eBay

thebluetortoise · ‎11-23-2016

I wrote in my other posts about tricks that eBay is using to make it difficult for sellers to validate monthly seller invoices.

Here's another one: Ever notice that if you export your invoice as CSV format to Excel, that the fees are actually not number fields, but rather text fields, and that you can't even convert them to number format? That makes it darn hard for a seller to review and validate the invoice - you actually have to add new columns and manually plunk all those fees into new columns. Really? I have to go to those lengths to ensure that my billing is correct? (And I really only have to go to that effort because I KNOW my bills are incorrect.)

eBay: if you're reading this, please FIX! Can't believe you can't get the billing right. And stop obfuscating the fees so we don't know which end is up! I am an excellent spreadsheet user, numbers person, and have an MBA and am still trying to get to the bottom of this BS.

Anyone have any thoughts or comments?

Thanks.

lucitabby · ‎11-23-2016

This is a member to member board - ebay does not read the posts.

I can't help you with the "CSV to Excel" as I have an imac and live in my own little Apple world but I'm sure some of the other regular members will chime in with some tips.

thebluetortoise · ‎11-23-2016

You live in a great Imac world indeed!

reallynicestamps · ‎11-23-2016

This may sound smart-alecky, but going by your Feedback Left, you've had less than 100 transactions in the past 12 months.

Perhaps you could save yourself time and stress by using a paper ledger and entering the information with a pen? There would be less than ten a month, surely?

Why do you need to use the Excel spreadsheet at all?

What happens if you just print out the one eBay gives you?

Seriously. I am a technodolt and dysnumeric* and I don't understand the problem.

*Like dyslexic, but numbers.

aubreyclay56 · ‎11-23-2016

you are making your life very confusing,

zee-chan · ‎11-24-2016

I read through all of my eBay invoices and I have always been charged the correct amount. Are you sure your bill is incorrect...? Did you add in extra features to your listings by accident, which is why you ended up being charged more than you think you would?

I only use free promo listings and when I list I make sure I add no extra features that'd cost me. When I check FVF charged they should always be 10% for my category, and then I check the credit section to make sure I get 20% back as TRS. Should be pretty straightforward...

thebluetortoise · ‎11-25-2016

Unfortunately the detailed eBay bill does not follow the standard accounting format for an invoice. In all other cases, throughout the world, if you get a bill, it will include charges and credits. And both, when both apply. eBay's detailed invoice includes only 1/2 of that equation, which makes it not worth the paper it's written on.

I get that if they want to make a NOTE on the summary invoice saying "Hey, look, you saved $X!" that's great. That's where it should end. Because if you put itemized credits into the detailed bill, then you should put the matching itemized charges into the detail bill. THAT is the world-wide practice. Otherwise, the math doesn't even add up. And I'm not the type to take their word for the charges, I'm going to look at the detail bill. Early on, eBay overbilled me $185 in fees, so now I'm very cautious. Garbage detail bills are not helping. Don't they have any accountants working there?

recped · ‎11-25-2016

@thebluetortoise wrote:
Unfortunately the detailed eBay bill does not follow the standard accounting format for an invoice. In all other cases, throughout the world, if you get a bill, it will include charges and credits. And both, when both apply. eBay's detailed invoice includes only 1/2 of that equation, which makes it not worth the paper it's written on.

I get that if they want to make a NOTE on the summary invoice saying "Hey, look, you saved $X!" that's great. That's where it should end. Because if you put itemized credits into the detailed bill, then you should put the matching itemized charges into the detail bill. THAT is the world-wide practice. Otherwise, the math doesn't even add up. And I'm not the type to take their word for the charges, I'm going to look at the detail bill. Early on, eBay overbilled me $185 in fees, so now I'm very cautious. Garbage detail bills are not helping. Don't they have any accountants working there?

You must be getting completely different invoices than every other eBay seller. My invoices include separate line items for every single debit or credit and reference the specific transaction.

"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
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ricarmic · ‎11-25-2016

My problem is that my monthly report is about 150 pages long, because I have more than 3,000 5c transactions because I almost always list my items in 2 categories which dings me a nickel every time they renew or are relisted.

This makes finding stuff harder without downloading and sorting/factoring them out.