OT: EBay confusing me
Bill Krummel
charged the fifteen cent insertion fee on the first five items I listed.
When the auctions were over (all were disasters from a seller's pov), I was
dumbfounded to see the amounts of the fvfs (final value fees)
Sell price fvf
$28.19 $2.47
24.01 2.10
18.50 1.62
78.77 6.89
23.27 2.04
129.29 11.31
124.01 10.85
I checked the fvf schedule and understood that the first $25 was charged at
an 8.75% rate and the amount from $25.01 to $1,000 was charged at a 3.5%
rate. Checking my auctions, I thought there must be a software glitch
causing the 8.75% rate to be charged to the full amount of the ending
auction price. I sent an email through eBay's help system;
Message: "Four of my auctions ended the evening of 10/25/2009 at over $25
and the final value fee is being assessed an 8.75% of the total amount,
not 8.75% of the first $25 and 3.5% of balance to $1,000. For example,
auction style listing #130337563426 ended at $129.29 and I am charged a
final value fee of $11.31 ($129.29 x .0875) when it should be $2.19
(8.75% of the first $25) plus $3.65 ( 3.5% of the remaining $104.29) for
a total of $5.84
A total of four auctions have incorrect final value fees."
Bill Krummel ( dqueenseneca )
Less than 24 hours later I received this reply;
"Dear William,
Thank you for taking time to write to eBay in regard to your inquiry
about the Final Value Fee that was charged to your listing. I understand
your concern in this situation, and I'm glad to be of assistance.
I reviewed your account and checked the billing details of the iitem
number that your provided. Item number: 130337563426 with item name:
1971-S Silver Eisenhower PCGS MS67. The listing qualified for the "5
Free Insertion Fees every 30 days for Auction-style listings" program.
In this program, sellers who list their items via the Sell Your Item
form or the Simple form are eligible for 5 Free Insertion Fees every 30
days with the new Final Value Fee structure. The first 5 listings with
no Insertion Fees will have a Final Value Fee of 8.75% of the sales
price or $20, whichever is lower. Additional items sold during the same
30-day period will have the same Insertion Fees and Final Value Fees as
they do today. After you use all 5 Free Insertion Fees in the 30 day
period, current Insertion Fee and Final Value Fees apply. Below is the
breakdown of the fee charged to the listing.
Item number: Selling Price x 8.75% = Final Value Fee
130337563426 $129.29 x 8.75% = $11.31
Each 30 day period begins with a seller's first free listing. For
example:
* On June 20th, a seller lists his or her first eligible free insertion
fee listing.
* That seller will have until July 20th to use their 4 remaining free
insertion fees.
* If they then list their next free insertion fee auction style listing
on July 25th, they have until August 24th to user their 4 remaining free
insertion fees.
You can also refer to the following link for more of your information
and guidance:
* http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200906.shtml#2009-05-12095308
* http://pages.ebay.com/sell/June2009/List5Free/
* http://pages.ebay.com/help/sell/insertion-fee.html
It is my pleasure to assist you. I hope we were able to answer your
concern to your satisfaction. Thank you for choosing eBay. If you need
further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this email and let
us know.
Sincerely,
..............."
Ok, I was not aware of this new pricing structure, but the gist is that each
month the first five insertion fees are free and the fvf will be a flat
8.75%, not too exceed $20. So, I saved 75 cents in insertion fees and paid
an extra $13.66 in fvfs.
Now I do see ways the system can be used to the listers advantage, e.g. the
first five listings each month will be cheap enough to not exceed $25 in
final bids. However, an occasional seller such as I may not be able to play
that game. You are simply screwed if you have just a few higher ticket
items you want to sell. This is not a whine. I am aware I either play by
eBay's rules or play elsewhere. But, I thought I might warn others who may
not be aware of the fee changes and who also sell just occasionally.
If I am wrong in my interpretation of eBay's new selling fee structure, I
apologize and ask that someone staighten me out. If I am correct, though,
does anyone see the logic to this new structure. To whom would this new
structure have appeal?
Bill
BTW, when I reviewed the fvf table I never saw the 5 free listings at a
staight 8.75% or $20 whichever lower. It may be there and I missed it.
Bob-tx
"Bill Krummel" <dqu...@netins.net> wrote in message
news:hc5q5b$8lu$1...@news.netins.net...
Sure makes it easy to understand why fewer and fewer people use
Ebay. I quit over two years ago.
Bob-tx
Nick Knight
>Ok, I was not aware of this new pricing structure, but the gist is that
>each month the first five insertion fees are free and the fvf will be a
>flat 8.75%, not too exceed $20. So, I saved 75 cents in insertion fees
>and paid an extra $13.66 in fvfs.
Is this "5 free insertions each 30 day" thing an optional program, or simply
the way it is now for everyone? What an unattractive program.
Thank you for bringing this up. I, too, only list occassionally and need to
be careful, or at least understand, that I'm libel to be paying quite an
excess of fees if and when this program applies.
Nick
Bruce Remick
"Bob-tx" <bobw...@suddenlink.net> wrote in message
news:4ae6be0f$0$23742$bbae...@news.suddenlink.net...
>
> Sure makes it easy to understand why fewer and fewer people use Ebay. I
> quit over two years ago.
> Bob-tx
>
Even with those pesky eBay & PayPal fees, I have typically received much
better prices for my duplicate coins on eBay that I would have received from
a dealer. And as for "junk" and white elephants around the house that
otherwise might have been thrown away, the eBay option has been like free
money. I can see though how some people would become indignant over the
constantly increasing fees-- mostly those who sell on eBay as a business, as
I see it.
Mr. Jaggers
I can understand where a hobbyist, or one who does as you do, might have
difficulty keeping track of all the things that Bill encountered.
But anyone who sells on eBay "as a business" needs to know the intricacies
of the rules in and out, just as any retailer must. And if they sell on
eBay as a business, they better be rendering unto Caesar, just as
wage-earners must, as well.
James the Harsh
The Giant Brain
"Mr. Jaggers" <lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com> wrote in message
news:hc6u4...@enews5.newsguy.com...
eBay's unmitigated hubris and greed will be their downfall.
It wasn't all that long ago that AOL was the king of the online hill (remember
advertisements touting AOL "Keywords"?)
Look where they are now.
IMO eBay's pricing policies are very shortsighted.
Bill Krummel
"Nick Knight" <bhnc...@mr2ice.com> wrote in message
news:4ae6e5d2$1$avpx$mr2...@news.east.cox.net...
Nick, I am told the program is excellent if you have five auctions that you
are confident will end over $533 each. If you start that type item as the
first five listings, you have your five free listings plus you have capped
the fvfs at $20.00. Otherwise, make sure you have five items that will
not exceed $25 in final value, using those as your first five items.
Anything you list after the first five listings can be whatever, no benefit
or penalty for final value.
The "5 free" program does not seem to be optional although if you use a
listing tool such as turbolister you avoid the program.
Bill
Mr. Jaggers
I have not defended, nor am I defending, eBay's policies. Even though I am
not a seller, I know how confusing and full of contradictions their rule
book can be.
My point is that profits made by eBay sellers (read "self-employment wages")
do not generate W-2s or 1099s. Some of these independent eBay entrepreneurs
may indeed render unto Caesar, but smart money says that most do not. That
is why I lack sympathy when they start complaining. In Bill's defense, his
complaint seemed to center on the fact that he was surprised by the opaque
fee schedule imposed by eBay, not that he had to pay fees, and that makes
his post OK in my book.
James the Fine Printer
Donald Weber
applies to the first five auctions you list THROUGH eBay only. If you use a
third party lister like ink frog or Auctiva it doesn't apply. You must log
onto ebay and use their software to list. And yes you should do the math on
what you expect a item to end for and see if it's worth it to you list it
that way. As far As I know the first five items each month are free. No
exceptions, no opt out. So make sure you list the first five with items that
will work in your favor. You will know if a your proposed auction is a free
one by looking at the charges before you submit the listing.
Don Weber
The Giant Brain
"Mr. Jaggers" <lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com> wrote in message
I did not imply that you defended eBay.
eBay remains my place of choice to buy certain items.
I was once an active seller on eBay but haven't sold there in several years,
mostly due to my inate laziness.
Nevertheless I'd still use them to unload certain items (if I could just muster
up the energy!)
eBay used to be a lot more fun to buy & sell on.
Mr. Jaggers
I've never sold on eBay, so I can't say one way or the other as to whether
it's more or less fun.
As a buyer it's a bit less fun, but only because I can't see who I'm bidding
against. This business of using a two-letter code for the bidders' names is
pure hogwash.
James the Decoder
Bruce Remick
"Mr. Jaggers" <lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com> wrote in message
I just sold another cracked composite softball bat on eBay, one that
otherwise would go in the trash as unuseable. I've sold almost ten of them
like that now for up to $40 each. I never ask bidders why they want them.
I just count the money. Fun. More. For me, anyway.
>
> As a buyer it's a bit less fun, but only because I can't see who I'm
> bidding against. This business of using a two-letter code for the
> bidders' names is pure hogwash.
Used to really piss me off when I was able to see the same familiar users
bidding against me. Now there's less stress in my life since I can't tell
who the other bidder are. In most large live / internet / telephone
auctions you can't always tell who you're bidding against, either. Losing's
no fun, regardless of whether or not you can see who's trumping you.
Mr. Jaggers
The problem for me is that, in a very few cases, I *can* tell. It was much
better when bidders were simply identified by number in the order as they
entered bids. That made it truly anonymous, instead of the current insipid
practice of suggesting that you can tell who the bidders are if you're smart
enough to figure out who w***g is.
James the Too Soon Oldt und Too Late Schmardt
Bruce Remick
"Mr. Jaggers" <lugburzman[at]yahoo[dot]com> wrote in message
I was under the impression that the w***g thing is a randomly-generated ID
that doesn't stay with any one particular bidder from auction to auction.
If you've determined otherwise, I'll take that aboard.
Mr. Jaggers
It's randomly-generated once but then stays the same. I have checked my own
primary eBay account from a second eBay account to verify this. Likewise a
friend of mine occasionally bids against me (some friend!) and from his
feedback number I can tell it is he. Once you know someone's eBay handle
you can use the advanced search feature to learn what they have bid on over
the past 30 days, whether they win or not.
James the Gumshoe
Frank Provasek
the "free" listings. Unfortunately, you cannot opt out of using the
5 "free" listings. Since the FVF is capped at $20 on the "free"
listings, you will save on items selling for over about $500. So if
you are not listing items selling over $500, you should use up your
"free" listings on your CHEAPEST items.
--
RARE COIN AUCTIONS NO RESERVES www.frankcoins.com
http://myworld.ebay.com/frankcoins Texas Auction License
11259, Board member of Texas Coin Dealers Association,
Member TNA, ANA, PCGS, NGC - Full Time Since 1991
Nick Knight
10/28/2009
>The 8.75% FVF can indeed result in a FVF MORE than if you had not used the
>"free" listings. Unfortunately, you cannot opt out of using the 5 "free"
>listings. Since the FVF is capped at $20 on the "free" listings, you will
>save on items selling for over about $500. So if you are not listing items
>selling over $500, you should use up your "free" listings on your CHEAPEST
>items.
I suppose it wouldn't be too horrible to list 5 things that had no hope of
selling, just to use up the "free" listings. Perhaps 5 different modern
lincoln cents from change for 99 cents each, with a couple of bucks for
shipping. That way, if you DID sell one, you could cover the FVF and still
pay for the trouble of shipping one :). Don't forget the now-mandatory
Paypal fees!
I'm glad I'm aware of this little diddy. I haven't listed anything in a
long, long time, but I keep meaning to :)
Nick
linxlvr
> I just sold 7 coins in 10 day auction style listings on eBay. I was not
> charged the fifteen cent insertion fee on the first five items I listed.
> When the auctions were over (all were disasters from a seller's pov), I was
> dumbfounded to see the amounts of the fvfs (final value fees)
>
> Sell price fvf
>
> $28.19 $2.47
> 24.01 2.10
> 18.50 1.62
> 78.77 6.89
> 23.27 2.04
> 129.29 11.31
> 124.01 10.85
>
> I checked the fvf schedule and understood that the first $25 was charged at
> an 8.75% rate and the amount from $25.01 to $1,000 was charged at a 3.5%
> rate. Checking my auctions, I thought there must be a software glitch
> causing the 8.75% rate to be charged to the full amount of the ending
> auction price. I sent an email through eBay's help system;
Thanks for the heads up.As only an occasional seller I am the type
that would get burned by these types of things.
I really don't care for ebay's ever increasing fees, nor do i care for
the paypal tie in.
But I still must admit, it's probably still the best game in town at
this time for the simple reason of customer base, or exposure.
--
dw