Final Value Fee on Shipping What the Heck!

[thebarterersdog]

Okay, on items that fit this category that weigh no more than 0.150 (kg) the Canada Post rate of $3.79 is what I am charging plus tax which comes to $4.28. Yet, I'm being charged a final value fee on shipping. I am not overcharging, nor am I making up this loss in any discounts or Venture one discounts. These amounts separately are not that much but put them together with a dozen others and the amounts start to add up. I get no satisfactory response from eBay except the "feeling" that I have to suck it up and take the loss. 

We are also being charged insertion fees when I have over 200 listings yet available under my freebies. We deliberately stopped listing to allow a huge margin left on our freebies and this is still happening. We are getting nowhere with eBay. Is there a rule that if you relist an item so many times, you are then charged an insertion fee?  What the heck?

[luminites]

You've been a member since 2006 and you have over 700+ feedback as a seller -- this is news to you?

eBay did this since people were trying to avoid paying fees by charging, say, $0.99 for the item and $60 for shipping. Now eBay charges FVF based on the total amount the buyer paid (price + shipping).

Btw, I ship for "free". I don't lose money on shipping.

The first 50 listings are free each month and you get charged for the succeeding listings. I'm not sure if the rules are different for stores. You could sell on another ID to get 50 more listings for free -- I have 3.

[mr.elmwood]

I am baffled. You have a store, so, you are paying a store fee. Listings are free up to your max. You should not be paying a listing fee.

When the FVF on shipping came in, they reduced other FVFs. I am paying LESS total fees after they brought in the FVF on shipping.

[thebarterersdog]

How ever long I've been with eBay makes no difference. EBay changes things constantly and this is just another change. Things are never the same for long. Some people are still charging 0.99 for the item and $60. for shipping and getting away with it. Why not penalize only those people. Why won't they? Because that would mean more work for them. How can they justify taking an amount from actual shipping charges required by Canada Post? That's a very shaky shade of gray when it comes to legalities and secondly it feels like a ploy to force sellers into complying with eBay's plans for all sellers to eventually use only free shipping in their listings so ebay won't have to deal with all the **bleep** that shipping issues bring to their table and probably the 'fees' they are having to pay out for having the services attached to their site. So it is dumped on the sellers who are then looking at inflating the cost of the item to absorb eBay's need for  "free shipping". Is that right for buyers?  Do they think buyers are stupid? Because they are not and eventually this will be yet another turnoff buyers see about using eBay. My buyers complain about eBay changes all the time to me. They are unhappy with how the site is constantly in a changing flux.

As for the insertion fees, I am suppose to have 500 free listings Canadian and 500 free listings American. My point, is that I only used 200 and a bit of each, and yet, I'm getting charged insertion fees when I have 200 left to use. As I pay for the use of a store, I need to know why I'm being charged insertion fees when I shouldn't be. Is this a new charge that store owners have to absorb?And because eBay changes things constantly, I'm asking if there's been yet another change in rules indicating that as a store owner  there may now be a limit on the amount of times one particular listing can be re-listed. 

So any help from anyone who might know of any changes to store owner policies would be greatly appreciated. I am sorry if I sound frustrated.  

[thebarterersdog]

I know, Mr. Elmwood, I too am baffled over why the insertion fee charges. And I get the need to charge a FVF on shipping for ridiculous listings like I mentioned. But for those who list "actual" shipping rates should not be penalized because of a group of idiots.

I have read and re-read the policies and can't find anything to explain this yet it continues to be an issue. I don't think I've missed anything... 

[vintagenorth]

You have a store so you should get some free listings each month but you say you are being charged for some listings. Do you have any of your items set up for good till cancelled? If so, every time they roll over (every 30 days) you will be using up your free listings since you have over 700 items listed in your store. If you only have 500 free listings each month your GTCs could use up most of them.

Have you checked your Selling Manager page to see exactly how many free listing you have left?

Sorry, can't think of any thing else.

[vintagenorth]

Just to clarify, with GTCs, every 30 days they count as a listing so if you had 500 items with Good Till Cancelled on them then that is how you are using up your free listings. And, if there are more than 30 days in a month they could count as listings TWICE.

[luminites]

How ever long I've been with eBay makes no difference. EBay changes things constantly and this is just another change. Things are never the same for long. Some people are still charging 0.99 for the item and $60. for shipping and getting away with it.

Which costs the most:

Price: $20       Shipping: $10

Price: $1         Shipping: $29

Price: $30       Shipping: $0

All 3 will have the same FVF for domestic transactions.

Why not penalize only those people. Why won't they?

Sellers are allowed by policy to charge a handling fee. There's nothing to penalize.

Because that would mean more work for them. How can they justify taking an amount from actual shipping charges required by Canada Post? That's a very shaky shade of gray when it comes to legalities and secondly it feels like a ploy to force sellers into complying with eBay's plans for all sellers to eventually use only free shipping in their listings so ebay won't have to deal with all the **bleep** that shipping issues bring to their table and probably the 'fees' they are having to pay out for having the services attached to their site.

You can charge actual postage and not lose money on postage. I only tried "free shipping", because my stars were getting trashed in my main account.

So it is dumped on the sellers who are then looking at inflating the cost of the item to absorb eBay's need for  "free shipping". Is that right for buyers?  Do they think buyers are stupid? Because they are not and eventually this will be yet another turnoff buyers see about using eBay. My buyers complain about eBay changes all the time to me. They are unhappy with how the site is constantly in a changing flux.

I don't think buyers are stupid, but they seem happier when they can't see how much of what they paid in TOTAL went to shipping. I've been receiving great feedback since I changed to "free shipping". When shipping was a separate line item, my DSRs took a beatin'. Granted, it doesn't work for every single item.

As for the insertion fees, I am suppose to have 500 free listings Canadian and 500 free listings American. My point, is that I only used 200 and a bit of each, and yet, I'm getting charged insertion fees when I have 200 left to use. As I pay for the use of a store, I need to know why I'm being charged insertion fees when I shouldn't be. Is this a new charge that store owners have to absorb?

Try CS: http://ocsnext.ebay.ca/ocs/cuhome

And because eBay changes things constantly, I'm asking if there's been yet another change in rules indicating that as a store owner  there may now be a limit on the amount of times one particular listing can be re-listed. 

My understanding is that each relist counts against the 500. If you relist one listing two times during the month, that should be (500 - 2).

[mr.elmwood]

 I am suppose to have 500 free listings Canadian and 500 free listings American

?

I pay for the 500 level. I get 500. I do not get it split between sites. You have 728 listings. That is above your 500. There should be a counter, bottom right of your "My ebay" page that gives a running total of your listing count.

[thebarterersdog]

Hi Vintage, yes we have two hundred left give or take two or three on each site, .ca and .com.  We have 67 auction listings and a few 7 day fixed to see what type of interest we get on a particular item, but after the 7 days, they don't relist.  The 500 listings each month is for both .ca and .com. so that gives us 1,000 listing potential. We never use it up and add to our inventory only when items sell. So even with 700 listings, which only approximately 600 are GTC's we should still have 400 (200 .ca and 200 .com) left over even if they do roll over to the next month?  Yet we are being charged insertion fees? I know this is confusing... We are at a total loss to see what the problem is. 

If we listed, for example, 250 items on .ca - that should leave us with 250 free listings for .ca

If we listed, for example, 250 items on .com - that should leave us with 250 free listings for .com

right? lol arrrrrrg

[thebarterersdog]

Hi Lum,

Thanks for the link. 

[thebarterersdog]

Hi Mr. Elmwood,

I pay for a store that allots me 500 free on .ca

and 500 free on .com 

I use both sites. But I will check where you've suggested to see what we're doing wrong. 

[mr.elmwood]

Looked on .com and .ca. 500 listings is 500. It is not split. You have 728.

[thebarterersdog]

Is this where you are referring to, Mr. Elmwood? I read it as 500 on .ca and 500 on .com. 

Free Auction-style or Fixed Price Insertion Fees List Auction-style or Fixed Price FREE with any start price. Learn More Start: 01/02/14 00:00:00 EST End: 01/03/14 00:00:00 EST Available at cafr.ebay.ca,ebay.ca	265 / 235	Active
	Free Auction-style or Fixed Price Insertion Fees List Auction-style or Fixed Price FREE with any start price. Start: 01/02/14 03:00:00 EST End: 01/03/14 03:00:00 EST Available at ebay.com	257 / 243	Active

[mr.elmwood]

Hum? At first glance I would too. I do not get many offers, so, I don't know how they work, certainly not Cdn ones.

What are the rules for the cafr.ca offer?

[luminites]

Have you called CS? I think you're right.

I list on more than one eBay site. Will all listings count against a single limit, or do I get more free listings when I list on other sites?

Free listings are respective to the site on which they are created. For example, if you have a Basic Store and use up your 150 free listings on eBay.ca, you could create another 150 on eBay.com.

http://pages.ebay.ca/sellerinformation/news/springupdate2013/springfeesimplification.html

[vintagenorth]

I still think it could be the rolling over of the GTC items. In months with more than 30 days the GTC item could roll over twice so you would be charged for 2 listings in a month for each item.

Well, I just don't know what else it could be. You aren't using sub-titles are you? Or any other extras?

What I would do is go over each item on your sellers account. I know that's a lot of work but I don't know how else you can work out what is going on. Maybe do it each morning for the items you know were listed or re-listed the previous day, that would be a bit easier. You may have to do it for an entire month.

Please let us know what you find out.

[thebarterersdog]

Hi Lum, see that's what I read and understood it to mean 500 on .ca and 500 on .com. I'm getting nowhere with eBay.  

Hi Vin, no we are not using any extras but we have been going over every single listing to make sure we haven't by accident clicked on anything we didn't want. So far, nothing...  I will look into the GTC again to make certain we have understood it properly... I'll let you all know how I make out. 

[rose-dee]

Hi --

With all due respect to Mr. Elmwood, I too was under the impression that Cdn sellers with store subscriptions got double the number of allowable free listings.  The information you uploaded from your summary does not look to me like any sort of special offer, but this is how the regular store allowance for free listings is normally shown -- right?

For example, I have a basic store, and I am certain that at the time the "free listings for stores" change came in last year, and for some time afterward, my available free 150 listings were shown as yours -- 150 on the Cdn eBay sites, plus 150 on eBay.com.  I recall Pierre Lebel mentioning this was the case, on more than one occasion. 

However, something odd has happened.  I just checked my own Summary, and lo and behold, the freebies for eBay.com are no longer shown!  Not only that, but the actual count for Ebay.ca isn't shown as 150 (normally it will show the number of used up free listings over the total available, e.g. 78/150).  Instead, take a look at this, from my Summary page today (Sorry - I tried to copy the info and it wouldn't paste properly -- I'm going to have to grab a screen shot and post it in the next frame).

This is bizarre.  Something is very much amiss here. 

[rose-dee]

Here is the screen shot from my Summary Page today.  I've included the whole "Promotional Offers" frame, since I'm not planning to use any of the auction promo or the vehicle listings -- the one that regularly applies to my store is the middle one.  Note that there is nothing now shown for the eBay.com free listing allowance.  Only the 150 on the .ca sites.  This is different from a couple of months ago, when I had a TOTAL of 300 free listings shown (i.e. 150 on .ca + 150 on .com). 

Either eBay has slipped in another sneaky change without notifying sellers, or there is a big glitch going on.  I will be bringing this up with the "Pinks" tomorrow to see whether the .com freebies are indeed gone for good.  This could be your problem. 

By the way, the FVF change on shipping happened a long time ago -- at least a couple of years, maybe longer.  There was a huge uproar from sellers over it at the time (many reacted as you did in your initial post here), but most sellers have realized that overall their fees are now lower, and most of the sellers who were getting away with fleecing buyers with exorbitant shipping have been forced to either mend their ways or go away. 

Those kind of sellers were not only ripping off buyers with impunity, but were reflecting really badly on all eBay sellers, and I'm sure must have driven many buyers away. There are still a few around who overcharge on shipping + handling, but they now pay for their folly. 

I'll have to try posting the screen shot in the next frame - for some reason it won't fit here.