eBay uses unfriendly politics against Sellers (high fees..) but does not improve itself. Agree?

[langac]

Hello community,

eBay uses unfriendly politics against Sellers - charging high fees, rules and conditions are extremely complicated and non-transparent, you never know what final fee you will be paying at the end.  Web is so user-unfriendly for sellers that it cant be worse. Plus, eBay does not improve itself - the customer care is just terrible for a long time and they do nothing about it. They do nothing about crazy complexity of different options on their website instead of making it simple and easy. They do nothing about to unite fees for every seller (same transparent easy calculated fees for every seller) but they care about taking their high fees asap. What is your opinion? Do you agree or am I wrong? I am very upset on eBay and would switch to a different platform asap if there would be an alternative. Do you know any alternative website with a decent user base? Thank you.

[bonjourami]

@langac wrote:

"I am sorry but it is not a truth there are comments from the eBay CS, I am sure about it. There are accounts of eBay CS that solves the customer issues but they are hidden behind some user profile. When you check some of the profiles above you can see, they are so active that they would do nothing than solving someones problems on eBay forum for free ... which is non-sense."

You have no idea how many of these users are using a posting id in here and sell with another id.

[langac]

I have to make right this post because there are many lies. The issue was that I was charged 4.2% International Fee but I should be charged 1.6%. Nobody from CS even the managers of CS were not able to clarify where the 4.2% appeared (because such number is nowhere to be seen in the fee list). They said that they dont know how it was calculated and they returned me the money for this fee. I just wanted to know where they took this number when I couldnt find it in the fee list thats it.

[lacemaker3]

According the fees outlined on eBay Germany, OP should have been charged a 5% international fee, because they listed as a private seller on eBay Germany, and the item was purchased by a buyer with a shipping address in Italy.

It is possible that the reason for the reduced fee was because the quoted fee of 5% includes 19% VAT (the standard VAT rate for Germany). If OP was not charged the VAT for Germany, then the reduced fee, exclusive of VAT would be 4.2%. OP is not resident in Germany.

https://www.ebay.de/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/gebhren-fr-private-verkufer?id=4822#section3

In German, and a gisted translation from google:

[mam98031]

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@langac wrote:

I have to make right this post because there are many lies. The issue was that I was charged 4.2% International Fee but I should be charged 1.6%. Nobody from CS even the managers of CS were not able to clarify where the 4.2% appeared (because such number is nowhere to be seen in the fee list). They said that they dont know how it was calculated and they returned me the money for this fee. I just wanted to know where they took this number when I couldnt find it in the fee list thats it.

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@langac 

Really this is so rude and I wasn't going to let it pass.  YOU are the one that needs to update their knowledge on this subject for the country YOU are in.  This is the USA Community and most will respond with the rules for the USA, which @lacemaker3  did.

Not a soul here has any need to "lie" to you.  Most of us come here to help others when we can.  It is normal to be happy that we spend our personal time to come and try to help each other.  I suggest you follow the link in the post above this one from @lacemaker3 and update yourself and hopefully you will start the New Year off with more consideration and respect for others that are only trying to help you.

[langac]

It looks like a promising article for an explanation but the number 4.2% still does not match, even you reduce 5% by VAT 19%, 20%, 21% (Czech), 22% (Italy). Plus, they charge me 4.2% all the time even for sold items to Swiss (not Eurozone, nor EU), Spain, Greece, Italy still the same number. Swiss does not use EUR, co if there would be a conversion fee, it would have to be there but it is not. Look, this is a fault of eBay. They make this terrible, complicated, unclear Fee Structure. It is their fault. Well, when they are not able to calculate the fee according the Fee list/Policy, they have to return it.

[lacemaker3]

The 5% international fee for private sellers on eBay Germany includes 19% VAT, which is the standard VAT rate for Germany. (For private sellers in Europe, the eBay fees are always VAT-inclusive, if the seller's country requires eBay to collect VAT.)

https://www.ebay.de/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/gebhren-fr-private-verkufer?id=4822#section3

But apparently, your country does not require eBay to collect VAT on the fees.  So you were not charged VAT, you get a discount. This would apply for sales to any location, because the VAT on the eBay fee is charged based on the seller's location, not on the buyer's location.

The math works like this. The base rate for the fee, exclusive of VAT, is 4.2%. So the total fee for German residents, inclusive of 19% VAT is:

4.2% + (4.2% * 19%)

= 0.042 + (0.042 * 0.19)

= 0.042 + 0.00798

= 0.04998

= 5.0%

as it says in the eBay Germany policy. Sellers in other locations will be charged the correct VAT for their country of residence, if required. Some will be charged more or less than 5%, if the VAT rate for their country is more or less than the rate in Germany.

This 5% international fee for private sellers, is only charged for private sellers who are listing on eBay Germany, and taking advantage of being able to sell with no listing or final value fees. If the seller chooses to list on one of the other eBay websites, which do charge final value fees, then the international fees would be less, as OP is aware. (But the total fees would be much higher.)