Seller Beware
I'm feeling aggrieved, disgruntled, well and truly stitched up, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but I'm cross. Let me explain. I've just put 5 items on ebay. Only one sold for £4.20 plus £3.20 postage and packing so my buyer paid a total of £7.40. After a small commission I expected £7.05 to go into my account, giving me a profit of £3.85 after deducting postage and packing.
Years ago when I last used ebay the only charge was a commission on a sold item. Now however it's 35p to list an item: I think some categories are chargeable: if you want to offer a "buy it now" option that's 50p, then an irritating pop up "offers" to re-list if the item doesn't sell. I ignored this at first but then thought "oh well why not, it's free"! WRONG, kerching, another 35p is rung up for re-listing, I'm not sure how many times their system will keep re-listing, I eventually deleted the unsold items.
I contacted the call centre where a very nice lady explained the charges, she had a slight accent so it took a while to absorb it. She directed me to my ebay account page where I could see the listings. I was utterly astounded by the explanation of how my anticipated £7.05 had dwindled to £3.85. THEN the realisation that after paying £3.20 for p&p I made a profit of 65p!!!!! be still my beating heart, no shopping spree just yet! It's amazing how those small 35 pences add up.
I wonder if ebay has lost a few customers to Vinted, FB marketplace or other selling platforms, or maybe the CEO just needs a few more millions to get by.
I will be more vigilant next time.
∼ Be safe and well ∼
Polly x
Live and learn, alas.
ReplyDeleteIndeed Debra.
DeleteUnbelievable! Guess they didn’t make billions enough during the pandemic.
ReplyDeleteThey've been making billions for years. I don't begrudge any company making a profit, but I don't know if they pay their full quota of taxes, and these latest charges make me wonder if they're just being greedy.
DeleteI seldom buy things from ebay - expensive, I think. Now I know why.
ReplyDeleteI will continue to use it but will be much more selective about how I list items!
DeleteThat is crazy! I’ve never even looked at eBay.
ReplyDeleteI've used it for many years. It hasn't put me off, I will pay more attention in future!
DeleteI've never used ebay. Jenny has bought things from ebay a few times but never sold anything. It looks like the same old story of a company adding more and more extra charges so as to increase their profits. Caveat venditor and caveat emptor are wise advice!
ReplyDeleteI think you're right Nick. I get that they have to make a profit, they have huge overheads etc, but I can't help thinking that sometimes it just boils down to greed.
DeleteThank you, Polly for sharing this experience. It's good to know what to avoid. It's been a while since I have purchased from eBay and I have never sold there. Mu favourite go-to place for minis is Etsy. - Marilyn D.
ReplyDeleteI like Etsy too Marilyn, but I think some of their items are a bit pricey.
DeleteThank you for sharing, that certainly sounds like a lot of commission.
ReplyDeleteHello Lorraine. The CEO needs to maintain a certain lifestyle!
DeleteI sell on ebay and you get 1000 free listings a month, they only take a charge if your item sells, so I'm not sure why you were charged for listing it. I'm a private seller too. I have had to go over to managed payments rather than being linked to paypal and now if something sells they charge 35p and 12.8% fee when it sells. So I just build that into my listings.
ReplyDeleteBut not sure why you were charged a listing fee at all unless you went over your 1000 free listings a month, which seems unlikely.
Hi Joe, I saw that 1000 listings and other offers but I didn't know if they needed to be activated. I only sell a few things now and again. The lady at the call centre didn't mention other ways of listing. I've just listed some more items, so I'll see what happens this time. I will try to work it out.
DeleteI have bought a few things on eBay Polly but the experience of buying as opposed to selling is obviously quite different. Good luck next time ✨
ReplyDeleteThank you Grace. Buying is much easier.
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