Please help this make sense. Final value assessment

Question

I recently sold a book for $360 + $10 shipping. My final payout received was $308, $62 less. In the breakdown, eBay assessed a 15.3% (when did this increase happen?) final value fee to my final auction price and to the shipping and to the sales tax paid by the buyer. Why would eBay charge me for 15% of the shipping and 15% of the sales tax when those are not funds I'm going to receive? (The shipping charge was paid out of the eBay proceeds). Am I missing something here?

lb23cavaliersmvp · Accepted Answer

I think the bottom line question that you need to ask yourself is would you have been likely to find a buyer at $360 on another platform with a lower fee or on your own?

fisher-o-men · Answer

Thank you to everyone! Great answers one and all. Shame on me, a long time seller, on not knowing that Media carried a higher percentage than general sales. And yes, the book had lingered on some sites for over a month at $300. So you are all right. And basically, I need to hush up and be happy! lol Thanks again!

soh.maryl · Answer

My question is one that, so far, no one else has yet asked: This wasn't your first eBay sale and you've been here sine 1996. Was this the first book you've sold? And, even if it was, your final value fee has been calculated on the item price, the shipping fee and the state sales tax (which buyer pays based on his delivery address) for quite awhile now.

Why did the final value fee on this sale come as a surprise to you?

redlinear · Answer

You were charged the fee on the shipping cost so that you would not list your item for $10 and $360 shipping.
You were charged the fee on the tax because they could. Which, is pretty much a bargain since they are taking care of the sales tax collection and remittance for you.
Had you listed your item on a cheaper site you would finally caved in after a hundred "Hi! Is this still available?"
and sold it to somebody that said "Give ya $50 for it"

kibble-net · Answer

The processing fee adds about 3% to the fee, so it's really 12% to ebay and 3% to the processor. If you feel that 12 percent commission is too high, vote with your wallet 🙂

reallynicestamps · Answer

Am I missing something here? Everything. 15.3% (when did this increase happen?) More than a decade ago. Why would eBay charge me for 15% of the shipping and 15% of the sales tax when those are not funds I'm going to receive? That the fee is charged on the customer's ENTIRE payment is Standard Practice in the payment processing industry and had been since Diner's Club introduced the credit card in the mid-50s.

monroe67 · Answer

"I recently sold a book for $360 + $10 shipping. . . . (The shipping charge was paid out of the eBay proceeds)." BTW, per your own post, your buyer paid $10.00 for shipping, in addition to $360 for the book, and also sales tax at the rate in effect at the zip code of the delivery address. When you bought postage through eBay, you paid for it with those ten dollars that the buyer gave you.

luckythewinner · Answer

In the breakdown, eBay assessed a 15.3% (when did this increase happen?)

15.3% is the fee for media. It has been that way for a while now. It's right there in the fee schedule.

Why would eBay charge me for 15% of the shipping and 15% of the sales tax when those are not funds I'm going to receive?

Because according to the eBay fee schedule, that is how eBay calculates fees. Why would they do it? I assume they do it to make more money.

Am I missing something here?

Yes, you did miss something. You did not understand the fee schedule before yuou started selling.

bonanza125 · Answer

"Why would eBay charge me for 15% of the shipping and 15% of the sales tax when those are not funds I'm going to receive? (The shipping charge was paid out of the eBay proceeds). Am I missing something here?"

There is nothing to miss. Ebay charges a processing fee on both shipping and sales tax. Ebay collects sales tax then sends it to your state. You don't do any work as a seller. Shipping label is provide for you with discount. You save time and money.

mamacassidy · Answer

Here is the page you need to read:

Selling fees | eBay

A short version is:

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.

Books & Magazines

Movies & TV (except Movie NFTs)

Music (except Vinyl Records and Music NFTs categories)

15.3% on total amount of the sale up to $7,500 calculated per item
2.35% on the portion of the sale over $7,500

onefootflipper · Answer

Media has been higher than everything else as long as I can remember.

They started charging fees on shipping 15 years ago in response to the YEARS of people listing items for a penny and putting everything into the shipping cost.