Final Value fee on shipping to Ebay sellers

[clothes2ewe]

This is ridiculous, I charge actual shipping and lose 1.42 which means it costs me that much more to sell on here. I called Ebay and they say it is t protect buyers from sellers who list items for 1 cent but charge 45.00 shipping on small items, but that has nothing to do with me. I am losing more than I am gaining on here, has anyone else noticed this change besides me. I alwys thought that when I bought something if I agreed on the terms I.E. price and shipping that it is a contract, but I guess I am wrong????

[kumatenshi]

Buyers becoming more and more sophisticated.....that's a good one.

Made me laugh for sure.

The majority of people just shift their ignorance of one thing to another thing and build themselves up as smarter, that's all. Like you said yourself, paying a higher price for an item with free shipping is more psychologically appealing to you (this is to its not me btw)

So you're basically willfully allowing yourself to be fooled, by yourself. Pat on the back for you.

It's actually all simplistic.....if you bid on something, you agree to pay the charges laid out in the listing. Doesn't matter if you ~think~ later on they should be lowered. You agreed to them.

I list fairly, but it's absurd to have people getting this entitled notion in their heads that because they want to buy something, other people should absorb the costs of getting said item to them, simply so they don't have to go out into the world to an actual store.

In the cases it's a rare item....that's where the item is. You want it where you are, you pay for it. Plain and simple.

I did a small experiement on here recently myself with some items, changed around various things when they didn't sell until they did. Just recently I sold two listings, and after everything was said and done, I ended up with almost nothing because I absorbed the shipping costs myself as much as I could, and after fees and everything.

Even if I had gotten those items for next to nothing, I wouldn't have made very much. It's a bad business strategy, and that's the point of people selling things on here. To make money.

Whether you people like it or not.

[atilla_unogur]

Hello

I like the debate going on but I have a very simple question:

How do we avoid being charged a final value fee on shipping?
Did eBay leave sellers with an option? (like using a specific type of shipping calculations, services etc.)

[pjcdn2005]

Did eBay leave sellers with an option? (like using a specific type of shipping calculations, services etc.)

You don't get excused from fvf on shipping for shipping a certain way. If you have free shipping then of course you are not charged a fvf on shipping but since the shipping cost would then be in your item price, you are technically still paying a fee on shipping.

You can pay less fees on international shipping in some cases. If the international shipping cost is higher than your domestic rate, you are charged fees on the domestic rate. So if you list on .ca and have free shipping in Canada, you wouldn't be charged a fvf on shipping,even though you have charged the international buyer for shipping.If your international shipping is less than your domestic, then you pay fvf on the lower amount.

[honeyman76]

Why does Ebay make things so complicated? Why charge an extra shipping Fee amount for an item? It just pisses everyone off and makes people have to find ways around it and play a ridiculous game that I find outrageous. They charge a final value fee on shipping yet Ebay has nothing to do with me packaging an item and getting my butt down to the Post Office, standing in line for a half hour. The way I see it, Ebay should be paying us a final value fee on shipping. I don't want to increase my price on an item just to lower the cost on shipping. AND my final rant is, as a buyer, when they win an auction, THEY AGREE to the shipping being charged. Who cares if somebody charge a penny on their auction but 100$ on shipping or vice versa, a penny on shipping and 100$ for the item. This is just a way for Ebay to eat any meat that might have been on the bone. Thats my rant.Tired of seeing huge shipping fees and losing more and more money. The dogs

[pierrelebel]

You may not be aware but, years ago, whenm eBay introduced the comcept of Final Value Fees being charged on the value of the transaction (selling price and shipping), they reduced the FVF in effect at that time.

Many sellers, myself included, ended up paying lower FVFs to eBay while others ended up paying more, mostly when the shipping charge is high in relation to value.

"Who cares if somebody charge a penny on their auction but 100$ on shipping or vice versa, a penny on shipping and 100$ for the item."

eBay cares of course and all sellers should care. The current system - fees on the amount of the transaction - is competitve with other large competitors such as Amazon.

[pierrelebel]

"As a long-time user, I am now considering leaving eBay for good. "

I am sorry to see you go.

Since you have been on eBay for over ten years, I am surprised you did not know how to make a claim for non-payment. The procedure has not changed much in years.

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/buy/resolving-problems.html 

.

Unfortunately, eBay staffers do not read this boards. If you have a problem paying your monthly sellers fee invoice, you need to contact eBay directly through the Customer Support link at right on top of this page.

Good Luck.

[gulcove]

Excellent advice!  Ebay is on the verge of killing the goose that laid the golden egg.  Apparently, according to ebay, there are only bad sellers and perfect buyers.  The amount of deadbeat bidders I have blocked so far this year because they don't want to pay the increased postal costs set by Canada Post (which they could have checked using the shipping calculator BEFORE they bid) is staggering.  I am actually charging less than it costs me to ship BEFORE ebay takes its cut of the shipping fee but I guess instead of targetting the actual shipping gouging offenders it is simpler, and more profitable for ebay to tar everyone with the same brush.  Canada Post employees use the packages for footballs because they were forced back to work by the Federal government and the item arrives broken and, of course, that's my fault.  The buyer breaks the item while unwrapping it and wants a refund - oh yes, my fault again.  Canada Post rates are are higher than the bankrupt and heavily subsidized rates in the US and Canada is a huge country with a small population - you guessed it - my fault.  My seller dashboard indicates my rating as excellent in compliance with all policies but who cares?  Certainly not Ebay.  If I sell locally, the customer comes to me and if it gets broken, its their problem and I get to keep 100% of the profit.  VIVA LA free listing sites!!!   

[marccouture67]

Apparently, someone from eBay does read these boards as my earlier post was deleted for "abusive language".  Looks like I may get the required attention after all.

[pierrelebel]

That is not how it works.

The boards are monitored by LiveWorld (not eBay).  A post will be removed if a reader reports it to be in violation of the posting policies. I do not know what infraction was committed but the following are not allowed:

Advertising items, listing, services, or commercial websites, including offers to trade, "wanted" posts, or charitable solicitations

Attempting to impersonate eBay staff or other eBay members

Creating additional user IDs to avoid posting limits

Discussing ways of getting around our policies

Discussing or reposting deleted posts or warning letters

Discussing restricted, suspended, or no longer registered members

Enabling, encouraging, or instructing others to leave eBay so that they can sell, buy, or participate on sites other than eBay that includes the sale of merchandise, auctions, and services, such as off-eBay forums, off-eBay groups, and other sites

Encouraging others to violate eBay policies or the eBay User Agreement

Hostile comments

Including another individual's contact information or email address

Interpersonal disputes

JavaScript or active code

Misusing the Report link to maliciously or frivolously report posts

Posting email content from other individuals

Posting information about member or listing violations (Instead, please review our policies and report the violation by contacting us)

Posting material that in any way violates the eBay User Agreement or community values

Posting web addresses (URLs), websites, or item numbers in the title of a post or threaded discussion

Refusing to follow eBay staff instructions

Repetitive or disruptive threads

Starting inappropriate threads

Unacceptable images or text

Other actions that interfere with site operations

For more information on board policy, please refer to:

http://pages.ebay.ca/help/policies/everyone-boards.html 

As stated earlier, if you want to communicate with eBay for a problem specific to your seller account, you need to do it directly, not through the boards.

[marccouture67]

Pierre: if the Contacting us function worked properly, I wouldn't need to use the forums.  eBay's method for handling support requests is a joke.  It's so bad that if it was a brick and mortar, the company would have gone under years ago.

End of rant.

[pjcdn2005]

Pierre: if the Contacting us function worked properly, I wouldn't need to use the forums.  eBay's method for handling support requests is a joke.  It's so bad that if it was a brick and mortar, the company would have gone under years ago.

End of rant.

You will often get more accurate answers on this forum anyway.

[my-june]

Ebay told me to add the extra charge to the price of the item.

[marccouture67]

Update: an eBay rep reached out to me this afternoon over the phone and we resolved my issue.   Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of the person who helped me out but she was very friendly. I take back what I said about the company's customer service, I can admit when I was wrong.

Two thumbs up!

[pierrelebel]

" we resolved my issue."

That is good news!

Could you give us a quick outline on the nature of the "issue" and what solution was offered by eBay.  That information could potentially help many readers having a similar "issue".

[marccouture67]

Hi Pierre,

There was a problem with the date in the form used to resolve a dispute, this was resolved by the eBay support rep, I coudl then properly report both auctions where the buyer did not pay or tried to scam me.

Cheers

[derekseller42]

The fee is BS!! I'm not going to list as much anymore on here. Lots of other great options out there now.

Etsy is a great option

[mr.elmwood]

Derek, my stuff will never sell on Etsy, Fees on amazon are too high, CL and Kijiji are a waste of time.

My fees have gone DOWN since the FVF on shipping came in.

[pierrelebel]

"I'm not going to list as much anymore on here."

In your situation, with few sales on eBay, it may make sense to list and attempt to sell elsewhere.

The Final Value Fees are based on the total value of the transaction.  So it does not matter if seller absorbs some or all of the shipping costs in the selling price or boosts the shipping charge to make a profit.  eBay gets the same percentage on the total value of the transaction.  It is a fair system.

It has been in effect at Amazon (eBay's largest competitor) for many years before eBay implemented the policy a few years ago.

Overall, the fees are still much lower than most alternatives.  But, it is not for everyone and, it appears, not for you.

Good Luck.

[mr.elmwood]

Pierre, have you noticed, that for those whom is not working, they have to come to the boards and basically scream that it is not for anyone? How is it that some have to come here and tell you and I how to conduct our business, what is best for us, how to manage our finances?

Why do so many, who are leaving, have to announce it to us first? I like to sneak away under the cover of silence when I want out of somewhere.

[pierrelebel]

"Why do so many, who are leaving, have to announce it to us first?"

Honestly, one has to question if they are really leaving.

I remember the many posts last Spring from a coin dealer near Barrie who had several posts about leaving for good after having experienced several problems with eBay policies (listings being pulled for policy violations, etc...) .

Yet, his eBay store today is still full of listings - properly following all policies! -  and his monthly sales appear pretty impressive (thousands of dollars).

I am too old to believe everything I read on these threads.