Ebay seller charges

[my_wishes_and_dreams]

Instead of continually picking on the sellers perhaps it is time that the buyers shared some of the burden of the fvf.After all, if I increase my postage fees to cover the new Ebay fees then that is added to my fvf. it then becomes a circle of what to charge. ie.Postage is $7.20.Ebay takes 72 cents. Increase postage to $7.92. Ebay takes 79 cents. If I increase the price of the item to cover costs, then Ebay will take 9.9% of thae increase. Prices for goods,with maybe the exception of China are going to skyrocket and in the end make selling here unviable.

[*crikey*mate*]

You can't add the fees to the postage amount. They are an operating expense and must be added to the product cost.

[gec2002]

Yes if your item costs $5 and you sell for $10 and postage is $7.20

Currently

FVF $0.99, Listing $1.50, Paypal $0.71  Total $3.20  Profit $1.80
New
FVF $1.70, Listing $1.50, Paypal $0.71  Total $3.91  Profit $1.09  A 40% decrease

To get back to your $1.80 profit  you must increase your selling price to $10.81

FVF $1.78, Listing $1.50, Paypal $0.73  Total $4.01  Profit $1.80

So to  maintain your profit margin with 0% change

eBay make an extra 31.7% in Listing and FVFs
Paypal make an extra 2.8% in fees

and the poor old buyer pays an extra 8%

But its all for the good of Buyers and Sellers. Yeah!

[gec2002]

You can't add the fees to the postage amount. They are an operating expense and must be added to the product cost.

Garbage.  You can add the fees were ever you want.  eBay is charging fees for service they don't provide so can sellers.  It just makes no difference now the FVF fees will increase either way.

[*crikey*mate*]

eBay are not charging a fee for a service that they don't provide.

fine, add your expenses anywhere you want to, but your accountant and the ATO will object if you don't categorize your expenses correctly.

[fred_foofighter]

fine, add your expenses anywhere you want to, but your accountant and the ATO will object if you don't categorize your expenses correctly.

They are not talking about how it is reported in the accounts but were the fee is added on the eBay auction.  So Yes they can. 

[broncraft]

So to  maintain your profit margin with 0% change

eBay make an extra 31.7% in Listing and FVFs
Paypal make an extra 2.8% in fees

and the poor old buyer pays an extra 8%

But its all for the good of Buyers and Sellers. Yeah!                                                                                                                               

That is exactly right. it will be the buyers that suffer, and if they don't  buy as much, our and ebay's profits will be down.

Good on ya Ebay sounds like a step in the right  wrong direction. Time will tell I guess!!

[*crikey*mate*]

---

@fred_foofighter wrote:

fine, add your expenses anywhere you want to, but your accountant and the ATO will object if you don't categorize your expenses correctly.

They are not talking about how it is reported in the accounts but were the fee is added on the eBay auction.  So Yes they can. 

---

eBay ironically have a policy which prohibits the false inflation of postage costs. They are quite clear about which costs may be added to a postage charge. They are also quite clear that general operating costs cannot be added to the displayed postage and handling price.

Consequently, by adding an operating expense (and an amount not approved by ebay) to the declared postage and handling cost, it is in breach of eBay policy, and thus encouraging/advising members to add the fee into this price, is encouragiung them and misleading them into breaching eBay policy which may see them penalized.

So from my side of the computer screen, it seems more prudent to explain to other members how to do things the correct and approved way, not to mention the legally acceptable way, rather than setting them up for negative ramifications.

[thecatspjs]

The new expense could be rolled it into a "handling" cost, if you don't have one already, or you have a low / reasonable existing one - as long as you are not transparent with your buyers and do not mention it you will be fine to operate in accordance with eBay policy that encourage such practices.

*Tongue firmly in cheek*

[jensmanchester-australia]

I wouldn't be surprised to see ebay remove the excessive postage and handling policy as it formed part of the avoiding ebay fees policy.

Now that they are going to be charging fees on postage, fee avoidance will not be an issue for ebay.