I've been an occasional seller since the late 1990s. Not a ton, but every now and then when free time allows, I work on posting collectible items that come into my possession. Was always a fun way to make a few bucks.
Recently I have been made aware of what appears to be grotesquely unfair changes to seller fees. Ebay's "final value fees" charged to a seller for a successfully sold item are in part based upon SHIPPING costs and sales tax. How does that makes ANY sense???
Of course, Ebay has to make money. I get it. They're a business. However shouldn't a seller "fees" be based upon the final selling price of an item?? Why make a seller pay MORE just because something is heavy and costs more to ship?? Why include sales tax in that same fee structure??
Recently I sold an item for $35. The buyer paid $8.95 for shipping, however I refunded about half of that for a discount. When I looked at the "seller fees" for this transaction, I still was charged a final value fee based on the original shipping amount. Why?? When all the fees were added up, Ebay took $10 from this sale. I get to pocket $25. That's a bit on the excessive side for a low-price item. It was never this extreme years ago. Forcing buyers to pay sales tax was bad enough. Now sellers get screwed with higher fees, in part based on the cost of shipping.
Bring back the old ebay!
