I gave up on ebay well over a year ago. I was one of many "little people" that had a reasonable turn over of sales on there. I went from selling a hundred items a week to a few a week, to giving up.
I wasn't competing with any businesses, and I certainly couldn't live off my income, but I was making a few hundred quid a month, and it used to be fun too. But they just kept tinkering with it, moving the goalposts daily.
Perhaps, they are trying to attact that sort of seller back again, speaking to various people on my travels, I'm not the only small scale / hobby / pocket money seller to have just given up on it?
So perhaps a lot of people in similar situations wandered off, and what with the recession and all, they are trying to both attract those back, and encourage more people to sell off their junk to raise a few quid?
* If you're a private seller, it's free to list any auction-style items starting at £0.99p or less
* It's still free to upload your first photo
* It costs you nothing if your item doesn't sell
* We only apply a 10% final value fee (max. £40) if you sell your item
* You can set a reserve price for a small fee
The "It costs you nothing if your item doesn't sell" is of particular appeal. There's things I've got which I'd like to try and sell on eBay, but my finances are so constrained that I couldn't risk things not selling and still having to pay insertion fees. That change will certainly encourage me to use eBay for selling again.
I use ebay a lot, am selling some stuff on behalf of my mates mum so have to provide her with breakdown of costs.
The insertion fee and final value fee are something that all auction houses will do. On top of that, with ebay, the buyer is almost forced into paying with paypal, which is also ebay owned and for that there is an additional fee, think its 3.4% + 20P all those fees do add up.
When I buy, I don't like to be ripped off for postal charges so when I sell, I charge post at cost, but if the PO quotes me 3.60, the buyer pays by paypal, I lose out and end up paying a contribution for their postage. If possible, I factor in the fees, but then the buyer feels ripped off as he has paid more than he can see in stamps. Its a no win apart from for ebay.
All that said, I have sold no end of stuff which otherwise would have either cluttered up my home or gone into the bin. It really does offer a near global market for things.
PP takes the fee when the buyer sends you some money, for example if they send you ten pounds, you will actually get nine pounds forty six. Less if the buyer is abroad.
They don't charge you for transferring money to your bank account provided you transfer over fifty pounds. Any less and there is a charge but I don't know what it is off hand.
The transfer to bank account takes between three and five days, about the same as a cheque except you don't have to go to a bank.
The system works well, just could be better and cheaper especially as ebay have already taken a fee for selling the item in the first place.
Like THX I used to use ebay a lot a few years ago, and that included a lot of selling as well as buying. It used to be one of my first ports of call when I was looking to buy something, either old or new, but now I tend to visit there last. I buy the odd thing still, but don't sell much any more as it just isn't worth the amount of clobbering you get from all the charges.
To be a little bit fair to PP the credit card issuers do take a percentage of the amount and the percentage depends on the card. Amex charges a lot more than Visa/Mastercard.
Debit cards are different charges as well, but I think that is a flat fee...
I did notice that if you use Amex on PP you get hammered for exchange from dollars both by Amex and by PP I don't think that should be allowed at all. You get charged twice if paying in UKP and once if paying in USD.
I always start my auctions at 4.99 unless I am absolutely sure something will sell for much higher. It simply isn't worth standing in line at the Post Office for a 99p sale. When there though, I see other ebayers using all manner of boxes for posting items off, hope they didn't charge the buyers.
It is very true that card companies charge a fee and it should be said the PP does offer a way for people and organisations to accept card payment, I'm in the process of setting this up for a charity I work for and it should help generate income for them as it is very easy for the buyer to pay.
MattLamb: Where do you sell now? Or have you given up totally?
The original question in this thread was about the new fees for ebay and my take is that it is a fairly big hike, it will decrease the amount I give to my mates mum for her items. But as I already said, ebay allows the items to be shown globally and all auction houses will take a cut.
I also think that a very good thing about ebay is that items are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them and not what the seller decides the price should be.
MattLamb: Where do you sell now? Or have you given up totally?
I've not found anywhere I'm happy with to be honest. Still sell the odd thing on ebay, but it amounts now to a couple of items a year whereas it used to be something like up to ten/fifteen things a month. I'd love to find an auction site that is currently like ebay was nine years ago - full of normal people selling their stuff rather than businesses.
Haha! Well he's got 4 bids so far, and a grand total of 65p, if it gets to 75p maybe I could win the bid by offering a pack of rolos to go with that princely sum? :D
Haha! Well he's got 4 bids so far, and a grand total of 65p, if it gets to 75p maybe I could win the bid by offering a pack of rolos to go with that princely sum? :D
I've got a few here I need to clear out, if you're interested... :grin:
I'd be far too wary to sell an air guitar on eBay; far too easy for the buyer to claim non-delivery, and it's not like you could take a photo of it before you send it off or anything.
I've got a few here I need to clear out, if you're interested... :grin:
I know you're a Bass player, so if you've got an Air Bass as well as a guitar (single necked guitar please I'm not some pretentious prog rocker :D), I'll give you a quid and a packet of rolos, and if it's a really good Bass I'll throw in a can of Blackcurrant Tango as well :D
I'd be far too wary to sell an air guitar on eBay; far too easy for the buyer to claim non-delivery, and it's not like you could take a photo of it before you send it off or anything.
You could post up a video of you playing it, that'd be proof enough of it's existence :lol:
Comments
Can't log in from work to eBay so no able to check it out myself at the moment - is it free to list items now then? In UK and US? :-?
I wasn't competing with any businesses, and I certainly couldn't live off my income, but I was making a few hundred quid a month, and it used to be fun too. But they just kept tinkering with it, moving the goalposts daily.
Perhaps, they are trying to attact that sort of seller back again, speaking to various people on my travels, I'm not the only small scale / hobby / pocket money seller to have just given up on it?
So perhaps a lot of people in similar situations wandered off, and what with the recession and all, they are trying to both attract those back, and encourage more people to sell off their junk to raise a few quid?
* If you're a private seller, it's free to list any auction-style items starting at £0.99p or less
* It's still free to upload your first photo
* It costs you nothing if your item doesn't sell
* We only apply a 10% final value fee (max. £40) if you sell your item
* You can set a reserve price for a small fee
The "It costs you nothing if your item doesn't sell" is of particular appeal. There's things I've got which I'd like to try and sell on eBay, but my finances are so constrained that I couldn't risk things not selling and still having to pay insertion fees. That change will certainly encourage me to use eBay for selling again.
That sucks :-(
The insertion fee and final value fee are something that all auction houses will do. On top of that, with ebay, the buyer is almost forced into paying with paypal, which is also ebay owned and for that there is an additional fee, think its 3.4% + 20P all those fees do add up.
When I buy, I don't like to be ripped off for postal charges so when I sell, I charge post at cost, but if the PO quotes me 3.60, the buyer pays by paypal, I lose out and end up paying a contribution for their postage. If possible, I factor in the fees, but then the buyer feels ripped off as he has paid more than he can see in stamps. Its a no win apart from for ebay.
All that said, I have sold no end of stuff which otherwise would have either cluttered up my home or gone into the bin. It really does offer a near global market for things.
S
The past hurts I know, ask Normski for a hug I'm sure he'll give you 3 :p
Have noticed that more of my buyers are using the good old fashioned cheque. Takes a bit longer to clear but saves me from the paypal fee.
S
Is it when money is paid into your account (by a customer) or when you withdraw it?
They don't charge you for transferring money to your bank account provided you transfer over fifty pounds. Any less and there is a charge but I don't know what it is off hand.
The transfer to bank account takes between three and five days, about the same as a cheque except you don't have to go to a bank.
The system works well, just could be better and cheaper especially as ebay have already taken a fee for selling the item in the first place.
S
Debit cards are different charges as well, but I think that is a flat fee...
I did notice that if you use Amex on PP you get hammered for exchange from dollars both by Amex and by PP I don't think that should be allowed at all. You get charged twice if paying in UKP and once if paying in USD.
ebay 10%
paypal 3.4% + 20p
Postage ?1.45 (first class 101 - 250g)
Jiffy bag 25p
puts breakeven point at about ?2.35 for a 10p auction.
You get 10p
Disbursements ?2.25
Nice.
Wheelie bin seems much more cost effective.
It is very true that card companies charge a fee and it should be said the PP does offer a way for people and organisations to accept card payment, I'm in the process of setting this up for a charity I work for and it should help generate income for them as it is very easy for the buyer to pay.
MattLamb: Where do you sell now? Or have you given up totally?
The original question in this thread was about the new fees for ebay and my take is that it is a fairly big hike, it will decrease the amount I give to my mates mum for her items. But as I already said, ebay allows the items to be shown globally and all auction houses will take a cut.
I also think that a very good thing about ebay is that items are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them and not what the seller decides the price should be.
S
I've not found anywhere I'm happy with to be honest. Still sell the odd thing on ebay, but it amounts now to a couple of items a year whereas it used to be something like up to ten/fifteen things a month. I'd love to find an auction site that is currently like ebay was nine years ago - full of normal people selling their stuff rather than businesses.
Not that I'd ever want to buy a blackmarket kidney (and hopefully never need to).
Bargain! :-D
Haha! Well he's got 4 bids so far, and a grand total of 65p, if it gets to 75p maybe I could win the bid by offering a pack of rolos to go with that princely sum? :D
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/221042857921
*long pause*
at least dick turpin wore a mask
I've got a few here I need to clear out, if you're interested... :grin:
Aww, but c'mon man - double-neck, 1983, mind-crafted - it's a beaut! :-D
I know you're a Bass player, so if you've got an Air Bass as well as a guitar (single necked guitar please I'm not some pretentious prog rocker :D), I'll give you a quid and a packet of rolos, and if it's a really good Bass I'll throw in a can of Blackcurrant Tango as well :D
You could post up a video of you playing it, that'd be proof enough of it's existence :lol: