Shipping fees
Summary: headache580 expressed confusion about being charged for shipping labels on eBay, questioning why both they and the buyer pay. kensgiftshop and others explained that the buyer's shipping payment goes to the seller, who then uses it to purchase a shipping label. headache580 clarified that they are new to selling on eBay, which prompted further advice on using eBay's system for discounted rates and a reminder of the seller's responsibility. Others shared experiences and insights to help headache580 better understand the process.
Why am I being charged shipping when eBay charges the seller also
15 comments
cayson70
·2 weeks agothanks for sharing
christworks
·1 month agoFirst, shipping is not a fee. It is a service you, as the seller, pay for so that you do not have to get in your vehicle and drive it halfway across the country to deliver your buyer's order to them.
Unless you likes taking losses, you, the seller, should be charging the buyer an appropiate shipping cost. There are several ways to do this. No matter which way you, the seller, chooses, you will always be the person to actually purchase the shipping label. You can do that on eBay or a 3rd party website, like Piriate Ship, and receive a decent discount, or you can purchase the label at the counter. This will cost much more and I cannot think of any reason why a seller would want to do that.
All of those times you were a buyer, everything you paid for the order except the taxes went to the seller. eBay then takes their fees from that amount, and then the seller makes the shipping label purchase out of that money. You then take your cost of goods off that amount and you are left with your net profit. There may be supply costs in there but over time you'll learn to work that into the shipping cost so the buyer is paying for the supplies as well.
I see you've had 4 sales in only a few days. Way to go! I realize there is a lot to learn when you start out, but with 4 sales in a few days you are on the right track.
I looked at your listings. Good job for a first time seller.
It has been years, but I have been to your little town several times. The last time I was there it was like 1am, everything was closed and I ran out of gas! This was long before you could buy gas at the pump in the middle of the night. I cannot remember how I ended up getting fuel to get back to Lawton. Fun times!
ryry-jj
·1 month agoWhy is it that no one asks, "why did the buyer pay me the shipping fees?" Do sellers just think that portion was a tip?
headache580
OP1 month agoI have been on since 2012 yes but until a few days ago I have only bought something never sold anything
soh.maryl
·1 month agoSeems like a strange question from someone who's been an eBay member since December, 2012.
shire123
·1 month agoHere's a further breakdown of what kensgiftship states below.
The seller lists an item for sale with a shipping charge.
The buyer purchases and pays for the item, prestated shipping charge and taxes
The seller then prints a label on ebay for whatever cost shipping would be.
ebay deducts the cost of the label from the sellers account because the buyer paid the seller the advertised shipping charge.
I sometimes wonder if new sellers don't realize that the buyer is paying the shipping fee to the SELLER who then needs to turnaround and pay for the shipping.
The new seller may look at the total price received and think it is close to what they were selling the item for not realizing that the buyer paid the seller for the shipping, not ebay.
soh.maryl
·1 month agoMy personal feeling is that sellers shouldn't consider selling on eBay until/unless they've made themselves thoroughly acquainted with everything about selling which includes exactly who pays for what and when they pay for it.
kensgiftshop
·1 month agoThe buyer pays you to ship it.
You use that money to pay the carrier to deliver it.
headache580
OP1 month agoBut here’s where I am confused. If I buy the label from eBay they charge me for it I am not understanding I guess seems like they are charging buyer a the seller. Then when I purchased a label from my post office, they still charge me.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month agoThe money the buyer pays for shipping (less an Ebay fee) goes to the seller to use to buy shipping.
Shipping is purchased only once per transaction/
powell-collectibles
·1 month agoIf you buy a label through eBay - a deliberate action that you take, not automatic when you make a sale - you shouldn't later buy a label at the post office. It should be one or the other, with most opting to buy labels through eBay in order to get the commercial discount that you won't receive if you buy at the post office.
You will always be the one to buy the label. The buyer pays for the shipping charge that you put in the listing, but that charge goes from buyer to eBay then eBay to you in the payout.
headache580
OP2 weeks agoWhen I am at post office I select buy label from eBay on my phone and the post office lady scans my phone I am not paying any right then but later eBay charges me for the label an so far it’s over 200$ on 30 something sells so it’s expensive. If I buy a label maker an print it out myself and stick it on wouldn’t matter because soon as I click on eBay’s labels I’ll be charged
soh.maryl
·1 month agoWhen a buyer pays YOU THE SELLER for his purchase, he pays for (1) the item, (2) the state sales tax, if applicable and (3) the shipping fee. YOU THE SELLER than use the money he paid to you for the shipping fee to purchase the label. OK, I buy your widget for $20, state sales tax is $1.20 and shipping is $3. I pay you a total of $24.20. Of that amount, eBay sends $1.20 to the buyer's state treasury and $3 is used to buy the label. The label will be cheaper if you buy through eBay than if you purchase at the PO.
janet9988
·1 month agoI am not sure why you are still confused. The BUYER PAYS the SELLER the shipping costs. The SELLER then buys the shipping label from the shipping carrier.
asset_liquidators
·1 month agoThis is just common sense. This kind of stuff just blows my mind that people don't grasp this! Just like when new sellers come on here complaining about having to buy a shipping label because they put "free shipping" in their listing. They somehow think that "no one" pays the shipping and the carrier does the service for free!