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Ebay is the only one who is making money
I have sold on Ebay for 7 years, I closed my account and opened a new one last year October, 2023, I started selling $100 to $150 a day, not including shipping or fees, I noticed that Ebay started charging me a lot of fees when I would sell, sometimes when my listings would renew sometimes I would be charged 2 or 3 times a month for the same item, so I had 750 items, I would get charged for promoting whether I told something or not, so I decided to upgrade my store to premium so I can keep selling and I can list upto $10,000 a month, so I literally listed 1100 listings...I would post 10-20 listings a day and promote every single one if them, I started selling, and selling but I would only get $10 bucks here and there, sometimes $34 dollars, like I said I would sell $100 to $150 a day, and like where is the money from my sales, sometimes I would get $1.08 as a pay out, so ebay was literally was taking all of my profits ( ALL ) I would go to the post office every single day because I offer free shipping, and it ships the next day, I would call Ebay to ask them hey I'm making lots of sales but I'm not getting paid, and they would tell me Oh it the fees, so I kept calling and every time someone else would tell me something different, I called to get help with taking off all of my listings from being promoted, so my sales stopped completely, so I called Ebay and I was talking to a supervisor and I told her that I was sad and disappointed about selling and selling and not getting paid, so I told her that I wanted to cancel my premium subscription to the basic one and they were charging me $199.00 dollars to cancel, so I asked the supervisor to please wave the fees so I can continue to sell, and she said that she will work on it, and that she would refund the fees..........But she LIE, she never did, I called many other times and everyone would pretend to work on it, but no one cared, I told them that I was sad and that I didn't feel like selling anymore, supposed I was a Top rated Seller....Yes selling for Ebay only, only Ebay, so I downgraded my listings from 1100 listings to 250 , so right now my account is literally dead, no more sales, do much for being a top seller. I was very dedicated to sell on Ebay, I woul use gas every day for my next dat shipping,....So does Ebay really cares about the sellers?????? If Ebay would keep us happy, Ebay would make more money, but they are greedy, that's it, I'm done and probably for good.
kh-light
·6 months agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
gail5176
·2 years agoTo be successful on eBay you need thousands of listings that start out at .99 cents. I have seen sellers sell all of the inventory they list with this tactic. Experienced sellers, more you-list, more exposure you get. Small sellers do not get exposure, even with promotions.
toomuchstuffagain35
·2 years ago@Anonymous
If you come back to the thread, maybe we can help you going forward.
It looks like you've taken down ALL your listings now? Do you still have the store or did you just cancel it and incur the termination fee?
You have some nice stuff with nice prices and I'm sure you would find people are still willing to buy even with a modest Ground Advantage shipping fee (used to be First Class Parcel).
If you've ended all your listings you should no longer be charged the Promotional fees if you relist them now. (If I'm wrong about that I'm sure someone else will correct me).
If you do relist, add calculated GA shipping (it looks like most would go for 4oz or less).and avoid using the promotional fees altogether, until you understand exactly what those fees are costing you. Hopefully you weren't using the Promoted Listings Advanced where you pay every time your listing is clicked on (also known as pay per click).
There are other issues we can help you understand, but only if you're willing to listen to advice from other long term sellers.
Either way, I wish you all the best going forward and I'm sorry this fun hobby didn't turn out quite the way you'd hoped.
vickyaa
·2 years agoYes they got very greedy and could care Less about sellers! I have not had a sale in a long time. They want their 59.99 a month for the store and I get ZERO from them. I called them up today because I had enough and said something is seriously wrong on Ebay. That I have 5 times the amt on Ebay that I have on another site and I am selling there and NOTHING here. They Just don't care! She told me to cancel my store? What like Really? So DISGUSTED. Let's be real our items are not being shown!!
ajs_coins_and_alchemy
·2 years agoI read your post and here is what I've gathered...
You listed/sold lots of items but never actually paid any attention to what the fees would be. Did you choose a lot of elective listing add-ons? All the ones like bold title and sub title and gallery plus and 2nd category? All the ones that cost money?
You promoted, but you sound like you chose promoted advanced (i believe its called) where you pay by the click or by the view or whatever (paying without sale?) ... you know there is promoted standard where you pay ONLY when an item sells...right? Thats what I use...
You upgraded to a premium store (which isn't cheap...especially when you aren't making boat loads of $$) instead of basic. You said you wanted to cancel and they were charging you $199. That means you probably signed up for one year subscription instead of monthly, and they are charging you the early termination fee because you're cancelling early (I' guessing 4 months in to a 1 yr subscription??)
I'm not sure how much of this post is serious, and how much is hyperbole.
If EBay selling is a hobby, then who cares about the fees. If EBay selling is a business... you NEED to know your numbers before you list ANY item... otherwise you'll crash and burn immediately.
This sentence in your post literally scares me... If this is serious, you need to rethink selling on EBay unless you do it for funand not income.
femmefan1946
·2 years agoI Promote about 20% of my listings at the minimum 2% payable only if sold,
I researched and found that the number of sales from Promoted items was slightly lower than the number Promoted.
I still use PL because the same research also showed that when I had some items Promoted I got more views and more sales overall.
My guess is that the PL brings customers to my Stores, then they browse and may buy something else.
Do yo our listings expire every 30 days and they renew?
All Fixed Price listings expire and are automatically renewed every 30 days.
Auctions do not automatically renew if Unsold.
you figure it out that by having multiple accounts you are able to surpass those fees,
Not sure what you mean by surpass, but my four active accounts each sell different items, making shopping less confusing.
A Store that sells bibles, motorcycle parts, and brassieres would be difficult to negotiate.
However, having four Basic Stores with 1000 listings included in the subscription cost, makes more sense than having one Premium with 10,000 included listings.
Partly because of the mixed message as above.
Partly arithmetic.
The $25 cost of a Basic Store means each listing costs me 2.5c if i list 1000* items. But 5c if I only list 500 items. And 10c each if I only list 250 items.
And that cost is part of my selling costs, along with fees, packaging, shipping (since I offer 'free' shipping) and insurance** against problems.
* And there are often generous promotions which give free listings. For the past year I have received 10,000 free listings monthly, far more than I can use.
**I use Cookie Jar Insurance--which is self-insurance with a cutesy name. Third party is too expensive for what you actually get and most transactions don't need it.
yuzuha
·2 years agoEspecially not now that Ground Advantage includes built-in insurance, unlike First Class Mail.
itsjustasprain
·2 years ago"Come to our store! Good Books, good boots and good boo--"
No, wait, never mind... 😬
femmefan1946
·2 years agoI started selling $100 to $150 a day, not including shipping or fees,
Most of the items you sold had Free Shipping.
Did you understand that this means you include your cost of shipping in the asking price for the item?
Which is cheaper a $10 with $5 shipping or a $15 item with Free Shipping?
You did understand that you are charged the same fee on shipping as you are on the selling price?
so I told her that I wanted to cancel my premium subscription to the basic one and they were charging me $199.00 dollars to cancel,
The contract is that you pay a less for an annual Store subscription, but there is a penalty fee for cancelling.
please wave the fees so I can continue to sell, and she said that she will work on it, and that she would refund the fees......
The phone reps have a terrible reputation for getting you off the phone as soon as possible even if that means giving you the advice you want to hear instead of the advice you need to have.
So does Ebay really cares about the sellers??????
EBAy is our landlord not our friend.
Everything that eBay suggests is for the benefit of eBay, and sometimes that suggestion also benefits the sellers.
I looked at your Sold items and I'm not surprised that you were losing money.
You did not allow enough in your asking price for shipping costs.
I'm not familiar with USPS rates, being Canadian, but a tracked package from California to NY has to cost nearly as much as you were charging your customer for the item.
And then you did not allow for a 13.9% fee on the ENTIRE customer payment, item, shipping, and the buyer's sales tax
(Note that the buyer actually pays the tax, but his payment is included in his payment to you. Yes, it is legal and yes, it has been the Standard Practice in the payment processing industry for over 75 years.)
If time and gas costs are onerous, it would have been useful either to promise slower shipping (two day or even five day) or to arrange for USPS pickup of shipments.
splendidthreads
·2 years agoAs others have suggested/asked, what rate were you using to promote? I'd bet that a huge chunk of your fees went towards that. Plus the free shipping you offer takes at least 1/4 to 1/3 of more than half of the 348 items that are showing as completed.
You could get a basic store for $21.95 ($27.95 if you do monthly) and be able to list most of your listings. You'd get 1000 fixed price listings and 250 auction listings (in certain categories, jewelry is included). You also get 10,000 free FP listings, but only in a handful of categories. Maybe some of your items would fit in them, but the jewelry wouldn't.
You put the work into making the listings, it seems a shame to let that go to waste if there's a way to get your costs down.
brightlightbookseller
·2 years agoI must be imagining our weekly deposits, then. I must be making up in my mind all the money we make. Because "only eBay makes any money", right?
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your sarcastic message, listen if you sell hundreds of dollars a day, and all you get is $5 dollars back, then something is wrong, $5 dollars is nothing so whose making the bigger bucks, ....Ebay , it happened to me.
brightlightbookseller
·2 years agoBut we don't. We sell hundreds a day, and get back...hundreds a day. Approximately 85% of our sold price (I'm guesstimating there, haven't looked at our specific effective rate in a while). The problem isn't eBay or it's fees. It's your business model.
yuzuha
·2 years agoExactly. Heck, as an example, I sold an item for $8 + shipping the other day and got back $7.71 after shipping and fees. The problem definitely is not eBay.
fern*wood
·2 years agoI just have to ask what percentage are you allowing for promotions? I don't promote any of my items. Maybe I would sell more if I did, but if I had to give away all the profit to do so, I don't see the point.
inhawaii
·2 years ago"listen if you sell hundreds of dollars a day, and all you get is $5 dollars back, then something is wrong,"
I agree, something is seriously wrong ... with the way you are doing business.
vickyaa
·2 years agoThey must be on eBay's team ,I see the snarky messages they are replying. Ebay is DEAD for me also.
sperry74073
·2 years agoI’m making money with mine and I sale at all different rates I promote a lot of items but at a percentage if they sale I have been selling on eBay for 14 years I have about 750 listings with quantities on a lot of them I stay within my free listings my husband calls this my hobby lol but I supplement my disability with it …I don’t do free shipping because I make sure in my sales and shipping that I make a profit on the item and cover my labels ink and packaging and any other supplies used right now I am doing a huge clearance sale to rotate products for the next season I don’t always see a profit because I spend most of my earning on things I want for myself ..I will make it a point to look at all my fees more closely and adjust my listings or prices as needed ..I sale on posh also and eBay is so much easier than posh I was upset with eBay at one point this year because I got knocked out of outstanding status but in reality it was my fault we had a funeral in another state and I neglected to put my store on hold as soon as I realized I did it but several items had sold so I contacted each one and explained and they were good with a late shipment..but eBay dinged me for all the late shipments and it took me two months to regain my status and it really effected my sale from the lack of visibility but I created coupons and sent them out to all past buyers and followers and my sales picked back up..
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi good evening, yes this is also my hobby, but I have invested a lot of money, and I also give free jewelry for every item that I sell, I have a lot of boxes of inventory but is just sitting there, I recently found out that Ebay raised their selling fees, also as I mentioned in my original posting , I had 1100 listings, so every month Ebay would charge me a few to renew, so what it was supposed to be a profit Ebay took it away to cover the renewal fee, so nothing went to me, and thats why I added the title that Ebay is the only one who is making all of the money, so I literally was making money for Ebay out of my own expense , and that's my story.
the-hook-and-the-loop
·2 years agoWhen you "promoted" your listings, did you think that was a free service? Because it's not. Depending on which type of promoting you used, the fee can be a percentage of the sale or you could be paying for every time someone clicked on your listings, window shoppers. Also, when you created your listings, were you using any special features like a sub-title or gallery display? Those can cost $4 per listing per month. eBay will charge you for the oxygen you breathe if your not careful with what you click on and subscribe to.
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your message, I was promoting my listings, I know that nothing is for free!! Having 1100 listings all of my payouts were deducted from my sales to cover the insertion fee, and the 30 day monthly renewal when the listings were ending, i didn't use no special $4 dollar title , I called Ebay and I wanted to speak to a supervisor to tell get my feelings about that I was making over $100 dollars a and nothing was coming my way, so I asked the supervisor I I really wanted to downgrade to a basic prescription, and if she could free wave the fee, she agreed, but she didn't do a thing, also the reason I got a higher subscription was because I was adding 20 listings a day, and if I didn't, I had to pay an insertion fee, so think, 1100 listings, my listings ended every 30 days, so I was being charged an insertion fee whether it sol or not.
luckythewinner
·2 years agolike I said I would sell $100 to $150 a day, and like where is the money from my sales, sometimes I would get $1.08 as a pay out, so ebay was literally was taking all of my profits
It does not matter how much you sell if your expenses exceed your income.
I have six selling accounts with 1200 listings and I pay ZERO listing fees and ZERO store fees.
The only fees I pay are final value fees when an item sells.
You need to understand why eBay is charging you those fees, minimize them, and make sure you are making a profit.
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your message, well I know you are surpassing Ebay's rules, and you figure it out that by having multiple accounts you are able to surpass those fees, so my question 1, are you promoting your listings? Do yo our listings expire every 30 days and they renew?
sapphire_studio
·2 years agoMaybe you should get someone to help you with your business by running your numbers.
It's normal for you to be charged a large fee if you try to cancel your store membership or downgrade it. You get a big discount for promising to buy it for a whole year and so they can't just cancel it without some sort of fee for doing so in order to offer that discount.
If your numbers aren't working out and you're not profiting that means you haven't done the necessary calculations to make this a viable business. It's really not eBay's fault. I definitely suggest getting someone's help if you want to keep selling. Do a lot more research about promoting your listings because that sounds like it's eating up a lot of your profits.
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi, thanks for your message, I guess since I was making money I wasn't aware of the fees, since I was posting under 20 items a day, by promoting my listings would help to expose my listings, I do have almost 100 followers, ladies who like my inexpensive stuff and they are happy to buy from me, so if I have 250 free listings and I still want to continue to post, then all of the additional listings I'm going to be charged a listing fee whether it sells or not, so if I have 1100 listings and they all expire after 30 days, they are still going to charge me. So I don't make the rules
yuzuha
·2 years agoJust to clarify for OP, that's only if you subscribe to a store for a year. If you do month-to-month then you can cancel or downgrade at any time without being charged.
an-57470
OP2 years agoI did subscribed for 1 year only, after 2 weeks I wanted to cancel and an Ebay supervisor told me that she will wave the fee of the one year subscription, but she never Honor my request, she made me believed that she was, and she didn't, she wanted to help because I told her that my sales were great, but no money was coming in, but she lied, I called several other times, and they said that it didn't show any supervisors who I spoke to, or any requests made, so Ebay makes their own rules, and there's nothing that I can do.
yuzuha
·2 years agoBut that's just it. You CAN'T just cancel your store subscription without being charged an early termination fee if you've subscribed for a year. You agreed to that when you signed up for the subscription in the first place. It warns you that there will be fees associated with ending the subscription early.
an-57470
OP2 years agoThanks for your message, it's not about the subscription, I was literally making a lot of sales, and nothing was coming for me, so I called Ebay to tell them my grievances about my sales, and also about my subscription, so the supervisor agreed to waive the subscription fee because I was sad and upset and I told her that it not fun selling and not getting paid, so I pleaded with her that I wanted to downgrade but its giving me a message that if I proceed it will charge me a cancellation fee, so I kept telling the supervisor are you sure you are going to wave the fee, and she said yes, and she also said that she will work on it once I hang up, and guess what? She was very dishonest, and that's it....the end
luckythewinner
·2 years agoI was literally making a lot of sales, and nothing was coming for me
Your payout detail will tell you EXACTLY what fees eBay is charging you, why they are charging you, and what item they relate to.
These charges will include store subscription fees, insertion fees, listing upgrade fees, final value fees, promotion fees, international fees, and shipping labels.
You need to inspect your payout detail with an open mind and understand these fees and figure out how to eliminate them.
If you have specific questions about specific fees, we can help. But if you just say "no money is coming to me", the impression you are giving is that you have not bothered to understand how eBay works.
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your message, I literally did what you are saying, I was promoting my listings, I had 1100 listings, over one thousand, so since I had so many everything something git renew , it was nothing but fees, and I kept selling hoping to get paid, but nothing, all my payouts were deducted from my sales to cover the insertion fee, and the 30 day monthly renewal when the listings were ending, I put that title because that's exactly what happened to me, thanks for your message.
tobaccocardyahoo
·2 years agoI am unclear on what you thought you were accomplishing by having a Premium Store and why you thought you would make money promoting your listings.
With under 250 items listed, most of which are low priced, and most of which are quantity 1, promotion is unlikely to pay off in a category where there are many sellers and listings, and searches tend to be broad and require buyers to make an aesthetic judgement. Needless to say the amounts bid for promotion are outrageous.
You are investing a lot of time in photographing items with a $14 including shipping price tag and fewer pictures show all there is to show.
I think you need to determine how much Ebay overhead you can afford, budget for it, and stay within that budget. If you have the inventory to list, you should be able to reduce the time spent listing an item without losing more sales than you are, and improve you sales and profits.
When my wife sold costume jewelry her sell through rate was even worse than mine. You need an enormous selection to justify being in the business.
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your message, what you see is not what I had I deleted 850 listings, I have a lot of followers and they were buying from me, they were looking for stuff that they like, for a good price, so if I sell something for $13.99 I could make a small profit specially if I sell $100-$150 a day, this is a part time thing, I sold and sold and nothing was given to me, weather is a small portion or not, people think that I'm just throwing a fit or just ranting, I'm not everything that I do it matters to me, specifically my hard work.
mitzidanti
·2 years agoIt has gotten to the point. That if you are selling 20 dollar items. Or less. There is very little or no profit
ed8108
·2 years agoIt appears that the lesson here is
to be successful you need to spend money to earn money.
soh.maryl
·2 years agoIt appears that the lesson here is
when you begin selling on a particular venue, you really should read and study the fee schedule, preferably BEFORE you begin selling on that venue.
skate_man1000
·6 months agoThat is business in general. Nothing new.
sumsum70
·2 years agoSelling mostly sub-$20 items with free shipping, subscribing to a store AND promoting sub-$20 items? Why did you think there would be any profit?
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your message, what you see is not what I had I deleted 850 listings, I have a lot of followers and they were buying from me, they were looking for stuff that they like, for a good price, so if I sell something for $13.99 I could make a small profit specially if I sell $100-$150 a day, this is a part time thing, I sold and sold and nothing was given to me, weather is a small portion or not, people think that I'm just throwing a fit or just ranting, I'm not everything that I do it matters to me, specifically my hard work
stainlessenginecovers
·2 years agoFees are locked at an amount that they've been (when combining old Paypal Fee with Ebay Fee) is relatively close to what they've been for the past decade.
You must be doing 'promotions' and sounds like you are also doing 'promotions advanced' which WILL charge you whether an item sells or not.
'Free' listings are every 30 days, I believe 250. If you exceed that amount, then you will be paying.
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your message, you are right, I need to pay more attention to the policies and all of the times that I called Ebay no one helped me with what I need it, I was selling a lot, a lot of people are being judgmental for selling items that are low in price, my sales were great for a while and I literally ended 850 listings just to have under 250. Any ways, thanks for your feedback
lakefor94
·2 years agoGo into Seller Hub and look at Payments and check the All Transactions sections. Dig into those and study the breakdowns. Check the Fees section. Understand what the charges are.
If you are going to play with promoted listings, you have to understand what all the charges are for.
If you feel you have to promote, then using a flat fee might be the best route. You are wasting time calling eBay. It is your responsibility to understand what you are signing up for when using promoted listings and what the Fees are going to be.
an-57470
OP2 years agoThanks for your helpful advice.
inhawaii
·2 years agoI only read the title.
I didn't read your entire rant.
You are incorrect.
I can't speak for everyone else.
I can only speak for myself but I am making money.
Ebay deposits it into my account every day.
an-57470
OP2 years agoHi thanks for your message, hey before you make any comments read the whole article !!!!!what you see is not what I had I deleted 850 listings, I have a lot of followers and they were buying from me, they were looking for stuff that they like, for a good price, so if I sell something for $13.99 I could make a small profit specially if I sell $100-$150 a day, this is a part time thing, I sold and sold and nothing was given to me, weather is a small portion or not, people think that I'm just throwing a fit or just ranting, I'm not everything that I do it matters to me, specifically my hard work