There's hardly any profit if you do finally get paid. Selling on eBay is a waste of time
I have sold several items on eBay that have been delivered successfully. I have yet to receive payment and after reviewing when I do get paid it's hardly worth it because the fees have eaten up all profits.
53 comments
jbbowers12012
·9 months agoHi, Having worked many different retail venues for nearly 40yrs. - I have learned this - "Buy Low - Sell High & Be VERY Mindfull Of What It Is Costing You To Do It. (Jus' Sayin')
glorybells
·9 months agoEVERY new business venture has a learning curve. When I first started doing rideshare a couple of years ago, there was a steep learning curve to that. Ebay isn’t about sitting at a computer and watching the money roll in, and rideshare isn’t just about getting in your car and driving people around. I’ve had to learn new things through the years with eBay. I started in 1999, when it was the Wild West on here.
Doing rideshare, I had to learn where and when would be the best to drive to maximize earnings. I had to learn not to chase the acceptance rate and cancellation rate, and just make sure my star rating stayed high. I had to learn what would be the most important things to do to keep my riders happy.
This same mindset can be transferred to eBay. It takes time to learn what to sell that’s going to maximize your earnings. You have to learn what to do to keep your buyers happy and coming back to buy more from you. If you want to make it work, you’re going to need to experiment some in the beginning to learn what’s going to work best for you.
grann-4629
·9 months agoMy first sale on eBay was back in the 90's when things were much easier. It was more between a seller and a buyer than it is now with all the interference by eBay. Buyers sent money directly to sellers, sellers bought their own stamps and made their own shipping labels, eBay took a cut, and everything was good.
The item I sold was an incomplete set of VHS tapes from Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" tv series. One of the tapes was missing (clearly stated in the listing) and I was contacted directly by several interested parties to verify what tape was missing. No eBay messaging then.
I don't think the 'buy it now' option was available then. Everything listed was an auction. I started my listing at ten bucks and it sold for $275.00, and I got the money within a week!
I was hooked!
Now, there is no way I would come back as a seller on any on-line auction site with all the rules, policies, fraudsters, Trump, 'bots that are still in robot kindergarten, etc.
Just a little history I was thinking about last night after watching some Sagan stuff on you-tube. Thanks for letting me do this!
Now, back to the topic ...
luckythewinner
·9 months agoNot all items are a good fit for the eBay venue.
I clear about 75% of the selling price after all fees and my acquisition costs.
It sounds like you might not be choosing the right item to sell.
kibble-net
·9 months agoEbay isn't for everyone. And not everyone will succeed. We're just not all cut out for this line of work, that's how it goes.
Maybe you ought to find a new hobby or business that is more suited to your skill set.
Best of luck in whatever you choose.
mam98031
·9 months agoEbay has had a rule for many years that pertains to New Seller and sellers that have been away from selling for 90+ days. The following is the policy that outlines why you money is likely on hold.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816&&redirectedFrom=4155
johnrj1226
·9 months agoThere is minimal profit only if the sellers can live with it or the seller did not calculate ALL their selling costs or didn't buy right or add their expected profit margin or research the sell price of the item they wish to sell etc. New sellers need to do some home work and first read and understand your obligations spelled out in the User Agreement they signed to become a member. eBay provides some help but not all
Based on your limited selling profile - less than 10 items in the last 90 days - like 1 item sold since August 2025 and no current listing.. One robing does not make a springtime either - gotta' know what you are doing before you just do it - no easy way to success...
estate_echoes
·9 months agoThe days of getting rich by selling powder is becoming more difficult. Have you seen the news? Here I was was thinking all we needed was a wall and tariffs.
That said... 'you make your money when you buy'. If you aren't making a profit.... then you are paying to much for what you are selling. You are new, there is a learning curve, it starts out flat for a long time.
soh.maryl
·9 months agoHowever, we all could agree that the learning curve here needs to begin with actually reading every single thing you can about how to sell here, preferably BEFORE actually listing and crossing your fingers.
estate_echoes
·9 months agoWell yeah... but put yourself in their shoes... even if they knew where to find all the information and had the patience to read it... they would need the cipher key, that took us years to obtain, to be able to understand what is said.
For example... regarding held funds.... there is nothing that says how this process goes. It says how it "may" go. Leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation and disappointment. For me, on a new account it took about 6 months and $8,000 in sales before I could be paid earlier than a week after confirmed delivery of an item.
mam98031
·9 months agoEbay has had a rule for many years that pertains to New Seller and sellers that have been away from selling for 90+ days. The following is the policy that outlines why your money is may be on hold.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold/payments-hold?id=4816&&redirectedFrom=4155
tobaccocardyahoo
·9 months agoWithout taking away from the importance of price, your choice of what to buy is also as important.
Some sellers who are seeking low prices buy products which have been unsuccessful and money losers at a retail venue thinking that they can sell at a low enough price to overcome the product inferiority. Sometimes, that works, Sometimes they are faced at having to try to sell the product at an even lower price than what the paid, to a greater optimist than they were.
stainlessenginecovers
·9 months agoThere's hardly any profit if you are mathematically challenged.
If you ARE mathematically challenged- quit trying to sit at home selling things online and get a real job.
chapeau-noir
·9 months ago::head desk::
Wow what venom we spew.
soh.maryl
·9 months agoHow do we know he does not have a "real job"? Could be this was a part time gig hoping to make a little extra money for bills or Christmas.
Don't believe it's necessary to be mean just to get the point across.
dirk12955
·9 months agoI agree. I also agree that "Being mean" is the go-to answer for some posters.
It's so unnecessary.
stainlessenginecovers
·9 months ago@soh.maryl @dirk12955
The OP titled this 'ebay is a waste of time'.
It was Not titled 'I'm having a hard time, any tips?".
So, they weren't nice either.
Problem with this world today- we coddle everyone.
Business is Hard. Business answers need to be hard. Direct.
Regarding 'job'- spend your time at a 2nd job if you are mathematically challenged.
It is NOT hard to sell things on line.
1.) what can I sell this for?
2.) what can I buy it for?
3.) Is there enough profit after deducting Cost, Fees, Shipping (which are all Very easily determined)
If you can't do that, you can't do business. Selling online is business.
soh.maryl
·9 months agoThe OP called eBay a "waste of time". The responder that I mentioned seemed to indicate that the OP was lazy as "get a real job". So you don't see the difference?
albertabrightalberta
·9 months ago@stainlessenginecovers
Sheesh! That's not very nice. And it's certainly not helpful.
sfau
·9 months agoYes it can be....but it beats a garage sale!
theteamsetguy
·9 months ago@sha971243 ,
As a new seller I think you bone up on what it cost to sell items on eBay. See the link below.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822
In addition to being familiar with the selling fees you should become familiar with eBay’s MBG policy for buyers. This board is littered with new sellers who get in trouble because they didn’t take the time to become knowledgeable with eBay’s MBG for buyers and how it affects sellers. In my opinion this one of the most important things new sellers should become familiar with.
I’m not trying to be critical but I would ask why are you offering free shipping on items selling for less than $10.00? Shipping fees will eat up half of your revenue. Here’s a tip, almost all of the items that I list for less than $25.00 I have marked it up at least 3 times what I paid it. Most of the time my mark up is greater than that.
Even if your buyers paid for shipping on a $10.00 that you bought for $5.00 after eBay fees you’ll make about $3.00. If you bought that same item for $3.00 and $10.00 you would make about $5.00 after fees.
pickapaper
·9 months ago@sha971243
Did you think selling on eBay would be free? You agreed to those fees when you signed up to sell.
Frankly, I'm surprised you have sold as many of those baby powders as you have, unless you are accepting a significantly cheaper offer than you have them listed for. You are trying to sell something that is available at every drug store, grocery store, big box store, dollar store, and others - at a much cheaper price than you are selling yours for.
Also, ditch trying to sell common items at auction. Auctions are only good for unique, highly collectable, or highly sought after items. Buyers want things "right now", not wait a week for an auction to end and then several more days for it to be delivered.
sha971243
OP9 months agoIt's my first time ever selling anything this is all new to me. Thank you I will take everything into consideration. And I will remove my post
sammiea1460
·9 months agoI keep 2 calculators book marked in case I need to check a listing or shipping price.
A fee calculator and shipping calculator. They are both for set up for ebay listings. I found them on the internet but they may be buried somewhere in ebay's policies.
sha971243
OP9 months agoThank you so much
inhawaii
·9 months agoI get paid on each and every sale.
After paying all fees and expenses, I make at least 100% profit (double my money) on each and every sale.
What are you doing wrong?
krazzykats
·9 months agoRetail arbitrage on Amazon may seem fine since the platform allows it, but brand manufacturers can have listings removed if they don't want unauthorized sellers offering their products.
Additionally, sellers on Amazon aren’t obligated to honor returns or warranties if they weren’t the original seller on record. It feels like too many people are influenced by fast cash videos....
If it was that easy a caveman could do it comes to mind...
á“šá˜á—¢
sha971243
OP9 months agoThank you I appreciate it
tobaccocardyahoo
·9 months agoAmazon does not allow use of Prime membership free shipping to fulfill retail arb orders. Or any other order,
sha971243
OP9 months agoI'm definitely going to reevaluate thank you so much.
jdbelt1960
·9 months agoRetail which is what we are doing is a very tough business. The profit margin lines are very thin. I am a new business and concentrated first on learning the ropes and building a consistent product line. I am now starting to have to pay more attention to the profit/loss accounting part of business. Everything from shipping/ packaging cost to advertising comes into play. People start these thinking unrealistically it is easy money.
sha971243
OP9 months agoOkay will do thank you
meme6253
·9 months agoYou can change the settings for how soon you get paid, You also need to set your prices knowing how much ebay will take in fees, & that should be known prior to listing, You can make a profit but don't expect to get rich!
sha971243
OP9 months agoThis really helps thank you
soh.maryl
·9 months agoOP appears to be a new seller. Have always heard that new sellers can expect to have their funds held for up to 30 days. How can a new seller change the settings for how soon he gets paid?
an-57470
·9 months ago@soh.maryl
I believe he was referring to the frequency of one’s payouts. One can set them for daily, weekly, etc.
I make a profit on every sale. I incorporate selling fees into the cost of my items. So my buyers pay my fees and shipping.
Perhaps you need to take a good look at your business model. Currently you have just one listing.
That baby powder can be purchased at a local Walmart for $2.00 for travel size and $6.78 for 22oz.
johnrj1226
·9 months agoFound 15 oz size of J & J Baby Power for $4.98 on Amazon with 1 day delivery/free ship with membership-. Wife buy a lot of stuff on that site.. The OOs size was 200g = 7.00 oz.
short_circuit.lineman61
·9 months agoThe OP is selling Talc based baby powder which has been discontinued by the manufacturer and is no longer available other than secondary markets. This apparently has driven up the price
pickapaper
·9 months ago@short_circuit.lineman61 wrote: " The OP is selling Talc based baby powder which has been discontinued by the manufacturer and is no longer available other than secondary markets. This apparently has driven up the price"
I wasn't familiar with this so had to look it up and found that talc-based baby powder is associated with health risks including cancer and inhalation concerns. Why would someone pay an inflated price (sometimes large) for talc-based baby powder if it could be harmful to their baby? I don't understand this.
short_circuit.lineman61
·9 months agoTalc baby powder was removed from the market on a voluntary basis by the manufacturer.
The FDA says that talc is "Generally Recognized as Safe".
My guess would be that buyers are paying a premium for talc based powder because they are using it for other things besides babies
albertabrightalberta
·9 months agoWomen who used it were getting ovarian cancer. So it's not just babies.
mommaknows
·9 months ago@pickapaper Born and raised in Southern California and baby powder was used all the time to help get the sand off after being at the beach.
There was an issue with asbestos in the powder that has been said to cause cancer.
Baby powder would not be my go to, personally, to sell on any platform.
susanb1872
·9 months ago@mommaknows said "There was an issue with asbestos in the powder that has been said to cause cancer."
Talc is not the same thing as asbestos but they are "cousins" in the mineral world.
mommaknows
·9 months ago@susanb1872 They are usually found/mined in the same area. To know that the talc is clean of any asbestos is not 100% guaranteed.
I would not risk using it. IMHO
grann-4629
·9 months ago'risks including cancer and inhalation concerns. '
That's probably why the manufacturer discontinued it.
Good luck to the OP - hope you figure out how to make some money on eBay.
albertabrightalberta
·9 months agoIsn't the reason it was discontinued because the talc-based powder contained asbestos, a known carcinogen? And didn't J&J pay out on lawsuits to people who contracted cancer?
https://womensvoices.org/menstrual-care-products/johnson-johnson-toxic-talc/
mustang707
·9 months agoAs a new seller, ebay can hold your money for 30 days. But more importantly, the ebay fees are not eating your profits-it's the free shipping you are offering. Try calculated shipping.
sha971243
OP9 months agoThank you so much I appreciate your help
krazzykats
·9 months agoConsider selling something with higher profit margins.
You're currently facing tough competition from many other sellers drop-shipping the same products with similar or better pricing.
á“šá˜á—¢
sha971243
OP9 months agoThank you this helps a lot
sha971243
OP9 months agoThank you I certainly will