New Fees Are Pure Greed

[reverbtank]

If  you go to the e-bay fee calculator that shows current fees compared to the new fees staring April 16th it pretty shocking for the amateur hobbyist guitar-seller.  If you don't have an e-bay store (because you don't sell that much) and are just a small hobby seller the new fee structure will put a total end to selling high end guitars on e-bay. For example if you sell a $3,000 guitar in a fixed price listing that cost $65 to ship, the current fee is $104.30. The new fee starting April 16th is $250. That's an extra $145.70. Wow! I remember a couple years ago it only cost $50 to sell a high end guitar. I'm sorry but these new fees are nothing more than total greed anyway you slice it.  Shame on you e-bay.  Why are you so greedy? X-(

[ibuy6262]

Honda - I'm a woman - I can't laugh - but if I could, I would be

[babebh]

i agree ebay is out of control,, there are other auction sites now such as u bid. there fees are very low ,yes its just starting out and there are not many sales yet but they are growing every day ,and if many people start using it they will have as many viewers as ebay also  craiglist is becoming much better . ebay is very greedy and i will only buy now on ebay selling is a waist of my time and money .almost everyone i know who sells on ebay has stopped selling on ebay .listing fees,,,value fees,??,,shipping fees?,fees , fees . which i understand are going up even more in april . ,right now ebay, one way or another ,no matter how you list it, they are going to take over 10 % WOW that hurts, then pay pal witch ebay owns, takes more .i have been here almost 10 years and all ebay does is charge me more and more ,i just the past year i believe my fees have more than doubled ,there are no rewards for 100% pos for years on end .,,,u bid ,,,amazon,,,craiglist ,,,e bid ,,,,auction addict ,,,all of these are getting bigger every day and make it very easy to say as a seller ,,,bye bye ebay .you did it to your self .i cannot afford to use your service any longer for selling  .

[sale-lady]

eBay has always been greedy! From 1998 to now they have raised the fees so much it's

not even worth it to sell here. I'm ready to quit eBay!

[hondamedic]

bye bye ebay.

[kilnntime]

Greed is in the eye of the beholder ..... as Hatter said they are looking for 600-1000% markup and personally I am always looking for the most I can make off of every item I sell on ebay.  If I don't believe I can make 500% minimum then I leave it where it sits.  My time finding , taking pictures , listing and packing and shipping an item is worth alot ,  after all ,  our time is limited so work smarter not harder and have more time to do what you really want to do and the money to spend doing it.

[ipickubuy]

Greed is in the eye of the beholder ..... as Hatter said they are looking for 600-1000% markup and personally I am always looking for the most I can make off of every item I sell on ebay.  If I don't believe I can make 500% minimum then I leave it where it sits.  My time finding , taking pictures , listing and packing and shipping an item is worth alot ,  after all ,  our time is limited so work smarter not harder and have more time to do what you really want to do and the money to spend doing it.

Good post, Kiln.  I agree that greed is in the eye of the beholder.  I don't see ebay as being "bad" because they increase fees.  Sellers don't like it (it dips into their profit margin) but Ebay is a business and, from their perspective, an increase is good for their business.  I'm not saying it's right or wrong, just that it is what it is. 

If you think Ebay's fees are high, what about the fee a co-op charges a renter every monthy whether they sell any merchandise or not?  When you take into consideration those possible buyers who will see your merchandise and be a possible buyer, Ebay has a tremondously larger amount of viewers than you'll find walking through any co-op or other type of antique shop. 

If your merchandise isn't selling then, imo, you need to do morwe research here on Ebay for the item you are selling.  How much competition do you have for the type of item you're selling?   If your item is common on Ebay then your chance of selling it depends on many variables including the price of your item compared to others trying to sell the same item, the item's condition, your TOS, etc.  Selling on Ebay is not as simple as listing the item and trying your "luck".  You've got to do your homework and you need to adjust as the market changes. 

Just my 2 cents...

[taadaa58]

This is just my opinion on fees charged by any site,not just ebay. 

Online selling sites can not be compared to B&M stores,flea markets or any other irl selling facilities.Online selling was started and supposed to cut out the majority of the costs incurred when owning a store so when fees keep going up or new fews added for this and that along with the seller having little say in how they can do things it gets very frustrating. I am not saying I am against fees.I understand fees are needed,but the depth they have become is too much.

[hobby88.2013]

I can see this place really taking a dive at the end of 13.

[billy_biggle_fan]

Trust me, the fees for selling on eBay are mere pennies compared to operating or selling in a B&M store.  The same is true for PayPal.

Yes, there are lots of other sites that charge less fees than eBay.  And eBay tops them all both in the amount of buyers and items for sale on the site.

How many of your average buyers can name any other auction site as an online buying option?

How many of your average buyers can name eBay as an online buying option?

In retail, if you want more potential buyers, you pay more money.  That's the way it is.

If your items aren't selling profitably on eBay, then you need to reconsider your selling plan.  For some sellers, that may mean leaving eBay.  For most others, it will mean adjusting how they purchase, list, pack, ship, or otherwise control costs.  That's part of business.

All costs rise over time.  If you can't adjust, you won't be selling for very long.

[leogexx]

I would think if you are lucky (or skilled ) enough to make 500% on your items ,than you shouldn't really be upset about paying 12-15% fees

[hondamedic]

I would think if you are lucky (or skilled ) enough to make 500% on your items ,than you shouldn't really be upset about paying 12-15% fees

Bingo, we have a winner, you nailed it Leo! I don't make that much but I can assure all I clear 200% average after all fees including S&H costs. I'm not bragging, I'm stating if you barely make a profit at 9% then you break even at 10% so what's the point of selling here?

I used to sell SONY cameras, bought them off eBay and sold them at a nifty profit. I had a really good run with the FD-100's & 200's, they had a surface mount fuse go bad on a board that I replaced for a buck cost & a half hour work. Needless to say, dead they were a dime a dozen-working I collected a lot more. Interest in them died and I moved on to my current item.

Luck plays a part, finding that niche that pays off, but you need to keep your eyes and mind open to oppurtunities, read skill developed over years of "trying" different things (Most not profitable I might add.)... What comes to mind is a past regular here (She still pops in now and again.) has developed a skill at buying clothing items from various basement outlets and selling at such a profit she turned it into a full time endevor... > http://www.ebay.com/sch/onceownedtwiceloved/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=200&_trksid=m571.l1625

Keep at it and remember, what doesn't kill ya here is a learning experience to improve.

[leogexx]

I think people are disillusioned  and think that selling on ebay will be easy and will be a get rich quick scheme. After you sell a few items you realize it is a lot of work and in order to make any decent money you need to find a niche you excell at . Lots of items ,you can't compete in that market and there are lots of items that no one wants at the price you are willing to sell them at .   Factor in the time to list and package and mail and chances are most people would make more money at MDonalds asking if you"  would like fries with that ".

[123papapatrick]

Flipped a few high dollar gutars and made a fair profit but stuck with the amps in my garage because of weight issues. Personally sell more low end stuff then anything nice high dollar. The high dollar stuff gets massive views and watchers in "buy it now" but think they are just waiting for me to give the item away at auction. So, I do great on molded glass and molded plastic jade items, resin and stone dust, prints and copies, costume jewelry; but real gold items they expect to pay less then gold mail in scrapers. Not really worried about fees, in my town there are city permits just for garage sales, plus they want itemized taxes on used junk. What's the difference; they have always targeted the "small people"

[hondamedic]

I think people are disillusioned  delusional and think that selling on ebay will be easy and will be a get rich quick scheme.

There, all fixed...

Nothing is easy. Nobody walks up to you on the street, hands you an envelope full of $1K  bills and says, "You've got a likeable face, here's a quarter of a mil for being so cute.

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.

Colin Powell

[old_man_arthur]

No... OP is correct.

evilBay is just greedy.

Since eBay's actual market is shrinking the only way to increase profit is to raise fees.

If their business was growing they would not need to raise fees.[duh]

Why is the market share shrinking?

When was the last time that you saw a really Awesome Deal on evilBay.

(not to be confused with really stupid stuff that you see every day)