mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999
Argh I can't figure out how to upload a picture of the final sale page. I have been frustrated with not understanding the fee breakdown since I started selling here. I have not even broken the 100 item sale slot. I know iw it says I have been a member since 2011 but that was Asa buyer not as a seller. I do think this stood out since it was so small and I finally wanted to understand the fee breakdown. Ya’ all have been suthat per helpful by explaining the %15 is on the total price the buyer pays. In my case the buyer paid the $14.67 shipping and I sold her the purse for $10 plus the .90 sales tax made it $25.57. What I have learned is I pay %15 on that number not what I personally earned. That is a huge learning curve and I am so glad I took the time to reach out and get this understanding under my belt. I must say I appreciate all the responses and I think this is a great community of sellers esp those willing to help newer sellers out😉
Be well, Erin
That is a good explanation - but not a complete view of cost of goods sold - things like item cost, packing and package materials.
Here is an EXCEL I used when selling on eBay during the eBay / PayPal era. While some names have changed the jist of the info would remain valid with revision - if you know Microsoft Office. on filled in 1665 sheets for the 1665 we shipped. Enlarge pic for easier reading yes there are other software that can do the same. I knw excel well and it fit our needs - don't sell on eBay any longer, now our 7 y.o. grandson fills up our spare time = priceless
@soh.maryl wrote:Thank you. Am no longer selling on eBay, but when I did, one item I sold -- a vintage Singer sewing machine -- had shipping fees that were almost equal to the price of the machine. So, yes, that can happen.
My point was that I was trying to figure out why a seller, who is not new to the game, would suddenly complain about fees when he/she has been paying them on other transactions for quite awhile.
I agree. The price of an item does not control in any way the price of shipping. I use to sell a series of Barbie Doll Patterns that ran from 99 cents a piece up to a few dollars for each. Clearly shipping was way above the price of the 99 cent item.
If stuff sells that has a higher shipping fee than the price of the item, it would be because the item is a hard to find item usually.
I did follow your suggestion and looked up the seller's page in more detail, where the fees were charged and why. My only question now would be if I sell a $25 purse at a discount for $10 why is eBay charging me 15% at the initial $25 and not what I actually sold it for?
They wouldn't. How your FVFs [final value fees] are charged is actually very simple. I think you are trying to over think it or make it more complicated than it is. Ebay charges the FVF to a seller on the total amount the buyer pays. Period. So if your buyer paid $10 for the purse, $12 for shipping and a $1.75 sales tax, for a total of $23.75. Then your FVF charged by Ebay is $23.75 X 15% = $3.56 + .40 per transaction fee. Total $3.96.
Now if you are also using the Promoted Listing tool, then your fees would be higher. Are you Promoting your listings? If so what rate did you choose?
So I learned a hard lesson today not to offer discounts without factoring in %15 of the initial price. Has this been your experience too? Or is it an error on their part to charge the $4.25$ on a $10 sale?
No the error is on your part. If you had read the Seller Fee policy page I gave you a link to in my earlier post you would have seen exactly how Ebay charges FVFs to a seller. It is always charged on the total amount the buyer pays, without exception. Unless you are also using Promoted Listings.
EVERY site is different. Do not ever assume because one site does their fees one way that all other sites do the same. That is a quick way to get into trouble and/or confused.
I'm glad you were able to get it all figured out and that you have a better understanding now. I hope you have good luck with your sales.
@soh.maryl wrote:I feel like, if an item sells with a shipping fee higher than the item price, it's because either it's a rather heavy item or the actual item was under priced. As in my example of selling a vintage sewing machine.
No, my patterns weren't underpriced. They just weren't easily obtained for many buyers. Hard to find stuff can carry larger shipping prices than the item itself. And it simply is worth it to the buyer because they can't find it anywhere else and they need it or want it.
