Is it legal for ebay to charge a fee on shipping?

[accountdeieted]

Is it legal for ebay to charge a fee on shipping?

Ebay does not handle or ship the item sold, yet they charge a fee for shipping.

This is equal to charging for services not rendered.

The seller weighs an item, enters the weight, and the shipping is calculated.

The buyer pays the calculated shipping charge determined by weight and type of shipping selected.

Ebay then charges the seller a fee for, well basically, for doing nothing.

All this does is put pressure on sellers to be dishonest and list the item as weighing more than it does in order to compensate for the fee.

BUT for those of us who are trying very hard to be honest in this awful world, it puts increased pressure on us to be dishonest.

Why not simply ad the cost to their "listing service fee"

Why penalize ebay sellers who are at least TRYING to be honest?

[accountdeieted]

Maybe i should add my own 10% "Handling fee" to the calulated weight shiping cost. just to compensate for the shipping fee ebay is charging.

Yes, i will do that.

i feel ok doing that sence i ACTUALLY AM handling it and packing it wereas ebay is doing diddly squat in that area and charging people for it.

[freehueco]

I charge a 25 cent handling fee on most of my items.

This doesn't cover the Ebay fees, but I think of it as insurance for the scammers, and it mostly covers packaging costs.

[postingid2017]

In ebayland it is - it is a steady cash cow for them 😞

[partial*eclipse]

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@accountdeieted wrote:

Maybe i should add my own 10% "Handling fee" to the calulated weight shiping cost. just to compensate for the shipping fee ebay is charging....

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It's not possible to add a percentage if you're using calculated shipping. The handling fee option only allows you to enter a flat amount.

Many sellers leave the shipping calculator set to the default which is to show the retail price.  Then the difference between the retail price and the online price is an automatic built-in handling fee which is even proportional to the shipping cost (i.e., higher for farther zones). 

[jonathankirkland]

The reason ebay started charging the FVF on shipping costs is because people would list a $100 item for 1 penny and $99.99, thus completely cutting ebay out of their fees.

Personally, when I see a seller with an unreasonable shipping cost it really bothers me and I sometimes message them in an attempt to understand why shipping is so high and ask if it's possible to have a lower shipping price, but the attitude from some of these sellers seems to be they think they are somehow cheating the system by charging a ridiculous shipping price with a lower item price.

As was suggested above, you really just need build your 10% handling fee into the cost of your items.

[freehueco]

Exactly...

[lintbrush*]

You're looking at it wrong.  They are simply charging you based on the entire transaction amount.   You'll make yourself crazy if you look at it any other way.   Don't get me wrong - I don't like it either, but I treat it like any other business expenses (the buyer covers it one way or another)

As partial said - Retail price for the listing and online discount goes towards handling.

Even if eBay didn't charge that fee, what's dishonest about charging your customer an amount which covers shipping expenses?   Shipping isn't just postage alone.

[dubiousgain]

C'mon, now.... Lett's call it, what it REALLY is.....Countering an unscrupulous practice, with another unscrupulous practice-

[freehueco]

Handling fees are not unscrupulous unless they are excessive. 

[hawkwind5454]

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@freehueco wrote:

Handling fees are not unscrupulous unless they are excessive. 

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BINGO!  

[dubiousgain]

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@freehueco wrote:

Handling fees are not unscrupulous unless they are excessive. 

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Uhm...  I assumed, that was just understood. Possibly [for some] I should have been more articulate. Fifty lashes, with a wet noodle, for me! 

[jonathankirkland]

Another thing people here seem to be glossing over entirely is the generous discounts you receive by printing labels through ebay.

I find that I usually get anywhere from a 10-20% discount on shipping most larger/heavier packages.

[postingid2017]

Yes, that is the issue that I have with eBay (and others) because even though it may be a small amount, it all adds up to more for them.

[thatsallfolks]

For legal opinions, see a lawyer.

But keep in mind that sellers have been paying this fee for six years, without a single successful legal challenge. In fact, I’m not aware of any lawyer even attempting to challenge it. Maybe there’s a reason for that.