ExecutiveGirl
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posted on January 6, 2001 08:59:02 PM
Just came across an auction that states buyer is to pay S&H + ebay fees.
Isn't that against Ebay policy?
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imabrit
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posted on January 6, 2001 09:08:37 PM
Yes thats a NO NO probably from Canada.Hahaha
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kellyb1
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posted on January 6, 2001 09:18:30 PM
While I think it is a slimy and unethical thing to do, it is NOT agaist ebay policy. The only fee that a seller can't pass on to the bidder is a fee for using a credit card. In many states this is even illegal to do.
I went through all of ebay's policy and didn't find anything that said passing on the ebay fees is agaist ebay policy.
I myself would never buy from a seller than did this.
 Kelly
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ptimko
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posted on January 6, 2001 09:53:17 PM
I'm sure I've read somewhere on eBay that the seller wasn't allowed to charge for eBay fees. May as well be adding a buyer's premium to the auction...
I would just move on to the next item, even if it's not against the rules...
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mrpotatoheadd
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posted on January 6, 2001 11:21:34 PM
As far as I'm concerned, you can put all the fees you want in your auction and I'll still bid, if the price is right.
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twelvepole
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posted on January 6, 2001 11:39:43 PM
Yeah but Mrpotatoehead, you don't know which fees you are paying.... he might charge you for ALL their eBay fees for every auction they have running.
Ain't Life Grand... 
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mrpotatoheadd
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posted on January 6, 2001 11:45:59 PM
If they tell me what all the fees will be, I don't care. They can charge me for the Coke they drank while listing the auction if they want- that's just fine- just as long as I know before I bid what the costs are going to be.
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CAgrrl
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posted on January 7, 2001 12:56:03 AM
I'm with you mrpotatohead.
As a matter of fact almost all sellers do pass on their ebay fees to the customer, but they build them into their opening bid price or handling charge or whatever instead of declaring in their TOS that the buyer will pay them. Don't kid yourself, the buyers are pretty much paying for everything, ebay fees included, MOST of the time. If that weren't the case I don't think you'd find many sellers on Ebay.
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HartCottageQuilts
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posted on January 7, 2001 05:59:26 AM
If as a bidder I'm supposed to pay ebay fees on an item, the higher I bid, the higher the fees I'll have to pay.
Yeah, that'd encourage ME to bid....
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Microbes
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posted on January 7, 2001 06:37:59 AM
This could be spooky... Was it a "Featured Auction" ($99.95)? was it Hi-lighted with yellow ($5.00)? A Reserve Auction ($1.00)? Bold Heading ($2.00)? Featured in the Gallery (19.95)? Have a Gift Icon ($1.00)? Listed in 2 Catagories (Double above)?
Looks like $257.80 before Final Value Fees...
It better be something NICE
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goodvibrations
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posted on January 7, 2001 07:13:36 AM
As a buyer I'm already rethinking what I'm bidding on as the shipping fees have all been raised to cover the postal fee raise. I'm not bidding on quite a few things these days because it's not worth it to me to pay the shipping (even when the shipping isn't exorbitant but just enough to cover the new raised fees plus a small handling fee). If a seller tried to fold in additional fees, I would likely skip it UNLESS it was a unique, vintage item that had captured my heart and I just HAD to have it. Then I'd probably pay whatever the seller wanted. However, I would say that happens once out of every 50 bids I make. So....the other 49 sellers better be 1) keeping fees reasonable and 2) bundling together items to make even the reasonable fees worthwhile (I am not going to bid on a 5 dollar item and pay 5 dollar shipping, but I will bid on a 15 dollar "bundle" and pay 5 dollars shipping.
Just something to think about.
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vargas
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posted on January 7, 2001 08:11:00 AM
It depends on the total cost of the item, including the fees. If it all falls within the range I'm willing to pay and all the other auction factors match my bidding criteria, I'd still bid.
If the "pay my quarter + FVF eBay fees" terms scare off enough other bidders, I might get a really good deal!
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lizp2
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posted on January 7, 2001 08:18:30 AM
It occurs to me that in the final analysis, the buyer does pay eBay fees, unless the seller is 1) attempting to lose money or 2) is incredibly generous or stupid.
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ExecutiveGirl
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posted on January 7, 2001 08:20:55 AM
Paying a seller's ebay fees is one thing when it's built into the bid amount. Having to pay all of the seller's fees on TOP of your bid amount & S&H is another thing.
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lizp2
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posted on January 7, 2001 09:28:59 AM
I agree, seems too complex to add it in as a separate charge. I think any sensible seller would calculate and take it into account. I do.
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abingdoncomputers
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posted on January 7, 2001 02:22:32 PM
mrpotatoheadd hit the nail squarely on the head (yet again). As a buyer, I could care less if I'm paying this or that fee when I bid on an item.
A good price is a good deal.
A bad price is a bad deal.
Plain and simple.
I would never bid more than what I consider to be a fair price for an item. To do so would be stupid on my part.
I would never pass up a good deal on an item that I need or want just because this or that fee is being passed on to me. Again, that would be stupid on my part.
I know that when I shop at Wal-Mart, part of the cost of my purchases will go to pay the electric bill and other misc. expenses. But I still shop at Wal-Mart because I can get good deals.
When I bid on ebaY, I know that part of the cost of the item will be used to pay ebaY fees. For the seller not to pass these fees along to me (the buyer) would be incredibly stupid and the seller wouldn't be a seller for very long unless he/she is rich and sells on ebaY simply as a hobby.
A good price is a good deal.
A high price is a bad deal.
Whether or not the price is good or bad is 100% dependent on the value of the item. The fact that the seller may or may not pass on fees to the buyer (me) is completely irrelevant.
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ExecutiveGirl
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posted on January 7, 2001 02:40:57 PM
BUT - as Microbes pointed out, what if you are unsure exactly what fees were going to be passed on to you? What if they bolded it, or put it in the gallery (you can't tell that just by looking at the auction) and expect you to repay that too? The seller should at LEAST put in the exact amount they will be charging you. Nothing like being "surprised" at the grand total.
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ptimko
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posted on January 7, 2001 03:02:35 PM
I agree, does the buyer realize just what the eBay fees might be?
Let's see for a simple $50.00 starting bid I have:
insertion fee $2.00
bold face: $2.00
Gift Icon: $1.00
gallery: $0.25
-----
Total $5.25
now add in the final value fee...
And this is just a simple auction where I've added a few things to bring attention to the auction which the buyer may not even notice...
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triplesnack
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posted on January 7, 2001 03:29:13 PM
I gotta agree with ptimco here.
An additional charge, other than S&H, added to the final selling price, that is in part a percentage of the final selling price? Call it "paying eBay's fees" -- but it sure sounds like a buyer's premium to me, and that's not allowed.
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