topic Re: Fee on postage in Selling

Fee on postage

2014auswit — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 20:56:25 GMT

Ebay's 10% on postage?Sticky fingers again.I had over 500 transactions over a few years and last year cancelled my account

due to very unprofessional paypal service.Lately I noticed simpler selling process and decided to give it another go.Do not know

whether it was a good decision.

Re: Fee on postage

treasuress.4207 — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 21:02:55 GMT

In total seriousness, and although I am currently selling here, I don't know that there is ANYTHING to do with Ebay that's a 'good' decision at the present time.

Lots of new bs.

For example - Paypal payments on newish accounts are now being held for 21 days.

Re: Fee on postage

collect247 — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 21:03:50 GMT

You said Lately I noticed simpler selling process and decided to give it another go, Wow if anything it has got more complicated and harder to sell

Re: Fee on postage

putney32 — Wed, 26 Nov 2014 21:04:11 GMT

@2014auswit wrote:
Ebay's 10% on postage?Sticky fingers again.I had over 500 transactions over a few years and last year cancelled my account
due to very unprofessional paypal service.Lately I noticed simpler selling process and decided to give it another go.Do not know
whether it was a good decision.

really?? in what way simpler

are you sure you have read the current Terms and Conditions of using eBay and Paypal?????????????????

Re: Fee on postage

2014auswit — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 09:46:59 GMT

You are right.I looked only at postage.It was a nightmare to go through in the past.Same crooks now.

@treasuress.4207 wrote:
In total seriousness, and although I am currently selling here, I don't know that there is ANYTHING to do with Ebay that's a 'good' decision at the present time.
Lots of new bs.
For example - Paypal payments on newish accounts are now being held for 21 days.

Re: Fee on postage

re-hashed — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 12:40:29 GMT

I saw over the years a few times how people would make their item price low and have expensive postage charges, obviously to circumvent ebay's fees. If the fees for postage are meant to guard against this they have made ebay no longer enjoyable. If I sell a book for 99 cents, and post using a 3kg satchel, the postage on that is $13.40 - I calculate the total fees at $2.07 (ebay and PayPal) - wiping out your meagre revenue. Make it pointless to sell anything for 99 cents anymore for heavier items. I enjoyed ebay as the place where I could sell stuff I didn't need, and it didn't matter what it sold for, at least it didn't cost me to do so. Now I face the prospect of losing money whenever I list. I'm afraid this will drive casual sellers away.

Re: Fee on postage

cq_tech — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 15:29:17 GMT

If it succeeds in driving away the ex-postage pirates then as far as I'm concerned it's no great loss and I'll be glad to see the backs of them. After all, they're the ones responsible in part for eBay's introduction of FVFs on the postage component of transactions, and in so doing have made selling internationally a lost cause.

Nobody was ever meant to make a profit on postage but because a handful of greedy and selfish sellers decided to make a nice little business in profiting from excessive postage, eBay decided to step in and do the same thing themselves, and now everybody suffers equally as a consequence.

Re: Fee on postage

4green2000 — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 19:12:40 GMT

@cq_tech wrote:
If it succeeds in driving away the ex-postage pirates then as far as I'm concerned it's no great loss and I'll be glad to see the backs of them. After all, they're the ones responsible in part for eBay's introduction of FVFs on the postage component of transactions, and in so doing have made selling internationally a lost cause.

Nobody was ever meant to make a profit on postage but because a handful of greedy and selfish sellers decided to make a nice little business in profiting from excessive postage, eBay decided to step in and do the same thing themselves, and now everybody suffers equally as a consequence.

Yep.Ebay thought that sellers were naughty in making a profit on postage so they, (greedbay), decided they wanted a bit of that cake too..

Re: Fee on postage

aps1080 — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 19:31:26 GMT

10% of something is better than 100% of nothing !!!

If the sellers leave, then they get 0.

Re: Fee on postage

cq_tech — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 20:21:24 GMT

When it reaches the point where the degree of effort involved is simply not worth the small amount of income received, it's sometimes better just to walk away. Some sellers here are barely earning the equivalent of $2 per hour or even less and you have to wonder why they continue to put up with it. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't even consider getting out of bed for less than $10 per hour, and I'd have to be pretty hard up to go even that low.

Re: Fee on postage

2106greencat — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 21:36:36 GMT

@aps1080 wrote:

10% of something is better than 100% of nothing !!!

If the sellers leave, then they get 0.

Thats the thing isn't it ?

How many sellers are selling some items at a loss just to keep buyers coming back in the hope of selling higher value items.

I used to sell medium/high range items, my cost was low as I import, so I was competitive in the marketplace and I also had access to a business freight account for delivery if AP was too expensive or items too large/heavy.

I could offer free post (included of course in some of the lower price items) and still be competitive.

But the average seller paying AP rates, fvf on postage, less the cost ofthe item, and trying to make a living it is bloody near impossible.

Re: Fee on postage

joxamara — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 22:06:37 GMT

Hang on - basic business rules should apply to all sales whether private selling or not:

Total cost of supply + sensible profit = cost to consumer.

Fees and costs of using whatever selling platform are part of total cost of supply and these include all fees and charges other than those you are happy to absorb.

And listing something for 99 cents has NEVER meant it would be sold at a profit of 99 cents. Anything on Ebay that is likely to be purchased through payapl payment should surely have a minimum price to ensure ebay (including FVF on shipping) and paypal fees otherwise what is the point? Not everything can be a loss leader.

Re: Fee on postage

everard6920 — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 22:21:46 GMT

@cq_tech wrote:
If it succeeds in driving away the ex-postage pirates then as far as I'm concerned it's no great loss and I'll be glad to see the backs of them. After all, they're the ones responsible in part for eBay's introduction of FVFs on the postage component of transactions, and in so doing have made selling internationally a lost cause.

Nobody was ever meant to make a profit on postage but because a handful of greedy and selfish sellers decided to make a nice little business in profiting from excessive postage, eBay decided to step in and do the same thing themselves, and now everybody suffers equally as a consequence.

I understand what you're saying, but I do think there were other solutions to this problem.

For example - sellers suspected of overcharging on postage could be asked to provide evidence (postag receipts, etc) that prove the cost of postage. Repeat offenders would be banned from selling.

Or, put large letters in the postage calculator (a no brainer, as many sellers use them), make everyone use the postage calculator (as opposed to flat rate) and make it so postage charged cannot be more than postage cost + 15% (to account for handling). There's probably some flaw in this that I have overlooked, but the point is, there are other solutions.

It's clear that the easiest and most profitable solution was to just make us pay FVFs on postage. It definitely wasn't the best solution.

Re: Fee on postage

iamanark — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 22:35:39 GMT

Quote: "After all, they're the ones responsible in part for eBay's introduction of FVFs on the postage component of transactions"

Codswallop

Epay did it purely through GREED

Re: Fee on postage

2014auswit — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 22:59:06 GMT

Thanks to all for your comments.I can see again that greed of all that **bleep**s in the process will kill ebay and paypal.

It was a good idea but the greed of AP,ebay,paypal and the number of other crooks makes the selling/buying process a joke.

I was right at first place cancelling my account with ebay and paypal.

@2014auswit wrote:
Ebay's 10% on postage?Sticky fingers again.I had over 500 transactions over a few years and last year cancelled my account
due to very unprofessional paypal service.Lately I noticed simpler selling process and decided to give it another go.Do not know
whether it was a good decision.

Re: Fee on postage

cq_tech — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 00:45:24 GMT

It's clear that the easiest and most profitable solution was to just make us pay FVFs on postage. It definitely wasn't the best solution.

Just in case you think I'm being an apologist for eBay's complete and utter greed in imposing FVFs on postage, not only do I thoroughly agree with your comments, I don't for one moment even begin to believe that eBay did it for that purpose. They merely saw another opportunity to make yet another shipload of money by increasing sellers' charges by stealth. That it got rid of the postage pirates was nothing more than the one and only side benefit of eBay's disgusting and typical avarice.

Re: Fee on postage

cq_tech — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 00:50:39 GMT

Of course they were partly responsible. They gave eBay the idea to legitimise yet another disgusting fee grab, didn't they?

The postage pirates simply gave eBay one of the excuses they needed to get away with stealing even more in fees from sellers.

Re: Fee on postage

iamanark — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 09:10:47 GMT

Quote: “Of course they were partly responsible. They gave eBay the idea to legitimise yet another disgusting fee grab, didn't they?”
.
My 8 year old nephew could have written a program to detect postage pirates !
.
The people who got really duded were … Australia Post
.
ePay conned Australia Post into becoming partners in the postage system
.
Buying postage/click’n’send/postage labels/satchels etc through ePay
.
Australia Post fell for it hook, line & sinker
.
As soon as ePay became involed in the actual postage, that then gave them the legal right to say postage was part of the buyer’s experience and were able to then charge the FVFs on postage
.
That is why the ACCC was not able to intervene … postage was an actual part of the ePay process
.
And how was Australia Post duded ?
.
Because the added FVF fees on postage was an actual postage increase/rise and Australia Post received none of the increase
.
So it equated to a rise in postage costs, and any rise in costs, by the law of economics, leads to a lower demand, so poor AP actually lost in the process,
.
But a plus is, Australia Post is now considering, very carefully, further cost rises due to the recent 10% increase in postage by ePay
.
So, while we sellers feel duded …. So was Australia Post

Re: Fee on postage

strawberries-n-creambabies — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 09:57:17 GMT

My thoughts exactly.

Ebay are cutting their own throats. It may happen slower than some of us wish, but their doing it to themselves! They had a great business going on and they had to destory it.

Re: Fee on postage

2014auswit — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 00:54:20 GMT

I was stupid enough claiming the selling process is simpler.It stinks as it was stinking before.Even worse.

@2014auswit wrote:
Ebay's 10% on postage?Sticky fingers again.I had over 500 transactions over a few years and last year cancelled my account
due to very unprofessional paypal service.Lately I noticed simpler selling process and decided to give it another go.Do not know
whether it was a good decision.