A few years ago, eBay lowered the regular FVF it charged on most items (or allowed for some free listings for auction format) when it started a policy of charging fees on the transaction value (including shipping charge) like its largest competitor Amazon had been doing for years.
PayPal, like all credit card or payment processors charges a fee on the total amount of the transaction. It has always been like that and I am not aware of any fee change at PayPal for the longest time.
"Free shipping.... don't fall for that because there is no such thing"
I noticed that some of your listings offer "free shipping". Most buyers understand the expression to mean "the shipping charge is included in the price".
From a seller's perspective, nothwithstanding the marketing value of offering "free shipping", it means lower fees paid to eBay if you are a Top Rated Seller (TRS).
How?
Let's say an item sells for $50 with $20 shipping.
If sold for $50 + $20, a seller will pay FVF on $70 but the 20% discount given TRS will only apply to the $50 transaction. There is no TRS discount for fees charged on shipping.
If, on the othert hand, you sold the item for $70 with "free shipping", all the FVF will be eligible to the 20% discount.
Paying fees - to eBay and PayPal - is simply a cost of doing business. There are many options out there where to sell "stuff". Some may even charge lower fees than eBay.
"screwed once more by paypal?"
You do not have to offer PayPal. You may offer credit card payment through your own merchant account. Contact your bank or other Canadian credit card payment processors for fee information but do not expect lower fees than PayPal.
Good Luck.
"eBay lowering FVF a few years ago, I said, it is not true"
???
Most of your listings are offered at fixed price and offer "free shipping"
As such, you are paying lower FVF today as you would have three years ago.
That is reality. Check your ebay seller invoice, line by line.
Compare the FVF you pay today to what you would have paid three years ago.
Every line shows a lower fee!
Since you are TRS you also get 20% rebate on your FVF (including the shipping charge included in your selling price).
You are one of the beneficiaries of the new policy implemented two years ago, like other sellers offering "free shipping" or those where the shipping charge is low relative to the value of the transaction.
On the other hand, sellers offering items where the shipping charge is high relative to the selling price are the ones paying higher FVFs today.
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