Time for a sliding scale for FVF on shipping charges???

[nawlinsron2]

I can slap something in a flat rate envelope...takes a minute and ebay gets 50 cents...I can deal with it.

BUT...say I spend 30 minutes packing an awkard 75 pound carton, and they get $7...and obviously more as the weight increases...why???

Either one is ONE shipment... 

[soh.maryl]

Six years ago, eBay decided this was the only fair way to handle the issue.  Before that, there were sellers who listed items with $1 price and $99 shipping.  And just yesterday, there was a seller with a 99 cent item and $28 shipping.  (Perhaps did not get the memo.) 

I can't picture them changing it any time soon.  And, frankly, once I got used to whole idea, I decided 10% was okay. 

[ms.piercing]

You got $XX amount of dolars from the Buyer. 

eBay wants 10% of that amount (for letting you using their platform), PayPal wants 3% of that amount (for processing transaction).

No one cares how much your shipping was, how much your item cost you, how much gas you need to buy to go to the post office, that you broke your leg 3 days ago, .......

Simple as that.

[nawlinsron2]

feebay is in effect taxing 99.9% of it's sellers for the actions of .1% of it's sellers.
feebay KNOWS the weight of each shipment when the label is run, and therefore the actual cost because they have all the rate tables. Why can't they allow 10% of the ACTUAL for a handling fee, and penalize whatever percent OVER that?
Make it 200%...500%...that would totally discourage the scam artists.

[partial*eclipse]

Why stop at shipping?  The service that eBay provides is the same whether you're selling a $700 item or  a $7 item.  You've been around long enough to remember the pre-2011 days of sliding scales for final value fees.  It was just too confusing for so many members.

[nawlinsron2]

OK...scarp the sliding...go with what I suggested above.
They KNOW who the scofflaws are when a label is run...penalize them.

[duchess-at-speakeasy]

Not everyone uses online prepaid labels. Furthermore, how would you apply the percentage to a listing whose item price includes shipping costs? How would you identify the amount?

Bottom line: Anything that discourages "free shipping" is not in eBay's playbook!

~~C~~

[johnrj1226]

If one sold everything with "free shipping" one would be paying the same 10% on shipping.  Of course, I am assuming one would include the cost of shipping/handling in  their selling price.  Although  have  read on these boards some new sellers thought when they selecteded "free shipping" there would be  no cost for the shipping lable - must be that "entitlement syndrome"

So it seems that when eBay starting charging a FVF on a separate shipping/handling charge back in 2011 the playing field was made a bit more level  for those that offered "free ship" vs those that didn't.

[fallingleavesjewelry]

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@nawlinsron2 wrote:
feebay is in effect taxing 99.9% of it's sellers for the actions of .1% of it's sellers.
feebay KNOWS the weight of each shipment when the label is run, and therefore the actual cost because they have all the rate tables. Why can't they allow 10% of the ACTUAL for a handling fee, and penalize whatever percent OVER that?
Make it 200%...500%...that would totally discourage the scam artists.

---

Honestly, if you hate it so much why are you still here?

[lja440]

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@nawlinsron2 wrote:
feebay is in effect taxing 99.9% of it's sellers for the actions of .1% of it's sellers.
feebay KNOWS the weight of each shipment when the label is run, and therefore the actual cost because they have all the rate tables. Why can't they allow 10% of the ACTUAL for a handling fee, and penalize whatever percent OVER that?
Make it 200%...500%...that would totally discourage the scam artists.

---

Hardly. 

I was here back before the shipping FVF. I had listings that were buried right up to auction end under hundreds of penny auctions with outlandish S/H. And to make matters worse back then you didn't have to disclose the S/H cost. I find it exceedingly easy to factor in all my expected fees at the time of listing.

As to eBay KNOWING the weight of each item this is also false. I sell glass and pottery. Last night at a local auction I picked up 2 sets of china. They had roughly the same number of pieces. 

First one:

Version:1.0 StartHTML:000000211 EndHTML:000004022 StartFragment:000003808 EndFragment:000003942 StartSelection:000003808 EndSelection:000003942 SourceURL:https://www.replacements.com/webquote/pfablv.htm Pfaltzgraff, Blue Village at Replacements, Ltd

Took 3 boxes to carry out.

The second:

Version:1.0 StartHTML:000000225 EndHTML:000004040 StartFragment:000003826 EndFragment:000003960 StartSelection:000003826 EndSelection:000003960 SourceURL:https://www.replacements.com/webquote/hlcgow.htm?rplSku=222080 Homer Laughlin , Golden Wheat at Replacements, Ltd

was easily able to be carried out in one box, by me a 58 year old woman with a badly sprained ankle on the mend. My estimate is that all 4 boxes weighed 40# or so making quite a difference in weight between the corresponding pieces of each set. 

You will have the same in my other categories. I sell vinyl there is not only a difference in weight between a single LP and a double album. But also there is a often a difference between weights of the same album from different pressings. Example: Alice Cooper's Schools Out had 107 pressings. It also had inserts, in this case, panties. Which were anywhere from actual panties to nothing more than paper cut outs.

And of course books. Not only is page count a factor but there is a weight difference between abridged and unabridged and other factors.

[lja440]

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@nawlinsron2 wrote:
feebay is in effect taxing 99.9% of it's sellers for the actions of .1% of it's sellers.
feebay KNOWS the weight of each shipment when the label is run, and therefore the actual cost because they have all the rate tables. Why can't they allow 10% of the ACTUAL for a handling fee, and penalize whatever percent OVER that?
Make it 200%...500%...that would totally discourage the scam artists.

---

Hardly. 

I was here back before the shipping FVF. I had listings that were buried right up to auction end under hundreds of penny auctions with outlandish S/H. And to make matters worse back then you didn't have to disclose the S/H cost. I find it exceedingly easy to factor in all my expected fees at the time of listing.

As to eBay KNOWING the weight of each item this is also false. I sell glass and pottery. Last night at a local auction I picked up 2 sets of china. They had roughly the same number of pieces. 

First one:

Version:1.0 StartHTML:000000211 EndHTML:000004022 StartFragment:000003808 EndFragment:000003942 StartSelection:000003808 EndSelection:000003942 SourceURL:https://www.replacements.com/webquote/pfablv.htm Pfaltzgraff, Blue Village at Replacements, Ltd

Took 3 boxes to carry out.

The second:

Version:1.0 StartHTML:000000225 EndHTML:000004040 StartFragment:000003826 EndFragment:000003960 StartSelection:000003826 EndSelection:000003960 SourceURL:https://www.replacements.com/webquote/hlcgow.htm?rplSku=222080 Homer Laughlin , Golden Wheat at Replacements, Ltd

was easily able to be carried out in one box, by me a 58 year old woman with a badly sprained ankle on the mend. My estimate is that all 4 boxes weighed 40# or so making quite a difference in weight between the corresponding pieces of each set. 

You will have the same in my other categories. I sell vinyl there is not only a difference in weight between a single LP and a double album. But also there is a often a difference between weights of the same album from different pressings. Example: Alice Cooper's Schools Out had 107 pressings. It also had inserts, in this case, panties. Which were anywhere from actual panties to nothing more than paper cut outs.

And of course books. Not only is page count a factor but there is a weight difference between abridged and unabridged and other factors.

[thatsallfolks]

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@nawlinsron2 wrote:

I can slap something in a flat rate envelope...takes a minute and ebay gets 50 cents...I can deal with it.

BUT...say I spend 30 minutes packing an awkard 75 pound carton, and they get $7...and obviously more as the weight increases...why???

Either one is ONE shipment... 

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Stop selling things here that cost $70 to ship. Problem solved.

[johnrj1226]

Looks like the OP took your advice as they only have 1 active listing with a shipping charge of $11.65.

[bigbuyz]

I'm a long time Canadian (Ontario) seller of mostly one-off 'picked' items. I never "pad" shipping costs. My shipping costs charged and paid are very overt, as it goes through eBay's "Shippo" shipping. eBay very much encourages selling worldwide. They also strongly encourage 'Free Shipping' (shipping included). So, how do I accomodate both? Say I have a $20 item. Shipping locally in Ontario for an average package under 1Kg is about C$12. Same package to Texas: C$22. (Tracked Packet). About the same cost going to BC, in Canada. Same package to Australia: C$70.29 (Tracked Packet). So, do I list the item for C$90 with Shipping included worldwide? Locals would be overpaying by $58, IF they actually bought, which is as likely as winning a big lottery. Texans would overpay by $48, same fat chance of an actual sale. Meanwhile, eBay collects over $9 in fees, PayaPal gets their $5, and I get left with $6. (ONLY if an Aussie buys it!) Yippee. Yes, I can ship to Oz for far less, ie: Small Packet Surface for about $20.60. Problem is, it would take up to 8 weeks to get there, and, since there's no tracking, all a Buyer has to do is claim they never received it. eBay / PayPal immediately freezes the total paid of $40.60 from my account, and if I can't provide tracking (I can't), buyer gets all their money back. No recourse for me. So, let's try it the other way: I include what shipping costs locally: $12. The Texan buys it and I'm out $10 on shipping, plus fees, and again left with very little actual profit. The Aussie buys it, I send it with tracking as required, and I take about a $43 LOSS, after fees still paid to eBay and PayPal. So, I provide the item, do all the actual work, and for what? Win / Win for eBay. Win for PayPal. Me, not so much. In other words, eBay's policies are ridiculous, not my examples. I agree with jjgoodwin's idea (posted in 2011) of deducting actual shipping costs from what the buyer paid, and applying the fee to the difference, if any. Easily done on shipping generated on PayPal, Shippo, etc.  I CHALLENGE eBay to justify continuing their current policies, while a simple, and very fair solution exists. The jjgoodwin post was written over 7 years ago, and nothing has changed. WHY NOT? eBay is in NO way entitled to charge fees on legitimately priced shipping, especially a VERY punative (and graetly profitable for eBay) 10%. It really is as simple as that. 

[pjcdn2005]

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@bigbuyz wrote:

I'm a long time Canadian (Ontario) seller of mostly one-off 'picked' items. I never "pad" shipping costs. My shipping costs charged and paid are very overt, as it goes through eBay's "Shippo" shipping. eBay very much encourages selling worldwide. They also strongly encourage 'Free Shipping' (shipping included). So, how do I accomodate both? Say I have a $20 item. Shipping locally in Ontario for an average package under 1Kg is about C$12. Same package to Texas: C$22. (Tracked Packet). About the same cost going to BC, in Canada. Same package to Australia: C$70.29 (Tracked Packet). So, do I list the item for C$90 with Shipping included worldwide? Locals would be overpaying by $58, IF they actually bought, which is as likely as winning a big lottery. Texans would overpay by $48, same fat chance of an actual sale. Meanwhile, eBay collects over $9 in fees, PayaPal gets their $5, and I get left with $6. (ONLY if an Aussie buys it!) Yippee. Yes, I can ship to Oz for far less, ie: Small Packet Surface for about $20.60. Problem is, it would take up to 8 weeks to get there, and, since there's no tracking, all a Buyer has to do is claim they never received it. eBay / PayPal immediately freezes the total paid of $40.60 from my account, and if I can't provide tracking (I can't), buyer gets all their money back. No recourse for me. So, let's try it the other way: I include what shipping costs locally: $12. The Texan buys it and I'm out $10 on shipping, plus fees, and again left with very little actual profit. The Aussie buys it, I send it with tracking as required, and I take about a $43 LOSS, after fees still paid to eBay and PayPal. So, I provide the item, do all the actual work, and for what? Win / Win for eBay. Win for PayPal. Me, not so much. In other words, eBay's policies are ridiculous, not my examples. I agree with jjgoodwin's idea (posted in 2011) of deducting actual shipping costs from what the buyer paid, and applying the fee to the difference, if any. Easily done on shipping generated on PayPal, Shippo, etc.  I CHALLENGE eBay to justify continuing their current policies, while a simple, and very fair solution exists. The jjgoodwin post was written over 7 years ago, and nothing has changed. WHY NOT? eBay is in NO way entitled to charge fees on legitimately priced shipping, especially a VERY punative (and graetly profitable for eBay) 10%. It really is as simple as that. 

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They are entitled to charge whatever they want as it is their site. We decide whether we want to sell here and if we do, we have to pay the fees.  Although eBay encourages free shipping that doesn't mean that you must have it and they have never suggested that shipping should be free worldwide.  Unless your shipping is very inexpensive worldwide it would silly to have free shipping worldwide as you would not only lose domestic customers,  you would also  pay fvf on the whole amount where as right now we only pay fvf on the domestic shipping costs.

I don't agree that it would make sense for eBay to charge just on the 'overcharged' amount on shipping. For one thing, eBay doesn't always have access to see what we paid for shipping. Also, that would mean that sellers who offered free shipping would pay fvf on the item plus the shipping cost and others would only pay fvf on the item charge and perhaps handling charge.  That would result in less sellers offering listings with free/shipping included and I don't think that is in anybody's best interests.