USPS Prices are increasing so fast. A positive for eBay profits.

Summary: La discusión comienza con kibble-net comentando que sería favorable si eBay redujera la comisión que cobra por los envíos para ayudar a los vendedores, sugiriendo que los costos aumentan cada vez que suben los precios de envío. mtgraves7984 explica que las comisiones de eBay se aplican sobre el total de la transacción, incluidos precio del artículo, envío e impuestos, refutando la idea de que el envío gratis reduciría la comisión. En otra parte del hilo, shado-x critica el aumento constante de precios por parte del servicio postal de EE.UU., acusándolos de mala gestión y sugiriendo que deberían diversificar sus fuentes de ingresos. La conversación gira en torno a la preocupación por los costos crecientes y su impacto en las ganancias del vendedor y el bienestar económico general.

It would be nice if eBay lowered their commission we pay for shipping to help sellers in these difficult times.

Every time shipping goes higher , so does are cost to sell as commission to eBay.

pressurewasheroutlet

34812 View listings

Posted 4 months ago·Last reply 4 months ago

24 comments

loose_goose_garage

·4 months ago

4106 View listings

It would be nice if they could drop the FVF of the shipping label actual cost.

Currently a $20 with Free Shipping sale, you have FVF on the full $20 (plus tax as well)

If the shipping label cost $6 when you purchase it, then you only pay FVF on $14 (plus tax) instead of the full $20.

Although not sure how they could implement it since many buy labels in person or on other sites, and they would have to wait til you purchase label, or credit the fees after.

toysaver

·4 months ago

7833 View listings

The alternative is shopping local instead of paying unrelenting increasing shipping charges. Wal-Mart sales are up and this has likely contributed. I needed a new hand mixer this week and the best option was to buy local.

jdbelt1960

·4 months ago

227 View listings

Have you noticed the price of gas or groceries lately? All prices are rising.

shado-x

·4 months ago

9567 View listings

@jdbelt1960 wrote:
Have you noticed the price of gas or groceries lately? All prices are rising.

Yes, but the USPS should be lowering their prices and find additional ways to raise revenue outside of only postage, like becoming a bank, etc. It is the US Postal Service that causes bottom line inflation by raising postage rates too fast and too high, even when the country is in deflation (they rarely ever go down). When they come across with "fuel surcharges", you know that they are mismanaged because their business is not fuel; if so, they should become a gas station like Delta Airlines. The USPS really need to be held accountable for their atrocious price gauging.

soh.maryl

·4 months ago

112 View listings

It's been pretty well known for quite some time that the USPS is losing money and has been for awhile.

And, speaking of gas prices, it has to have affected the USPS and other carriers as well as us individual drivers.

soh.maryl

·4 months ago

112 View listings

The USPS should be considering becoming a bank?

Yep, they manage their own money so well, I'd really want them to manage mine.

Also a business can't just wave a magic wand and say, "We want to be a bank" and voila, they're a bank.

Not trying to bad mouth the USPS. They probably do the best they can with their current management. And raising fees in view of the cost of doing business isn't unexpected.

Wonder if the current loss of revenue (fewer 1st class mail items in light of email and other correspondence) balances out with what has to be an increase in the # of parcels handled (online selling venues).

goodnu9

·4 months ago

10755 View listings

USPS is the worst mismanaged company I have ever come across! They paid 866 million dollars in grievances from 2022 to 2024 for not following the contracts of all labor unions within USPS! Now you want them to get into banking? 😂 I'm a retired letter carrier and you don't want to know what really goes inside USPS. It's not pretty!

ryry-jj

·4 months ago

1913 View listings

When costs go up, your prices need to go up. We are all in the same boat as far as shipping goes. If eBay wanted to give us a break of FVF against shipping they would do it all the time. Do higher shipping cost lead to slower sales...or just slower sales for things people don't need? Sellers need to figure out their own game...ebay isn't picking favorites. Gas goes up and we all still drive more than ever...we complain, but we still buy & drive.

Personally, I'm hoping to see more people return to physical store shopping with the higher shipping fees, I think that helps build a stronger economy all the way around

tools*

·4 months ago

Unwitting thread killer479 View listings

@ryry-jj wrote:
When costs go up, your prices need to go up. We are all in the same boat as far as shipping goes. If eBay wanted to give us a break of FVF against shipping they would do it all the time. Do higher shipping cost lead to slower sales...or just slower sales for things people don't need? Sellers need to figure out their own game...ebay isn't picking favorites. Gas goes up and we all still drive more than ever...we complain, but we still buy & drive.

Personally, I'm hoping to see more people return to physical store shopping with the higher shipping fees, I think that helps build a stronger economy all the way around

But will high gas prices make people want to drive to physical stores? Most people would have to drive.

I live in a big city where I can walk to many good stores, although their deliveries do come by truck and that affects prices.

gator08041971

·4 months ago

954 View listings

The only advantage (if you want to call it that) would be regarding how much tax is charged on a sale.

Let me put it this way:

You sell an item for $100 and have free shipping. The buyer is also charged tax (lets assume 6%) of $6 dollars. You are paying a fee for the total of $106 for that order.

You sell an item for $80 and have a shipping charge of $20. The tax charged for that order is on the $80 amount, for $4.80. So the total for that order is $104.80. You get hit with a bit less in fees as a result.

But that's the only wiggle we have with regards to fees.

Bottom line, you need to price your item/shipping to cover the costs and may need to periodically increase them as things change too.

albertabrightalberta

·4 months ago

SIGNATURE! NOT DIRECTED TO YOU: I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.104 View listings

@gator08041971 wrote:
The only advantage (if you want to call it that) would be regarding how much tax is charged on a sale.

Let me put it this way:

You sell an item for $100 and have free shipping. The buyer is also charged tax (lets assume 6%) of $6 dollars. You are paying a fee for the total of $106 for that order.

You sell an item for $80 and have a shipping charge of $20. The tax charged for that order is on the $80 amount, for $4.80. So the total for that order is $104.80. You get hit with a bit less in fees as a result.

But that's the only wiggle we have with regards to fees.

Bottom line, you need to price your item/shipping to cover the costs and may need to periodically increase them as things change too.

Some states collect sales tax on shipping also so for sales to those states, the split is irrelevant whether it's "free" shipping (with shipping as part of the item price) or charged as a separate line item.

For states that don't collect sales tax on shipping, it's beneficial to buyers to purchase from listings in which shipping is a separate charge.

ryry-jj

·4 months ago

1913 View listings

"For states that don't collect sales tax on shipping, it's beneficial to buyers to purchase from listings in which shipping is a separate charge. "

Yes, exactly...and for this reason I like to see calculated shipping on all items I buy, I dislike "free" baked in shipping...which in turn is why I always suggest all sellers use calculated

albertabrightalberta

·4 months ago

SIGNATURE! NOT DIRECTED TO YOU: I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.104 View listings

@ryry-jj wrote:

Yes, exactly...and for this reason I like to see calculated shipping on all items I buy, I dislike "free" baked in shipping...which in turn is why I always suggest all sellers use calculated

I prefer to use flat rate shipping with the same result.

tools*

·4 months ago

Unwitting thread killer479 View listings

@ryry-jj wrote:
"For states that don't collect sales tax on shipping, it's beneficial to buyers to purchase from listings in which shipping is a separate charge. "

Yes, exactly...and for this reason I like to see calculated shipping on all items I buy, I dislike "free" baked in shipping...which in turn is why I always suggest all sellers use calculated

The selection of what I'm looking for on eBay these days is too limited for me to reject a listing based on such minor details. I just go by the total price, including sales tax, and decide if it works for me.

I'm paying sellers 10% less for everything than I did before the out-of-state sales tax requirement.

soh.maryl

·4 months ago

112 View listings

The # of states that don't charge state sales tax on shipping is very much in the minority.

redmodelt

·4 months ago

1246 View listings

That depends on your state RE; the tax on shipping, some states do some don't. So it could still be $6 anyway.

sassykzt

·4 months ago

18322 View listings

Sales tax on shipping charges are not uniform across the U.S. Sales tax can apply to shipping charges depending on the on the state where package is to be delivered. Some examples:

California: Taxable if the item shipped is taxable.
New York: Taxable if included in the total sale price.
Texas: Taxable if the item shipped is taxable.
Washington: Taxable if the delivery charge is part of the sale.

a_c_green

·4 months ago

4200 View listings

@gator08041971 wrote:
The only advantage (if you want to call it that) would be regarding how much tax is charged on a sale.

Let me put it this way:
You sell an item for $100 and have free shipping. The buyer is also charged tax (lets assume 6%) of $6 dollars. You are paying a fee for the total of $106 for that order.
You sell an item for $80 and have a shipping charge of $20. The tax charged for that order is on the $80 amount, for $4.80. So the total for that order is $104.80. You get hit with a bit less in fees as a result.
But that's the only wiggle we have with regards to fees.

I think specific examples like this are a good way to keep a clear image of how much difference in cost is really at stake here. When the numbers are run to their final conclusion, how much actual extra expense for the seller are we talking about each time when USPS increases their fees? Seems like the difference is measured in pennies (the actual amount depending on the size of the sale, of course).

If that spells the difference between profit and loss, your time spent on this effort would seem to be of no value. I've read other posts here where someone says something to the effect of, "Now that prices have gone up, I'm barely making 16¢ profit per sale." The real solution might be to find something else to sell, if you're spending upwards of an hour total to list, sell, pack and ship an item that nets you 16¢.

I raise or lower my prices occasionally depending on how the market for a given item seems to be doing, but I don't worry too much about changes in my shipping cost except for drastic changes (e.g. if a certain shipping service goes away or has some significant change in operation).

evry1nositswindy

·4 months ago

3486 View listings

With all the increases, it is hard to keep up, especially when you offer free shipping. I think I need to just increase all of my prices!

12345jamesstamps

·4 months ago

8874 View listings

'need to just increase all my prices'...that is what I do.

In order to attract potential buyers who become 'repeat buyers' I find free shipping works.

All my new items offer free domestic and international shipping.

It also makes it easy for buyer to purchase.

I had a buyer last week buy 27 items all in one purchase...

kibble-net

·4 months ago

8324 View listings

@pressurewasheroutlet wrote:
It would be nice if eBay lowered their commission we pay for shipping to help sellers in these difficult times.
Every time shipping goes higher , so does are cost to sell as commission to eBay.

This would open the door to people charging a penny for items and charging as much as they want for shipping to avoid fees.

Just increase your handling fee if it's such a burden.