Ebay Highway Robbery Fees

[nh_sales_lv]

In the past month I have purchased and sold a total of $8,162.16 in Computer Graphics Cards. Of that Ebay has taken $1020.27 in FVF or roughly 12.5%. Outrageous Selling and Buying Fees, mind you on our Used goods.

This is Excessive but that's not why I am here today. I am here because I recently had a graphics card up for sale on ebay and it had one bidder. The bid was 600 usd. After the bidder placed his bid i looked at what i was selling and noticed a scratch on the pcb of the graphics card. Thinking to myself oh boy I can't sell this item to him because it was damaged i quickly ended the auction. It had many days left on the clock.

Come to find out a couple days later I get a charge on my ebay account for 75.30. Ebay charged me a FVF on an unsold item. There is no contract between me and the buyer, no money exchanged, no goods shipped or received. How are they able to get away with this ? This is not where I was raised. This Country has gone to the fleas and ticks of the world!

[mam98031 · Accepted solution]

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@axiombody wrote:

I said straight out I can sell an item and cancel it and sell it off line without paying fees.  This is the threads argument for why Ebay can do this on an auction correct.  Auction or not a cancelled transaction that results in fees for an item that was not sold shouldn't result in fees.  I am not here to judge I am just making my point and not understanding why everyone assume OP should pay because he didn't see the damage on an item that he didn't collect money for that he cancelled in good faith.  Stupid and wrong, but hey it's only your opinion.

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@axiombody 

You just need to read more of the posts.

The OP had GOOD reason to cancel the auction.  They were also able to call Ebay and get the fee reversed, so they were refunded the fee.  And that is how that should have gone because the OP was correct in his reasoning to do this.

Where many of us disagree with them is on how they handled the buyer that got caught up in this issue.  The OP doesn't see any reason to contact the buyer, even to say they are sorry for the issue.  My post 75 pretty much says it.

[axiombody]

All I see in your post to me was how I sold things at fixed price.  My point was in the first two pages I read so maybe your right but my point still is the point I was giving.  If a person cancels a transaction and doesn't collect money he shouldn't have to pay weather he contacts buyer or not.  It's the rule and people driving that home does not deter my opinion of said rule as I see it.  Glad it worked out for the seller as it should.

[mam98031]

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@axiombody wrote:

All I see in your post to me was how I sold things at fixed price.  My point was in the first two pages I read so maybe your right but my point still is the point I was giving.  If a person cancels a transaction and doesn't collect money he shouldn't have to pay weather he contacts buyer or not.  It's the rule and people driving that home does not deter my opinion of said rule as I see it.  Glad it worked out for the seller as it should.

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I have no answer for why you see only the one post.  This thread has just short of 80 posts.

Your entitled to your opinion as is everyone else.

Ebay's reason for the rule on auctions is a good one.  There was a time when many sellers would post their item on multiple sites.  Same item.  Then when it sold on one site, they would come and cancel the listing on all the other sites they were running it on.  Other rather shady things too is what caused the rule to become a reality.

[nh_sales_lv]

Yes ! Another valid point ! I as the seller can end my item whenever i feel like. I'm under no obligation to sell anybody anything. Why in the world can't I cancel an auction listing?

If an auction house sells a Pablo Picasso painting, prebids are on the books and Auction day arrived. Mrs. Sally Hekmeister has got a firm grip on the Picasso. She's made it up the third step. Ohhhh No, Tragedy Strikes, Sally stubbed her big toe on step #4. The Weeping Women flew up 15 feet in the air and fell smack dab in the center of a standing fire poker.

At this point the auction house is not entitled to a sale or a listing fee from the seller. 

[nh_sales_lv]

Correction: At this point the auction house is not entitled to a sale or a final value fee from the seller. The Auction House Is Entitled to a Listing Fee, which in my case is 1.00 US Dollar.

[johnrj1226]

Adapt these  two rules on everything in your life -

1.  Wear both a belt & suspenders that way if one breaks your pants stays up - but  others might view you as  being insecure. 

You often see people similar to me wearing both -  just wear a belt - but am a card carrying member of the Medicare Club for almost 12 years next month.   Worked 41 years to earn it but paid  into it since December 19, 1967 - my first full time  job fresh out of college (actually paid into it  in the summers of 1964, 65"  '66, & 67 to pay for 100% of my  college expenses - R & B, tuition, books and $5.00/week  for necessities and limited entertainment - by working a  67 hours/week at the  Fords, Dearborn Assembly plant building  Lee Iaccoca's project- the Ford Mustang - his other project was the Pinto.  BTW the hourly rate ranged from $2.54 to 2.67/hour.  One more thing still pay into after retirement each and every month.

This '44 model has had the opportunity to gain a lot many and varied experience - for example - After college have had 21 different mailing addresses ) - lived in 5 different states been at my current address for 26 years - 1/2 my life above the Mason-Dixon Line & the other 1/2 below it - some call me a Nomad.

2.  Adopt the  wood workers rule " measure twice, cut once",  if the wood is expensive measure 3 or more times, cut once"

Used to sell on eBay - shipped 1665 items since Jan 20, 2010 - had  an top level rep (1 neg during my selling tenure -  pretty much stopped selling 3 years ago - have zero listings  as recent - having too much fun with our newest Grandson.

Ciao & Adious

Pura Vida

Fini

[cstpos]

@nh_sales_lvWhat did you do to get them to refund you?

[johnson_junk_company]

😂😂😂There is nothing “fully transparent” about eBay. 

[johnson_junk_company]

Not only are you assuming to much, so is eBay if that’s your claim. Sellers have the option of canceling sales, and no where in the terms is there anything concrete about fees associated with canceled transactions. Using the phrase “may be fees” is not legal as all fees are supposed to disclosed up front. What is needed is a good class action lawsuit. 

[stainlessenginecovers]

@nh_sales_lv  I AM IN POSSESSION OF SAID ITEM !!! IT NEVER LEFT MY HOME, I HAVEN'T EVEN GIFTED IT TO MY RELATIVES OR NEIGHBORS. IT'S HERE WITH ME IN MY OFFICE ON THE WOODEN TABLE.

Getting upset and yelling at me will not change the outcome; nor does your word prove anything. I'm just telling you how the system works.

You had bids and I'm assuming there was no reserve (or it was met); at that exact moment; item is selling and you owe fees (unless auction ends and buyer never pays). When you ended it, you pay for it's sale once it has bids. 

I understand you don't like it, but that is how the system is set up. 

[mam98031]

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@nh_sales_lv wrote:

Yes ! Another valid point ! I as the seller can end my item whenever i feel like. I'm under no obligation to sell anybody anything. Why in the world can't I cancel an auction listing?

If an auction house sells a Pablo Picasso painting, prebids are on the books and Auction day arrived. Mrs. Sally Hekmeister has got a firm grip on the Picasso. She's made it up the third step. Ohhhh No, Tragedy Strikes, Sally stubbed her big toe on step #4. The Weeping Women flew up 15 feet in the air and fell smack dab in the center of a standing fire poker.

At this point the auction house is not entitled to a sale or a listing fee from the seller. 

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Because this site doesn't belong to you.  Ebay owns the site therefore Ebay sets the rules.  It is the same on any other site like Ebay too.  When you have your own site, you can run it any way you see fit within the laws of the land.  But this isn't your site, therefore we all have to abide by the rules.

As to your story about some auction house.  IDK their rules, so IDK how they would handle such a situation nor will I make a guess.  Ebay however isn't an Auction House.  Ebay's listing are about 80%+ Fixed price listings and around 20% auctions.  Auctions simply aren't popular in many categories like it was years ago.  It is now only a few categories that can still be successful with auctions.

[mam98031]

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@johnson_junk_company wrote:

Not only are you assuming to much, so is eBay if that’s your claim. Sellers have the option of canceling sales, and no where in the terms is there anything concrete about fees associated with canceled transactions. Using the phrase “may be fees” is not legal as all fees are supposed to disclosed up front. What is needed is a good class action lawsuit. 

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Ebay does state their rules regarding auctions and the cancelling of any auction.  The fact that you aren't aware of it does not mean it doesn't exist or that you won't be held to it.  It simply means you are not aware of it.

If that is illegal, Ebay has used it in various types of rules and policies for over 20 years that I'm aware of.  Can you supply us with a link to the law that they are breaking so we can all be updated please.

[albertabrightalberta]

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@johnson_junk_company wrote:

Not only are you assuming to much, so is eBay if that’s your claim. Sellers have the option of canceling sales, and no where in the terms is there anything concrete about fees associated with canceled transactions. Using the phrase “may be fees” is not legal as all fees are supposed to disclosed up front. What is needed is a good class action lawsuit. 

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@johnson_junk_company 

@nh_sales_lv 

Sellers DO have the option of cancelling a sale and in some cases, there are fees associated with the cancellation. And YES, those fees are clearly stated in ebay's terms. If you missed them, that's understandable since most of us rarely read through every page of every contract we sign but if you aren't aware of them now, you clearly didn't search hard enough. 

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822

This is from the terms regarding when fees are charged:

Additional final value fees

You may be charged final value fees if you violate our policy of buying or selling outside of eBay, or we may apply additional final value fees if you are not meeting our performance expectations. 

Buying or selling outside of eBay

If you offer or reference your contact information or ask a buyer for their contact information in the context of buying or selling outside of eBay, you'll be charged a final value fee based on the total amount of the sale even if your item doesn't sell. In this situation, the total amount of the sale is determined as follows:

• Auction-style listing format: The total amount of the sale is the auction start price, the Buy It Now price (if applicable), the reserve price (if applicable), or the price identified between the buyer and seller, whichever is highest. (my comment: When a listing with bids is ended early or canceled, ebay's assumption is that you ended/canceled the sale in order to circumvent fees.) 

[mam98031]

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@cstpos wrote:

@nh_sales_lvWhat did you do to get them to refund you?

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@cstpos 

The OP had a legit reason for cancelling their auction.  So they simply called Ebay and let them know the facts surrounding their decision to cancel the auction.  Ebay refunded the fees they charged because they recognize there are times when cancelling an auction is necessary.

[justafemster]

nohiss isn't coming back here.  

Ebay refund to a seller don't happen and nohiss knows we all know this.  

Especially if they had a reserve.