Ebay fees: Is this correct?

[Keppy]

All i charge on shipping is ... I figure out what the postage will be and what my cost for packing is .. add it up and that is what i charge....

 

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[Gimpydigger]

I have sold on ebay for years. Like everyone else the increasing fees are painful but...I just add it into the cost of the item.

The final value fee also depends on what category it is in. Clothes for instance are a 10% fee which is brutal I think. Electrnics is less by a percent or two although I don't pay close attention.

Their fee they take from shipping is a bit more complex if you read it close..it is not 10% exactly but if you figure that you will cover costs.

The safe rule is if you figure 15% of the sale will be lost to fees ( listing etc) as well as final value fees for the item and it's shipping you will cover your total fees. I have done this for years and I cover my fees completely. This goes for shipping...if priority mail is $4.90 my cost the customer is going to pay about $5.65 or so because ebay takes it's fee as well as Paypal. I can't afford to lose any costs on shipping.

I have had people ask me why it is a bit higher than published postal rates and I simply tell them the truth and usually they understand.

Some have said include shipping for free. Well nothing is free and if I did I will jack up the cost of the item by alteast as much as the original shipping fee and probably more. Reason is this. I sell custom detecting shirts say..well the fee is 10% for the item but shipping comes out to about 8.5 % value fee. If Include free shipping well I have to add $5.65 to the price of the shirt and NOW ebay gets a straight 10% of that additional cost I put in the shirt instead of 8.5%.

Your not going to diddle Ebay around. So just accept a 15% total cost to sell and in the end it is not a bad deal unless you have the traffic to drive your own webstore.

 

[Paleopilot]

All i charge on shipping is ... I figure out what the postage will be and what my cost for packing is .. add it up and that is what i charge....

Except, you won't know how much the shipping will be untill you know where the item is going. And if you are using the "Flat Rate Method", you're charging too much, unless it's really heavy, you can almost always beat the Flat Rate Price.

 

[Paleopilot]

I have sold on ebay for years. Like everyone else the increasing fees are painful but...I just add it into the cost of the item.

The final value fee also depends on what category it is in. Clothes for instance are a 10% fee which is brutal I think. Electrnics is less by a percent or two although I don't pay close attention.

Their fee they take from shipping is a bit more complex if you read it close..it is not 10% exactly but if you figure that you will cover costs.

The safe rule is if you figure 15% of the sale will be lost to fees ( listing etc) as well as final value fees for the item and it's shipping you will cover your total fees. I have done this for years and I cover my fees completely. This goes for shipping...if priority mail is $4.90 my cost the customer is going to pay about $5.65 or so because ebay takes it's fee as well as Paypal. I can't afford to lose any costs on shipping.

I have had people ask me why it is a bit higher than published postal rates and I simply tell them the truth and usually they understand.

Some have said include shipping for free. Well nothing is free and if I did I will jack up the cost of the item by alteast as much as the original shipping fee and probably more. Reason is this. I sell custom detecting shirts say..well the fee is 10% for the item but shipping comes out to about 8.5 % value fee. If Include free shipping well I have to add $5.65 to the price of the shirt and NOW ebay gets a straight 10% of that additional cost I put in the shirt instead of 8.5%.

Your not going to diddle Ebay around. So just accept a 15% total cost to sell and in the end it is not a bad deal unless you have the traffic to drive your own webstore.

You charge $5.65 to ship a shirt? A 'T" shirt? Have you heard of First Class Mail? How much does your shirt weigh?

 

[cyberdan]

I almost always ship parcel post and let ebay calculate the cost based on distance. I weight the item round the weight up to an even pound and add one more pound. (example 1 lb 9 oz becomes 2 lbs and that becomes 3 lbs) I then add $1.00 to $1.50 handling charge. That always covers my postage and some fee charges. I have only had one complaint and I just had sale #685

I figure the fees are just the cost of doing business.

 

[jerseyben]

I don't know why some of you complain about the fees ebay charges. Where else can you sell something with that much exposure for those rates? Try your local auction house you'll see, they will charge you even more than ebay. They get money coming and going, from you and the buyer. Open your own local shop and see what that will cost you. List it on craigslist for free if that's what your looking for. I'm surprised they haven't started charging yet to be honest with you.

Very well said, Diggum.

After reading a lot of the replies, I can't help but think that many of you have a very "unusual" way of doing business. Hey, whatever works for you...

 

[Paleopilot]

I almost always ship parcel post and let ebay calculate the cost based on distance. I weight the item round the weight up to an even pound and add one more pound. (example 1 lb 9 oz becomes 2 lbs and that becomes 3 lbs) I then add $1.00 to $1.50 handling charge. That always covers my postage and some fee charges. I have only had one complaint and I just had sale #685

I figure the fees are just the cost of doing business.

How does your "star" rating look?

 

[jerseyben]

If you think buyers care about anything besides the total "out-the-door" price of the item, then you are doing it wrong. If a buyer shops any other way, then they are doing it wrong. Buy low, sell high right? And as a buyer it should always be "lowest price, technically acceptable".

Of course, if your item is the only one listed on ebay, then all bets are off and try to get as much as you can for the item(s).

 

[diggummup]

The shipping charge is the same percentage as the final value fee, 9%. Standard selling fees

I should have said the above (9%) is for "auction style" listings. BIN listings are category specific with the highest being 13% for books, dvd's, cd's, video, etc., the lowest being 7% for electronics, along with the .50 listing charge and paypal's 2.9% + .30 per transaction for domestic sales.

For paleopilot-
I used to do what cyberdan does with shipping. Now I always add a little extra on my shipping prices and I charge a flat rate fee no matter where you live in the US. I don't use the calculator based on location because it doesn't allow for the extras (ebay fee%, materials) without adding the extra "false" weight to it like Dan does. I figure out the highest shipping price based on the boxed weight and postal zone and go from there. I haven't had a complaint yet. As Ben said, the total "out-the-door" price of the item is what it boils down to. Bidders/buyers will always take that into consideration. With minimal effort, I still have my 5 star rating and "top rated plus" seller status.

 

[Paleopilot]

I should have said the above (9%) is for "auction style" listings. BIN listings are category specific with the highest being 13% for books, dvd's, cd's, video, etc., the lowest being 7% for electronics, along with the .50 listing charge and paypal's 2.9% + .30 per transaction for domestic sales.

For paleopilot-
I used to do what cyberdan does with shipping. Now I always add a little extra on my shipping prices and I charge a flat rate fee no matter where you live in the US. I don't use the calculator based on location because it doesn't allow for the extras (ebay fee%, materials) without adding the extra "false" weight to it like Dan does. I figure out the highest shipping price based on the boxed weight and postal zone and go from there. I haven't had a complaint yet. As Ben said, the total "out-the-door" price of the item is what it boils down to. Bidders/buyers will always take that into consideration. With minimal effort, I still have my 5 star rating and "top rated plus" seller status.

As long as your system works for you, that's what counts. I have the unique location of being in the center of the country, shipping anywhere in the continental U.S. from here is minimal, so the free shipping works for me. I also am a Powerseller with Top-Rated status. Over 1100, 100% PFs. Added benefits are, DSRs, 5,5,5,5,5. They have no option to "ding" your stars for shipping if it's free. They win the Auction and know what the final cost is instantly, resulting in a faster payment, "usually", not always of course. I pay nothing for shipping supplies. The boxes are free from the USPS and some local merchants give me thier packing supplies that will be discarded anyway, bubble-wrap, peanuts etc. I factor in the shipping in my start-price of the Auction, that way everything is upfront and visible to the buyer, no unpleasant surprises later like, "this package only weighs 18 ounces, how come you charged me for 2 pounds!". No one has all the answers, and as you know, you will NEVER please everyone. It's always a new adventure, you just 'go with your gut' and hope for the best.