FVF on postage

[porcelainforyou2]

For people posting comments "agreeing with" eBay's decision to charge FVF on postage (probably a vanishingly small proportion of eBay sellers, and I am very suspicious that such postings have been made by eBay employees), please consider the following:

For sellers who sell bulk items of 'fixed' value for which postage is 'fixed' (e.g. items < 500g posted within Australia which cost $7.20 to any postcode) - e,g. C.D.'s or jewelry, it is easy to incorporate the FVF on postage (approx. 0.72c) into the item purchase price. For items > 500g it is impossible to incorporate the postage FVF into the auction starting price or fixed price. For example, I recently sold some plates to an international buyer in South Africa. The plates cost $9.99, and international postage was approx. $84. Are you seriously suggsesting that I routinely add $8.40 to the item starting price, when domestic postage on the item would only be $12 - $15, just in case an overseas buyer purchases the item?? I have now removed international shipping from my eBay sites, and restricted sales to domestic buyers only. I am currently "wearing"  the FVF on domestic postage, as I cannot incorporate it into the starting/fixed price, bbecause it varies so widely depending upon the buyer's postcode. Postage of a parcel to a buyer in W.A. (where I am) is significantly lower than to the Eastern states or to Tasmania, so I would need to add on 10% of "worst case scenario postage" (e.g. postage to outback/remote QLD) to the auction starting or fixed price, which would kill off sales to W.A. buyers, particularly those who want local pick up.

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@feathercola wrote:

And whats the harm in trying quicksales? If enough people start using alternative sites then traffic volume could increase. Are you saying we should just do nothing and cop it from ebay? ebay is not what it used to be. Most of my sales went overseas but with ebay charging fvf on already high international postage costs this is no longer an option.

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Absolutely no harm at all, but what Lyndal says is true, If the buyers are happy to keep using eBay, then what is the point of all the sellers moving to QS? Wouldn't matter how many of eBay's sellers moved to QS, if the buyers don't move too, then it's pointless.

[cmcoins2000]

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@i-love-my-sheep wrote:

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@feathercola wrote:

And whats the harm in trying quicksales? If enough people start using alternative sites then traffic volume could increase. Are you saying we should just do nothing and cop it from ebay? ebay is not what it used to be. Most of my sales went overseas but with ebay charging fvf on already high international postage costs this is no longer an option.

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Absolutely no harm at all, but what Lyndal says is true, If the buyers are happy to keep using eBay, then what is the point of all the sellers moving to QS? Wouldn't matter how many of eBay's sellers moved to QS, if the buyers don't move too, then it's pointless.

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I did try it for a couple of months.

Proved - sadly - USELESS.

They are not as high profile as here - not sure why they do not get off their collective behinds and advertise.

[yeoldecoinco]

Here is a Quicksales experiment after eBay bought in their disgusting grab for fees on postage.

Listed 120 items on Quick (?) sales at fair, reasonable buy it now prices, lower than prices for similar items I had listed on eBay.

83 days, I ended those 120 items, NOT ONE SALE.

In all that time, I had ONE enquiry, asking to get a $20 item I had listed for $10, which i could not be bothered to reply.

eBay has become very difficult for sellers, but at least people do buy things.

The trick is, to find something they want, that is of reasonable value to justify your time and effort..

Selling cheap items, with the now high postage costs, eBay fees, Paypal (30c grab for openers + 2.4%) is simply no longer viable unless you have a lot of them and a lot of time, or are employing your Developing World relatives/workers on 50c an hour..

Put a few cheap, compatible items together and sell them as a bulk lot, this can sometimes be an alternative to get the price up and make the thing worthwhile to both you and the buyer...

As for eBay plants or stooges praising eBay on these boards, does anyone seriously believe that?

Think they really CARE about their SELLERS that much to be bothered?

If you do, you are wrong, they do not, eBay cares about their BUYERS, the sellers can sink or swim on the whim of the next crazed directive from eBay suits...

[feathercola]

I guess I will just use gumtree(even though its owned by ebay), I have sold more items there lately than on ebay, but your advice on selling in bulk/lots is a good idea.

yes ive also noticed the ebay lackeys on these boards praising ebay.

[gemmababe2001]

I'm wanting to sell off things I don't need as a one off.

It would not be worth it if I had to pay a FVF on postage so I've listed as pick up only

I don't mind posting if the cost of doing so wasn't added to the item FVF

For buyers who dont live close enough to pick up, would it be possible to arrange postage after the ebay transaction has been completed?

[putney32]

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@gemmababe2001 wrote:

I'm wanting to sell off things I don't need as a one off.

It would not be worth it if I had to pay a FVF on postage so I've listed as pick up only

I don't mind posting if the cost of doing so wasn't added to the item FVF

For buyers who dont live close enough to pick up, would it be possible to arrange postage after the ebay transaction has been completed?

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it would be possible but it would be circumventing ebay fees and if a buyer reported you ebay would suspend yr account.

also listing 'pick up omly' would restrict your buyer pool to just your local area... you may as well have a garage sale, you'd get just as many if not more buyers there.

[gemmababe2001]

Unfortunatlely Garage sales aren't allowed in the complex I live in amd I can't travel to another location to have a garage sale due to disability. From experience clothes don't sell at garage sales anyway and unless you have furniture and the big things people are looking for they tend to walk away without even looking at any other bits and pieces