MSE News: eBay sellers beware - its fees now eat into postage costs

RFW

borisbear wrote: »

She said to me I qoute theres nothing wrong with the book its a great book on swedish cookery, but after I bought it thinking about it I'm not that interested in swedish cookery .

It seems as though that's a theme in buying books on Swedish cookery:D

RFW

campdave wrote: »

I'm going to start a sweepstake on the next time this thread gets bumped. Anyone want to join in?

When the next lot of invoices from the last free listing weekend pop up presumably?

It was an irritating thread at first. Now I know that anyone who buys a book on Swedish cookery, touches it, then decides they didn't want it. I better confine my eating Swedish food to Ikea.

Percy1983

Hurdy Gurdy Gurdy

RFW

borisbear wrote: »

you used to get people wearing ebay teeshirts and with ebay cups and going to ebay meeting.

I've got an Ebay hat, it's got the old logo on though. I got some great Ebay bags too when I was in Chicago, they were giving them away.

Plenty of new stuff available but you need to be in the US.
https://www.theebayshop.com/

RFW

It's never a great idea wearing branded Ebay or Paypal stuff, you can end up getting cornered by people who think you work for them complaining they were left bad feedback when they sold a cookbook;)

I used my Paypal debit card to pay in a restaurant once and the waiter hadn't seen one before and took it that I was a Paypal employee. He'd had a problem with a chargeback that he was really annoyed about and took it out on me. My wife was gobsmacked. He lost out again as it cost him a tip.

That's way off topic but I just don't care:p

Alanb

Can I just ask a question about combined postage. I have a number of items ending with the same buyer. he's asked for combined postage which is fine I always do that, but on my auctions the postage is £10.00 on each of the items. I will combine the 4 auctions to £20.00 postage. Will Ebay make any amendments for this or do they just whack it off you when the auction ends?

Any help would be appreciated. The auctions have bids on so not sure if I can add on to the postage description for added items

Cheers

soolin

Alanb wrote: »

Can I just ask a question about combined postage. I have a number of items ending with the same buyer. he's asked for combined postage which is fine I always do that, but on my auctions the postage is £10.00 on each of the items. I will combine the 4 auctions to £20.00 postage. Will Ebay make any amendments for this or do they just whack it off you when the auction ends?

Any help would be appreciated. The auctions have bids on so not sure if I can add on to the postage description for added items

Cheers

As long as you get a combined invoice to the buyer before he pays you will pay the charge on the invoice.

Alanb

Thank you Soolin, that makes a huge difference.

Stoke

To be honest, selling large items now, I'm just using Gumtree and I'm loving it. Sure, I know it's eBay, but I haven't paid a penny to sell a single item and I've had plenty of exposure. I think it's the way forward for selling stuff now.

Really, all I use eBay for, is convenience buying bits and bobs like tubing, tools, etc.

MillieMoodle

So I am a starter seller, only doing it the last month...mostly collection but one sold that was a posted item. Lo and behold I find a fee for the postage I had to charge. Obviously didn't want to put off a buyer with excessive fees and when I've since listed items - scheduled to sell - went with that logic. So a couple of questions - I spoke to the rep who said this is to get more sellers to go free postage. But nothing is a free ride - there is still postage to pay and they charge their fee whether it is through a final value fee or through postage. I can't see a benefit of this - sometimes free postage can attract buyers but sometimes it doesn't. As a previous buyer only, I look at both options and if I can find a way to pick up an item I will - if the item is a low cost to begin with (but if it is inflated to incorporate postage, you've already lost me!). But either way e-bay will charge a proportional fee on postage - doesn't matter how you label it. At least according to my calculations! But if those in the better know, can explain to me why incorporating postage in my starting price, along with extra inflation to cover fees, is a better concept and therefore saving me from losing anything on my 99p item being sold - I am very open to hearing it! (seriously, not be a smart a).

Also, I am curious if those with more experience have located a better venue for selling. I am your 'shed clearing out' seller and yes, for my time and effort I'd like to collect something for it - not too strange a concept as it is work to list items, clean them up, package them, take them to a shipper/post office and if I wanted to give them away there is freecycle or charity to do that (which I do both with some of the items). I've heard of ebid but I am not seeing masses of items I'd find on e-bay. Sounds like I am promoting ebay by saying that. Not at all - just takes time and everyone's efforts to get buyers and sellers to go to the new place and next best thing. If buyers don't find their items on there, they'll go to e-bay which will attract buyers to go to ebay to get the audience, which will drive buyers. Vicious circle - right? Preloved is good but doesn't really promote that fully national kind of purchase concept like e-bay (or international if that's your thing).

My thoughts on ebay is that they are charging the wrong party. Sellers are not profiting (at least not me or many small time sellers trying to keep their costs down to attract a buyer). It is the shipping companies profiting from the postage fees - so why not fee them? They're getting business from e-bay, we're driving business to them - why are they not being taxed? It is an expense to the seller and in American tax terms, you don't get taxed for items necessary to your business and not your means of business (as shipping companies are doing).

So questions to those in the know...what are the going sites with traffic and if this logic of ebay is sound (to offer free postage by bundling it up in your starting bid) how does this work because my basic maths is not calculating it and it sounds like a con to get you to do it their way and after a few twists and turns, you'll end up in the same place anyway (same fees and the number of buyers interested in free postage gained while losing those who are savy enough to know it isn't really a saving).