[OP]
Member
I haven't sold much on Ebay in the past, but I do not remember being charged 10%.
Is this a standard rate?
Is there anything one can do to lower the rate?
If I have anything else to sell in the future, I will be probably doing it through forums.
Thanks
Contributor
My recollection is 10% was their cut last time anything of mine was listed on ebay.
Ebay used to be a much wider market for sellers. Now it seems a high price for people who are trying to clear a few things out of the garage. This used to be how so many good deals came on the market.
I haven't listed there in awhile. Do they still charge for listing even if something doesn't sell?
That kind of turned me off. You would have to figure the minimum based not only the listing fee, but the 'ebay tax' which would jack up the listing fee.
As a contributor here one just figures out what the item should bring and put it in the classifieds. Here most people add the shipping into the listing price.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Contributor
Most of the time Ebay doesn't charge a listing fee anymore. You only pay if it sells.
Guest
Yes, 10% of final value fee plus paypal fees. They're public and the only way for them to increase revenue is to increase fees. They figured out long ago that they're better off waiving most listing fees to maximize the amount of crap (and I do mean that it's often utter crap) listed, and take money on the back end instead, and as much as they can.
One can only hope that etsy continues to grow. For now, etsy is hit or miss. Sometimes you find something a third the price of ebay's price, but most often, you find stuff remaining where people have no clue on price.
Member
Very little cost to list. That's why 90% is way overpriced.
Contributor
It's 10% of final price, plus 10% of shipping charge also. No listing fees if you start low enough.
"Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.”
Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."
Henry Ford
Member
Guess that was their response to people selling an item for $10 less and charging an extra $10 for shipping.Originally Posted by Tony Joyce
Contributor
Sellers were doing a lot more outlandish things than that with shipping charges. It was not uncommon to see items listed between a penny and 99 cents with a shipping fee of $20 to $30 when the true shipping cost was $5 or less.
Guest
I remember that. They also had return policies that didn't include shipping. Ebay has a button now to report anyone who is charging excessive shipping prices.
I think they give you the listing option to include a shipping surcharge (which could cover fees), but IME, selling stuff on ebay even with regular shipping can be a detriment.
Contributor
While 10% is a fair sized cut, eBay does give you access to a very large pool of potential buyers - bigger than you're going to get anywhere else. Look at what auction houses charge for a comparison, although many charge a buyer's premium.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Contributor
They don't call it "FeeBay" for nothing! I buy all the time, but only have sold twice, and it was disappointing. They get 10% of sale, 10% of shipping, and a cut of the PayPal transaction. Also lately eBay seems to be taken over with cheap Chinese imitations of items. Search for "woodworking chisel" and get hundreds of cheap knockoffs that you must filter through to get to anything decent.
Member
Ebay is just one tool in a tool box full.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "You don't have to give birth to someone to have a family." (Sandra Bullock)
Contributor
I will do an occasional Ebay listing when I have something to sell that isn't very popular and needs a national audience to find a buyer. The last item I sold I listed it with a starting bid and then a much higher buy-it-now price with $10 shipping. (Ebay required the BIN price be 30% higher than the starting bid.) Luckily, it sold for the high BIN price as the buyer was in Anchorage, Alaska. It cost me way more than $10 shipping to ship the item. I paid about $50 with USPS and UPS/Fedex wanted over $225 for the same package! I'm sure the buyer bought it because the shipping was low for Alaska.
Contributor
When I sold a few items recently, I discovered that shipping was much higher than their shipping calculator shows. Meaning it not only cost me more than I got for shipping, but also higher user fees on actual shipping costs.
"Only those who have the patience to do simple things perfectly will acquire the skill to do difficult things easily.”
Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805)
"Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."
Henry Ford
Contributor
If it was consistently wrong then I don't know why anyone would use it. The rates are based on the shipping costs if you go through Ebay and print a shipping label online. You also have to be right about package size and weight. If you go to the post office and just pay there you will pay more.
I have never used the calculator when I sell. I just offer free or flat rate shipping. You can add a handling fee to shipping which helps with the 10% that Ebay charges.
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