@samnight7772010 wrote:
I do not find it so, there is nothing left for me, in fact on many items there is a minus after the final value fees and now the taxes. It is just ridiculous! I will not be bothering anymore because it is not worth it.
Nothing Uncle said is not true. You HAVE to do your research, and KNOW what the type of items you're selling or wanting to sell are actually BRINGING. NOT what people are asking for them. Do a search for one of your items, then on the left side of the page (if you're on a computer) look at the menu and click "sold items". This will tell you what those items are actually bringing. If you can't sell your items for that price, then you OVERpaid for the items in the first place. Your PROFIT, as he said, is in WHAT YOU PAY for your items initially. If you overpay, OF COURSE you can't come out on top, that's just simple mathmatics. You CAN look up what the fees are for selling here and have all that information ahead of time. As for sales taxes, those do not come out of your sale, eBay tacks them on, on top of what your buyer pays, so they don't cost you anything, this is how sales tax works for a business. The business collects the tax from the customer and forwards it to the appropriate state. You DO pay sales tax if you are a buyer, obviously.
The only way to really come out in the long run on eBay is to look at the LONG game. Your expenses are key. I buy padded envelope mailers in the 2 sizes I use either 250 or 500 at a time. Yes, I have to keep them stored in a few Rubbermaid tubs, but they don't go bad, they keep just fine. Buy purchasing them this way (usually I buy them here on eBay), I can get them for between 5 and 10 cents each, where if I go to Walmart or the office store, they're going to set me back between 60-70 cents each. That's FREE MONEY, basically, but you have to look at the long game to see it. I buy label rolls for my Brother label printer here on eBay usually either 6 or 12 rolls at a time. Again, much cheaper than buying at the office store, about 75% less expensive. If you don't have one, buy a postal scale and get the exact weight for your items, and NEVER overpay for postage again. If you know the weight and dimensions, you can put those in the listing's shipping section and use eBay calculated shipping to give each potential buyer their own personal shipping quote that will be correct, and keeps you from having figure out shipping. I've been on eBay for over 20 years and these are all just little things I have picked up over time. Using eBay postage will save you money over going to the post office. Buying a scale and a postage printer will save you both time AND money, and will pay for themselves within just a few sales.
Hang in there, do some research, and good luck, you CAN do this.
PS: We all have slow sales periods at times, don't sweat it too much if you've done all your research and legwork, it will come back around. I would also suggest following some of the more popular sellers in your category so you can pick up on some things they're doing and imitate them. Learn from your competitors.
