Hidden Fees for Sellers

[nedulon101]

I discovered as a new seller this unusual fact, I was given 250 free listings for my items on this site,

then after I make my first sale of 3.70 (including shipping) , There is a 'Transaction Fee' attached to the payment of 0.94 cents. . . So how can that be? If the item is to be listed for 'free' under the 250 agreement, then how and why am I paying a 'transaction fee' for my sale. Can anyone answer why this hidden fee seems like I have been lied to? This discourages me from using Ebay in the future, I may very well close my account soon because of this. It's not about the money amount, it's about morality and truth.

[femmefan1946]

LIsting is free.

This is not true of many sites, which make their money by charging a small fee on listing, and low fees on selling.

While eBay fees can be as low as 3%, most categories are 13.5% plus a 30c non-refundable service fee.

That fee is charged on the sale, the shipping charged to the buyer, and the sales taxes* the buyer pays to his government.

In addition, if your buyer is in the USA, you will pay an additional 0.04% international fee.  Most of your buyers will be in the USA.

You may also pay some optional fees if you choose to use those usually promotional offers. Promoted Listings is a recent introduction and you will see a lot of discussion about that. Another Really Bad Idea is using Reserve on Auctions.**

All of which goes to say, if you are listing anything for less than about $10, you will lose money.

*Because the fee is on the customer's ENTIRE payment. And sales taxes are transaction taxes, not item taxes.

** Actually using Auction is not a great idea in the first place.