balihai
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posted on July 19, 2002 01:17:52 AM
HOLY COW, I just recieved my sellers fees from Ebay. A whopping $221.00 for one month. Something is definatley wrong as I only list between 15 to 20 auctions per week. Hell I would have had to sell a few thousand dollars worth of merchandise to get that kind of a bill.
Forget getting ahold of them on a dispute with the bill. They are driving me nuts!! Anyone have this happen to them???
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lylecherner
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posted on July 19, 2002 07:08:21 AM
If you don;'t like the fees, don't list!
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alwaysfun
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posted on July 19, 2002 07:13:07 AM
Well, your post is interesting as you don't really tell us anything that can help to figure if you are paying too much.
As you said you probably average 75 auctions a month and with a bill like that it is about $3 per item to sell. But you didn't say if the items you sell are worth $2 each or $200 each.
I figure that I try and keep eBay fees to about 4-6% of the final value. Example: if I sell an item for $50.00 then the break down is as follows:
30 cents to list
25 cents for gallery
5 cents for buy it now
$1.65 for final value fee
$2.25 is the total to sell widget w/ eBay
that $2.25 is about 4.5% of the final value. Plus then I have to pay paypal fees if they pay via paypal, etc.
So, it seems that if the amount of your items are around $40 and above then you don't have a problem.
But also there is a consideration that you may be adding to many bells and whistles to your auctions. Are you putting things in the gallery that will only sell for a few dollars??? Are you putting highlight or bold feature on items under $50? Or worse then that, the featured option?, which is great for something that you really need to stand out in a category that you know will sell for hundreds of dollars... but not worth it for items under a certain amount.
Do you put a reserve on items worth only $25? That is a waste of time as well. Do you start the bidding out at $10? That is the silliest mistake sellers make, as the listing fee for a $9.99 item is 30 cents and once you start it as $10 then you pay I think, 55 cents...so you are paying an additional quarter to guarantee you get a penny more out of the auction.
So, basically what I am saying is that before you start saying you are paying too much, you need to figure out what it is that you are adding to your auctions to increase the amount it costs to list or you need to see what % per item it breaks down to vs. the amount it sold for.
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mrfoxy76
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posted on July 19, 2002 07:15:34 AM
WHAT U SELLING?
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kiara
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posted on July 19, 2002 07:39:17 AM
This page has all the costs of listing on ebay. Did you use any of the listing upgrades like featured auctions, highlighting, etc?
http://pages.ebay.com/help/sellerguide/selling-fees.html
I figure it this way. Try running a RL business with high rent and high overhead and the real costs of newspaper advertising to draw in customers. Then compare it with ebay and think of the wide audience you reach for such a pittance.
But do be careful about the extra features you use when you list because it can add up quickly. I still think the gallery is money well spent though.
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marcn
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posted on July 19, 2002 08:02:44 AM
Only $221! I wish mine were that low, I pay over $500 every month on average and many times more.
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balihai
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posted on July 19, 2002 08:43:20 AM
He you guys were really helpful. I see now how much I am paying. I sell Turquoise Jewelry. I guess the bill is right. My user name is diamante65 on Ebay. I also sell DVD's, but some jerk marked me bad already because he didn't get his game. Another issue I would like to address ata later time.
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mrfoxy76
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posted on July 19, 2002 08:52:53 AM
you didnt insure the item that was silly did you get DC?
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balihai
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posted on July 19, 2002 09:04:22 AM
I offer insurance, he didn't take it. I don't offer DC. How much does that run? Also he says everytime he has e-mailed me that I don't respond and I have. He lives in HI. I offered a refund to him on my last e-mail that he says he never got. Then he did a Fraud thing with Ebay. This is a crazy buyer!!
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bidsbids
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posted on July 19, 2002 09:04:42 AM
The sellers that hate the eBay fees the most seem to be the unsuccessful ones. They either list too high or have too restrictive a TOS or shipping fees are too high and then complain when theirs items do not sell.
eBay is a tough street to live on.
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balihai
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posted on July 19, 2002 09:07:56 AM
I'm a newbie at Ebay so I'm trying to figure it out. I really appreciate what ALWAYSFUN had to say. I have been successful and am going to quit adding bells and whistles to my listings.
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Japerton
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posted on July 19, 2002 09:51:59 AM
Hi folks...
Not to derail this thread.
My TOS says insurance is optional, but I am adding a Delivery Confirmation as a must.
Thoughts?
Also, I say in my TOS on my About me page that I will add insurance mandatorily if I think it's necessary.
Thanks folks!
This joint rules!
Just thinking out loud...
Japerton
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bidsbids
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posted on July 19, 2002 10:25:42 AM
Factor the DC cost into the shipping cost.
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marcn
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posted on July 19, 2002 12:25:01 PM
Japerton:
If you use something like Endicia or print your postage from the USPS web site, DC is free.
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nharmon
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posted on July 19, 2002 03:04:13 PM
Hi Marcn
I too have been using the USPS page where the dc is free- it is great 
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Libra63
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posted on July 19, 2002 04:20:57 PM
I have started to do this. I either sell 1st class package or Priority Mail. I always use a DC. I always ask for insurance but seldom get it so, I never tell my buyer that there is a DC on my package. That is my secret. If he writes and tells me he didn't receive it I check the DC. But usually when they receive their package they see the DC so that stops a potential problem.
As sellers we have to CAA.
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Japerton
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posted on July 19, 2002 08:54:41 PM
Thanks folks!
Libra63
Does CAA mean Cover All Aspects?
Or am I out of the loop?
Japerton
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