Starter Store might be the biggest ripoff on Ebay

[paradise-cds-and-cards]

So you PAY for 250 listings, and these are NOT in addition to your free 250 that you get for not having a store. Also, Feebay charges you for scheduling listings and for having a buy it now price. 

So, you pay for what you already get for free AND it's a worse product than the free one. I got suckered into this for a month thinking that they would be additional listings. To make things worse, even after cancelling your store, you are stuck being ripped off until the end of the 30 days. 

This is truly one of the worst thought through scams in corporate history. 

[caldreamer]

Benefit in having a store is when a customer views "one of your items" they can click on VIEW STORE and see all your items  (which should increase your sales).  

[mtgraves7984]

I think the Starter store is a ripoff, too. Lucky that you only bought a month's worth and won't have to buy out an annual subscription. Hang in there...

[nobody*s_perfect]

It wasn't so scammy when it was introduced:  non-stores got fewer free insertions. But over the years, the benefits for non-stores gradually improved while the Starter store stayed about the same.  As you noticed, the 250 that you get for not having a store are no longer available when you subscribe to a store. 

[toomuchstuffagain35]

You forgot about how the 250 you get as a non store can be used for either auction or FP in ANY category (unlike the stores).

The latest update has made scheduling free for all sellers, so that's a moot point now, but I have to agree that since they changed the free insertions for non stores to 250 (same as the Starter) and added Time Away for all sellers, that it makes the Starter a bit of a nonsense decision.

I'm surprised they didn't at minimum add another 250 listings to the Starter store in this last update to make at least a little more attractive a proposition.

The only benefit I can see to the Starter is being able to organize your listings into categories.

[nobody*s_perfect]

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@caldreamer wrote:

Benefit in having a store is when a customer views "one of your items" they can click on VIEW STORE and see all your items  (which should increase your sales).  

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But for sellers who don't have a store, the listing still shows a link for "See other items." The store is just a different format for showing the seller's listings.

[monica-sells]

I subscribe just to have the 'Markdown Manager' option.....

(even though it can be quirky at times)

It's worth it to me just for that....What you are pointing out is valid, I just never noticed (because I don't approach the limits)

[pargran3]

Scheduling a listing is an extra charge no matter what. There is a handy dandy chart with what you get and what you do not get.

Someone will be along with a link, or you could find it by searching for store fees in help.

There are some advantages to a store, but not if you mostly run auctions and not at the starter level.

[fab_finds4u]

A storefront is to brand and promote your business. 

It's  not worthwhile if you are only selling 125 items.  

[toomuchstuffagain35]

Scheduling a listing was only a fee for those with stores, until this latest update.

Before non stores got free scheduling and BINs with auctions.

[paradise-cds-and-cards]

horsepoop!

[paradise-cds-and-cards]

yes. the whole store thing is completely dumb and (through 15+ years of empirical evidence) does nothing to increase sales. 

[paradise-cds-and-cards]

Wrong. 

[paradise-cds-and-cards]

irrelevant. read more carefully.

[toomuchstuffagain35]

'brand and promote'?

It would be easier to do that if ebay would make up it's mind what it wants.

First they take away all indication of branding, change storefronts to cookie cutter facsimiles etc etc and now they WANT us to brand and promote (as long as we do it on social media).