Here is the full text of what they state:
Shipping costs explained:
2 days Packing and 2-5 days shipping. We use USPS Ground Advantage for all items. This item ships from the 20169 zip code. We do NOT make a profit off of shipping and try our hardest to charge only exact costs, based on eBay's provided shipping calculator. Please be aware that we fully insure every irreplaceable item we ship, so an additional fee will be added at check-out based on the final value of the auction. We require signature-delivery on all items valued at over $100, which entails an additional $6 fee. As stated above, we DO NOT profit from shipping costs; however, we DO take extra care in properly & professionally packing every one-of-a-kind item we sell!
Now.
Every listing that I have found, all have a same/similar statement. All seem to be of similar types of items, and there were only 5 that came up in total. I won't share the seller/item number here, but searching with the correct parameters will show these listings.
However, I'm not sure how its enforceable on every sale. They do tend to mention a LOT about if buying multiple items, wait to pay and instead request an invoice to total. I do know that Sellers have the option to ADD fees to an invoice for auctions after the sale. This would not be possible on Buy it Now listings.
kibble-net
·4 months agoNo, and there is no way for them to bill you extra for this.
If they refuse to ship because you refused to pay it, you can report them.
Better yet, just report them, and don't buy anything from them.
mudshark61369
·4 months ago@benchmark ,
The seller's statement " "an additional fee will be added at check-out based on the final value of the auction." is not an ebay legal fee the seller can add to a purchase or auction win. Generally a seller who would add that statement to a listing, is either very inexperienced or new to selling on ebay. Did you check their feedback profile before bidding on the item? If not you should do that now. They may like you, have a fair number of feedback but all for Buying not selling before or in over a year. An experienced seller would not add a statement like that, knowing that the final value fee is the seller's responsibility and cannot be charged to a bidder/buyer.
If the seller is new or inexperienced there could be other problems with the transaction if you win the auction. If you look in the upper right of the Item Specifics box on the listing page, you will see the ebay item number. If you post that number here we can check out the seller and better tell you what to expect if you win the auction.
albertabrightalberta
·4 months agoDefinitely not a newbie. Seller has almost 80K feedbacks.
powell-collectibles
·4 months agoAs long as it is at check-out, I don't know what the seller could add. If he's referring to sales tax or something similar, sure. But an extra fee at checkout doesn't seem like something the seller would be able to add.
-UM
mudshark61369
·4 months ago"As long as it is at check-out, I don't know what the seller could add...".
For someone who tells others they should not post about selling issues, because of a lack of experience. You seem not to be well versed in the selling policies yourself. Maybe you should read the selling policy to find out what fees a seller can charge a buyer for.
powell-collectibles
·4 months agoHuh? I’m not even talking policy. I don’t know how seller could add anything at checkout - as in his TOS doesn’t make sense. I’m referring to the feasibility of such an action. I’m always open to being wrong – perhaps you can explain how a seller would be able to add an extra charge at checkout. Seriously – it’s OK if I am wrong – I might learn something. That’s a bit of the goal right? Regardless, there is a lot to know and learn. It is not an eBay policy. A lot of folks don’t appreciate that part of things.
stephenmorgan
·4 months agoSee post #18 @05-20-2026 09:43
monroe67
·4 months ago"But an extra fee at checkout doesn't seem like something the seller would be able to add."
Indeed. eBay sellers are not allowed to add extra fees or costs like that, not at any time.
BTW, eBay sellers do not add sales taxes.
eBay itself adds sales taxes when necessary and at the rate applicable at the delivery address, as required by the state in the delivery address.
Currently, two states, Colorado and Minnesota, also require eBay to collect a delivery fee when the delivery address and purchase amount meet those states' requirements.
monroe67
·4 months agoNO.
No eBay seller can (try to) add any additional money to the amount that a buyer is shown as his/her total purchase price.
As a buyer facing a request like that, you are not required to pay any such additional money.