eBay

theshoppetrishgree · ‎12-31-2023

I used to purchase my shipping supplies through eBay Shipping Supplies using my quarterly coupon but it seems the prices have gotten worse and worse to the point that I cannot imagine paying full price for any of these items. They are obviously only marketing to store sellers because the $25 coupon for basic store owners barely makes a dent in the cost of most items

I just noticed they have a listing for shipping stickers and charging over $40. A total of 144 stickers of varying sizes for $40. These are 2.5-4” stickers. Who would pay $40 for mostly useless stickers except the This End Up (which the shipping companies really don’t care about). Most shipping companies prefer no added stickers to packaging and most of these are decorations.
Aside from the stickers, $32 for a pack or eBay branded tissue paper, some of the boxes are nearly $2, some are more.
If this coupon was a benefit, we would be getting our moneys worth but it’s a money maker instead. It gets sellers to buy from the ebay store rather than looking elsewhere. eBay already charges exorbitant fees! I just noticed the final value fee for books the other day! It used to be one of the lower percentages back when I sold more books. Now it iw 14.95% of the total, including tax and shipping. Plus the flat feet.

I started contemplating leaving eBay 2 years ago, but since I didn’t have time to list all of my inventory anyway, there was no point looking elsewhere to sell. I am rethinking things as I am sure many are. eBay is more for big sellers, international sellers and the like. It is not so much for the little guy like it used to be many moons ago.

sapphire_studio · ‎01-06-2024

I didn't get the impression he was actually buying the stickers. He was using it as an example of that insanely high prices on most if not all of these items.

cashmeredelight · ‎01-06-2024

I have 3 stores but will not use the free shipping supplies vouchers. Limited, too expensive, items.

gloryglorygifts · ‎01-06-2024

As I said I'm confused. I didn't mean for the "you" to mean the op. I meant it in general. It's a waste of money.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-06-2024

For me the branded poly envelopes purchased with the coupon are cheaper than buying from Staples.

For 100 envelopes I pay only the sales tax (in my province on the original,not discounted,price) so $6.37 and shipping is free.

For comparison:

https://www.staples.ca/products/2997284-en-eddies-hang-up-display-ltd-returnable-poly-mailersshippin...

I couldn't find an exact comparison. This was the closest.

Twice the price even before the coupon, sales tax as before, plus shipping or drive time.

gloryglorygifts · ‎01-06-2024

I guess it depends on what you are using. I use mostly 4" x 4" x 4" boxes which are $28.65 for 25 on here vs $11.59 for 25 on Staples. 8" x 6" x 4" on here are $28.87 for 25 vs $15.09 on Staples for the same amount. If you sign up for autostock, you save $6 more for both. The ones I get here only last a month, at best, so it's a help but more often than not, I'm going to Staples. I usually get free shipping, so all I'm paying is tax.

Have you ever looked into Fetpak? I have used them in the past to purchase both poly and paper bags. The more you buy, the lower the price.

sapphire_studio · ‎01-06-2024

Oh I see what you mean now. Yeah you are right ...those stickers, especially at that cost, don't make any sense.

albany_sellers · ‎01-06-2024

The biggest joke of all is how much more expensive they are than even the overpriced Uline boxes. For 25 of the 16" x 12" x 8" boxes from eBay, it is $46.57. Uline is $30.50.

Add in the fact that the eBay boxes are almost always glued wrong, off center and sometimes not even glued. I don't know what makes them think theirs are worth more than the Uline boxes that are actually made well.

The reason they price them so absurdly is so that you waste your coupon and have to put money with it if you want to make full use of it. It's how they try to get you to buy more than what your coupon is good for. Sure, it's a free $50 coupon for me, but I am getting about half the value of it with how outrageous their prices are. Not really much of an incentive to continue my premium store subscription if you ask me.

reallynicestamps · ‎01-06-2024

@mam98031 And for many sellers we get to use the additional 10,000 free listings in certain categories.

Yes.

And I have been pleased to notice the free promotional listings are used before the subscription "free"listings.

And as I have mentioned before, because I list on more than one site, for my subscription fee on dotCA I get 1000 listings on dotCA (home site) another 1000 here on dotCOM and the 10,000 free promotions as well. I'm not sure whether I get those on both dotCOM and dotCA because I really can't use 22,000 free listings.

Good thing for us foreigners that US sellers are too nervous to ship internationally.

mam98031 · ‎01-06-2024

@reallynicestamps wrote:
@mam98031 And for many sellers we get to use the additional 10,000 free listings in certain categories.

Yes.
And I have been pleased to notice the free promotional listings are used before the subscription "free"listings.

And as I have mentioned before, because I list on more than one site, for my subscription fee on dotCA I get 1000 listings on dotCA (home site) another 1000 here on dotCOM and the 10,000 free promotions as well. I'm not sure whether I get those on both dotCOM and dotCA because I really can't use 22,000 free listings.

Good thing for us foreigners that US sellers are too nervous to ship internationally.

"Promotional" means they are only good for a period of time. The Store options does not say this is a "promotion", which means for a limited time, it is simply a part of the things available for the store level you may select. Certainly for a calendar month, but still not a "promotion".

https://export.ebay.com/en/marketing/ebay-store/why-get-ebay-store/

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

theshoppetrishgree · ‎01-07-2024

Sorry I wasn't clear. I am not buying eBay-branded stickers. I was just commenting on how ridiculous the prices have become after noticing these stickers on the eBay shipping supplies page.

theshoppetrishgree · ‎01-07-2024

When I said it was for big sellers, I was not suggesting small sellers make up a small portion of eBay but that big sellers can absorb the cost of the sale much better than small time sellers. I know we need to roll with the changes, it is just frustrating to see the benefit of the sales dwindle over the years.

mam98031 · ‎01-07-2024

@theshoppetrishgree wrote:
When I said it was for big sellers, I was not suggesting small sellers make up a small portion of eBay but that big sellers can absorb the cost of the sale much better than small time sellers. I know we need to roll with the changes, it is just frustrating to see the benefit of the sales dwindle over the years.

Thank you for a little more of an explanation. What you describe is logical for many different subjects. But just so you know there are far more small and casual sellers on Ebay than there are large sellers.

There hasn't been too many changes on the pricing of the Ebay branded shipping supplies for a while now. While they are about 3X what they were when this program started, they have had the big prices for awhile.

I keep trying to get Ebay to catch the monthly coupons up with the rate the prices have increase. The coupons are the same amount as they started years ago. No increases, not even for inflation.

mam98031 • Volunteer Community Member • Buyer/Seller since 1999

fern*wood · ‎01-07-2024

@mam98031 wrote:

"Promotional" means they are only good for a period of time. The Store options does not say this is a "promotion", which means for a limited time, it is simply a part of the things available for the store level you may select. Certainly for a calendar month, but still not a "promotion".

Part of the confusion with that term is that ebay clumps all the freebies on the hub under "promotional offers", even the normal store allotment.

bashort · ‎01-07-2024

@b86fiero wrote:

I for one am grateful for the free shipping supplies I get

ebay "free" shipping supplies work exactly the same way "free" shipping does, the costs are rolled in to make buyers or ebay members feel good about getting something free that they are actually paying for.