Do I want to start selling again..
Guess I'm not really looking for a solution, just sharing a thought. I sold many items years ago and was a highly rated seller, it was profitable and worth the effort. I've been absent for awhile, other than to buy an occasional item. I sold an item recently to "test the waters", good grief, with all the changes, charges, and hassle, including Pay Pay, it hardly seemed worth it. In reading thought the posting here, I guess I'm not alone in my disappointment in recent charges and changes. Not sure if I will return to selling or not now...
15 comments
sfau
·6 months agoWhat are you thinking about selling? Stuff around the house or looking to flip?
collectfest
·6 months agoHere's my take.... I've been away from selling for a few years now. Just got back to it. Had been selling since 1999. I was concerned about all the new ways of doing things.
I've got to say, for me, I'm presently surprised. Is it what it was. No. I'm I adjusting. I think so. Not a fan of some things. Fine with others.
I know I've sold pretty well. Shipping, going fine. Pay out hold are appropriate, getting funds deposited.
I guess, I'm just rolling with the changes. I find the most of what I was worrying about (shipping/tools etc) was just excuse for me to sit on the sidelines. Anyway, not delusional that it's all cherries but, so far, glad I'm giving a go.
Good luck whatever u decide.
stuff4divas
·6 months ago@olrustyford just don't expect it to be like the 'good ole days'
eBay is a lot different now, partly due to over saturation of other online platform competitors
but imo eBay is still the best to sell and 'mostly' buy from
as mentioned, make sure to read up on the latest policies, here is a link to start with >
https://www.ebay.com/help/policies/default/ebay-rules-policies?id=4205
Good Luck!
natoman777
·6 months agoIt totally depends on what selling means for you. If it is just a means of extra money on the side, there is no reason I can think of to not try it. As I say often, I have been on eBay since 1999. Selling hardcore for around 14 years. My wife does it as her main job and it is my second job/side hustle, etc...
The changes that have taken place were difficult at times to manage, but now most are helpful. Not having to deal with paypal as the only source of payment has been helpful because eBay now takes care of things totally. Purchasing labels is easier, being paid is easier, listing items seems to be easier now that all the glitches seem to have been worked out.
My advice is to give it a try. You decide if it is worth it. Don't worry about the cut eBay gets as I say often because nearly every if not every other selling platform takes more than eBay does. It is by far our best selling platform (we sell on 4 other platforms at the moment). Good luck!
ed8108
·6 months agoAre you confident you will find the cost of doing business as manageable if you return to selling at the present
mtgraves7984
·6 months agoNot sure if I will return to selling or not now...
@olrustyford
You know, I sold here for a couple of decades but quit during Spring, 2024. It was a fun, profitable side gig... I'll give it that. Qualifier: I started with free promo items (that were hard-to-find) and they had a great niche market. I reached TRS sales$$ and successful transactions# within a couple of months, then waited out the 90-day requirement. Heck, I even onboarded early with Managed Payments (those days... it was a TOTAL mess), when it was only a 'suggestion'... not a requirement.
The replies that say 'adapt' are on-point. Sure, I was exasperated at times, but still able to have fun and live and learn and all. For me, I quit selling because of time constraints elsewhere. But that time was relaxing with and enjoying my family, so I win! I'd offer 1) that you consider if your time is worth more 'here' or 'there', adding 'enjoyment' as a factor and 2) good luck. 😊
With all that being said, I'd not want to be a new or returning seller here today for anything. 😑
gloryglorygifts
·6 months agoWe have only been selling since around 2015, but some of the changes that I've seen have been extremely positive and I'll mention 3 of them.
Ebay now takes your fees out of each sale and sends you the net amount, easily disbursed into your checking account in your timeframe (daily, weekly, monthly, etc.). Only your store subscription comes out at the beginning of the month, which is excellent to me. SO much easier to budget every month. It's also a great way to see if you need to adjust your prices so that you do make that profit for each item you sell.
Ebay now has sales tax and VAT collected and remitted to the various states and countries so that you don't have to do that. Trust me, that is a MAJOR plus that we don't have to handle. Ebay takes care of it all.
The eIS (ebay international shipping) is a breeze to use and lifts many of the shipping issues from the sellers. They pretty much take care of anything and everything so you don't have to worry about it. We are only responsible to get it to the US based hub.
So yes, there have been many changes since you may have sold, but there are some great changes too, which take the onus from us. Yes, they charge fees to do the work, but it is definitely worth it!
Give it a shot! Once you get used to it all I am sure that you will once again be a TRS and profitable. Good luck to you!
jbbowers12012
·6 months agoHi, EBay can be fun for a seller & put some x-tra $$$$$ in your pocket. But, please - please - please - take the time to thoroughly educate yourself to all of eBays' rules, regulations & procedures before you get started. Dont' just jump in the water - you may drown. Always stay alert for scammers as there are many. Should you run into any issues come directly to this board. There are many kind folks here who REALLY know eBay & are always willing to help. Correctly setting up your sellers account will likely be your first hurdle. Good Luck!
soh.maryl
·6 months agoThis is one of the best suggestions in this thread, along with many others. PLEASE do the reading so that you know exactly how eBay works now as opposed to the way it may have worked for you before.
Reading the Money Back Guarantee for buyers is important. We see even experienced sellers who post here that they don't offer returns and think that means they can ship just about any broken item to a buyer and he is stuck with it.
Also, you cannot give buyers negative feedback, no matter what happens. As you go along, you will see that eBay is biased in favor of buyers. That's just the way it is.
Finally, encounter a problem? Feel free to return here and ask for advice or help. But keep in mind that most of us aren't eBay employees (those are easily identifiable).
a_c_green
·6 months agoPayPal isn't involved anymore, except as one of the funding options for buyers to use when making a purchase. You will need to tie your selling account to a bank or credit union account in order to receive the proceeds from your payments now.
You might want to study sold listings for whatever it is you're planning to sell, to decide if it looks worthwhile. Your ID of @olrustyford suggests that you might be listing vintage auto parts, in which case you should be aware that under eBay's auto parts fitment guarantee, the buyer can return the item for free (at your expense) if the buyer claims that it doesn't fit.
tarotfindsandmore
·6 months agoI'm with the others. Plus, in my opinion, this is still the easiest way to make a decent living without having to answer to a boss. We grumble a lot of about the changes, but some of them are pretty beneficial to folks who are okay with making their living honestly.
Yes, you will have to pay fees and, yes, your earnings will be reported to the government but you will have tons of write offs and someone (ebay) giving you a beautiful, clear 1099-K that you can use at tax time. You can easily see all the fees you've paid to the site and report them as a business expense (because they are a business expense). Plus any mileage to/from the P.O. as well as to/from places you may source can be deducted along with space in your home, equipment you use to store, list, ship, and maintain your business. Oh and of course you will be able to deduct your cost of goods from your earnings. If your home is paid for and your dependents are no longer dependent, this is one of the few ways you can truly lower your tax liability.
You will have the freedom to come and go in your daily life while you make a living. You can work as little or as much as you need or want to, without someone hovering over you. You won't have worry yourself with company or world politics, or coworkers who don't carry their weight. That part hasn't changed and, for many of us, is the biggest benefit of all.
So, yeah, there are a few new headaches that we didn't have to deal with 25 years ago, but for my money, they things they've given us in exchange offset them. Most of the people moaning and groaning about fees don't remember what a massive headache it was to try to do your taxes and run your business here properly in the days before ebay took care of these issues for us, and they don't remember what it was like to try and treat your business like a business when scam after scam defined the entire site, both from buyers and sellers.
dhbookds
·6 months agoTry it.....you might like it..........lol
pickapaper
·6 months agoYes, lots of changes over the years but really no worse than it has ever been, just different. Those of us who have been here for years just accept, adapt, and go on.
I guess it depends on whether you are willing to put forth the effort to familiarize yourself with the current eBay. You said you have been reading these boards. Please understand that people who come here and post are people with problems, also the complainers, the ones who don't follow the rules, and other "negative-nellies/neds". Lots of "eBay sucks" and "eBay is crooked" posts. Not many posts on here that praise eBay for giving us the opportunity to work in our pajamas, make extra money, work whatever hours we want to, etc.
BTW, since you said you sold an item, I hope you set up a seller's account first so that you will be able to get paid by eBay. That means giving them your bank account information (so they can pay you) and social security number (required by the government).
mamacassidy
·6 months agoOnly you can decide if the items you have to sell will make enough money to be worth it.
I have been a member of ebay since around 2002, mostly as a buyer for the first couple of years, and then started selling random things around the house in 2010. And you are correct, over the years, there have been many changes.
But in my opinion, the changes are not all bad, and once you get used to them, it just becomes "normal". And I don't know of any technology that hasn't substantially changed over the last 10-20 years.
The biggest complaint I see is people not wanting to claim their sales on their income taxes. Which, of course, ebay has no say in.
So again, you'll have to decide if it's worth it. It definitely is for me and my family.
tobaccocardyahoo
·6 months agoPayPal only complicates selling on Ebay. It is no longer necessary.
Ebay Managed Payments which replaced it is far superior.
Ebay now requires you behave as a professional retail business. It requires returns and refunds when items are not as described, or not delivered.
You are rated not on your feedback or DSRs but by metrics on your objectively measured performance, which are shown under the Performance Tab on the seller hub under Seller Level and Service Metrics.
You are penalized for bad performance.
In many categories, you will find intense competition from more competitors than in the past, making the selection of what you sell more important than in the past. Many of those sellers will be paying Ebay to promote their listings to improve the number of eyes on their offers. Should you decide you will need this help you might find you have doubled your Ebay fees.
Since we do not know what you sell, we cannot speculate on whether promotion will be important or not.
Ebay is dealing with problems using software bots, forgiveness for errors and misdeeds is virtually non-existent.
In spite of these issues, sellers who learn the system, know how to select merchandise and diligently fulfill their orders can meet their profit goals.