Ebay charging fees including postage

[blue.rival]

Hello. I am one of those sellers just about Killed off by EBAY's greedy ways . . For December we sold $5509 in items. Cost base was $2952 . . . ENTER EBAY - Fees were $835 - 15.3% . . . . We do all the work, give Ebay more $$$ for postage and take the hit at the POST OFFICE. Is there an alternative? The Current Ebay Fee structure amounts to theft - maybe they want the low level sellers gone?? 

Ebay used to be a worth while avenue to SELL ..................... not now. We're ready to pull the plug.

[thecatspjs]

Maybe their super spic research & leading questionnaires tell them what they want us to believe buyers think.

Minimal savings on post when FVF are added - and lets put in context, given eBay would get a MASSIVE corporate discount for MASSIVE volume of post processed and $$$ of extra profit go off shore to Swiss bank account -  I simply can't see the broad benefit to Oz sellers nor Oz economy nor any actual postive flow on to Oz consumers TBH. 

Lets not forget FVF on international post - frequently unable, or highly difficult, to be calculated by sellers until purchase is made.

[colilyon5]

You have sold nothing in the last 12 months,do you work for Ebay.

[twyngwyn]

This thread dates from 2015.....it's a dinosaur

[daydreams_12]

Did you bother to look at the date this DEAD THREAD was started. 

If you look it has not seen the light of day for 5 YEARS

[heihachi_73]

70c stamps, how I miss thee...

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

---

@colilyon5 wrote:

You have sold nothing in the last 12 months,do you work for Ebay.

---

**sigh**

Spoiler

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs069dndIYk

[davewil1964]

catspjs isn't even a member anymore. Is she an eBay employee too? Or any of the other posters who commented FIVE years ago and might not have sold much (or anything) in the last fifth of that time?

I won't ask what you are, as it's fairly obvious.

[lyndal1838]

That is a good way to start your posting on the boards......belligerent from the start.

[waddingtonfirstaid]

What a 'lovely' comment to someone new here from someone old here who has the posting title of "Honored Contributor". This is why I rarely frequent these threads, due to this form of bullying and catty behaviour, only posting when I believe I have something really important to share, support and something that will directly help others for their future business on eBay.

Honestly, I don't know how anyone with a straight face can justify the level of fees and the tactics used by eBay to gouge in that area.

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

---

@waddingtonfirstaid wrote:

Honestly, I don't know how anyone with a straight face can justify the level of fees and the tactics used by eBay to gouge in that area.

---

I'll put my straight face on and have a go.

Many years ago there was a push for sellers to offer "free shipping".  As we all know, there is no such thing as "free shipping" . . . it should be called "postage included" . . . but I digress.

Those sellers who were including shipping in the price of their item in order to have their item promoted as "free shipping" were being slugged a final value fee (FVF) on the included shipping amount.  This, coupled with what was becoming a widespread practice of reducing the item cost and inflating shipping charges, caused eBay to impose FVF on the "total transaction amount" which negated this practice.

eBay will tell you buyers prefer free shipping . . . and fees on shipping encourages sellers of Buy-Now items to list with free shipping . . . even though it only means they include the shipping in their pricing.

eBay also do as much as they can to take care of buyers.  Some say they do too much!  Fees on shipping protects buyers from unscrupulous sellers who were reducing item price but having inflated shipping and then offering refunds of 'item price only' when transactions went pear shaped.

Now, savvy sellers know to include the fees on shipping in their item price.  For example, if a seller lists a dress for $49.99 with $9 shipping they would add on a handling charge of 90c to cover FVF on shipping.  Smart sellers don't divulge the handling charge they include . . . they just include shipping at $9.90 (for the example I gave).

Any seller who is not factoring in their fees into the item price is doing themselves a disservice and should not look to blame eBay as they control their listing and shipping prices.

DISCLAIMER: I do not work for eBay (just thought I'd get that out there before anyone posts that old furphy).