eBay is raising fees even as it makes more demands on its sellers. The bad news came in the third and final Seller Update announced today.
eBay explained, "We are increasing our investment in our platform, marketing efforts, and tools to enhance both the seller and buyer experience."
But the decision to raise fees comes less than 3 weeks after eBay revealed another quarter of stalled growth, coming in at single-digit sales growth compared to Etsy and Amazon's strong double-digit growth in sales.
One change in fees is remarkable as it comes at a time when consumers are turning to digital content (ebooks, music subscriptions, and streaming movies), including from its arch rival: eBay is increasing commission fees for the Books and DVDS & Movies categories to 12%, and is removing the fee advantage it had given to Store owners:
Starting September 15, 2018, the final value fees for Books, and DVDs & Movies categories will increase from 9.15% to 12% for Store subscribers and from 10% to 12% for non-Store sellers.
Starting September 15, 2018, the final value fees for the Music category will also increase from 9.15% to 12% for both Store subscribers and non-Store sellers, with the exception of the Records category, which will remain at 9.15% for Store subscribers and 10% for non-Store sellers.
Some auction sellers use a Reserve price when they are uncertain if eBay will be able to net them a profitable selling price on auction listings, but that safety net is becoming more expensive:
Starting September 15, 2018, the feature fee for Reserve price will increase to either $5 or 7.5%, whichever is greater and the Reserve fee cap will increase from $100 to $250. In some Business & Industrial categories, the feature fee will remain at a flat fee of $5.
And sellers who try to boost visibility in search results by paying extra to include a Subtitle in listings, or use a Value Pack, will also see fees go up in certain cases:
The feature fee for Subtitle will increase from $0.50 to $1 for listings with 1-, 3-, 5-, 7- and 10-day listing durations and an item price of up to $150, and from $1 to $3 for listings with an item price of more than $150. For 30-day duration and Good 'Til Cancelled listings with an item price up to $150, the feature fee will remain unchanged at $1.50. For 30-day duration and Good 'Til Cancelled listings with an item price of more than $150, the feature fee will increase to $6.
The feature fee for Value Pack will increase from $0.65 to $1.15 for listings with 1-, 3-, 5-, 7- and 10-day listing durations and an item price of up to $150, and from $1.30 to $3.15 for listings with an item price of more than $150. For 30-day duration and Good 'Til Cancelled listings with an item price up to $150, the feature fee will remain unchanged at $2. For 30-day duration and Good 'Til Cancelled listings with an item price of more than $150, the feature fee will increase to $6.50.
And finally, eBay is removing the incentive to list auctions for lower-volume sellers:
Starting October 4, 2018, unlimited insertion fee credits for auction-style listings that end in a sale will be available exclusively to US and Canadian Store subscribers with Basic, Premium, Anchor, and Enterprise Store subscriptions. Starter Store subscribers and non-Store sellers will no longer receive these insertion fee credits. Only listings created after you sign up for a Store subscription will be eligible for a credit.
At the same time eBay is raising fees, it's delivering less (see eBay's second-quarter results) and demanding more, pressuring sellers to offer free 30-day returns, forcing them into the new Seller Hub, and charging them penalty fees for having high rates of SNAD returns. In addition, eBay is giving such sellers less visibility, announcing today, "Starting November 1, 2018, if you have very high rates of "item not received" requests, you may be subject to extended delivery estimates in affected categories."
There are a
many changes coming as part of the
Fall Seller Update, be sure to read and study all of the changes, and then let us know how the changes will impact you.
Fall Update: eBay Raises Fees as It Makes More Demands on Sellers
by: MainelyVintage 
by: Rexford 
by: toolguy