How do YOU make out under the new eBay fees?
March 15, 2008
Our recent Bidding Frenzy newsletter sure hit a nerve with eBay users concerned about all the recent changes to the feedback system and fee structure. (Click here to find out more about the latest changes.)
The biggest change, and the one that REALLY upset the sellers, was that they’re
no longer able to leave negative feedback about their buyers – which means if
a buyer makes a transaction really unpleasant, the seller has no way to “punish”
them for it.
But running a close second was the fee changes. eBay made a big deal about their "lower listing fees" and tried to avoid talking about the huge final value fee increase. Sellers didn’t miss it, and they let eBay know.
Some sellers were so angry, they decided to boycott eBay. The one-week boycott wasn’t enough for some sellers, so there were even widespread calls to extend it indefinitely.
How do the fee changes affect YOU?
It’s pretty obvious that the only ones complaining are the sellers who saw a huge increase. If you’re now paying less, you’re probably not shouting it from the rooftops, and I don’t blame you.
I’m genuinely curious. All my research has shown that in terms of fees, about
one third of sellers saw an increase, and one third now pay lower fees, depending
on your listing strategy and price points. I know that sellers who are profiting
from the changes won’t be joining the boycott, and with fewer sellers to serve
their markets, I bet they’re cleaning up on it.
For example, if you sell second-hand baby clothes (or anything, really) and start your auctions at 99 cents, include a Gallery image so people can see what they’re buying, and sell the item for $7.00 (on average), then you save money under the new system.
| Listing fee | Gallery image | Final value fee | Total | % change | |
| Old fees | 0.20 | 0.35 | 0.37 | 0.92 | |
| New fees | 0.15 | FREE | 0.61 | 0.76 | -16% |
And don’t forget, under the old system, and item that didn’t sell would have cost you 55 cents but under the new system, you’d only pay 15 cents! Granted, the higher final value fees mean successful sales will cost you more overall, but I’d like to hear from you and your own sales figures.
Leave a comment and let me know what you think!
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Sorry Derek. Without showing any figure of E-bay.
There is only ONE to treat bloody Ebay is to BOYCOTT.
They are sucking blood from every corner. It’s become like blood eater Lion who doesn’t have fear but just feel that nobody can harm them. It’s not enough, they also continue to drink from their Paypal with their mal practice.
I am not in the mood to waste my energy and time this ‘Shameless’. But humbly request all those boycott people to continue their movement.
If they feel that they can dominate the net with their snake oli & monkey business then they will see the power of people soon….
This is good enough to mention: http://www.fool.com/investing/small-cap/2004/12/27/i-hate-ebay.aspx
I actually like the new fees. It is much easier on my budget to have the bulk of the fees added to my seller account AFTER rather than BEFORE the sale. I sell mostly apparel. Before the fee changes, the my avg listing fees were $1.05 per item. Now, the listing fees are .65 per item. I’d much rather pay my fees with the customer’s money than having to take it out of my own pocket. I feel more comfortable listing more auctions since I will only be out about 1/2 as much if thet item doesn’t sell.
This is terrible, I sell items at a fixed price. My fee for each item before was $9.10 and it skyrocketed to $16.20! That’s insane, I’m going to cut back on using eBay now.