drgah
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posted on August 20, 2006 07:36:46 AM new
I went from 99 active listings down to 8. The fees between Ebay, Paypal, and Vendio are eating up the profits. The question for me became--How little will I work for?
Ebay and Vendio/Auctionwatch sure have changed since 1999 when I started.
Remember the good old days?
I sense that buyers are becoming more scarce, sellers more numerous, and there is always someone giving away the same items is sell for 99 cents.
Therefore, I have had to become much more picky on what I list. The thrift stores are raising their prices on books which is what I resell. I used to be able to buy them for a buck and resell for $13 on average. Now I buy them for $3 and get about $9 on average.
I used to list organ music and get a pretty good return. Not so anymore. The same with may non-fiction how-to books.
Bottom line is it is not worth my time listing these items anymore.
I will still do some select auctions on what I know will be worth it.
I think the Ebay format has seen its better days.
Vendio has changed also. In gradual steps, they have steadily but surely increased their cut.
First it was free, then the fees to list started and went up again, then the charges for image hosting, then the fees to list went up again. Etc. Ebay has done the same thing. I have cut my images way back and will go with the $9.99 plan. Have to make sure I don't go over the 55mb limit.
And paypal charges an exorbitant amount to be the money changers. 50 cents plus 2.9% on an average sale of $9 to $10 is a huge chunk out of my bottom line.
In addition, the postal service keeps jacking up their rates and adding add-ons like parcel size calculations and next years media mail increases.
Enough already!
Good luck to all of you who continue to fight the good fight.
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hwahwa
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posted on August 20, 2006 08:45:10 AM new
Who said Paypal transaction fee is 50 cents??
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ebayvet
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posted on August 20, 2006 10:18:07 AM new
You're right, it is a fight. I've been selling online for a long time now - Lots and lots of changes over the years. I think this change is going to shut down a lot of people, but my guess is a lot of these people were probably not making it anyway. If you had 99 listings and sold things under $25, this fee increase would have cost you under $3 more a month, and a few bucks more in FVF each month.
I see the ebay boards of all the people shutting down their stores. The amount that these people are affected are usually under $20. If you can't take a $20 hit, then you have a hobby, not a business. I believe a lot of these people will find their way to third party sites like bidville, realize there is no business there, and either come back or just go away. There will be plenty to take their place though.
This change is forcing me to make changes, but all changes require that. Either adapt, or sit it out.
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otteropp
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posted on August 20, 2006 11:26:40 AM new
Yes..things have changed. I have only been doing this since 2002 and luckily not as a business but initially to downsize after merging three households. The habits of a lifetime die hard and so I still pick up more things and if I buy a box lot at auction that has something in it for our collections...I sell the rest. It pays for my addiction to collecting and some left over.
The fees have increased all around from EBay to Vendio. I can cope with the Vendio increase as I really like the Image Hosting and being able to list through Vendio but EBay has gone a bit overboard. I closed my EBay store on July 9th a full 10 days before the Bill Cobb letter. I had planned on re-opening it in the Winter. I guess I was one of the people that EBay didn't want. It is a shame as I liked my store and EBay had suggested that we open one and promote it.
Ah...well...roll with the punches.
I am still listing a few auctions although I never do much in the Summer and I have explored other options to spread my "joy" around. I liked the look of Wagglepop and so have listed there and like it. Very reasonable & I have had some sales too. I shall also continue selling items on EBay in a "core" kinda way!!
You are right about the extra fees being a small factor for those who use all of the services to operate a busines but I think it has hurt a lot of smaller sellers who are trying to supplement pensions and disabilities. I feel for them.
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paloma91
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posted on August 20, 2006 12:05:28 PM new
You Won't believe this one. I spent so much time asking questions here and time putting stuff in the store. I was going crazy. Then I had to stop and focus on a few other things. One of my friends offered to swap me a banana tree for some of my black bamboo and offered to dig more up as a thank you. We put them in pots (I think that's how I started the shoulder screw up that I go for surgery next week) These things are 18+ feet tall) I listed them in the local throw away and on craigslist. WOW ! I made more on them that an entire year's selling on ebay! So now that they are almost gone, I am back to focusing on ebutt Oops ebay (grim) So selling things off ebay CAN be profitable
[ edited by paloma91 on Aug 20, 2006 12:12 PM ]
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otteropp
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posted on August 20, 2006 12:09:16 PM new
WOW is right! Good for you.
Why are you on here...go dig more!! LOL
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drgah
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posted on August 20, 2006 12:11:45 PM new
Ebay has always been a hobby for me. I would never try using sales on Ebay to bring home the bacon. I would have to buy dog food instead.
Ebay has been alot of fun until the last yer or so. Listing saturations, fewer buyers/bidders/ highter fees/ higher shipping costs/ higher cost of goods sold have all combined to squeeze the bottom line for me.
At a time when the consumer (me) is feeling the stress of increased fuel costs, insurance costs, food costs, tuition costs, etc., it makes no sense to keep escalating fees. Too many sellers will pull back and this will end up negatively affecting Ebay's bottom line.
Ebay as a venue for the hobby seller has deteriorated rapidly over the last few years.
A glut of listings has increased the competition for the bidder tremendously. You have to have a really unique or new item to sell it on Ebay now and make any kind of return.
Ebay has become a great place to buy, but has become a lesser place to sell.
Just my view. Good luck to you all.
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sanmar
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posted on August 20, 2006 12:27:35 PM new
Join the crowd, I closed my store on Friday. I went from 110 items to 14. Between Feebay & Vendio, I was losing money. I am seriouly considering quittin altogether. I have bee sellin since January of 1998 & it not the same now.
Life Is Too Short To Drink Bad Wine
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merrie
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posted on August 20, 2006 12:44:13 PM new
My store goes tonight. I only opened the store because Ebay kept nagging me in emails and they offered the first month free and then it seemed convenient to use if for items that I knew what the market would bear. Now, it is just a drain. I have been on Ebay since 1998. There have been many changes. I think Ebay tried to change its format too much and now is regretting it. Ah the good old days!!
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annekila
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posted on August 20, 2006 01:53:11 PM new
I thought it was a .30 base for PayPal...
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hwahwa
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posted on August 20, 2006 02:07:37 PM new
Paypal transaction fee is 30 cents,not 50 cents.
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ST0NEC0LD613
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posted on August 20, 2006 09:32:32 PM new
30 50 still the point is ebay/paypal is raping it's sellers and many sellers are making it clear they simply cannot list the way they did in the past. You are going to see more carefully listed items and many more 1 cent with $25 shipping items.
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hwahwa
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posted on August 21, 2006 05:02:38 AM new
Do you want to accept credit card transactions?
An alternative is to have your own merchant account,shop around and see how much it would cost you.
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ewora
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posted on August 21, 2006 10:24:21 AM new
I closed my store last month and after my last auction closes on the 29th I am closing up shop till at least October. We may or may not be on the road in the RV by that time.
I boxed up the unlisted items and tucked them away and cleaned up my office. It looks like a completely different place. Amazing.
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irked
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posted on August 21, 2006 06:10:39 PM new
Paypal charges different prices according to if it is credit card or paypal funds. Just today my fee for a small items was this:
item $8.49 USD - Fee $0.63 USD Now that SUCKS. This is not even counting fees to list 70 cents at least. Then the FV fee and then the Vendio fees which are more in line for such a small amount.
I was listing a lot of things yesterday trying to just get rid of them never listed but not much hope to get much at present. I got these things about 5 years ago when things were snapping at Ebay. Now be lucky if they sell so many have come out of closets. Anyway got to thinking of the fees and I will go in the hole for sure if they go for what I listed most for and I am not going to hold my breath that they will even sell. He]] last night I sold 2 things and they didn't even pay for all the listings I did a week ago that didn't sell.
I am seriously thinking of cutting way back if not out right quit ebay all together. Between all three places' fees I am beating a dead horse here. I have been on ebay and vendio since 1998 or 97 and it use to be excellent money---now it is hind tit.
**************
Well, aren't we a ray of sunshine.
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classicimagestudios
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posted on August 24, 2006 08:30:04 AM new
I am not sure if anyone has checked out Overstock.com but I am going to try listing there for a few months. They have bulk listing rates that seem very reasonable. I sell the same items monthly but have over 700 listings at a time. Sales have tanked and the fees are killing me too. VERY FRUSTRATING!
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ggardenour
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posted on August 24, 2006 07:17:15 PM new
I have/had 5000 items in my store and I I must agree the fees are killing me. I have been doing this since 1999 back in the days of the free dog now known as vendio and eBay wasn't called feeBay. PayPal only charged a reasonable percentage not a flat .30 PLUS a percentage. I have gone from making decent money to just covering expenses.
Its sad, that eBay begged us to open up these stores and invest the time and effort to get them up and running and then to raise the fees to the point were it makes no sense to continue.
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pmelcher
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posted on August 25, 2006 06:41:24 AM new
Am I the only one who remembers when PayPal was FREE? I seem to remember they made money on the 'float' time between when it was deposited and when it was withdrawn. Tell me I don't have 'old timers disease'.
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birgittaw
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posted on August 25, 2006 07:21:52 AM new
No, I remember too when it was PP was free ... but I can't remember what the listing fee was back all those years ago. Was it 25c? And gas was 99c a gallon.
Just as an aside note. Sold something the other day on auction for three times what an identical item (in better condition) was marinating in an eBay store for. I never would have found the store listing had I not done a search on an obscure manufacturer. Guess I really should go buy the other one now ...
B/
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minniestuff
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posted on August 25, 2006 07:33:12 AM new
I remember when Paypal was not only free but they paid you $$$ for each person you referred to them!
Vendio and it's final value fee is totally absurd but since I think they have the easiest image hosting service around, I use them.
I have closed the stores on both of the ID's I use. I have one ID that I sell off things that are collecting in closets and on shelves and another ID that I sell items that help pay for my daughter's college tuition.
First, Ebay was really pushing Ebay Stores and then when they realized that they were not making that much of a profit, they started to raise prices and give less benifits.
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jake
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posted on August 25, 2006 08:48:10 AM new
Just as an aside note. Sold something the other day on auction for three times what an identical item (in better condition) was marinating in an eBay store for. I never would have found the store listing had I not done a search on an obscure manufacturer. Guess I really should go buy the other one now ...
--------------------
I see this happen all the time. Are the buyers not seeing the store items, or don't they want to buy from them?
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birgittaw
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posted on August 25, 2006 09:18:09 AM new
I can only speak personally -- if it's a vanilla item, like tape, ink etc. I will shop in stores. Or a very unusual one waiting for a buyer looking for JUST that 1936 magazine or ironstone orphan lid, I will look also.
Otherwise, I find store items in my categories (antiques and collectables) often tired, run of the mill, and priced at or above retail. Sometimes WAY over retail in fantasy land. Similarly, when looking at a seller's offerings, I won't wade through pages of store items either. At the point when the first BIN shows up, I exit.
JMHO.
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