Performance-Selling costs and Reports-Expenses list different shipping labels cost totals

[paintedalchemy]

Getting a jump on tax prep and catching up on bookeeping and having a weird issue. Looking at the Jan1-Dec31 2022 time period, the Selling costs in the performance-selling costs-shipping labels list an amount for shipping labels almost twice that of my shipping labels listed in the reports-expenses-shipping labels area. The "fees" section is the same for both. My shipping cost for fedex/ups labels paid through ebay managed payments matches the amount on the reports-expenses-shipping labels, so everything is fine there. It seems eBay doesn't count USPS labels as shipping and my USPS costs are enough to bring the numbers very close together but eBay only seems to show those label expenses for the last 90 days under Order-shipping labels.

My guess is that eBay is including the USPS labels I'm purchasing through them using Paypal but eBay isn't recording any transaction information for it in a list I can see, which is making it impossible to figure out why eBay's numbers are different.

Is there a way to get a list of all USPS labels purchased through eBay for the previous year? (They also don't show up in Transaction Reports or Financial Statements) Is there some other number contributing to the shipping costs on the Performance-Selling-Shipping entry that I'm forgetting about that I can look up? Been at this too long and getting very tired of the annual "eBay has inconsistent numbers in their own info" timesink.

[shipscript]

I think you have found your own issue and solution. If you are purchasing your labels with your PayPal account, those costs are appearing on PayPal instead of on eBay. If you were purchasing from your held funds, they would appear on eBay. I don't have enough history to confirm this, but if you do, would you please confirm back here? 

[paintedalchemy]

They are indeed on Paypal, the problem is that eBay is giving me 2 different amounts for shipping (spent through managed payments and then a total) which do not match each other and neither matches Paypal's amount and Paypal's amount+the number for shipping transactions over managed payments doesn't equal the total eBay is providing. I did finally figure out how to see the shipping charges though, Performance-choose dates-download-Listing sales reports, but it doesn't have any dates. So looks like my only option is to just load all the numbers into Excel and try to figure out why they differ.

I don't know why I'm surprised year after year that when I have a discrepancy that shouldn't be a major issue that eBay's handling/distribution of this info makes figuring out where the problem is so much harder.

[paintedalchemy]

And it looks like the combined shipping label from the Performance-choose dates-download-Listing sales matches some of the other info and still doesn't match the Performance-Selling Costs-Shipping Labels number. (and I can't find one for any of these values regardless.) And payments-reports-financial statements is at least the same as the other data as well.

It would be really nice if eBay could figure out how to actually give me a list of transactions that equal the total they claim. At this point I'm just inclined to call it a problem with eBay somewhere and that they are incapable of providing the numbers to match their shipping expense claims on the performance page because it's just taking too much time and I figure out a problem with eBay's numbers if I can't actually get those numbers. I've gotten the same total from a number of places from them now and it absolutely does not match the number in Performance-Sales-Selling Costs-Shipping labels. If they had a drop down menu like they do with the fees for that area it would probably be enough to resolve it but for whatever reason eBay is just terrible at giving consistently useful info.

I'm just dreading getting a 1099-k from them at this point next year, the one they sent out last year accidently was easy enough to correct my info to match but it's just going to be such an absolute mess if eBay continues with the "our numbers are right and we don't have to show you" and a major issue arises. It's just baffling they've gotten away with giving such bad info for so long, or I guess it's not since there are few alternatives.

[paintedalchemy]

Contacted eBay and found a possible solution. I was directed to under your name in the upper right, account settings, and then Request your eBay data (might have to relog to get this entry to show, it wasn't there when I initially went here) and then you can request the data for the given time period. I was told it can take up to 7 days, so here's hoping it doesn't take that long and actually has the info I need.

[paintedalchemy]

Got the eBay data, it doesn't have the missing data. GG eBay. It shouldn't be this hard to get the info for the total that eBay itself is providing me.

[shipscript]

@paintedalchemy 

Have you looked at the reports on this page?

https://www.ebay.com/sh/fin/reportslanding

Keep in mind that eBay issues a 1099K based on the settlement date — the date the buyer funds settle with eBay — because this report is all about the money transfer. So, at year end, a sale in late December may appear on the next year. And likewise, a payment that appears in January may be for a sale from the prior year.  Unpaid sales will not be reported. This arrangement may skew the numbers that appear on your own records. Additionally, sales tax will not be part of the 1099-K, nor will refunds, fees, or promotions.

[powell-memorabilia]

I think that you are making it way too complicated. The easiest, cleanest, most accurate way to do it is to reconcile what ever eBay tells you to your actual payouts from eBay. If you are using a cash method of accounting, it is the most effective and realistic way to go. After you have that number, you takeoff all other expenses, like product, sourcing, boxes, any shipping labels, not purchased through your eBay funds, etc. 

[paintedalchemy]

Yes I've looked at that page. It's just the shipping info that is wrong. eBay is giving two different numbers at Payments-Reports-Expenses: Shipping Labels and Performance-Sales-Selling Costs:Shipping Labels. The one at Payments has all of the shipping labels paid through managed payments, the one at performance also includes the ones purchased through eBay as well as the ones paid through other means (just Paypal in my case.) Adding up my Paypal report and eBays managed payments shipping labels comes up with a different number then eBays Performance report. eBay simply doesn't seem to provide an itemized lift of the performance report, despite providing the amount. After being on the phone for ~2 hours with them today, and the 2nd and 3rd times contacting them (first call today I either got disconnected or was hung up on mid help,) they've finally escalated the problem and will hopefully be contacting me back in the next two days.

The rest of the numbers are fine, there's something screwy with the single number from their Performance and I'm trying to figure out where the problem is now so it doesn't cause a potentially bigger problem in the future. It really should be a super simple matter of getting the itemized list eBay uses for that number and comparing it, but apparently providing the data that makes up that number is super complicated for them.

[paintedalchemy]

I'm not the one making it complicated, eBay is. All my other accounting info is in order, it's this one number that eBay is providing with no other info. All I need is an itemized list of the shipping charges that make up the number at Performance-Sales-Selling Costs: Shipping Labels so I can compare to Paypal and find out where the discrepancy is. That's it, super simple. For some reason eBay doesn't have a way to get this number, at least through their web interface. Talked to support today for ~2 hours and it's finally been escalated to a dept that might be able to help.

[playmogeoff]

I agree fully with paintedalchemy. I have tracked all my sales data meticulously and found several discrepencies between eBay's own reports, not to mention my own records. The differences are not isolated to 2023 order refunds made in 2024 or some other easily identified outlier. It seems the logic baked into eBay's reports varies from report to report. Additionally, the reports seem to intentionally exclude certain necessary unique identifiers like the order number, sale date, etc. eBay groups different fees together in some spots and separates them in others. This should all be corrected and there should be more guidance provided around the performance reports versus what is reported to the IRS, not only to allow sellers to see a clear picture of their' financial health, but to enable taxpayers to report their earnings accurately in a reasonable timeframe. I've spent 14 hours trying to reconcile eBay's data with my own and I have concluded it is impossible. As someone who has worked with financial data my whole life, I am baffled by the lack of transparency and the amount of lifting required to get the most basic data. eBay needs to do better.