Is eBay Testing Zero Listing Fee Model?

by: RKTOYS

And yes it is approximately 15%
10% to eBay
3% to PayPal (4% if foreign-registered buyer)
30c to PayPal (1% of $30)
That adds up to 14% or 15% depending on the circumstances.

by: 27tcle

Pretty sure the recent shipping cost increases has killed off the low end in that catagory.

by: toolguy

@toys

Item $15
shipping $15

Total $30

15% fees would be $4.50

I know what your thinking, $4.50 is 30% percent of the $15 price of the item.

Yes, that would be correct

But most sellers like myself charge and extra 15% on shipping to pay eBay's fvf fees on shipping.

I charge $3 for 1st class $2.77 & $7 for Flat Rate Priority that cost me $6.25.

My buyers are footing that bill not me!

by: Donkey

Ebay seems to be testing a zero sales model on my store this past month.
Terrible month.

by: Volvo351

@Donkey

You 'pinned the tail on it' - zero sales = zero fees!

by: Volvo351

@eXtinct

The site would be 'cluttered' with relists? You mean the way your local Walmart or Target is 'cluttered' with stuff they have for sale THIS week, b/c it didn't sell LAST week? And even if they DID sell a boatload of it last week, they restocked to make MORE MONEY this week, 'cuz everybody's gotta eat EVERY week?

by: RKTOYS

@toolguy
Sure, you can do that, and then you risk buyers hitting your DSRs for "overcharging" on shipping.  I've done calculated shipping all along (USPS online discount used to cancel out the fee) and I still get dinged from time to time.  As much as I hate psychological games, I've really considered jacking up prices and offering "free" shipping...

by: Volvo351

@RKTOYS

The FVF thievery on shipping is precisely why I charge $16 for a MEDIUM Flat Rate Box, and $20 for a Large. I have a disclaimer in my listing that says "Shipping is my actual cost at the USPS counter plus additional costs imposed by the selling venue. I do not make a profit on shipping." IOW, what the customer pays for shipping is what feebay REQUIRES me to charge!

by: Bill

@RKTOYS

I charge the same rates for shipping that toolguy does and I have all 5.0 on my DSR's. I sell collectable items only and have been doing that since '99 on eBay. I used to charge the retail rate but when eBay started taking the the vig on the shipping I upped my shipping charges.

by: The End

"That's what I TOLD him"  :o)

by: Marie

@tool

I do similar to what you do on shipping charges as well.  My DSRs are just fine as well.  For the vast majority of the time, buyers are reasonable people.  There will however always be those buyers that are not.  And it wouldn't matter what we do as sellers that will make them happy.

@RK

It isn't ''overcharging'' on shipping.  The ''H'' in S&H has a purpose.  As long as sellers are reasonable and don't get greedy, it typically isn't a problem in most cases.  

Offering Free Shipping can be a wise move on many products.  Yes you need to roll the cost of shipping into the price you charge for the product, but that is only because it is a cost of the selling the product.  I have found that free shipping works quite well on some products and not so much on others.  So I do both as I have a variety of stuff I sell.

by: JQ

@digger,

Half.com is a zombie site. I used to sell a few items a month on it. Last year I made less than $100 there. I stopped even listing there this year. It literally is not worth the thirty seconds it takes to create a listing there. No one should think of it as a viable selling site.

Ebay originally acquired the site with the intention of simply shutting it down. It has taken them a long time, but their overall plan for Half.com has remained the same. They have no intention of actually running it as an on going concern.

by: JQ

I see everyone's point about the 20% FVF fee not working at all for more expensive items. Maybe eBay could create a scaled fee program where the FVF was 20% for sales of up to $10, and then declining at higher levels.

My average sale comes out to about $5 before shipping. I am sure that is very much on the low end of eBay sellers.

by: Marie

@JQ
Personally I don't like the idea of Ebay doubling FVFs [more than double in many cases], so that some sellers feel better about restricting certain sellers from listing too many things.

In doing something like this, it would hurt many sellers and may even eliminate a whole lot of casual and small sellers.  Most posters here scream a lot about how Ebay is always hurting the small sellers, so why is this different?

by: FEEbay

Reverb.com is kicking EBay's butt with their 3.5% commission rate on guitars, amps, pedals, etc.... but there is more.... Reverb actually provides a "neutral" marketplace, and doesn't operate from the position that all sellers are evil, treacherous, scum!!
It's funny how a well run, NEUTRAL marketplace like Reverb.... facilitates great, non adversarial transactions between buyer and seller  

by: digger

JQ - I did well (some two-week payments of $200+) on Half.com for years until they imposed the new 25% fee.  I was forced to raise my prices and ever since it has been the disaster you speak of. There are still lots of listers and it doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon.