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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?

Greetings, 

I am new to selling on eBay. I was wondering are eBay sellers charging a handling fee for the products that they are selling. If so how do I include a handling fee with products that I sell? 

 

What are other sellers doing concerning handling fees? Charging a handling fee or not charging a handling fee. I was thinking of something like $1.50 Handling fee. Shall I do this or not?

Message 1 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?

Include it in your shipping cost
Message 2 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?

No, if this is not understood, a new buyer (and/or crotchety one) may ding you for overcharging for shipping.

 

The easiest way to to overcome this is to include it in the price of your item (i.e. higher starting bid or higher buy it now price). This will simplify things whether you use calculated shipping or free shipping, it will not matter.

 

Some buyers will reverse calculate the actual cost to make sure. One poster mentioned a buyer that gave a negative for overcharging shipping by $0.01.

 

So, better to include it in the price of the item so it won't be questioned...

Message 3 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?

You are better off just working it into your price. Some buyers can be jerks about handling fees.

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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@thirdeye_electronics wrote:

Greetings, 

I am new to selling on eBay. I was wondering are eBay sellers charging a handling fee for the products that they are selling. If so how do I include a handling fee with products that I sell? 

 What are other sellers doing concerning handling fees? Charging a handling fee or not charging a handling fee. I was thinking of something like $1.50 Handling fee. Shall I do this or not?


If buyer is paying shipping I add a $0.50 handling fee to help cover the 10% FVF and supplies.

 

 

Happy Easter
Message 5 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?

I include a handling charge in my free shipping.

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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@sam9876 wrote:

I include a handling charge in my free shipping.


I sincerely hope this is a joke post.

Message 7 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@gkyn29 wrote:

No, if this is not understood, a new buyer (and/or crotchety one) may ding you for overcharging for shipping.

 

The easiest way to to overcome this is to include it in the price of your item (i.e. higher starting bid or higher buy it now price). This will simplify things whether you use calculated shipping or free shipping, it will not matter.

 

Some buyers will reverse calculate the actual cost to make sure. One poster mentioned a buyer that gave a negative for overcharging shipping by $0.01.

 

So, better to include it in the price of the item so it won't be questioned...


If you're printing your label online you can select the stealth postage option so buyers cannot see what you actually paid for postage.

Message 8 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?



I always charge a handling fee to cover insurance, signature confirmation, boxes, tape, pens and whatever.

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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@brjen-32 wrote:

@gkyn29 wrote:

Some buyers will reverse calculate the actual cost to make sure. One poster mentioned a buyer that gave a negative for overcharging shipping by $0.01.

 

 


As stated, the BUYER knows what they paid, therefore can figure out the difference between what they paid and what the seller was charged if they figure out the actual cost.

 

This has nothing to do with whether or not it shows up on the label or not.


 

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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@gkyn29 wrote:

@sam9876 wrote:

I include a handling charge in my free shipping.


I sincerely hope this is a joke post.


I'm pretty sure it was not meant as a joke.  I use "Free Shipping" quite a bit, and I always make sure I just set the price high enough to cover what I want for the item, plus what actual shipping costs, plus a bit extra to cover shipping supplies and fees charged on the shipping.

Message 11 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@thirdeye_electronics wrote:

Greetings, 

I am new to selling on eBay. I was wondering are eBay sellers charging a handling fee for the products that they are selling. If so how do I include a handling fee with products that I sell? 

 

What are other sellers doing concerning handling fees? Charging a handling fee or not charging a handling fee. I was thinking of something like $1.50 Handling fee. Shall I do this or not?


I think most sellers include a handing fee to cover supplies but it isnt as much as you think.  I round up from $2.60 to $3 because it is easier to just say $3 shipping.  I send little jewelry items so that is plenty of postage and still reasonable.  Sometimes it is more usually less it all evens out.  What you SHOULDNT try to do though is charge $4 shipping and try to add on $10 handling fee (assuming minimum wage for 30 minutes work and gas to get to the PO).  You dont want your shipping so high no one will buy from you.

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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@electrola_man wrote:

@gkyn29 wrote:

@sam9876 wrote:

I include a handling charge in my free shipping.


I sincerely hope this is a joke post.


I'm pretty sure it was not meant as a joke.  I use "Free Shipping" quite a bit, and I always make sure I just set the price high enough to cover what I want for the item, plus what actual shipping costs, plus a bit extra to cover shipping supplies and fees charged on the shipping.


I get it and $15 with free shipping is the same as $10 with $5 shipping but my sales took off after I gave up on "free" shipping and started charging shipping separately.  The buyers just preferred it that way.  I do charge a flat shipping fee though $3 for First Class (under a pound), $5 for Priority.

Message 13 of 34
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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@electrola_man wrote:

@gkyn29 wrote:

@sam9876 wrote:

I include a handling charge in my free shipping.


I sincerely hope this is a joke post.


I'm pretty sure it was not meant as a joke.  I use "Free Shipping" quite a bit, and I always make sure I just set the price high enough to cover what I want for the item, plus what actual shipping costs, plus a bit extra to cover shipping supplies and fees charged on the shipping.


Sorry I took it literally; it is impossible to do. I get what you (and poster) meant.

 

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Should I Charge a Handling Fee?


@kensgiftshop wrote:

@thirdeye_electronics wrote:

Greetings, 

I am new to selling on eBay. I was wondering are eBay sellers charging a handling fee for the products that they are selling. If so how do I include a handling fee with products that I sell? 

 What are other sellers doing concerning handling fees? Charging a handling fee or not charging a handling fee. I was thinking of something like $1.50 Handling fee. Shall I do this or not?


If buyer is paying shipping I add a $0.50 handling fee to help cover the 10% FVF and supplies.

 

 


$.50 seems really low.  For me, a 6X4X4 box costs $.38 delivered to me, the way I buy it.  Two sheets of bubble wrap cost about $.30.  If the actual shipping is $4, the FVF on that alone (varies by category for store, but typically 6.15-9.15%) plus the PayPal fee of 2.9% of the shipping charge, is close to $.50.   Packaging tape for the smallest box uses up about 3 feet.  That has a cost.  Then there is office paper.  There is ink/toner.   There is glue to attach the label.  Then, remember that if you charge a handling fee, the FVF and PayPal fees get charged on that, too, so you have to anticipate what you want to have left.  I've found that for a typical 6X4X4 box that ships USPS First Class, I need to typically charge somewhere around $1.50 or slightly more to offset all of this.  For everything that ships USPS First Class, I'll set the listing for "Free" shipping, but I'll have mentally calculated this cost and built it into the price (either minimum bid or buy-it-now ) I set.  For most things that are over one pound, I let the Shipping Calculator set the price for the buyer based upon zip code via Priority Mail.  Sometimes I use "Free" shipping in those cases too, though.  Usually Priority Mail packages are larger.  Sometimes I can use a free box from USPS, but sometimes not.  Those boxes can cost a lot more than the little 6X4X4 boxes.  I use a lot more bubble wrap at significantly higher cost, and an adhesive backed label that costs about $.15, and a lot more tape.  The actual shipping is higher, so the FVF and PayPal fees are higher.  A similar handling charge still makes sense.  With that plus the little discount on the actual postage, I figure shipping costs are covered.  I don't have the actual postage print on the label.  I don't try to make money on shipping, but I try to know my costs and make sure they are covered, one way or another.  I've had no complaints about shipping charges that I can remember.  I think someone dinged my star for shipping, but it's still very close to 5, so that's okay. 

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