Why I'm leaving eBay: A Seller's Perspective

[voltagevillage]

After much consideration, I have decided to end my relationship with eBay. As a seller, I take great care to ensure my listings are accurate and honest, but unfortunately, I have consistently felt mistreated on the platform. Despite my efforts to provide excellent customer service, eBay's buyers seem to have the upper hand, and it's nearly impossible to maintain a perfect rating here due to abusive behavior. The platform's dispute resolution process is heavily biased towards buyers, leaving sellers vulnerable to unwarranted claims and refunds, and often resulting in lost profits and damaged reputation.

In addition to these issues, eBay's commission fee of 25% is exorbitantly high compared to the industry standard of 5-12%, which further puts me at a competitive disadvantage and limits my ability to grow my business. Moreover, eBay's business model appears to be outdated and unsustainable in the face of growing competition from other e-commerce platforms. In order to maintain its position as a leader in e-commerce, eBay must restructure its entire business model and prioritize the needs of its sellers.

While eBay still has an edge in the auction market, this is not enough to sustain its business in the long run. eBay needs to acknowledge the concerns of its sellers and take concrete steps to address them. Until then, I will be exploring other platforms that offer fairer terms and conditions for sellers, and a more balanced and equitable dispute resolution system.

[coolections]

Do not forget to remove those 37 listings before you go.

[coolections]

You are mistaken. You sold an item for $400 and Ebay took $89.50 which comes out to 22.35%

[coolections]

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@dhbookds wrote:

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The Original poster said in his first post......

eBay's commission fee of 25%

You said

25% (give or take) in fees.

As others have said and shown..........both statements are  incorrect.

I do have a problem with posts that show incorrect information as to fees.  

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Your statement is incorrect as I wrote in the previous post. I do have a problem with posts that show the incorrect information as to the fees.

[chapeau-noir]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@voltagevillage   Of course, do whatever you think is best for your business, but if your main issue with ebay centers on buyers/returns, I agree with @fashunu4eeuh : I've been using free return policy since before ebay pushed it, and have had few returns (partly because of what I sell, music may be different) and most of my buyers contact me first to discuss it I think because they see I have free returns. I think a no return policy makes buyers defensive---what's the use of contacting the seller and trying to work things out when the seller says he doesn't take returns? 

So, if you are still considering what to do, you might want to test free returns before making a final decision about leaving.

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It's not either 'no returns' or '"free" returns', though - there is 30-days buyer pays.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@chapeau-noir  True. I was just providing my experience with free (30 day) returns. One can do 30 day buyer pays, but some buyers will file an INAD to get out of paying the return shipping. But yeah, that's a middle ground for those who want to try that.

[dbfolks166mt]

You are mistaken. You sold an item for $400 and Ebay took $89.50 which comes out to 22.35%

I believe I am correct $89.50/$612 = 14.62%. 

Apply your creative math to the following and tell me what you get. 

Item cost = $612

Sales tax rate 10%

Free shipping

Shipping label purchase from Pirate Ship. 

[simply-the-best-for-you]

@voltagevillage  Hey Thor, just checked out The Mummies.   Not bad for garage punk.  That genre is not really my preference, so I won't be running out to get it, but I appreciate the education & learning about a band I've never heard of. 

[coolections]

It is not item cost, the item sold by the seller was for $400 and they received $310. Twist the math all you want. 

[dbfolks166mt]

It is not item cost, the item sold by the seller was for $400 and they received $310. Twist the math all you want. 

This is like school show me the work. I am not the one twisting the math. Prove your theory until then that is all that it is is a theory and has no substance or basis in fact. Are you saying the buyer paid, in total $400 for the item? Pretty easy calculation. 

[chapeau-noir]

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@my-cottage-books-and-antiques wrote:

@chapeau-noir  True. I was just providing my experience with free (30 day) returns. One can do 30 day buyer pays, but some buyers will file an INAD to get out of paying the return shipping. But yeah, that's a middle ground for those who want to try that.

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It depends on the market - "free" returns in clothing means pretty much "rent me" or "I'll buy six items and keep the ones I like, because it doesn't cost anything to return." 😖  So it's best to be aware of all options.

[my-cottage-books-and-antiques]

@chapeau-noir  Agree. That's why I specifically mentioned that I have few returns in part due to what I sell. Free returns isn't for everyone. And "no returns" might be a good choice in some cases. So, I'll amend my suggestion to the OP: try offering returns instead of no returns. 

[isaiah53-57]

@dbfolks166mt wrote:

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Wow - I knew you would be chiming in at some point with your watered down "effective rate" and your eye catching charts - You need to check your math - Your "effective rate" is a percentage of the Item price PLUS the shipping cost - Shipping being a wash in this scenario, there is no point accounting for it in a quick glance of your profit - You didnt make any money on shipping here, so why take the extra step to account for it - As I said MULITPLE TIMES and it is a fact - you made a $20 sale in this scenario, NOT a $30 sale($20 Item price +$10 Shipping).

The only thing more I can add is what I pull from your chart above - Maybe it will help you free your mind of whatever has got it stuck:  You show the Approximate Payout after shipping & fees as $15.45, right? I'll agree with that - Thats the amount you have left after using the $10 the buyer forwarded to you to pay for shipping and for paying the $4.55 ebay fees RIGHT?  Well, since $15.45 is 77.25% of the $20 selling price, that means the ebay fees represent 22.75% of the selling price RIGHT? Its simple math  @dbfolks166mt  and it shows it in your chart though you dont want it to...

I'm done with disagreeing with your watered down "effective rate" -  If you want to continue this conversation, lets talk about what really matters here - PROFIT - Thats where its gets real ugly for the apologists...

[sakic92710]

My last sale ended up in 25% going to fees, taxes & their unentitled shipping %.   Everyone can argue all they want that some sellers do not pay out 25%.  It happened to me & the OP.  I'm sure we are not alone.  I'm focused more on sales where ALL of the cash goes in MY pocket.  🙂  It works.  $125 on Tues. $165 yesterday.  On eBay?  $0.00000000000000000   lol

[chapeau-noir]

@sakic92710  - Serious question, I don't understand why you continue to sell here since it seems like such a losing proposition?  This is a pretty constant theme and if it were me, I'd either accept it or be gone. It cannot be worth the aggravation (I know Etsy wasn't to me and my sales weren't bad there, but I found the getting worse and worse, so I left and moved on - life is too short).  Or just use eBay as a supplement channel and take what sales you get.

[sakic92710]

I used to keep 100s of listings on eBay.  Now I have 29.  Barely list anything new.  I can use eBay without relying on it like I used to.  As I stated, I will try my best to sell where zero fees are involved.  I'm displeased with the site so that means I have to quit it entirely?  My last 3 sales totaled almost $200 US.  Why throw away potential to get that money?