eBay Fees are too High

[ten_o_nine]

Well, didn't you read?

Yes, I did. Thank you.

[soh.maryl]

What I am trying to say is that, yes, 13.5% will take more of your money if the sale was  $50 one than it would have taken if the sale has been a $25 sale.  Why does that not make sense?  

[mam98031]

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@soh.maryl wrote:

What I am trying to say is that, yes, 13.5% will take more of your money if the sale was  $50 one than it would have taken if the sale has been a $25 sale.  Why does that not make sense?  

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FYI, it is 13.25% for most categories.

[ten_o_nine]

The seller has no control over fees, depends on the state your buyer is in, shipping to east coast for some items may cost $10 while shipping to west coast may cost $30, you're paying 15% on $10 or $30, so in this case if your buyer is from New York, you pay $1.50 in shipping fees while paying $4.50 for California, same goes for taxes. How do you account for that, do you price assuming all your buyers are from California? It would not be fair.

[richard1rst]

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@ten_o_nine wrote:

The seller has no control over fees, depends on the state your buyer is in, shipping to east coast for some items may cost $10 while shipping to west coast may cost $30, you're paying 15% on $10 or $30, so in this case if your buyer is from New York, you pay $1.50 in shipping fees while paying $4.50 for California, same goes for taxes. How do you account for that, do you price assuming all your buyers are from California? It would not be fair.

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You know you would probably get more sympathy if you avoided the over the top hyperbole.

First off, everything you sell is at 13.25% FVF not 15%. Secondly, that $10.00 to $30.00 shipping comparison is bogus.

Even that seemingly heavy Mitterteich Bavaria Flandre Pattern China Dinnerware set you offer shows $10.80 to New England and $17.65 to Nevada. So the difference in FVF would be 91 cents not the $3.00 you are trying to make it out to be. And considering that you get a discount when you buy the shipping on line the discount more than covers the FVF so in reality even 91 cents is a non issue. So there is nothing to "account for" in your price as the shipping is the only difference and the buyer has the option of looking for a seller closer if it is that much of an issue TO THEM not to you.

Then there are all those very lightweight license plates, necklaces, watches etc where the coast to coast difference would be even tinier.

[ten_o_nine]

@mam98031 

Fees should be clear and not based on buyer location or state tax%, to take a 15% fee on tax paid by buyer and another on shipping is not fair to buyers and sellers, they can make it 16% and that way I can calculate my costs correctly, I know a dollar or two don't matter but they add up.

[mam98031]

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@ten_o_nine wrote:

The seller has no control over fees, depends on the state your buyer is in, shipping to east coast for some items may cost $10 while shipping to west coast may cost $30, you're paying 15% on $10 or $30, so in this case if your buyer is from New York, you pay $1.50 in shipping fees while paying $4.50 for California, same goes for taxes. How do you account for that, do you price assuming all your buyers are from California? It would not be fair.

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This is an issue that ALL sellers have faced for over 12 years.  We all find out own ways of surviving this.  You as a seller have to decided how to best handle this.  The answer will not be the same for everyone.  You might decide to do Free Shipping and then just add the medium rate to all your listings for shipping in the hopes that it will balance out along with the middle FVF for that shipping charge.  You might do calculated shipping and add a handling fee that will cover your FVFs.  Or you might come up with some other way that works for you.

If you are looking for one answer, I believe you will be disappointed as I'm not sure there is one.  But it is NOT a new problem.  We have all dealt with if for over a decade, seems to me that most sellers have figured out what works for them.

[mam98031]

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@ten_o_nine wrote:

@mam98031 

Fees should be clear and not based on buyer location or state tax%, to take a 15% fee on tax paid by buyer and another on shipping is not fair to buyers and sellers, they can make it 16% and that way I can calculate my costs correctly, I know a dollar or two don't matter but they add up.

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Fees are clear, you simply don't like them, there is a difference.  In most of the categories you sell in and because you have a store, your FVF is 13%.  

The balance of that I answered in my other post.

[ten_o_nine]

I think eBay should start applying a fee on promotional fees, if you're charged $2 in promotion fees, then you should pay 15% of that under the umbrella of final value selling fees.

[ten_o_nine]

@richard1rst 

You really don't know what you're talking about, the difference between $10.80 to New England and $17.65 to Nevada is not a difference of $20, check your math.

[andreyprince]

You think the buyer will pay an unlimited amount for your item just because you want to make a certain profit margin???? Yes lets keep on offsetting to infinity. 

[ten_o_nine]

@mam98031

I was not looking for answers, just making a statement.

[richard1rst]

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@ten_o_nine wrote:

@richard1rst 

You really don't know what you're talking about, the difference between $10.80 to New England and $17.65 to Nevada is not a difference of $20, check your math.

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I'm not the one who said there was a $20.00 difference.

Don't you remember what YOU wrote?

"shipping to east coast for some items may cost $10 while shipping to west coast may cost $30,"

[isaiah53-57]

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@richard1rst wrote:

Actually I don't pay a penny in eBay fees OR shipping costs. So I don't care what the rates are. If you are bothered by the rates you are doing it wrong.

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No sorry - You have it COMPLETELY Backwards - If you are not paying fees and shipping costs then YOU are the one doing it wrong.

If you have an item that retails for $100 and you sell it for $100 and still have to pay fees and shipping, then YOU have paid the fees and the shipping and you have left money on the table.

If you have an item that retails for $100 and you are trying to sell it for $130 with free shipping in order to cover the cost of fees and shipping, then needless to say, you can and will experience selling difficulties such as your current and alarming reduction in sales with 11000 items listed.

Either way, you are paying a heavy price - Either in paying for 100% of those fees as in the first example, or in dealing with the adverse effects of elevated prices as shown in the second example. So neither way is recommended - A median of the two rather - But one in which you are still paying at least a portion of the fees and, of course, one in which higher fees means you are losing profit.

So  @ten_o_nine  I see this concept I am responding to posted here often - its a crock - illusory to the reality of the doctrines and dictates of retail sales...

[richard1rst]

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@isaiah53-57 wrote:

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you can and will experience selling difficulties such as your current and alarming reduction in sales

Say what? eBay does not list each and every sale that each and every seller makes for each and every other seller to see. They only list enough to demonstrate what things are generally selling for. The "sold items" list in never a complete list. At least not to you.

That you disagree with my methods does not negate the validity of my methods.

[mam98031]

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@ten_o_nine wrote:

I think eBay should start applying a fee on promotional fees, if you're charged $2 in promotion fees, then you should pay 15% of that under the umbrella of final value selling fees.

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How does that make sense?  Or is it just a statement because you are upset?