Ebay fees - commission also charged on shipping

[AUbicycles]

Not being a big ebay seller - I did sell an item this year. When the ebay invoice arrived, I was surprised that ebay charge an additional commission for postage.

I just confirmed that the "Final Value Fee" is charged (as ebay confirmed) on the shipping costs. (9.5%)

This is unusual - for example items that are costly to send have a significant additional fee. Whether it is a low cost or high cost to send, it means setting your postage / shipping costs with an additional amount so that you are not out of pocket.

e.g. an $8.25 Auspost satchel would cost $0.78 . However it needs to be calculated differently:

1. $8.25 x .905 = $9.12
2. $9.12 x .095 = $0.87
3. $9.12 - $0.87 = $8.25

So this means you add an extra $0.87 so that you get your $8.25 fixed costs.

If you are shipping a bicycle or large items, this is where is will really make a difference. That said, it is not something which ebay should charge and it would be fairer if they raised their auction fee.

[trailgumby]

eBay introduced this change to stop people gaming the postage. A lot of sellers (largely in Asia) were charging tiny prices and large shipping fees.

[AUbicycles]

That makes sense... but is not nice for the rest of the people playing fair.

[koshari]

That makes sense... but is not nice for the rest of the people playing fair.

dont think ebay has been courting small sellers for a few years now, they seem to be heading the aliexpress/dx.com route, only problem is aliexpress/dx.com are already there.

gumtree and facebook seem the be the marketplace of choice for private items these days.

[bychosis]

It's even more of a rort when the suggested prices for postage don't include the fees or allowance for packaging etc. I did increase my postage charges to include fee free profits before the changes in fees, now it just covers the packing.

I prefer gumtree for most stuff now, but ebay is still suitable for some stuff, unfortunately it means jacking up the listing and postage prices to cover their fees. At least it doesn't cost anything to list now so I can list on gumtree and ebay and cancel the ebay listing if it sells on gumtree first.

[Calvin27]

I basically only use ebay for transactions on those bing lee 20% off sales. Selling bikes I use gumtree/facebook/forums. Buying cheap stuff I go direct or through aliexpress/dx. Ebay seems to be appealing as a sales channel to big box retailers. 20% of is pretty enticing when the sales are on. i think there is one now.

[MichaelB]

Ebay is a good example of fees by stealth. I also find it painful to use for selling, but do buy things occasionally.
Gumtree are also getting greedier with the fees and requirements, so it will only be a ,matter of time before they start charging more. It is a business after all !!

[find_bruce]

Ebay is a good example of fees by stealth. I also find it painful to use for selling, but do buy things occasionally.
Gumtree are also getting greedier with the fees and requirements, so it will only be a ,matter of time before they start charging more. It is a business owned by eBay after all !!

Fixed that for you. Purchased by eBay in 2005, so yes, expect more fees by stealth. It would appear its strategic position is low cost to ward off competition,

[MichaelB]

.... Purchased by eBay in 2005, so yes, expect more fees by stealth. ...,

Didn't know that.

[Ivanerrol]

You need to be careful when making up a listing.
There are various postage options.
Using ebay postage options
Using Australia Post options
Using click and collect via Woolworths
Pickup only.

Using the ebay option and the click and collect will attract extra charges especially if you use the print out a postage label.

Then there's the Ebay Free postage option. You need to opt out of this. Don't get caught out. You pay the postage charges and not the buyer.

When I sell items I use a flat rate Australia Post option and then take the parcel down to the local post office and pay over the counter.
Don't use the ebay pre paid postage printout - it will cost you $1.85 or a percentage of your postage cost.

Buying - especially from overseas.
I just bought two pair of rocker shoes (Used) from the U.S.
One pair was AU$21.00 the other AU$29.00 The postage for each came to AU $39.50.
This postage rate was caused by the sellers opting to use the ebay postage system instead of going down to the local post office and posting with USPS which would have cost AU$21.00

[dean_oo]

You need to be careful when making up a listing.
There are various postage options.
Using ebay postage options
Using Australia Post options
Using click and collect via Woolworths
Pickup only.

Using the ebay option and the click and collect will attract extra charges especially if you use the print out a postage label.

Then there's the Ebay Free postage option. You need to opt out of this. Don't get caught out. You pay the postage charges and not the buyer.

When I sell items I use a flat rate Australia Post option and then take the parcel down to the local post office and pay over the counter.
Don't use the ebay pre paid postage printout - it will cost you $1.85 or a percentage of your postage cost.

Buying - especially from overseas.
I just bought two pair of rocker shoes (Used) from the U.S.
One pair was AU$21.00 the other AU$29.00 The postage for each came to AU $39.50.
This postage rate was caused by the sellers opting to use the ebay postage system instead of going down to the local post office and posting with USPS which would have cost AU$21.00

I think US ebay now forces sellers to use that method

[Zippy7]

Heh. I don't sell anything on ebay anymore.
IIRC, ebay used to charge a listing fee as well as a fee on the sale. They then abolished the listing fee, but jacked up the selling fee. I think there is also a fee for accepting payment by paypal...

I now go to gumtree to list stuff for sale, no fees or anything, but annoying interface and often there are time wasters.
I'll buy stuff on ebay quite regularly - the buyer protection stuff is nice, as are the regular 20% off sales and other buying incentives.