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View Full Version : Just sold a tool on Ebay and was surprised at the fee charged



Ray Bohn
10-26-2014, 6:03 PM
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

Jim Koepke
10-26-2014, 7:11 PM
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

Brian Elfert
10-26-2014, 8:46 PM
Most of the time Ebay doesn't charge a listing fee anymore. You only pay if it sells.

David Weaver
10-26-2014, 8:55 PM
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.

Mike Hollingsworth
10-26-2014, 10:10 PM
Very little cost to list. That's why 90% is way overpriced.

Tony Joyce
10-27-2014, 8:56 AM
It's 10% of final price, plus 10% of shipping charge also. No listing fees if you start low enough.

Matt Meiser
10-27-2014, 9:11 AM
It's 10% of final price, plus 10% of shipping charge also. No listing fees if you start low enough.

Guess that was their response to people selling an item for $10 less and charging an extra $10 for shipping.

Brian Elfert
10-27-2014, 10:06 AM
Guess that was their response to people selling an item for $10 less and charging an extra $10 for shipping.

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.

David Weaver
10-27-2014, 10:13 AM
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.

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.

Mike Henderson
10-27-2014, 10:17 AM
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

Malcolm Schweizer
10-27-2014, 10:19 AM
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.

Moses Yoder
10-27-2014, 5:25 PM
Ebay is just one tool in a tool box full.

Brian Elfert
10-27-2014, 11:16 PM
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.

Tony Joyce
10-28-2014, 10:20 AM
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.

Brian Elfert
10-28-2014, 12:10 PM
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.

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.

Tony Joyce
10-28-2014, 1:55 PM
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.

If you are a buyer on eBay you would never know. Only as a seller would you find out they are higher and what are your options then? Oh, I did it all through eBay. I was using correct package weights and sizes, that were given by eBay and double checked on my end. I won't add a handling fee, because I don't buy from anyone who does. Plus I'm sure you still pay the 10% fee on that also.

Doug W Swanson
10-28-2014, 2:23 PM
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.

I sold some old car stereo equipment a few months ago. Since I didn't want to box the stuff up in case it didn't sell, I made sure to add in a little extra to the shipping weight. That way I had a little buffer.
And when I did some checking on the shipping after the fact, Ebay gave me a huge discount on shipping vs what USPS quoted me. I think Ebay charged me $22 for USPS Priority mail while USPS wanted $40....

Mike Chance in Iowa
10-28-2014, 4:51 PM
I don't sell on ebay, but I've heard from ebay sellers that they save a lot of money when they use ebay's shipping labels. As an ebay seller, they can also use stamps.com for free, but the postage rates are not as cheap as using ebay's labels. I found this link online regarding ebay's labels and how much sellers can save. http://pages.ebay.com/usps/USPSsavings.html According to that page, a Medium Flat Rate box can be shipped for $10.74 via ebay labels, while stamps.com charges $11.30, and USPS would charge $12.35 if you paid at the post office. Of course, you can only use that savings or items you sold thru ebay...

Judson Green
10-30-2014, 1:25 PM
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.


Yeah I concur with David

Ray,

Etsy is much less expensive (~3%, IIRC) the only caveat being the item has to be handmade or vintage. I also feel the it was easier to set up an account. Try it out. I've no affiliation just a happy customer/user. And I'm not selling tools there, those I would sell here in the classifieds.