Any way to argue with EBay for charging for prepaid shipping?
Summary: killpura shared their frustration about eBay charging final value fees on total transaction amounts, including buyer-paid shipping. They explained their experience of adjusting a listing for expedited shipping and were charged fees on the total amount, which included shipping costs determined by eBay. tan_469227 suggested contacting eBay Seller Support, while others, like shire123, argued that eBay’s fee policy is well-known and unlikely to change. killpura defended their understanding and intention to bring attention to the issue, emphasizing the discrepancy when eBay calculates shipping.
So, I had an item (pair of boots) listed for BIN $40, auction price $30, with standard ground shipping that I would pay. Buyer contacted me and begged me to let them pay extra for overnight shipping, as they need these in less than 2 days because they are going to a show and these were apparently too perfect for their costume (honestly, I get it and have done similar things).
So I changed the BIN price to $30 (honestly, not really trying to make a huge profit here, more trying to keep things from going to a landfill and get them to people who can use them and want them), and make the shipping overnight 1-Day shipping and let them know I'll put it in the mail first thing Monday (this all happened Saturday evening). Buyer considers it (did increase the price for them by $66), but does make the purchase.
I print the label from EBay's purchasing page, which is fine. but when I look at the overall profit, they charged me for the total sale including shipping, despite that I had no control over that cost and used their calculator thing and actually didn't even know how much shipping would be until after the item was bought.
So basically, EBay took 45% of my purchase instead of the ~84%, even though I used all their stuff to calculate and buy shipping. And while I don't care that much about the money, it's still a huge chunk taken out and feels pretty scummy on EBay's part.
I get that they had to change their rules a while ago because people were doing things like listing stuff for $1 with $99 shipping, but when you use all EBay's own sites and calculators and purchase the postage through their own website, it would make more sense to not add additional fee charges on the gross total.
Is there any way to file a complaint with EBay over this, or possibly a petition started by sellers that I could sign? Like I said, I know WHY they changed the shipping rules a long time ago, but when you buy the postage and all through EBay itself and the buyer is the one paying for shipping that their own site calculated (would be a different case for "seller pays," obviously), it feels like the percentage they take should be calculated from the sale without shipping and what they are doing now is just stupid and petty.
fm2000
·3 weeks agoYou'll never win this with eBay. Don't even waste time trying. Without editorializing one way or another, you will never, ever win the argument and there is nothing you can do.
If you send thing express in the future, you need to charge 15-20% on top of the actual shipping cost to cover those express shipping FVFs. If they want it bad enough that fast, they'll pay it.
For most general item/non-necessity/"fun stuff" sellers, it is generally a bad idea to do overnight/express shipping. It opens a seller up to all kinds of liability if the item shows up a day late, which can happen (returns, demanding their express shipping money back, negative feedback etc.), it is especially a problem with fashion items bought for a special occasion. I refuse to ship overnight, the only exception I make is for prop houses who buy vintage items for props; it isn't their money and they will pay express+additional fees with no argument, they are always professional, they understand it could be delayed by a day and planned accordingly etc.
chrisseascornerboutique
·3 weeks agoI bypass eBay shipping and do my own via Stamps.com. It's much easier. I have to load my own funds, but it makes my mind think I'm making way more money - LOL.
marnotom!
·1 month agoI see you understand one part of the rationale for eBay basing its final value fees on the total transaction charge. Here’s another: If eBay didn’t factor in shipping charges when calculating final value fees, what incentive would there be for sellers like you to offer “free” shipping to their buyers when the shipping cost is presumably lumped in with the price of the item?
oregon_bins
·1 month agoSo if you sold this at auction for $30 with free shipping then you would have had to pay for the shipping out of your small profit.
It seems like you would have made less money in that scenario than having them pay for the shipping themselves (Even if you add on the extra final value fees that you have to pay because of the higher shipping price).
And there is a good chance that they are paying retail rates while you get a price cut when you buy the label on eBay, So that is even more money that you are keeping in your pocket.
Everyone who uses calculated shipping doesn't have an exact number that they know ahead of time for how much shipping will cost. Because it will depend on the buyer. The final value fees will vary accordingly.
Everyday is a learning experience as a reseller, so now you understand that if you ever allow someone to select a high proce shipping method that you will have to pay the fees on that. But like I said, I still think you ended up making more profit than you would have with free shipping and it's selling for $30.
shire123
·1 month ago · EditedSorry about your situation but this may seem a bit harsh. It seems you state that you understood that ebay changed their rules on how fees are calcuclated a long time ago. And you agreed with ebay's reasoning for that change. But then you go on say they shouldn't do that now????? Now you are concerned that the fees ended up being so much more.
All that info is clearly stated up front by ebay so there should be nothing to complain about. Your rationale for how you did things has no bearing on the issue. The fees are what they are. The fees are calculated on the total sale no matter which type of shipping you used.
You should have changed the BIN price to include the total cost of expedited shipping rather than raising it by only a few dollars. I also see it seems you were offering "free shipping" to the buyer. I hope you realize that there is no such thing as free shipping for the seller. You incurred the total cost of shipping so there is where most of your money went. Ebay did not get that. The shipper did. Remember, shipping costs are NOT a fee. They are a cost of doing business.
It's no wonder your net from the sale was so low. But that was totally predictable if you truly understood ebay policy.
Also, I hope the buyer gets the item in time. Shipping services are notorious for late arrivals.
killpura
OP1 month agoYou misunderstood completely. I am not sure how you got everything wrong in your analysis.
I only ever offer "Free shipping" with my auctions. However, the Buyer wanted it overnight and asked me to change it. So I CHANGED THE AUCTION TO NOT HAVE FREE SHIPPING AND USED EBAY'S SYSTEM TO MAKE THE AUCTION HAVE OVERNIGHT SHIPPING. Ergo, the BIN price was $30 and the shipping was now automatically calculated by EBay and I had no control over it, as it would be paid for and determined by the Buyer and their location. It turned out to be $67.
So the total the buyer paid was $30 + $67, for a total of $97. I bought the shipping thru EBay, and it deducted $67 from the total made. Leaving the gross result as $30. However, instead of me getting around $25, I only got $16, with EBay taking its cut from the entire total, which I did not set myself. THAT is what I am upset about.
shire123
·1 month agoSorry for the misunderstanding but you did not specifically state those facts.
Again, the way ebay calculates fees has been set in stone for a number of years. Ebay ALWAYS takes a cut of the total. And not just shipping but any taxes paid too. Why be upset about something that has been published and known for years?
killpura
OP1 month agoAll the relevant information is there. I did not include specific numbers because I did not think it was needed to understand everything. And given you thought I increased the BIN price when I actually lowered it--as stated--tells me you did not read carefully.
And I am questioning the system because it seems very scummy of them to charge fees on top of the services they can check. This isn't my only complaint with EBay lately, and if nobody complains or brings such things to attention, they do not get examined, evaluated, or fixed.
If a seller sets the shipping price to $99 and then gives no further information or adds tracking which shows the shipping cost much less than that, it makes sense for EBay to treat the difference as profit. And I understand this is why they specifically changed that policy years ago.
However, if a seller (or buyer) chooses a shipping method thru EBay's shipping center--which charges it's own rate, not the seller--and the seller buys the shipping thru their shipping center--thus having proof that they paid exactly what the shipping was set at--then for EBay to charge fees on top of those prices feels like an extra slap in the face, especially when the service in question is the USPS, which does not charge taxes.
shire123
·1 month ago · EditedYou are fundamentally misunderstanding how ebay works. And has worked for years.
Yes. You can complain all you want but do not expect any changes which most sellers do not have a problem with as the policies are clearly stated before we sell.
These boards are filled with things on which sellers disagree with ebay. To date, I do not remember any of those complaints resulting in any significant changes.
When you do get a hold of ebay please come back here and tell us how that worked out.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 month agoSorry but you are responsible for the ability of the buyer to pay $67. You changed the listing.
You should have considered the fee on the shipping charge and have calculated what the shipping charge would be, if you wanted to protect your profit.
Whether you were motivated by greed, a desire for tidiness, or desire to please a buyer is irrelevant.
You made a mistake and are paying for it.
Many of us have had to pay for our mistakes, and many of us continue to make mistakes and have to pay for them.
tan_469227
·1 month agoUnfortunately, there usually isn't a separate way to ask eBay to exclude the buyer-paid shipping amount from the final value fee. eBay generally calculates its selling fees based on the total amount the buyer pays, which can include the item price and shipping.
I understand why this feels frustrating in this situation, especially because you used eBay's own shipping calculator and purchased the label directly through eBay. The shipping charge isn't really additional profit for the seller—it is money being collected to pay the carrier.
That said, I would still recommend contacting eBay Seller Support and explaining the specific situation. Ask them to review the transaction and confirm exactly how the fee was calculated. If the shipping amount was significantly different from what eBay estimated or there was an error in the transaction, they may be able to investigate or make an adjustment.
For future listings, it may also be worth comparing eBay's calculated shipping options with your actual expected postage costs before accepting a buyer's request for expedited shipping. Unfortunately, simply purchasing the postage through eBay doesn't normally mean the shipping amount is excluded from the selling-fee calculation.
shire123
·1 month ago · Edited@tan_469227 I have to disagree with a number of points in your response. Shipping amounts are NEVER excluded from selling fee calculations. You seem to suggest that there are situations where it is excluded by using the words "normally" and "generally".
Contacting seller support in this case offers no hope of resolution in the sellers situation There is nothing unusual in this case. It will be a waste of time and probably frustrating.
The whole issue boils down to the seller agreeing to the buyers request to expedited shipping on a "free shipping" listing. As most sellers don't use expedited shipping they are not aware of how much more it costs over regular shipping. So without estimating or calculating expedited shipping costs the seller just raised the BIN price by $10 leaving the seller on the hook for any costs over that $10 which in this case ended up being $66 (per the sellers post).
The way ebay fees are calculated is clearly stated. It is always the total price paid by the buyer (item, shipping and taxes). No exceptions to which you seem to imply.
soh.maryl
·1 month agoThere is NEVER a way to ask eBay to exclude the shipping amount from the FVF. The FVF is ALWAYS calculated on the total amount the buyer pays. To suggest otherwise is to grossly mislead new sellers.
killpura
OP1 month agoThank you for the advice and commiseration. Also, thank you for being the only person to actually read my post and understand what I am asking and why.
jonathanbrightlight
·1 month ago · EditedThey didn't give you good advice, though. Contacting eBay will do you no good, as the fees are all explained in detail up front. We understand what you're asking, we just know that the answer is that you paid exactly what you were expected to pay, even if you didn't fully understand.