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eBay is closing....!
It won't happen today or tomorrow... but the reason eBay is going to close is that Sellers when selling are being precluded by eBay trying to make money. It's no longer an auction site, it's too regulated and Sellers are always on the hook.
So I don't sell much on eBay anymore, in fact I avoid it like the plague... for two main reasons:
1) Their fees are ridiculous... do I need to say more.
2) eBay looking for revenue streams, to make up for lost sales, are listing other sellers items in your auction before you even get to the description of the item that you're trying to sell.
Just venting about the system and how its morphed from what it used to be, really unique, to just another site trying to make money from the small guy.
albertabrightalberta
·1 year ago"eBay is closing....!"
@ampapa1
Please come back when it happens to say, "I told you so."
Unavailable member
·1 year ago@albertabrightalberta
This thread is from a year ago. The OP hasn’t logged in since creating this thread. lol
crytr-58
·1 year agoeBay used to be a good place to sell stuff that you normally would have sent to Goodwill. People buy just about anything including old tennis shoes or thrift store used clothing. Now buyers have been spoiled by other online retailers who provide free delivery and provide generous return policies. Sellers on eBay have too much competition and eBay sellers fees are too high to make a profit. Demand on eBay is dying as there is too much competition. I tried listing several different items all new and less than half price.
Buyers want free shipping and look for surplus that sells for a fraction of the original price. I did sell a few items over and over in the beginning and then sales just died. So I will look to other platforms but honestly plan on just donating stuff to charity and save your time. eBay is dying now and unless you have a 300% markup you will not make a profit.
terrycece62
·2 years agoI love the fact that OP has not chosen to respond to any of the responses.
nice short rant
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoEBay hasn't been an auction site since around 2002 when Stores went into Search, and sellers switched their listings to being over 85% Fixed Price.
Even the less than 15% of listings that are still Auctions usually opt for either Best Offer or Buy It Now, either of which closes down the Auction for an immediate sale.
EBay is still unique among general merchandise sites* in having any auctions at all.
Auctions are still of some interest to collectors, mostly of high end and scarce items, but for mass merchandise and made for collection items, market price is well known and preferred by buyers.
An Auction listing is only up for seven to ten days, easily missed.
A Fixed Price auction is up for 30 days and relists if not sold automatically.
The listing cost of an Auction is the same as the cost of a Fixed Price listing, or higher since Stores have more "free" listings for FP.
Fees for Auctions and FB are the same.
Fixed Price listings can have Immediate Payment Required as an option for sellers.
Auctions have a higher percentage of Unpaid Items than Fixed Price listings.
Fees have not gone up in the 21st century, although they have changed.
*As opposed to hobby or product specific sites.
inhawaii
·2 years ago"I don't sell much on eBay anymore, in fact I avoid it like the plague."
You avoid it like the plague, yet you have items listed here.
You must not be too afraid of the plague.
brabha_9
·2 years agoI believe it. THe people who keep spouting, "well they been saying that for 20 years." Ya, 20 years ago isn't nothing like it is today.
I already started throwing away my eBay shirts and hats and my complimentary mug that says "Go eBay!!!"
Once I throw my foam finger with eBay on there, it is pretty much over for eBay.
Glad I knew you eBay, you were good but you are starting to become like Kim Kardashian now.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoNothing is like it was 20 years ago...well, my old Subaru wagon is still running, so I guess that is the same.
Twenty years is like 10 generations in ecommerce world.
mam98031
·2 years agoI retired my truck a couple years ago. It was more than old enough to vote.
chapeau-noir
·2 years agoMy Subaru is a 1997 - in a few years when it turns 30 I'm going to take it to one of those XXX rated movies for 30 years and over.
I would like those 20 years back, though - they absconded with my youth.
mam98031
·2 years ago@ampapa1
You may want to do some research in the Community here on this vary subject. Every few weeks or months a seller will come along, be very upset with Ebay for one reason or another and make the very same predictions. As far as I remember it has been happening for around a couple of decades. It is no more true now than it was then.
While Ebay is not the cheapest site on the internet to sell on, it also is not the most expensive. You can find sites you have less selling fees and in fact one now that has no selling fees [Mercari], but that absolutely does not mean your sales will be better.
Ebay is a FOR PROFIT corporation. Like ANY corporation, they are looking to be profitable and grow. Pretty normal stuff in a capitalistic society.
I have never understood why this stress some people out so much. Ebay is her to make a profit and every single seller is here to make a profit. It is what we are ALL here to do.
anjofak
·2 years agoLast year's totals
Auction sales: 37k
Buy it now sales: 4k
Other site's got overly excited happy and 100s of thousands of followers for less then 100$ in low ball sales, or the others sold pretty much everything.
Live shop: was a so so year with bad weather and mad people looking for any reason to get off the hour's of road construction for what is pretty much a 15 min walk.
Guess we gonna keep doing something.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoIt is more regulated and that is not solely a decision by Ebay.
The fees are in line with the major internet marketplaces.
Sellers who lack an appropriate business strategy for the 21st century will probably stop selling here.
If there were not too many sellers, there would be no reason for Ebay to be able to generate revenue from promoted listings. Ebay might make more money if the right sellers leave this site.
The interest in what it used to be declined, auctions are an unreliable and inefficient way of buying and selling. A site full of no recourse sales is no longer viable. Very few buyers want to spend the amount of time on Ebay as they did in the past.
What Ebay used to be was highly reliant on Listing Fees as well as FVFs and many sellers left when the listing fees ate up their profits.
bonjourami
·2 years agoIve been hearing the sky is falling here for twenty five years..so far, so good.
mksports03
·2 years agoAgree, fees are killer, and I believe ebay has greater control over what is sold then what we're told. Our store comes up for renewal May 1st. First time in 26 years we are debating not renewing. Can't keep breaking even, ebay is way to controlling.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoI think the first time I saw this rumor was about 15 years ago. If you look at their financial statements there is nothing to backup your assertion. They don't dominate the market place like they used to because of all of the increased competition but the company is financially sound at the moment.
terrycece62
·2 years agoWhere did you get this information?
Ebay is alive and well
If you follow the basic rules and use some common-sense most bad transaction can be avoided or resolved through eBay's MBG resolution center
kensgiftshop
·2 years agoIn most categories, the fee's have not changed much since Pay Pal processed payments.
Like any other company, they are always looking for ways for them to make more money, just like sellers here do.
jameshen1
·2 years agoI will give your post all the thought and consideration it deserves.
bennotbill
·2 years agoIf eBay ever did announce they were closing I expect it would be the same as all the high street shops I see.
Where they have a huge sign saying "Closing Down Sale" and underneath in tiny letters "closing for refit".
Or perhaps in eBay's case closing for a major bug fix.
a-lotta-stuff
·2 years ago"Closing Down Sale" and underneath in tiny letters "closing for refit".
Reminds me of a 'Going out of business' banner from the 70s in Brooklyn [Church Ave near the "D" train] that made me laugh so hard that I got my camera and took two photos of it. From across the street it read - in three inch tall black letters - Going out of business. Cross the street and you can see, above the 'going' in small yellow letters - 3th annual - and below it was - unless sales go up.
youn2240
·2 years agook sounds good.
hartungcards
·2 years agoYou lost me at, "do I need to say more."
jrkirk
·2 years agoI understand the OP's complaint because I am in much the same situation, and I have sold here for 27 years (almost from the beginning). I have tried B&M sites, antique malls, and eBay has been the most successful for me, but the demand for what I sell is now declining for many reasons. I too don't have a solution, so my efforts at working my eBay sales have gone down, and I rarely list new items here, and I don't search for and buy new merchandise, like I used to. If it had continued to work for me, I would have worked it harder, but right now, that is not the case. Congrats to those who are making it work, and to those for whom it is not working, either work it harder, or move on to something else. This is how business economics works.
toysaver
·2 years ago"I have tried B&M sites"
B&M stores are not sites. They are actual 3D physical locations you operate as a business. It's real estate property you own or rent that requires an intense physical presence with hour upon hour in the store, likely a minimum of 40 hours a week with 60 being average. It requires all sorts of monthly financial support with rent and utilities not to mention paying employees.
Anyone who has been there and done that will tell you eBay is a bargain.
retro_entertainment_collectibles
·2 years agoAbsolutely, costing is not even close. Night and day. As to eBay closing pretty unlikely, more likely a competitor buy the place up and sink it or Governmental regulatory measures end up doing so to all the marketplaces.
lockerpandas
·2 years agoEbay isn't going anywhere any time soon. E commerce has it's problem no matter the platform. Ebay has the biggest reach and actually is safer than many other platforms for the seller.
ckimodog
·2 years ago@ampapa1
Thanks for letting us know. I was wondering what was going on.
Have a great day.
Unavailable member
·2 years agomybigsale
·2 years agoThe sun is dying...
Laugh now, but in another 5 billion years you won't be laughing. And I predict eBay will be gone way before then. 🙄
kalyoth
·2 years agoYou are not forced to use ebay. There are many options available to you in the great wide world of mercantilism. You may need to walk outside of your personal bubble & explore them.
pickapaper
·2 years agoIf you sell on other sites, you are still going to have to pay fees, etc. Of the items you currently have listed, the Jenn Air parts are going to have a limited audience, only someone needing a particular replacement part. Craigslist and Marketplace don't have all those fees but you are also having to wait for someone "local" who is looking for that part, which is not likely to happen quickly.
I know you think eBay is ridiculous but it is still your best place to sell because you have millions of potential buyers , especially someone who is looking for a specific item like you sell.
There are auctions still being run on eBay and those still work very well for collectible or desirable items. For most other items, fixed price is best because buyers want an item now and want to receive it promptly; they don't want to wait around for several days for an auction to end. That would be especially true if they needed a part to repair something and they needed it asap.
luckythewinner
·2 years agoIt won't happen today or tomorrow
The United States will also cease to exist at some point in the future. But since I didn't say when, my prediction is also meaningless.
Their fees are ridiculous... do I need to say more.
Fees on media:
Fees on other sales:
herway
·2 years agoTheir fees are ridiculous... do I need to say more.
Fees on media:
Fees on other sales:
Actually, if you really want to sell anything you MUST promote. You would need to add AT LEAST another 5% promoted listing fee to your 2024 tally. I am not complaining at all because I do sell well, but I just think we should be honest here.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoActually, if you really want to sell anything you MUST promote. You would need to add AT LEAST another 5% promoted listing fee to your 2024 tally. I am not complaining at all because I do sell well, but I just think we should be honest here.
That is what eBay wants you to think. I have never used promote listings and never will and I have no problem making sales. The use of PL may or may not improve your sales but there is no factual way to prove that it does or doesn't .
sumsum70
·2 years agoeBay's pressure and false data campaign must have succeeded with you. I don't promote, have never promoted and never will promote. None of the sales numbers in the photo below came from promoting anything.
I do sell less on eBay, but I don't sell less overall. Another site has generated all of the lost eBay sales and more, so much so that I don't list certain items here anymore. eBay is still useful to me for selling weird stuff, wholesale lots and for converting some buyers into direct buyers.
If "if you really want to sell anything you MUST promote" ever becomes a true statement, I simply won't sell here anymore.
mksports03
·2 years agoYou failed to mention that the 13.25% also is charged on shipping and taxes, please explain why we should be paying 13.25% on taxes ebay collects, and gets paid monthly by the government, for holding and submitting.
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoYou failed to mention that the 13.25% also is charged on shipping and taxes, please explain why we should be paying 13.25% on taxes ebay collects, and gets paid monthly by the government, for holding and submitting.
My canned answer to the multiple times this question has been posted.
You can blame the 2018 US Supreme court decision in Wayfair vs South Dakota for this one. The ruling basically stipulates that states may charge tax on purchases made from out-of-state sellers even if the seller does not have a physical presence in the taxing state. After the Courts decision individual states began to pass individual state laws regarding sales tax on interstate ecommerce sales. Missouri was the last to do so effective January 2023.
That being said I have always considered the eBay FVF's on sales tax to be the best accounting bargain around. If you sell a $100 item to a buyer in a state with 8% sales tax the FVF on the $8.00 in sales tax amounts to 13.25% * $8.00 or $1.08 if you are promoting at 2% that adds another $.16 so the total FVF on the sales tax is $1.24.
For that $1.24 eBay keeps track of the 10,000 various state, county, city, parish, municipality..... sales tax rates, and laws, and applies and collects the proper sales tax from the buyer. The sales tax percentage may also vary depending on the type of items you are selling since some states, counties, cities…. Tax different items differently. Food and clothing for example. EBay then remits those collected funds to the 45 states with sales tax laws on whatever periodic basis is required. There is NO WAY I want to take on that burden as a seller for $1.24 +/- out of a $100 sale. "
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoEbay is not paid by any government for the taxes it collects and submits.
I have always resented, as a merchant, when I have been forced to serve as an unpaid tax collector.
Ebay has to pay credit card exchange fees on the taxes and maintain a complex system with a huge number of different jurisdiction and rates.
Ebay has decided, the seller pays to support tax collection. They can do it because they provide enough value to retain many seller, more than they need.
If you cannot meet your profit goals on Ebay, there are other Internet marketplaces. You could add more or use them to replace Ebay. Given what you sell, there is an excellent chance you would not be allowed to sell these items on some of the other marketplaces, so you might need Ebay more than they need you.
I have sold on multiple online marketplaces. I cannot say that I love or even like any of them. I am selling on Ebay now because it is more welcome to what I sell than other marketplaces.
mam98031
·2 years ago@tobaccocardyahoo
"Ebay is not paid by any government for the taxes it collects and submits."
Not quite accurate. The states to compensate Ebay for collecting and remitting sales tax to them due to the Marketplace Facilitators Laws. The states give them discounts on the payments, so Ebay gets to keep a little to offset the costs of developing the software, updating as rates change, staffing to manage the program, etc.
This is an old article. I'll see if I can find anything more current.
https://www.taxjar.com/blog/file/state-sales-tax-discounts
This one is a little more recent.
https://www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america/2021/10/vendor-discounts-for-filing-sales-tax-on-time.html
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years ago@mam98031
An interesting and positive move. BUT does not say it applies to Marketplace Taxes and in some states is capped way too low to pay Ebay for the work.
mam98031
·2 years agoWell all I can do is give the info, it is up to those reading it to accept or reject it.
Part of the SCOTUS ruling that created the ability for states to pass MFLs [Marketplace Facilitator Laws] stated that states could NOT cause or require undue expenses by a company in the effort to collect and remit taxes. Which is exactly why they went to a higher level, the Marketplaces.
Now states could not require Ebay to create the software, hire the staff to maintain the system, collect and remit the sales taxes all at Ebay's expense. That would be a huge financial burden for any Marketplace of any size.
Ebay started collecting and remitting sales tax in January of 2019. Washington State was the first state to get them MFL in place. As months went on, all the other states that have sales tax passed their MFLs.
Ebay charged sellers NOTHING for collecting and remitting sales taxes until Ebay brought Managed Payments online for all sellers. They started onboarding sellers in July/August of 2020 and it continued until December of 2021.
Some members try to convince others that Ebay started the FVF on sales tax to pay for the process of collecting and remitting sales tax. That simply is not true. Ebay is paid by the states for this service. The FVF on sales tax first started as the processing fee due to Ebay now being our Money processor.
The same type of fee that PayPal charged us on the total amount of money paid by the buyer. But then Ebay had the idea to make their fees a Simplified Fee. One fee that covered the Money Processing fee AND the Selling fees. So sellers could no longer breakout what was the money processing fee and what was the seller fees, it is now all one fee.
Ebay is the ONLY site that I've found that charges selling fees on sales tax and they accomplish this by having just the one fee for all. There may be some out there that do, but none of the more common competitors do.
farmalljr
·2 years agoWhen you start a post stating something false, the rest of your post is suspect. eBay IS paid to collect the taxes. You are either ignorant of the facts or are just not telling the truth. You do realize that the states allow eBay to keep a percentage of the sales taxes collected right?
You ALSO know that eBay makes money on the "discounted rate" they sell us labels for, right? eBay pays less for the USPS labels then they charge us, THEN they also charge a FVF on the label.
Before you go sounding off on how eBay needs to charge to stay profitable, maybe you should know where they are actually making money, instead of assuming. They do make money on sales tax collection, in more ways than one. Same thing with shipping labels. They double dip on everything.
As far as CC processing, eBay likely is only paying 1-1.5%. I only do about 20K in CC sales a year and I only pay 2.6%.
reallynicestamps
·2 years agoYou do realize that the states allow eBay to keep a percentage of the sales taxes collected right?
Some do and some don't.
Ontario used to allow the vendor to keep part of the tax remitted if the money was paid before the monthly deadline.
But they stopped doing that about 20 years ago.
Given the number of authorities that receive collected taxes from eBay, I suspect more than just one Canadian province does not give the vendor any break.
mam98031
·2 years agoSales tax is for items delivered into the USA.
forgottenape
·2 years agolol seriously stop
toysaver
·2 years ago"It's no longer an auction site"
Hasn't been one for over a decade and my business has grown in that time.
"Their fees are ridiculous"
Trying selling on your own with a standard consignment 50/50 split, or worse, pay rent and utilities with a B&M store.
goodbrakes
·2 years agoIt is not eBay that will be closing. It will be all the Sellers who complain and leave.
But dollar to dollar it is more profitable to sell here than having a B&M.
I know because I run both.
ckimodog
·2 years ago@goodbrakes
The sellers who come hear to vent and complain, seldom leave. The OP is still selling...lol
Happy Selling!
aldet_4021
·2 years ago@goodbrakes Thanks for this perspective, it's interesting to hear someone who is on eBay and has a physical location. I sell vintage and I hear vintage sellers on Instagram, etc. starting their own shops or getting a booth at an antique mall. On the one hand, being able to have a customer see an item in person and ask questions is amazing, but when I think of paying rent, risking damage from someone dropping an item (or stealing it), staffing a bricks and mortar space, trying to get a landlord to fix the furnace or a leaky roof - all of that makes me want to stick with online only.
farmalljr
·2 years agoConsidering that you sell brake lines and fittings, no way anyone could afford a B&M without also doing internet sales. Even then, you have had under 500 sales in the last three months. The things you sell are not in high demand, and you are competing for the limited sales with auto parts stores AND other online competition. In your unique situation, sure, it's more profitable to sell here maybe.
In a time not so long ago, someone like you would also need to sell by catalog and take phone orders because a stand alone B&M would not survive then either. 40-50 years ago, NO ONE selling just brake lines and fittings would be able to survive on an B&M either. You would have needed to sell a LOT more different inventory to survive. eBay is not what makes you able to survive selling your limited type of inventory, the INTERNET is what has allowed someone like you to specialize. If it were not eBay, it could or can be about any other platform, including your own.
And to be honest - eBay may work for getting a business going injecting cashflow, it's not wise for someone to build a business and expect it to last, using someone else's platform. eBay can ban you at any time for any reason, and that part of your business/cashflow is over for good. Then what? eBay does not care who you are or what you sell. If at any time they decide they don't want you here, you are done. It's not like it's never happened to sellers before, even without any reason to ban them. If a competitor doesn't like you selling here, you can be banned. Sell too much, you can be banned. It does not matter how much money you have paid them, it does not matter if your feedback is 100% positive and every buyer delighted. If/when eBay decides you are too much "risk" then you are gone. If that happened to you, then what? What would you do to stay in business?
dbfolks166mt
·2 years agoAnd to be honest - eBay may work for getting a business going injecting cashflow, it's not wise for someone to build a business and expect it to last, using someone else's platform. eBay can ban you at any time for any reason, and that part of your business/cashflow is over for good. Then what? eBay does not care who you are or what you sell. If at any time they decide they don't want you here, you are done. It's not like it's never happened to sellers before, even without any reason to ban them
I have lost count of the postings on this forum where sellers had all their eggs in eBay's basket and were suspended and basically up the proverbial creek without a paddle.
Unavailable member
·2 years agoMake sure you take down all of your listings.
lilyswan2
·2 years agothey said have a few things listed
dhbookds
·2 years agoTalk of ebay's demise has been going on for 20 yrs.........
lilyswan2
·2 years agotrue. but things change, will same be true 100+ years from now? a lot of sellers feel alienated and many good ones have left with none replacing the immense variety and uniqueness of what the site once had to offer.
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