Is an eBay store worth the additional fees?

[homeschoolingbaseballmom]

I would really appreciate any advice! I’m new to selling on eBay and have been working on building my store for just now about 3 months. I received a message from eBay the other day that I am now a Top Rated Seller. My sales have gone up this month and I’ve sold about $6k worth of products, maybe a little more. Would it be worth it for me to pay the monthly fees for a store and if so, which one would be best if I continued to average around $3000-$5000+ in sales?

I’ve read conflicting advice saying it’s not worth it, some say if you sell a certain amount a month it is... I just don’t really know what to do. I feel like I’ll be paying a good bit in FVF’s this month and was just wondering if I had signed up for that store subscription if I’d be saving a good bit in fees. 10% is crazy but it is what it is!

I sell in the Home & Garden category so my FVF’s are 10%. Plus PayPal’s 3% + .30 fee for each sale. I’m just trying to see if there’s any way I can cut some of the costs down even if just a smidge!

One last question, if I don’t meet the fast shipping requirements, does that mean that I don’t really benefit from being a TRS? Do they still give me a little break on fees or only if I offer fast shipping?

Most of my items are drop-shipped. I’m still trying to save enough to buy more items in bulk but until then, my shipping times suck, especially with the higher volume of orders from COVID. I’ve had to change handling from 3 days to 10! Anyhow, that’s beside the point.

Thanks so much for any help/advice in advance! I hope you all are doing well and staying safe through this craziness!

[alcoforever]

Do the math.   Look up the store fees and calculate what your costs would have been with a store.  If less, then a store is a good deal.

[slippinjimmy]

If you are selling $6000/month NOT having a store is costing you money. In that case the question would be is having a store worth the reduced fees (and the answer is obviously YES!, unless you think eBay needs the extra money more than you do).

In your Category a Basic or above Store has a fee rate of 9.15%

Sales of $3000 would save you $25.50

The month-to-month charge for a Basic Store with 250 monthly listings is $27.95, down to 21.95 if you sign up for one year (I would not recommend this to start just go month to month until you are sure since there are early cancellation fees).

[mam98031]

You need to do some simple math to figure out what is best for you.  

For example if you have a Basic store or higher, you are going to save .85% on your FVF.

600.00  is 10% of $6,000

549.00   is 9.15% of $6000 [store rate]

  51.00  SAVINGS.

And there are many other benefits to weigh in too.

https://pages.ebay.com/seller-center/run-your-store/subscriptions-and-fees.html

[frodobagginskennedy]

just be careful using a drop shipper.  If they are out of stock and do not notify you immediately you will be hit with INR and need to cancel with product Out of stock.  THis will sink you pretty quick in ebay's eyes to the point of restrictions or even suspensions.

[rosszonebricks]

Others have had some good points, but for me (past fee calculation/savings) was getting Vacation Mode! It was always such a pain to end all my listings to go on a week vacation and have to re-list everything when I came back. But with a Store, you get access to the Vacation Mode option. Nice messaging for anyone who views your listings, and option to prevent them from buying until you return.