It's time for a Sellers Union - Unite for Fair Fees
Summary: lastofmyname expressed frustration over eBay's fee structure, particularly the inclusion of shipping costs and sales tax in fee calculations, and suggested forming a sellers union to advocate for fairer policies. Many responded with skepticism or opposition, pointing out that eBay's fees are standard, with some arguing that eBay provides value through market reach. Others emphasized the impracticality of a union since sellers are independent and have choices regarding where to sell. Suggestions were made for considering other platforms or taking action as a shareholder to influence change. The discussion highlighted varied perspectives on fee fairness and the challenges of organizing sellers.
All right so I'm fairly new to this selling on eBay and don't really intend to be here for very long, I'm more or less having a garage sale online. With my limited time here as a seller I can tell you there is a definite need for a collective of individuals to establish themselves with enough clout to help lean on eBay to change several aspects up their business model and policies. They're raking in an enormous percentage of each of these sales, and they're inflating the totals of these transactions by insisting on adding in things like sales tax and shipping costs prior to them calculating their fees. There is absolutely no reason why shipping costs (if not free shipping) as well as sales tax should be a part of what is considered "value" to the seller. That's a very low and underhanded move of which I'm sure is responsible for a large increase in their overall earnings. As just a guy having a yard sale I have sold what has been determined to be a little over $1700 spread across 18 different transactions to which I have received less than $800 for. To me that is absurd and needs to be changed. The only way that change can happen is with the power of the community.
Ebay should take a flat fee percentage of whatever a listed item sells for, If they want to earn on shipping costs they need to follow Amazon's example and establish their own logistics capabilities and then charge us for performing those services. If they don't want to take on the responsibility for collecting sales tax for these transactions then allow users to stipulate their acceptance of said responsibilities don't charge me to do something the government has charged you with doing, that's exploitation.
As an individual as I said whom is not making a business out of this or intending to be here doing it for very long, unfortunately I will not be around to reap the benefits of such a collaboration. But I truly hope that you guys can come together protect the small sellers so they feed the volume of individuals active on eBay as everyone is looking for a bargain and your margins may not allow for what my garage could... if eBay wasn't taking their enormous cut.
duffy4444
·Sep 6, 2026 at 2:47 PM · EditedHaving a "sellers' union" is essentially a pipe dream for the chronic malcontents that have an ax to grind without thinking it thru. But if we had a union of sellers here, eBay would also have the option and power of a lockout against us or permanent removal due to our voluntary choice to be here.
Do you really want that? It's called the law of unintended consequences that is usually the result of a knee-jerk reaction. Think about it further before promoting an antagonistic "get the man" attitude.
Cheers, Duffy
theteamsetguy
·2 days ago@lastofmyname ,
If you think eBay’s fees are too high why are you selling here? I can think of at least 6 sites you can sell your type of merchandise on. Some sites are even free. You can list your items on Mr. Zuckerberg’s site, Mr. Newmark’s site, Mr. Bezos’ site, Bonanza, and others.
You are probably here because eBay has a very number of eyeballs. eBay’s fees are high because of the number of eyeballs it has. I don’t think eBay’s fees are too considering the number of eyeballs it reaches.
simply-the-best-for-you
·2 days agoeBay has some of the lowest fees of any of the online platforms, at least the ones of any size. It defintely has much lower fees than the B&M options. I don't really have an issue with it. There are some competitors with lower fees, but they have hardly any following, so you may get 1 sale every 6 months.
lastofmyname
OP2 days agoRound 3: Final Value Fee
This is the clearest example of fee inflation eBay explicitly calculates its percentage against the total including sales tax and shipping. These to compnents of the transaction offer no value to the seller yet we are charged for them.
Suppose:
$100 item + $15 shipping + $7 tax = $122 total
At a hypothetical 13.6% final-value rate:
13.6% × $122 = $16.59
Had the percentage applied only to the merchandise:
13.6% × $100 = $13.60
Difference:
$2.99 additional eBay revenue
Of that:
Shipping contribution: $15 × 13.6% = $2.04
Tax contribution: $7 × 13.6% = $0.95
So eBay earns $0.95 more because $7 belonging to a taxing authority entered the fee base.
eBay gives essentially this calculation in its own published example: a $400 item becomes a $424 “total amount of the sale” because of 6% sales tax, and eBay demonstrates a 13% final-value fee calculated against the entire $424.
Is this fair?
gurlcat
·2 days agoI and others explained why that's^ necessary, but you are apparently not reading all the replies to the post that YOU started @lastofmyname
Is this fair?
By the way, it's extra ridiculous considering the thing you're asking has already been asked and answered at least a thousand times in the forums. I'm not exaggerating, at least once a week someone comes here after discovering how the fee structure works, rippin' hellcats about it, and "informing" everyone like exposing some dark secret. -Do a search here and see!
grann-4629
·Sep 6, 2026 at 2:59 PMAlmost as many times as the 'how do I resolve an MC suspension?'. That's another one that should be pinned and titled Required Reading ...
evry1nositswindy
·3 days agoUnion dues on top of the seller fees? No thanks! I don't work for eBay; I work for myself.
shado-x
·3 days agoI reject any union. I say sellers and eBay unite to stop the US Postal Service from raising postage rates and force them to go back to the rates during the 2000s. Then everyone is happy. The Pursuit of Happiness, not a postal service that is against free enterprise (all of a sudden)..
glenvonnie
·3 days agoThe biggest local auction house with 4 or 5 auctioneers going at the same time charges the seller 35% and the buyer 5%.
They will also sell everything you leave at any price, even 50 cents, and then throw away anything left over, and in some cases charge you for disposal.
They don't have 10s of millions of buyers or more like eBay does.
bashort
·3 days agoGoing to be expensive, The first thing a startup Union would need is a marble tiled headquarters in Washington DC and a dozen or so 7 figure" leaders".
pickapaper
·3 days agoWe have booths in an antique mall. The rent is high and the "administrative fees" are ridiculous, but the mall is very busy and we do okay there. It is a huge mall with hundreds of dealers, many have been there for years, even decades. Should the dealers band together and form a union complaining about the high fees? I think not, since we are not mall employees. The mall tells dealers what the rent and fees are and we can accept them or we can choose not to be in the mall. The mall doesn't care because they have a three to five year waiting list of people wanting to rent booth space.
Same with eBay. We are basically renting a space in which to sell our wares. If we don't like the fees and policies and rules they have, we are free to leave. There are always people to take our place.
valueaddedresource
·3 days ago · EditedJust a general comment:
Some people in this thread might find it interesting to look into the Responsible Online Commerce Coalition - a trade association for businesses that rely on online commerce platforms to reach their customers.
ROCC is working directly with politicians who are sponsoring Online Sellers Bill of Rights legislation and while a lot of their work is currently focused on Amazon, they've also previously filed a petition urging the FTC to investigate eBay's acquisition of TCGPlayer.
ROCC was also supportive of unionized workers at TCGPlayer during the 18 months that eBay dragged out bargaining before laying them all off and moving operations to Kentucky to bust the union (in case you were wondering how eBay actually responds to organization efforts).
I have no affiliation with ROCC and this is not a blanket endorsement, but I have spoken with them a few times about issues facing eBay sellers (like the ad fee attribution changes) and they've been receptive.
ocean-state-mint
·3 days agoI remember in the past, many sellers were selling items for $1 with $10 shipping. This caused eBay to rethink its fee structure. I get your frustration, I too feel it is sometimes unfair, including collecting fees on the tax that is charged also. I though operate as a business, so the fees are just part of my expenses and it is something you have to deal with when listing items. In your case, having a yard sale on eBay, might not be the best choice. You can sell items on other websites or marketplace and pay less fees, on the other hand, you do lose out on the eBay traffic generation. So, it comes down to, either pay the fees and sell your stuff rather quickly or deal with it sitting there on other sites with no traffic. It's a choice.
adamcartwright
·3 days agoHow can we form a sellers union when our would-be shop steward has already announced he's leaving?
gurlcat
·3 days ago@lastofmyname Normally I would read every word of every reply to make sure I'm not repeating something, but in this case it's just too much and my eyes are tired.
So I have to ask YOU -has nobody explained yet WHY eBay charges the fees on shipping? Because picture if they didn't:
Say you have an item that is $50 + $10 to ship. Would you not be tempted to price it $45 + $15, or maybe $40 + $20, to lower the amount of fees you'll pay? -Most buyers wouldn't care as long as their total bill is reasonable to them, so why not?
That's exactly what happened before eBay included shipping in the fee calculations. And if that wasn't bad enough, there were sellers completely flipping the ratio: $10 + $50, or even $1 + 59!!! Because why not? And by the way, with such crazy pricing variations, that DID frustrate and confuse buyers, driving some away, to make purchases at some less sketchy-looking place. So it hurt everybody, not just eBay.
lastofmyname
OP4 days agoRound 2:
The following is based on information available through the Ad Rate selection dialog window which links to "Comparing the campaign strategies"
Example of how ebay isusing things like salse tax inclusion in fee calculations that allows them to manipulate (increase) earnings that they should not be able to (or just shouldn't do):
That means eBay is explicitly saying the advertising charge can be calculated against amounts that aren't actually seller revenue, including sales tax.
For example, suppose you sell:
Item: $100
Shipping: $10
Sales tax: $6.60
Total used for the ad calculation: $116.60
At a 10% General ad rate, the advertising fee would be $11.66, rather than $11.00 based only on item + shipping.
So $0.66 of that advertising charge exists solely because of the $6.60 tax.
It means eBay can remit the $6.60 tax to the taxing authority while separately earning $0.66 in advertising revenue because that tax existed. Those are two different money flows.
** This content has been edited by a large language model to be more consise, but remains 100% human in its origin.
shire123
·4 days ago · EditedSo if you don't use an ad rate the eBay makes nothing extra.
I have never use an ad rate (promoted)
lastofmyname
OP4 days agoI need to sell the in my garage, but just becasue we use these quasi ethical tools doesn't mean we can't point out the flaws and the things that should be changed about them. That's what this is really all about inspiring individuals to speak up about things that really should be changed or could be changed and if so would produce a better world specifically while selling in eBay.
shire123
·4 days agoAs you have seen the vast majority of responses here disagree with you
Ebay fees are published up front. If you don't agree with them don't sell on ebay.
shire123
·3 days ago · EditedMany of us on these boards have been on ebay for decades. We know how eBay works. While we might not be in complete agreement with things we generally can make it work for us
moretreasures4you
·4 days agoI have been selling on eBay for 28 years, can I tell you how many times people have come to the boards up in arms about eBay for one reason or another?? A million and one. But thanks for your contribution.
grann-4629
·3 days agoIf people judged eBay only based on what they read here, there would be no eBay. The first few threads I looked at today all discussed the current scams running on the venue.
hartungcards
·4 days agoYou lost me at, "All right so I'm fairly new to this selling on eBay and don't really intend to be here for very long."
oldwestgold
·4 days agoOh, great, more (union) fees. Where do I sign up? Not.
grann-4629
·4 days agoWhat am I as a buyer going to do when you guys and gals go On Strike?
mam98031
·4 days agoI know you are getting a lot of push back @lastofmyname but please try to understand. You are a new seller that has come here to complain about what you perceive as misdeeds done by Ebay WITHOUT even trying to understand the industry or how it works.
By you own admission, you have done no research on this but wanted to share how you think it should work, again without any understanding of how the industry works. This is what has caused all the negative comments regarding your post.
Now if you want to actually learn how to sell here successfully and become part of the community that could benefit you financially, just ask. There are lots of seasoned, experienced sellers here that could help you. But you must start from a place with an open mind and the willingness to learn.
monroe67
·4 days ago · Edited"As just a guy having a yard sale I have sold what has been determined to be a little over $1700 spread across 18 different transactions to which I have received less than $800 for."
Well, I don't have the time or the interest to study your sales history, but you might possibly be participating in aspects of eBay that do cost more money for the seller.
For example, eBay likes to encourage sellers to Promote their Listings, but that is never a necessity or requirement from eBay. My selling ID does not promote her listings; sure, I wish I had more sales, but I have chosen not to Promote.
As another example, sometimes newer eBay sellers think it's a good idea to add a Reserve Price to their auctions. Reserve Prices allow sellers to kind of hide the minimum price they really want to get for selling an item at auction. But eBay charges a fee for simply adding a Reserve Price to an auction AND that fee is charged whether the item sells or not.
That fee is 7.5% of the Reserve Price, with a minimum fee of $5.00.
Successful eBay sellers accept the terms and conditions for listing their items on eBay, with a worldwide audience of potential buyers.
aeparts1
·4 days agoIf you want to change eBay, start buying eBay stock & start going to shareholder meetings. Vote when the opportunity is presented to you. Fire, by voting, board of directors members that don't follow your wishes. Get enough shares, you will be heard. Get enough shares, Jamie will listen to you. That is how you make changes in a publicly held company.
arraus
·4 days ago · Edited@lastofmyname
I haven't read through all the many other comments, so I apologize if this has been addressed already.
I'm a long-time eBay seller. Yes, the fees get to me sometimes as well. I wish there was more Customer Service, UI improvements through iterative development and actual UAT, and marketing (not with an upcharge) for the fees we pay. I do understand why they charge a small fee for managing shipping, payments, and taxes. Those are software services at the end of the day.
HOWEVER.. I want to know exactly how you sold $1700 in 18 transactions and are only getting paid $800. That ROI does stink!!! I'd like to dig in because maybe some of your settings or shipment methods could change and put a lot MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKET.
Feel free to share here, new post, or reach me directly in eBay messaging. Tag me @arraus if you post in the Community so I will know to respond.
gurlcat
·3 days agoI can just about guarantee that $1700 INCLUDES shipping (maybe even sales tax). And most of their items are medium-to-large sized items, so the shipping labels would take a very significant chunk out of that.
grann-4629
·4 days agoI just had a comment on this thread removed. Anyone remember what I said that upset the mods?
tks
grann-4629
·4 days agoAhhh, it may have been my comment about the OP's use of misspelled words and poor grammar, like a few of those that are still here. I am smarter than the mods and they just don't like me.
Shucks 😎😎😎😎
luckythewinner
·4 days agoEveryone wants lower fees.
Everyone would benefit from having "enough clout".
Everyone thinks someone else should "do something about it".
I clear $16.20 on a typical $20 sale after fees and shipping and cost of good sold, which amounts to less than 20%.
jameshen1
·4 days ago · EditedThis is probably the most uninformed post I have ever seen on these forums. And that is saying a lot.
monroe67
·4 days ago"This is probably the most uniformed post I have ever seen . . . ."
Have you omitted an "n" ?
Other than that, I gotta agree with you. These theories pop up occasionally in these eBay forums, usually by inexperienced sellers.
Just on the most basic level -- eBay is NOT Amazon. And Amazon is NOT eBay.
Neither ever was the other. Each has always been its own entity.
jameshen1
·4 days agoYes, I omitted an "n". Thank you so much for calling out my typo. I don't know why spellcheck nor I caught that, but it is fixed now.
grann-4629
·4 days agobecause both spellings are real words describing different things?
stainlessenginecovers
·4 days agoSo with your logic, all of New Yorkers that pay for ads in the New York Times should form a union because it's expensive.
Good thinking!
Oh, and the way this site charges- they could easily just charge 20% across the board for 'just the item' while forcing all shipping labels to be purchased on ebay and the amount charged BETTER match- or they will charge you the same percentage for the shipping AND kick you off the site.
Brilliant!!
thelongball
·4 days agoI gladly pay the fees on sales taxes. Do you know how much work it is to pay it on your own. Obviously not as you need to register with every state, stay up on each states laws, send in quarterly payments, Send in yearly totals statements. You answered your own statement when you said you are a garage sale seller. Ebay is not a Garage and it's just not made for everybody. They are transparent in everything they do. Nothing is hidden. Like in any business if you want to keep more of the sale, then raise your prices. Others have already recommended consignment shops but they usually charge you a rental monthly fee and commission. It can reach as high as 35%. The biggest thing eBay gives you is more traffic to sell to than a Garage sale sign.
eBay has been around for so long and its logo is brand recognition. That too is worth something. It really isn't as bad as you make it out to be. You just have to explore all your options using apples to apples. Apples to Pears never gives you the complete picture. You requested a union. I've never been in one, but I have heard they charge union dues. So, what they save, they also take a part of. Just look at it this way. Nobody works for free. It cost money to make money. Just the way it works. If you can find a cheaper way. Great your ahead. But no need to bash someone else's business model. The door swings both ways for all of us.
grann-4629
·3 days agoYou are the first person in my entire life who has said you gladly pay sales tax, under any conditions! I wonder if those who have already paid sales tax on the stuff you are now paying more sales tax on were just as glad as you to pay it 😎
thelongball
·3 days agoYou still have never heard someone say they were glad to pay sales tax. Reread my comment- I'm glad to pay FEES on sles tax.
fabrics24
·4 days agoI'm all for unions, but like others are saying, we're not ebay's employees. A union doesn't apply to us because we're the one who owns the business. Ebay is more like our business partner, or who we're renting our shop space from; not our boss. Think of the fees like overhead costs.
There are plenty of other websites to try if you find ebay takes too much of a cut; Mercari, Vinted, Poshmark, and Facebook marketplace (which takes no fees!) all exist. I like ebay for selling used items because I don't have to do any marketing of my own besides ensuring the title is good, but you might get a better cut from those if you're willing to try them out.
Heck, you could make your own website if you're okay with doing all the marketing!
duffy4444
·4 days ago · EditedThere have been many posters here that have ranted about changing the eBay world. But since we all choose to be here, there is one overriding factor about your post:
It's eBay's sandbox we are playing in, and it's their rules, not our rules when we join in to play here.
No one's shoes are nailed to the floor. If we don't like something, we are free to walk away and go somewhere else where we think the grass is greener.
Some users have left, others have not. And some who have left have returned after learning the grass is not any greener elsewhere.
Cheers, Duffy
deathtoneaudio
·4 days agoGreat sentiments but a union doesn't apply to this system where the Ebay system is fundamentally a consignment process that we operate independently within and have policies under that contract we must follow.
I do think that for smaller start ups, it would be in their best interest to give us better structure for advertising such as their services for a percentage and if you want your merch advertised outside the site, the rates obviously go up in our costs.
The competition is of course largely overseas in China, factory direct sales or one step away, and they have 150 different items, sometimes thousands, and some of these sellers I follow can go weeks without sales.
It's literally the Ma 'n Pa scale going up against Walmart, Target, Cosco etc. I've done really well, and my fees haven't been so bad, but I think our advertising options could be better.
I'm undercutting a lot of factory direct sellers and rebranding sellers based in China and jam packing warehouses in the states.
When I'm the small fish and I'm offering better prices than the big?
It would make sense to prioritize the lower prices in how they market us but also in how search results show up. I sell for a significantly lower prices, but I also run out of inventory whereas the big fish rarely if ever does, and so that down time gives them some hefty windows to secure sales.
puremichigand
·4 days agoAbsolutely appreciate the sentiment and thought you have put into this. Personally, I don’t think that a “union“ would do anything. The vast vast majority of sellers mean little to nothing to eBay. eBay has too many sellers as it is – I can make the case that too much junk flooding eBay just depresses prices. A tiny number of eBay sellers on a percentage basis are providing any real incremental value to eBay. If a bunch of sellers go on strike or leave – not a big issue for eBay.
grann-4629
·4 days agoFor a venue where 'sellers mean little or nothing' to, they sure spend a lot of time and AI electrons trying to figure out how to eliminate them ... they must be worth something.
kibble-net
·4 days agoUnions are generally for employees. Not independent contractors. I'm not sure how you plan to organize a plurality of sellers to make this happen. Best of luck though.
fm2000
·4 days agoSome seriously pitched the idea of a eBay union of some kind 30 years ago, and it went absolutely, totally nowhere. Literally nowhere, it was never even taken seriously. Whether your points are right or wrong, it doesn't matter; in 2026 an eBay union is as impossible as traveling to another galaxy is impossible. it isn't even worth consuming brain calories over. At least 30 years later we have options as sellers that we didn't have then, competition will bring about change (and already is) before a union ever could.
grann-4629
·4 days agoGetting to another Galaxy isn't impossible ... it's just going to take a long time to get there, and there are probably no McDucks along the way.
chapeau-noir
·4 days agoYou know the saying about 'herding cats'?
Yeah...that.
christworks
·4 days ago · EditedCount me out. I'm against unions of any kind.
There is a free market here in the great United States of America. If you want to work for someone, work. If you don't, don't. If you don't like a platform's policy, decisions, fees, or the color of their logo, you are free to not sell on that platform. Likewise, if you like those things or otherwise don't feel you are entitled to anything, then sell on those platforms.
Oh wait, I know, instead of giving eBay my fee money, I'll just be scammed out of it by the "seller's union." 🙄😹
Insane.
chapeau-noir
·4 days agoMany of us can thank unions for the 5-day work week, having benefits, safer working conditions (ever hear of the New York Shirtwaist Factory disaster?), etc. etc. Unions were the strongest when this country was most prosperous.
gurlcat
·4 days ago-And vice-versa.
oldwestgold
·4 days agoEver hear of Toledo, OH? Strong union town(for a few), but it remains a dump and always 20-30 years behind the rest of most cities.
Unfortunately, my experiences being in and working with unions haven't been as rosy as yours. The USPS is another great example of how unions can destroy a good thing. I'm glad your experience has been better.
puremichigand
·4 days agoUnions are part of a free market. Companies consolidate and build leverage in a free market, why can’t workers?
gurlcat
·4 days ago · EditedOMG THIS^. The real threats to the free market are corporatism, oligarchy, Citizens United, and Congress members' "freedom" to participate in the market, which they happen to have much power over.
Anyone who thinks 'just anyone' can start a business and have their success limited by nothing but their level of creativity and hard work .... well, they'd have to get a time machine and go back to when there actually was a free market.
kibble-net
·4 days agoOn the contrary, unions are fantastic. We wouldn't have the safety regulations and 40 hour work week we have today without the fight from unions. Most of us don't have the choice of whether to work or not, so it's important for businesses to provide a safe workplace with basic human rights to EVERYONE. Public safety isn't something that ought to be left to the free market.
But unions are designed for employees, not business owners. If we don't like our working conditions, that's our own fault. We choose our own hours, and we choose to be in business. This is a case of apples and oranges.
grann-4629
·4 days agoI believe that things like 40 hour work weeks and hazard free working environments would have evolved without unions ... improvements in working conditions happen today in industries with no unions. The last action by a union here involved workers who didn't want to go back to the office after Co-vid ... they wanted to keep working at home where they didn't have to wear any pants to go out.
gurlcat
·4 days ago · EditedWhy would you be against that, especially as an eBay seller? 🤣
For the record I am wearing fuzzy pajama bottoms that I cut off into shorts when it warmed up in spring. They are hot pink with cupcakes.
grann-4629
·4 days ago · EditedNEED pics! 😎
ETA: If that was what you were doing before co-vid, then keep doing it. The union folks who were complaining were previously working in offices, many in the downtown area. Most of them had expenses such as clothing, parking and the cost of everyday transportation back and forth 10 times a week.
They liked the idea of working at home, to 'stop the spread of the disease'.
They also liked not having to look good everyday and the expenses of going back and forth to the office. And they could cancel day care, have regular coffee breaks with friends and doze off at 14:00 hrs. It may have been against the union rules to be monitored by management.
When the crisis was over, many didn't want to go back to work. Office buildings were empty and landlords were going broke. When they were finally ordered back to work, probably by their employers, the xxxx hit the fan. 😎
gurlcat
·4 days ago · EditedOkay, so you agree that it was a good fight. Sorry I previously thought you were nay-saying people who didn't want to return to in-person work.
I have actually posted a pic of the cupcake p.j. Daisy Dukes here before! 🤣
@grann-4629
frugalmarketplace
·4 days agoWhat a shock. WWJD However. Standing with the poor: Many faith leaders argue that Jesus naturally favored the poor and the common laborer over wealthy exploiters..Just so you know.
oldwestgold
·4 days agoI have lived 69 years near a union city. It remains one of the most depressed cities in the Nation. I have also had personal and professional experience with unions. I have yet to find one worth a penny.
inhawaii
·4 days agoWe can't have a union.
We don't work for ebay.
kibble-net
·4 days agoThis in a nutshell.
Unions are for employees.
Trade associations are for business owners.
gurlcat
·4 days ago · EditedYour oxymoron "a garage sale online" addresses exactly what you're confused about. -How much money could you have actually fetched from those 18 items if you had only people in your neighborhood parking on your street and coming to poke around in your garage for a day or two?
The nationwide (or even global), 24/7 business reach you got on eBay was what you paid for. If you don't think it was worth it, pull the rest of your listings and get some pricing stickers at the dollar store.
EDIT: Grab some cold drinks while you're there -it's HOT out!!!
dhbookds
·4 days agoGo try to sell in a consignment store and then tell me about ebay fees.....
ten_o_nine
·4 days agoAI response to this question, "what's the average of consignment store fees if an item sells for $100?"
The average consignment store fee for a $100 item is $40 to $60, as most standard shops operate on a 40% to 60% commission split. This means if your item sells for $100, the store keeps $40 to $60, and you walk away with $40 to $60.
mam98031
·4 days agoEbay isn't "inflating" anything. They are very transparent about the fees charged on this site. If you have been caught off guard by some fee, then you simply did not inform yourself before listing.
IDK why you seem to think Ebay's fees are somehow unusual. Have you compared them to other similar sites? Have you done any research? Or are you just assuming stuff. Ebay certainly isn't the cheapest place to sell on the internet, but nor is it the most expensive. There are other sites you can consider, but remember when you are considering other site to take into account the traffic those sites gets. While it is easy to find someplace that is less expensive to sell on, that absolutely does NOT equal more profit for you if your items don't sell.
"Ebay should take a flat fee percentage of whatever a listed item sells for..." They do, see the Seller Fee policy.
"...If they want to earn on shipping costs they need to follow Amazon's example and establish their own logistics capabilities and then charge us for performing those services." Clearly you feel very passionate about all of this but haven't researched or gathered all the info you need to make informed opinions on all this. You are trying to compare an AMZ service to Ebay that Ebay doesn't have. While many think of these two sites as being similar, they have far more differences than they do similarities.
FYI, Amazon DOES charge selling fees on shipping charges charged to a buyer, they always have. Also the 3rd party sellers on Amz are the ones most like Ebay sellers, NOT sellers that use their FBA services and have AMZ ship for them. If you think that AMZ does not charge the sellers using these fulfillment services for the services they render, you would be VERY WRONG.
As for Sales tax. Ebay, Amazon, Target, Macy, Poshmark, etc are ALL required by LAW to collect and remit sales taxes to the appropriate states.
I could go on and on, but it isn't likely to help. You know a little bit about these systems, but not yet enough to know what can and can't be done or isn't being done.
lastofmyname
OP4 days ago"IDK why you seem to think Ebay's fees are somehow unusual"
-- No, I didnt say unusual, I implied unethical.
"Have you compared them to other similar sites?"
-- No as I mentioned this is not my business, its just my garage sale, ebay was in my eyes the only feasable alternative to the other more undesireables the "Face Place" or that "Bobs List".
"Have you done any research?"
-- No, not looking to read "Online Grage Sales for Dummies" just tring to declutter and no books are needed to know how to do that.
"take into account the traffic those sites gets"
-- I agree eBay was first to market and did win that race, taking the lions share of users and did establish a the maket for online "person to person resale" which grew into a hub for "small business to person retail".
"They do, see the Seller Fee policy."
-- The flat part is only one component to a set of values which comprise the "Fee" this what I have a problem with:
"The total amount of the sale includes the item price, any handling charges, any shipping costs collected from the buyer (some exceptions apply), sales tax, and any other applicable fees."
Item Price + Handling Charges + Shipping Costs + Sales Tax = The total amount of the sale
Of those 4 values they should just charge a set fee And that should be the items price at sale the sale price of an item.
Item Sale Price * Ebay Fee % = A flate Fee
to be continued....
grann-4629
·4 days ago · EditedI want to sell something.
I can put an ad in the newspaper. It will get my ad seen by everyone who reads the paper and reads the clasifieds ... maybe a few hundred thousand if I am lucky. The ad will probably cost around $25 to publish for a few days ... more if I want it to stay there for a few more days, or,
I can put it on eBay for a few pennies, or even free. It will now be seen all over the world by millions of people and it can sit there for months without any extra fees.
Hmmmm ....
mam98031
·4 days ago"I didnt say unusual, I implied unethical." So a business that was created to offer a service somehow should not have the right to charge fees for providing those services? Fees that are very standard in the industry. You seem to see them as nonstandard, but that is not how internet sales on a site like this works. We all have to pay for the services we use on sites like this.
As I tried to say in my other post, without YOU doing any research, you are making assumptions that simply are not correct. Selling on the internet, using a provider such as Ebay to list and manage your listings, is NOT the same has having a sale on your lawn and/or garage. You are not using anyone's services when you sell at your own home, on your own property. But when you actually used a service, you simply need to pay for that service. When selling on the internet, you get your items in front of millions of people. It takes time, money, equipment, staff, etc. to run a site like Ebay, it is NOT free.
NO, the Seller Fee policy describes all fees associated with selling on this site. Now there are other options that a seller may CHOOSE to use when they create a listing that cost additional fees, it is the seller's responsibility to know and understand what these fees are. IE Bold title, multiple categories, subtitles, etc. And then there is the Promoted Listing options, again something the seller chooses and should understand BEFORE using it and agreeing to pay additional fees at a rate the Seller CHOOSES.
Ebay charges their fee on the TOTAL amount the buyer PAYS. Ebay is NOT only the site that you list on, but they are also the money processor of the money the buyer pays. That is two different services and different processes.
IDK if you feel up to it, but if you feel you can get the ENTIRE industry [all sites] to readjust how and what they charges fees on, good luck. Ebay is not a stand alone item, they are just one in a sea of many.
lastofmyname
OP4 days agoSee "Round 2" reply for example.
mam98031
·3 days agoClearly you think this is a game. I assure you it is not. With that said, there are others out there that actually want to have constructive discussions, I'll spend my time there. Best of luck to you.
theteamsetguy
·2 days ago@lastofmyname ,
So if you think it unethical for eBay apply their fees on sales tax and shipping fees. Is it unethical for credit card payment processor apply their fees on sales tax and shipping? Credit card payment processors have been doing this way since credit cards were issued.
lastofmyname
OP4 days agoI apologize for the horrific grammar and spelling issues, I also have an issue with their website which does not support spell checking within a browser for any of their HTML input controls.
duffy4444
·4 days ago · EditedYour grammar and spelling is a minor side issue. But since you brought it up, that's why responsible posters here use what we learned in school:
PROOFREAD and make corrections before clicking the "Comment" button. It's a sign of respect to other sellers here, and gets your point across more easily.
By the way, with my large fingers I originally spelled "Comment" above incorrectly. Spellcheck here caught it and I corrected it.
If you want to be taken more seriously, proofread what you post, not just rant and quickly click the "Comment" button before thinking about what you just wrote.
Cheers, Duffy
mam98031
·4 days agoYou seemed determined to make anything and everything Ebay's fault.
grann-4629
·4 days agoGreat info as always ... thanks @mam98031 . Do eBay sellers still have to pay fees to eBay if an item doesn't sell? I know there is a listing fee, but what about all those extras like promotional fees?
tks
mam98031
·4 days agoMost of the time there is no listing fee. Sellers get 250 free listings every month. So most sellers would not cross that amount unless they also pay for a STORE, which give them even more free listings as well as some other benefits.
Promotional fees are fees a seller CHOOSES to add onto their listings and pay Ebay an additional percentage if the item sells. That is completely on the seller to choose what they want to do. I personally don't use this program, but many sellers do.
grann-4629
·4 days agoOK ... so promotional fees are only collected by eBay if and when the item sells. Thanks much 🤓
tobaccocardyahoo
·4 days agoYou would find that many experienced Ebay sellers would fight your union.
We have seen Ebay before some of your complaints were created and Ebay is a better place to sell, for honorable, ethical and professional business people because of the way the fees are applied and their levels are reasonable.
If you want no fees sell on the Facebook Marketplace.
lastofmyname
OP4 days agoSo very right you are, which is nice to know that there is some unity just kind of sad to see it not intrested in making a better place to do bussiness for all. And yeah I avoid that "face place" like the plague that it is. And that "Steve's list" is also a bit creepy as well.
ten_o_nine
·4 days agoJust for eBay or other platforms? What if we win "The sellers" and eBay loses and goes out of business? Where do we go? Flea markets? Please, I'd rather pay 50% than go to a flea market or have a garage sale.
lastofmyname
OP4 days agoWhere there is a market there will always be a business. There does need to be new reputable marketplace focused more on a person to person transaction More so than the small business to person retail which again I understand is probably not the audience I'm speaking to at the moment as you are probably all defending your wallet more than you are eBay.
imac7065
·5 days agoIf you want to be taken serious... don't write silly posts like this lol.... we aren't W2 employee's... they wouldn't even give us 1099's if they didn't have to by law.... there's no legal way to make a "union" or even collectively bargain with ebay... there's like 20-30 different levels of sellers on this platform.. I'm probably 10-15 tiers ahead of you and I'm no where near the top lol
shire123
·5 days agoYou are right. You won't be here long. Your post will be pulled shortly for policy violations
And most of your points have bee gone over ad nauseam with rationales
If you don't like eBay policies you are free to sell elsewhere
gurlcat
·4 days agoBut what policy violations?
stephenmorgan
·3 days ago · EditedI would think that the above statement is form of "other calls to activism" and is not allowed.
https://community.ebay.com/forum/about-the-community-57910/topic/ebay-community-guidelines-465340/
Content and actions not permitted
calling for petitions, boycotts, lawsuits, or other calls to activism in either posts or private messages or to otherwise drive traffic elsewhere
lastofmyname
OP2 days agoYour kinda right, I have to agree. Although that is not in any way my intended outcome (to incite activism), it is definitely not hard to perceive that statement be seen as a call to do somthing. Those contract lawyers deserve a raise.
Power to The People! ;^)