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@ardy01 wrote:

Hi all, I don't sell much on eBay but buy a fair bit. I just sold a Nikon Camera and separately a lens.

Didn't think too much about it until I added up the ebay costs and paypal costs.

 

I was surprised to put it mildly, the total % cost for sale was nearly 14%  - 10.9% ebay fees and 2.6% paypal fees.

 

My thought is how the hell do you guys make a dollar here?

 

Also won't be selling here again, I sold a bit about 8 years ago and don't remember it being this $$$ painful.

 

Good luck to all you sellers - you have gained my respect.

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I make a dollar by buying stock in bulk at discounted prices, mainly when businesses close down, and then selling the items individually at premium prices. This gives me mark ups of 500-1000% which allows plenty of room to absorb ebay fees, dead stock, INR claims and any other stumbling blocks that come along.

Another thing I concentrate on is simply churning as much stock as I can in the shortest time possible. This requires simple systems that can be replicated easily. Things such as standardised listing templates, standardised postage systems, good storage systems allowing timely retrieval of items etc.

Probably the most important thing is to sell stuff that buyers actually want. Individual items that not many other sellers stock ensures you are not competing in a race to the bottom. There is still very good money to be made on ebay and at the moment my sales are increasing due to improved international sales due to the low Aussie dollar.