Ebay?

[sparrow75]

I'll admit, I'm new to eBay. Here's list of latest charges for a recent sell:

item sold: $101.00
shipping: $15.45 (flat rate box)
total invoice paid: $116.45

Fees:
eBay Final Value: $9.09
eBay Shipping Fee: $1.39
PayPal Fee: $3.68 (based on total invoice paid)

So, total fees equal $14.16, which is 12% of the total invoice paid (116.45), or 14% of selling price ($101.00)

Looks like my math was wrong!

 

[epackage]

ORIGINAL: sparrow75

I'll admit, I'm new to eBay. Here's list of latest charges for a recent sell:

item sold: $101.00
shipping: $15.45 (flat rate box)
total invoice paid: $116.45

Fees:
eBay Final Value: $9.09
eBay Shipping Fee: $1.39
PayPal Fee: $3.68 (based on total invoice paid)

So, total fees equal $14.16, which is 12% of the total invoice paid (116.45), or 14% of selling price ($101.00)

Looks like my math was wrong!

You're right in the ballpark now at 12-14%, and think of all the people you're reaching worldwide...[]

 

[ktbi]

I have never sold on eBay, but I heard that starting recently and depending on total sales, you will get a tax form to file at the end of the year. One of the regular eBay sellers on here will know more.

Also - Matt, I wouldn't consider it dishonest to sell for $10 and offer free shipping, unless of course eBay has a stated policy not to do that. Just another effective way to attract customers....Ron

 

[AntiqueMeds]

Matt, I wouldn't consider it dishonest to sell for $10 and offer free shipping, unless of course eBay has a stated policy not to do that. Just another effective way to attract customers....Ron

the dishonest part I was referring to was selling for $1 and charging $9 shipping to get round ebay fees. Basically putting the bulk of the price under shipping which is no longer possible.

 

[xxfollyxx]

Now ebay charges their fees on the item price and the shipping so higher shipping does nothing but scare buyers off.

And as far as tax purposes, you're SUPPOSED to claim all sales on your taxes as income HOWEVER eBay doesn't report your sales to the IRS and send you a tax form unless you make $20,000 AND 200 transactions within a year.

 

[jays emporium]

One thing I would add, if you're selling small bottles, that you can ship under 13 ounces, offer First Class Mail as your shipping option. You can ship those small packages anywhere in the USA for under $4.00 and the buyers really appreciate that. I pack them in baseball card boxes which cost me about 25 cents each.
Also, start your auctions a the lowest price you would accept or even lower. If you start them high it will scare off the buyers, start them low and they will bid it up to a fair price. If it doesn't bring what you thought it should then your expectations are too high because everyone in the world had a chance to bid on it.

 

[justanolddigger]

Good points Jay, thanks for getting us back on track in this thread which is to help someone sell on ebay. Keeping shipping low is a great plus, literally everyone looks for that. Starting low is great also, noting worse than starting your item at near what it is worth, it just turns people off. Start it low & get them hooked. I get tired of the ebay bashing, same old rhetoric over & over again. I still think of it as going to a bottle show everyday, and I have had great success selling on ebay, as well as meeting great people too.....Bill

 

[splante]

if paypal is used then the estimates in the post are about right 12-15% total. If ebay ever sends me a tax form iam done with ebay. Ibelieve that would only be for ebay store accounts or power sellars?. EBAY is the only Auction I know of where the Sellar gets hit with all the fees nothing is passed onto the buyer as with normal auctions, Ive been writing ebay for years suggesting the fees get split up between the buyer and sellars. They dont care they make too much money the way it is, To answer your original question its not worth selling small $$ items on ebay 10.00 or less not worth the time and effort.

 

[Topusmc]

No reason to beat up Ebay, yes they they make money on the sellers but so what? I average about a thousand a month selling stuff I pick up at yard sales and thrift stores. I might spend 8 hours a week looking for stuff, 2 hours listing, 3 hours packing an shipping. Profit averages $500-800 a month so 13 hours divided by $500-800 is $38 to $61 an hour. Not bad for a part time gig thats fun and allows me to generate funds to buy more rare stuff for my collection. And I watch what my selling total is so if I get anywhere near the trigger for a 1099 I stop selling for the year and the wife starts selling. My apartment looks like a warehouse so my cats always got stuff to hide in or climb on.

 

[AntiqueMeds]

I have nothing against fleabay making money and charging whatever they want. Thats the free market system.
Its the largest public black market (under $200K []) in the world.
What never ceases to irritate me though is how they constantly try to frame each set of new rules and cost increases as things needed to somehow benefit me. It seems really slimey to me.
Dont punch me in the face and tell me how it will make me a better person[]