Ebay fees

[kysar1969]

t doesn't make any more sense for me as a private seller / housewife/ stay home mom to sell anything on eBay because of the high Commission plus shipping eBay charge me to sell any items promote items discount items plus eBay fee plus shipping etcetera etcetera leave me with almost nothing for the time I invest to make a penny! So at the time I promote my item to time I invest talking to customer and the time to bring the item to get shipped to the customer including boxes and wrapping material/ gas.? What will I have actually in my pocket? Not much 😞  !

[714ricki]

You should charge for shipping or incorporate the shipping costs as part of your sell price. Instead of going to the post office, just give the parcel to your mail carrier or even schedule a pickup free of charge via the USPS website if its practical per your schedule. The ebay overall fees are still very competitive when compared to other platforms. The time you spend on customer service is your decision. However, I would respond to any inquiry in a timely manner. I personally don't use promoted listings & I always charge shipping/handling for my orders. But, it might be a necessity in your niche. Again, you control the ebay promotion rate. There isn't a magic formula guaranteeing you more sales. However, if you do your homework & understand your fees, then you should be making a bit of profit each time you sell. Please keep in mind that you will have items that will generate bigger profit than other items. Don't be afraid to make a bit of profit to pay for some Starbucks coffee or your favorite scoop of ice cream or to reinvest into the business.  Many make extra pocket money.....you can make a bit of profit as well!

You have some very nice items in your listings. Are your items suitable for this platform? That is something that you will need to review. 

Hang in there & good luck! 

[inhawaii]

You figure out what the expenses are BEFORE you sell the item.

Let's say you want to end up with $50 in your pocket after the sale.

If the expenses come out to $20, price and sell your item for $70.

After ebay deducts the $20 for fees and a shipping label, you end up with $50.

What is so hard about that?

[dnasilver]

Maybe you need to sell items of value. Being a "stay home mom" there should be plenty of time to figure out what to sell since the kids are back in school. If you are selling your used items a penny is better than nothing. Complaining does not help you and is a waste of valuable time when you could be actually figuring out how so many others make money on eBay. If they/we make money, certainly you can too! Good luck.

[johnrj1226]

You don't  pay for anything  until it sells and is  paid for.  It is totally up to you to determine what will sell, all you cost of selling including  eBay fees, shipping cost, item acquisition cost, packing, package materials adn how much y profit you wish to  make.  Just  a rule of thumb taht I used  is if and item I want to sell cost me $1 dollar I would need to sell it for $5 b or 6 bucks, if it cost me $10 - I would need to sell it for $50 or 60 bucks or more if the market would would b bare it (gotta research that - it is easy to do - you can find the info for the same or similar item) on eBay by reviewing what currents items are listed for and/or have sold for).  Then I added a shipping & handling charge.

Hint:  Don't  try selling stuff where  thousands of other sellers are selling - too much competition and  most often low profit margins.  Things like every day clothing, trading cards,

eBay  fee are not horrendous  commonly  12.9% + 30 cents and  shipping cost as are controlled by teh carrier USPS, Fed Ex or UPS - personally I would stick with USPS - many of there shipping boxes envelopes are free (like Priority mail stuff - you can order them for free on USPS.com - you need to source First Class Package envelopes on your own.  Initial stick to shipping within the United State including Alaska & Hawaii and US Protectorates.(but only ship via a service that goes by air like Priority Mail) .  You need to read and understand a lot on the in adn outs of various shipping services - it is not  easy to do - buy labels thru eBay vs paying at the PO full retail.  Oh you will need a scale to weigh your items - a digital scale  is not too expensive and a tape measure - learn about  dimensional  rates for items shipped in a box larger than 1728 cubic inches. for example a 1 foot  x 1 foot x 1 foot box.  Rates  jump up a ton.

You can  make good money but you need to know how to make money - it  can be done - I never sold anything that I didn't make at least 45% of my total selling price.(including shipping.

[soh.maryl]

Your buyer pays the shipping cost.  

Selling on eBay doesn't work for everyone and takes a lot of advance planning including understanding the costs.  It appears there are many sellers who are making it work for them.  

[coolections]

You are selling very expensive items. Why would you think Ebay would care if you are a stay at home housewife? If you cannot make money on those items with that much cost than you are paying too much to be selling them. Maybe rethink your business plan if you expect to continue to do what your are doing. The total cost is only around 18-20%. A consignment place would charge you more than that for those expensive items.

[laststopgeneralstore]

You are correct! If you cannot properly calculate how to make profit on something & cannot run the numbers then it doesn't make sense for you because you don't know what your doing nor does it seem like you want to take the time. The commission eBay charges is nothing & should be the last thing you should be worrying about. Selling an item and making a profit is actually very simple if you want to take the time and effort and learn instead of messing up one single time then going on the boards and complaining. I make a comfortable full time living doing this and it's really not that difficult at all. Take some time & learn. Their are a million youtube videos & articles about reselling out their that you can read or watch. Stop wasting & start doing.

[luckythewinner]

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@kysar1969 wrote:

t doesn't make any more sense for me as a private seller / housewife/ stay home mom to sell anything on eBay because of the high Commission plus shipping eBay charge me to sell any items promote items discount items plus eBay fee plus shipping etcetera etcetera leave me with almost nothing for the time I invest to make a penny! So at the time I promote my item to time I invest talking to customer and the time to bring the item to get shipped to the customer including boxes and wrapping material/ gas.? What will I have actually in my pocket? Not much

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eBay works for millions of sellers.

But I will certainly agree with you that it does not work for everyone.

[jewelbiz]

Hey Babe!

 I just looked over your listing & I’m sure you are making a gigantic bundle of moola

on many of your items based on your sky high selling prices!

Now- No tears re: eBay’s fees!

[nobody*s_perfect]

If you click on 'Sold listings," you'll see that she has sold one item in the past 90 days.

[alltheprettylittlethings]

You have some beautiful items for sale  - what I would consider as luxury items - and those might be harder to sell in this economy. So, you might want to find a few items that are not as expensive to attract some customers. Mark up on new or high price items is hard on Ebay because a lot of shoppers are looking for a bargain. Make sure you have your shipping, insurance and packaging fees PLUS the Ebay fees already built in before you set a price. You might want to not offer free shipping - people paying for an expensive handbag or ring expect to pay for postage and insurance.

The most stress busting thing I did when I started selling was gather as many shipping materials as I could to avoid last minute panic when something sold. I don't list an item unless I have a box it will fit in.  I request a pickup from USPS (free!) when a package won't fit in my mailbox and that prevents me from having to make trips to the post office. 

Other than that, a local consignment shop may be the way for you to go considering your lovely items. The fees will be higher but your stress level will drop for sure.

[varebelrose]

If you are not making bank profit on the items you have listed at those prices, you have far too much invested in acquisition costs. You make your profit when you buy your stock, not when you sell.

[dnasilver]

"You are selling very expensive items." I guess everyone has a different view of "very expensive".