New Ebay fee structure

[passion4comics]

How about a simple flat insertion fee for using their service. A $2 item takes as much hard drive space as a $2000 item. Between all of the fees I give Ebay and Paypal about 15% of what I get if and when I sell something.

 

How about a flat fee for items sold by %. None of these siding scales that confuse everyone. Similar to the push for the IRS to charge a flat rate. Why do I need an accounting degree to understand what my fees are when I am selling on Ebay?

 

I'm also surprised Ebay hasn't been hammered for using Paypal only. Isn't that anti-competitive?

 

I sold a hand full of video games and was hit with a huge fee based on the small $10 sale and had to take a hit on shipping. I ship USPS Priority $4.95 only to find out they cap shipping on video games at $4. Their prices are making Brick and Mortar shops look more attractive every month.

 

Just venting...

[EastEnd]

I can't see this plan to charge FVF on shipping lasting... just way to complicated to apply (combined shipping scenarios strike me as disasters waiting to happen) and invariably will lead to fewer sales as Sellers jack up their costs to cover the Ebay take. It would have been much easier for Ebay to replace the lost revenue from free listings by simply tinkering with the FVF rates or the thresholds when they kick in. Gotta tell you, I spent a good hour last night trying to understand the Ebay fee structure and what the cheapest approach to selling might be and my head hurt at the end of it. Ebay is just getting way too complicated... it's only going to hurt them in the end. They desperately need a real competitor to emerge to force them to think a bit more clearly about what they want to do.

[mycomicshop]

(combined shipping scenarios strike me as disasters waiting to happen)

 

Yes--if a buyer goes through checkout multiple times instead of grouping everything into one checkout, this discourages sellers from consolidating the orders into one shipment and refunding the excess shipping back to the buyer. Ebay's going to charge a FVF on each individual shipping charge and not know about the consolidation happening outside of their system. Perhaps they'll support a way to let the eBay fee tracker know when you've consolidated shipping, but that sounds like a hassle even if they do support it.

[mrmitchgro]

Should be an enormous new revenue stream for ebay. Not only charging on shipping but charging it on shipping fees that can't do anything but go instantly higher when the change is instituted because sellers will have no choice but to increase their shipping costs.

 

I'm thinking back and realize I have had numerous comic auctions where the shipping was more than the cost of the books. Under the new format feebay would literally double their take on those auctions.

 

Not to mention that every time postal rates go up feebay stands to make a lot of money.

 

I'm seriously thinking about loading up on ebay stock. This change has the potential to dramatically increase their revenues.

 

Yes it will increase revenues in the short term. The question is whether or not they can keep their customer base over the long term. Based on the company's history of changing fee structures every few months and the customer dissatisfaction we've read about here (mine included), I think that retention will be a huge issue for them going forward.

 

Just something to keep in mind before you buy that stock (thumbs u

[skypinkblu]

I can't see this plan to charge FVF on shipping lasting... just way to complicated to apply (combined shipping scenarios strike me as disasters waiting to happen) and invariably will lead to fewer sales as Sellers jack up their costs to cover the Ebay take. It would have been much easier for Ebay to replace the lost revenue from free listings by simply tinkering with the FVF rates or the thresholds when they kick in. Gotta tell you, I spent a good hour last night trying to understand the Ebay fee structure and what the cheapest approach to selling might be and my head hurt at the end of it. Ebay is just getting way too complicated... it's only going to hurt them in the end. They desperately need a real competitor to emerge to force them to think a bit more clearly about what they want to do.

 

I'm so glad you said that, I thought it was just me....

 

Paypal still messes up combined shipping. When you look at your detailed payment page, it's correct, but when you go to the page to print the postage, it posts the amounts the buyers would have paid if you didn't combine them.

 

I can see it taking hours to figure out IF they did it correctly, and then spending time on the phone. I don't think I'd have the patience and it would not be cost effective for someone in business.

 

 

 

For expensive items, the only way to go will now, would be to offer free shipping, otherwise it's too convoluted, it's selling SMALL items that is going to hurt. I do my best to figure out the least expensive way to ship, but sometimes you can only do that after the auctions end. I am either going to have to stop doing that, or just suck up the extra 9%, sell my lower priced stuff asap and quit, unless it's an item I can do free shipping on.

 

They were trying to get people to do 99 cent auctions, this might stop people again, another change in direction.

[mschmidt]

I saw what Mike posted before in regard to fees on International shipping and it IS in the FAQ's, however, I'm not sure if that applies to non store listings, since this is how it's worded in the main body of information and the FAQ does not specify both.

July 6—Fixed Price (Store and Standard) and Store Auction-style Final Value Fee rates reduced and applied to the total amount of the sale—including shipping.

 

* When an international or 1-day shipping service is offered and selected by your buyer, your Final Value Fee is calculated on the least expensive of your options—your international/1-day option OR the first domestic service offered other than 1-day. If your buyer chooses international shipping and you specified free shipping as your first domestic option, you pay zero Final Value Fees on shipping.

Well, it definitely applies to non-store fixed-price listings - but, yeah, it's unclear whether it applies to non-store auction listings as well.

 

 

It's also interesting that they specify that you cannot mark something as a gift if it's sent internationally, that it's against the law, I wonder how that will affect buyers?

 

# Represent the value of the item (closing price) accurately on customs forms. And don't mark an international item as a gift on customs forms. It's against the law.

It's always been against the law to mark an item that you've sold to someone as a gift on the customs forms - I don't think it'll affect buyers one bit (eg. I consistently mark items as gifts, and have no intentions of stopping this practice).

[COI]

Sweet, more reasons for people not to ship to me.

 

I'm done with Ebay. 'em.

 

Based on the additional verbiage that mschmidt posted a few pages back, I don't think there's any reason why this change should cause anyone to change their policy to no longer ship internationally. I think most of the reaction to that effect was posted prior to the additional verbiage that mschmidt posted. Of course I could have missed something...

 

I understand, but seeing as how most ebay sellers refusing to ship to Canada tend to be pretty irrational about the whole thing, I'm counting on knee-jerk reactions from those sellers who I practically have to beg to ship to me right now.

[mschmidt]

Sweet, more reasons for people not to ship to me.

 

I'm done with Ebay. 'em.

 

Based on the additional verbiage that mschmidt posted a few pages back, I don't think there's any reason why this change should cause anyone to change their policy to no longer ship internationally. I think most of the reaction to that effect was posted prior to the additional verbiage that mschmidt posted. Of course I could have missed something...

 

I understand, but seeing as how most ebay sellers refusing to ship to Canada tend to be pretty irrational about the whole thing, I'm counting on knee-jerk reactions from those sellers who I practically have to beg to ship to me right now.

 

There are numerous sellers on this very board that won't ship overseas (or to Canada) and they don't pay FVFs on anything. I honestly don't think it has anything to do with fees incurred, but rather the perceived difficulty of handling an international shipment - which means that no matter what you do it's not really going to change their mind.

 

I'll happily ship anywhere in the world and almost a third of my ebay sales come from international buyers - it boggles my mind that sellers can be so short-sighted.

[Ringfinger]

E-Bay stinks!

[skypinkblu]

I saw what Mike posted before in regard to fees on International shipping and it IS in the FAQ's, however, I'm not sure if that applies to non store listings, since this is how it's worded in the main body of information and the FAQ does not specify both.

July 6—Fixed Price (Store and Standard) and Store Auction-style Final Value Fee rates reduced and applied to the total amount of the sale—including shipping.

 

* When an international or 1-day shipping service is offered and selected by your buyer, your Final Value Fee is calculated on the least expensive of your options—your international/1-day option OR the first domestic service offered other than 1-day. If your buyer chooses international shipping and you specified free shipping as your first domestic option, you pay zero Final Value Fees on shipping.

Well, it definitely applies to non-store fixed-price listings - but, yeah, it's unclear whether it applies to non-store auction listings as well.

 

 

It's also interesting that they specify that you cannot mark something as a gift if it's sent internationally, that it's against the law, I wonder how that will affect buyers?

 

# Represent the value of the item (closing price) accurately on customs forms. And don't mark an international item as a gift on customs forms. It's against the law.

It's always been against the law to mark an item that you've sold to someone as a gift on the customs forms - I don't think it'll affect buyers one bit (eg. I consistently mark items as gifts, and have no intentions of stopping this practice).

 

 

Actually, I never marked stuff as gifts until one of my buddies on here made me feel sorry for him...so now I just add some GIFTs...problem solved;)

[ComicConnoisseur]

With this new fee structure and the post office`s policy about media mail and comic books,the common comic book readers just got even more unprofitable to sell. Really us comic book collectors should complain to the post office.

An example of what I shipped today.

I shipped a dvd it cost me $1.90

I shipped a book it cost me $2.55

I shipped a comic book it cost me $4.99 because you can`t ship media mail.

We comic book sellers are getting screwed more then the other sellers.

[Ringfinger]

Seems the thing that revitalized the USPS after e-mail (E-Bay) is now screwing itself. High postage and high e-bay fees=bad for USPS yet again!!

[500Club]

I'm seriously thinking about loading up on ebay stock. This change has the potential to dramatically increase their revenues.

 

Yes it will increase revenues in the short term. The question is whether or not they can keep their customer base over the long term. Based on the company's history of changing fee structures every few months and the customer dissatisfaction we've read about here (mine included), I think that retention will be a huge issue for them going forward.

 

Just something to keep in mind before you buy that stock (thumbs u

 

If you're thinking of buying eBay stock, understand that Paypal is the driver of earnings growth for eBay, and not the core auction business.

 

This change in fee structure probably won't grow revenues at a rate significantly greater than the prior fee increases over the past few years.

[NewWorldOrder]

All I expect to see is sellers raising their shipping costs more to make what ever extra fees they incur from eBay off set.

 

Just like any walk of life pass on the expense to the consumer.

 

 

 

 

[NewWorldOrder]

With this new fee structure and the post office`s policy about media mail and comic books,the common comic book readers just got even more unprofitable to sell. Really us comic book collectors should complain to the post office.

An example of what I shipped today.

I shipped a dvd it cost me $1.90

I shipped a book it cost me $2.55

I shipped a comic book it cost me $4.99 because you can`t ship media mail.

We comic book sellers are getting screwed more then the other sellers.

 

Dude just lie and say it is books.

 

Been doing it for years, and so what if one or two packages get inspected once in a while wtf cares. Actually so far zero of my packages have ever gotten inspected, and I have shipped media mail all the time from many different postal offices in different states.

 

I just sent out 20 packages media and all my customers got them no problem and paid cheap shipping costs on eBay.

 

I love how DVD's have advertisements on the DVD, but yet comics are not considered media mail.

 

Screw you USPS.

 

Stupid rules should be made right by lying.

[mschmidt]

With this new fee structure and the post office`s policy about media mail and comic books,the common comic book readers just got even more unprofitable to sell. Really us comic book collectors should complain to the post office.

An example of what I shipped today.

I shipped a dvd it cost me $1.90

I shipped a book it cost me $2.55

I shipped a comic book it cost me $4.99 because you can`t ship media mail.

We comic book sellers are getting screwed more then the other sellers.

 

Why didn't you just send the comic book first class? A single well-protected book doesn't weigh more than 8-10 oz - which is $2.41-2.75 in first class postage.

[VintageComics]

With this new fee structure and the post office`s policy about media mail and comic books,the common comic book readers just got even more unprofitable to sell. Really us comic book collectors should complain to the post office.

An example of what I shipped today.

I shipped a dvd it cost me $1.90

I shipped a book it cost me $2.55

I shipped a comic book it cost me $4.99 because you can`t ship media mail.

We comic book sellers are getting screwed more then the other sellers.

 

Dude just lie and say it is books.

 

Been doing it for years, and so what if one or two packages get inspected once in a while wtf cares. Actually so far zero of my packages have ever gotten inspected, and I have shipped media mail all the time from many different postal offices in different states.

 

I just sent out 20 packages media and all my customers got them no problem and paid cheap shipping costs on eBay.

 

I love how DVD's have advertisements on the DVD, but yet comics are not considered media mail.

 

Screw you USPS.

 

Stupid rules should be made right by lying.

[lookwhoitis]

 

Stupid rules should be made right by lying.

 

 

 

[comicstock]

Why didn't you just send the comic book first class? A single well-protected book doesn't weigh more than 8-10 oz - which is $2.41-2.75 in first class postage.

I just sent one comic from NC to CA this morning via First Class paying postage thru Paypal. I protect books between 2 pieces of thick, corrugated cardboard, original comic w/ bag & board and bag again. I place 6 small pieces of scotch tape strategically along the corrugated cardboard to hold the book in place. I place within manila envelope w/ metal clasp, put the Paypal postage paid shipping label on the front of the envelope and then clear tape over the perimeter of the label. (I've been told not to clear tape over the barcode). I also tape around the perimeter of the manila envelope edges. A regular-sized comic weighs out at 6.3 oz. Cost $2.43 for 1st Class. This is probably supposed to go 1st Class Package rate (about 25-30 cents more) because it's not flexible but I've never, ever had a problem yet.

You should be able to ship 2 normal-sized comics within the 13 oz 1st Class limit for a little more.

[skypinkblu]

$3.45 13 oz 1st class, in a literature box, very safe, boards, bubble wrap and peanuts.