Question thread: Final value fee change in most categories

[seller_update@ebay]

As you know, fees vary across categories as eBay always strives to achieve lowest total fees across category competitors. Starting on March 1, 2022, final value fees for Store sellers and those without a store will increase slightly. You can learn more about that here, or review the fee comparison chart here. Feel free to ask any questions below! 

Please note that eBay experts will be present and engaging on the boards between 8 am and 4:00 pm PST on 2.9.

[gracieallen01]

Is it really surprising that there haven't been responses?  In reality, there isn't a whole heck of a lot they can say to justify the increases, not only in FVF's, but in Promoted and penalty metric fees (below standard).  I can't think of too many that would want to step into this room. 

And, if ebay HQ is still prepping for the day, one might think that ebay could be in worse shape than any seller could fear.

[mybigsale]

Currently eBay charges One Fee instead of correctly charging a Transaction Fee, plus a Commission on the item.

This results in an approximate 10% extra charge on Shipping and Tax (and with this update another upcharge on Shipping and Taxes for advertising).

I understand this miscalculation inflates eBay's revenue at the cost of sellers.  The easy one fee method costs sellers quite a bit extra in commission paid on costs other than the item.  Why not do the math correctly so sellers just pay the commission on their item?

At one time there was a problem with difference between Item and Shipping pricing - for eBay sellers that use eBay shipping eBay knows exactly what actual shipping costs are.  Why doesn't eBay deduct this shipping amount and Tax Amount (and just charge a low Transaction Fee on that portion)?

An improvement that would help Sellers and Buyers.

[linus.hux72fe]

Ebay,

I'd be ok, not happy, but ok with the fee increase if sales were hot here like elsewhere.

But sales are not.

So what benefit is there to me?  You say you've invested in improving the site.  Yet, you'd never know that by sales or using the site.

You ended categories I listed in thereby making it much harder to find my offerings or for me to shop.  Hence a poor Christmas sales season.  

You changed the algorithms so that browsing is difficult also resulting in lower sales and lower purchases.

Search returns a ridiculous amount of unrelated goods so it's frustrating to shop thereby decreasing sales.

You failed to advertise over the holiday season thereby decreasing traffic and sales especially when the other platforms advertised heavily.

At least once a week there are computer glitches in any of the numerous parts thereby frustrating buyers and sellers and decreasing sales.

I'm sorry but those are hardly the markers of a world class sales platform and do not make sellers accepting of yet another fee hike.  

I think I will be forced to evaluate on a month to month basis my ability to continue to sell here.  One factor will certainly be amount of sales as compared to the effort and cost of selling here.  Frankly the fees are higher and the time involved in listing with a ridiculous amount of unrelated IS as well as the lack of sales when compared to other sites I use simply doesnt justify selling here.  ROI is simply not there.  I would guess I'll not be here a year from now unless sales returns but then I understand you dont care about a seller leaving as you're perfectly happy finding more Chinese sellers of cheap plastic junk.  

[seller_update@ebay]

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@mr_lincoln wrote:

seller_update@ebay  

1. Can you please confirm that TRS Sellers using the 30 Day Free Returns setting will still receive the TRS Plus 10% FVF discount on their transactions?

2. Was there an increase on International Selling Fees too?  If so I missed what they were on the charts in the links provided.  __________% ???

Regards,

Mr. L

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Hi @mr_lincoln - 

1. There is no change to the way the Top Rated Plus discount works with this Update. 

2. There is no change to the International Selling Fee as part of this Update.

Thanks!

[sandy-calderon-dolls]

still the best traffic for your money. 

[paradigmaker]

I’m out once inventory runs out. I would advise everyone change platforms. Only way to keep thieves honest.

[coffeebean832]

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@gracieallen01 wrote:

And, if ebay HQ is still prepping for the day, one might think that ebay could be in worse shape than any seller could fear.

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@gracieallen01- Did you notice with the last seller update? Dedicated staff from the teams responsible for the changes aren't coming here to engage. Instead the responses come from the regular community team (Tyler, Velvet, Jasmen) posting using the generic seller update ID shown above.

So this has essentially turned into a day-long session like the Wednesday chat where the community team reaches out to other teams for answers and has to wait for a response.

It's not that they're still prepping for the day- it's that they're waiting on other teams for answers. So we sit here hoping that all of our questions get passed along and get answered and the process takes longer because of the middlemen.

[mr_lincoln]

seller_update@ebay   Thank you for the quick reply!

Mr. L

[alvasa]

I agree with you on the matter of final value fees on shipping, If a seller is purchasing a shipping label on Ebay, then Ebay knows exactly the cost of the shipping, and should partially refund the final value fee based on that cost, or Ebay should add the shipping portion of the final value fee to the projected cost of a label for calculated shipping. For the most part I have stopped offering free shipping. There is no benefit to me anymore, and I find calculated shipping does not seem to impact my sales. I could add a flat handling fee to cover at least part of final value fees, but having the option to factor in a % of cost would be more accurate. For example, say I am using a flat rate envelope at $7.75, normally the buyer would be shown that cost, however if I could add the cost of the final value fee of say roughly 12%, the buyer would see a shipping cost of 8.68.  

[blueshoeboutique]

Last quarter of 2021, gross merchandise volume was down 10% but revenue was up. They're seeing how much they can squeeze sellers for fees before their bottom line suffers.

[junquelord]

2022, the year I quit selling on eBay. It's been a fun run, but you've gone too deep this time.

[puredesignhome]

When I first read the update, my thought was "oh, FINALLY ebay is letting up on the nickle-and-diming and will give us back our $.30 on fully refunded returns" ... then I kept reading and realized "oh, ebay is taking more than $.30 more on each and every sale I make."

I get it, you're a bunch of greedy stuffed shirts who can't run a technology company (except into the ground), but PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE stop stating these trips into my pocket are seller-friendly reach-arounds, when they're simply a grab for my wallet. It makes any other promise you make ring hollow, and we increasingly find you untrustworthy. And it's hard to want to do business with someone you can't trust.

[mr_lincoln]

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@alvasa wrote:

I agree with you on the matter of final value fees on shipping, If a seller is purchasing a shipping label on Ebay, then Ebay knows exactly the cost of the shipping, and should partially refund the final value fee based on that cost, or Ebay should add the shipping portion of the final value fee to the projected cost of a label for calculated shipping. For the most part I have stopped offering free shipping. There is no benefit to me anymore, and I find calculated shipping does not seem to impact my sales. I could add a flat handling fee to cover at least part of final value fees, but having the option to factor in a % of cost would be more accurate. For example, say I am using a flat rate envelope at $7.75, normally the buyer would be shown that cost, however if I could add the cost of the final value fee of say roughly 12%, the buyer would see a shipping cost of 8.68.  

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@alvasa   Since eBay will not stop charging fees on paid shipping I would rather see a smaller flat rate fee just for printing labels through eBay instead of a % of the total paid by the Buyer.  Most of my labels wind up being Priority mail so all the current fee structure does is take more out of the profit margin ... some labels cost over $ 20 so at 12% that's a big hit at $ 2.40 or more.

Mr. L

[selm899]

You are going to charge 12.9 per cent on item, shipping and taxes. If I sell and item for $100.00, add $22.00 for shipping and pay commission on a tax of 6.25 per cent. That totals a commission of $23.35. That is 23.3 per cent that has to come out of the $100.00. I do not keep the shipping and taxes so why do you make it sound like we are paying 12.9 per cent. We are not stupid, you are charging us much more, and more and more. Paying commission on shipping and taxes, why don't you charge the person who keeps the money, it's not us. 

[baker86]

This is nuts, I just ended all my sell listings, ...I will (no) longer sell my stuff on ebay.

The end sell price then add the shipping cost and add the tax then ebay adds up the total and charges there "HIGH PRICED" value fees, ...GOOD BYE so called, partner.