Attention FeEbay sellers

For those that didn't receive the email. Ebay is increasing it's fees for just about everything, anywhere from 40-100%. The full text (general merchandise) is below. I went ahead and closed my Ebay store, and will probably only list bulk quantities there from now on. It just isn't feasible to list onesies and twosies.

We are writing to let you know that effective midnight PST, February 18, 2005 eBay.com and eBay Motors will be making changes to the fee structure.

The fee changes are as follows:

Gallery
Gallery fees will be raised from $0.25 to $0.35 per listing. We will also be increasing the size of the Gallery image on search and listings pages by 56%. This will make it easier for buyers to see details of the item before clicking into the listing.

Buy It Now
Buy It Now fees will no longer be charged at a flat rate, and will instead be determined based on the Buy It Now price. Fees will be charged as follows:

Buy It Now Price Fee
$0.01 - 9.99 $0.05
$10 - 24.99 $0.10
$25 - 49.99 $0.20
$50+ $0.25


10-Day Duration
The fee for 10-day duration listings will be raised from $0.20 to $0.40 per listing.

eBay Stores
The fee for the Basic eBay Store subscription will be raised from $9.95 to $15.95 per month. The subscription fee for Featured and Anchor Stores will be unchanged.

eBay Store Inventory format listing insertion fees will remain unchanged. The Final Value Fee for Store Inventory items will change as follows:

Closing Price Old Price New Price
$0.01 - $25 5.25% of the closing value 8% of the closing price
$25.01 - $1,000 5.25% of the initial $25, plus 2.75% of the remaining closing value balance. 8% of the initial $25, plus 5% of the remaining closing value balance ($25.01 - $1000)
Over $1,000 5.25% of the initial $25, plus 2.75% of the next $25.01-$1000, plus 1.50% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 - closing value). 8% of the initial $25, plus 5% of the next $25.01 - $1000, plus 3% of the remaining closing value balance ($1,000.01 - closing value).

Store sellers will continue to be eligible to receive 50% off of the Store Inventory listing final value fees for Store Referral credit. Please click here for details.

Seems they have become to successful ... and are now into the next stage: greed.

Isn't it awful? I thought it cost enough already. I can't really afford to sell my items much anymore.

I don't list anything on eBay (bought a few things, that's about it.) I don't work for them, so I guess I really don't have a proverbial dog in this hunt, but...

Companies such as eBay usually start out based on someone's blood, sweat, and tears. Lots of all-nighters, lots of nail biting, lots of soul-searching, wondering if you're a genius or just plain nuts. (And occasionally wondering if your old boss would take you back if you grovel enough!) When they take off as a rip-roaring success, that growth translates into a paid staff, office lease, equipment, utility bills, liability insurance, lawyer's fees (they've been to court a few times), marketing fees, and other major bills to pay each month.

Whether they're pricing themselves out of the market or not remains to be seen. But when you have employees who want raises (gasp!) and benefits, and paid time off, etc. - and you continually need to add MORE staff (which means more offices, more overhead, etc.) it costs a LOT of money. If the competition can do it cheaper and/or better, it will open up new markets for the competitors.

So (gently pleading here) let's not begrudge the visionaries and entrepreneurs who have totally changed the way we live our lives. (Where would we be without the telephone, electricity, the autombile and computers?)

Do some of these folks get filthy rich? Yep - and that possibility is what continues to inspire and motivate others to stick their necks out on the line and launch a new idea or business. (And for every one that succeeds, dozens will do just so-so and hundreds will fail miserably - but that doesn't stop people from trying, thankfully!)

I begrudge no one for getting filthy rich, but this also isn't the same company that was started with blood, sweat, and sleepless nights. It' a publicly traded behemoth, that listens to stock holders only.

Their fee increases effect me less and less each year as it drives me to look for other alternatives. It was their first increase that I experienced, that lead me to invest in my own site. Their second increase lead me to click for pay advertising on google and yahoo (overture). Their third, lead me to banner ads on related sites, and their 4th in as many years, has allowed me to close my Ebay store, and look at them strictly as another way to advertise my product, rather than a place to sell my product in mass quantity.

By raising their fees on a regular basis, and in extreme measures, they've forced me to look at other avenues, and it's grown my business.

When I first started my business, if someone had asked me to advertise on their site for $250.00 per/mo, I'd have said no way. After 3 years of spending $1,000.00 to $1,500.00 per month in Ebay fees, it's a lot easier to swallow and understand, provided it works. The other avenues have worked well enough for me to let Ebay business drop back a bit.

Unfortunately, many of the more successfull venues I use, don't have a similar peer in other industries, leaving those sellers few options. I have Plant Scout. I know of no Beanie Baby Scout or Zippo Lighter Scout. This means they'll either have to close up shop, increase their prices, or bury them in handling charges. If it's the latter 2 of 3, guess who it effects. You the buyer.

No. I don't begrudge them, but their rate hikes effect everyone that buys or sells on Ebay, and they're excessive. Additionally, what do I get for the higher fees I pay? A 56% larger gallery image. The same image that they reduced 2 years ago.

Chris

Chris, I humbly wave my white flag in surrender - you're far better versed in eBay's history and financial structure than I am... (*smiling*)

Well shoot. I finally have a chance to get into one of those forum arguments, and you weenie out on me after one post.

I need to start slower and bring out the big guns in the latter rounds.

:-)

Chris

hehehehe...I learned long ago that if you dig yourself in a hole, digging deeper is NOT going to get me out ;o)

Chris, I'm seriously considering closing my ebay store too. I've only had the store open for a little over a year. And I really like it there. I just recently added about 200 more items to my store. And I have about 100 more things I wanna list. But after today's email about the price changes, I'm rethinking it.

I recently bought a domain and have just set up a simple site. Now I'm looking into an e-commerce site where I can set up shop and link to. Like you, if I sell on Ebay, it will simply be as a way to advertise my new store.

I'm really quite disappointed as I spent a lot of time (and money) acquiring new things to sell and setting them up in the store within the last two months. I emailed ebay and told them how I feel. I also told them that I had several friends who had recently set up shop and were also planning to close their stores. And I had other friends who were planning to open stores, and now they've changed their minds. In fact, one friend opened her store yesterday and now she's planning to close it before her "free" month expires.

I would like the yahoo auctions become more popular, and perhaps they will now. Yahoo has the best email, and I now have SBC/Yahoo DSL, which is much cheaper than the other DSL providers in my town. I really feel like Yahoo has something to offer. And now that Ebay has angered a lot of sellers with their greed, perhaps Yahoo will become the place of interest.

Someone on the Ebay discussions board suggested that we send the email we got from Ebay back to the spoof@ebay.com and ask if this was a joke. If we all did that, at the very least, it would annoy them. And possibly they might take notice?

NancyAnn

NancyAnn,

That's GREAT on the spoof idea. I haven't seen it on the PowerSellers board, but I'm going to suggest it.

Sellers aren't going to leave en mass though, for one simple reason. They go where the buyers are. Buyers don't usually follow sellers around.

Overstock has started auctions, and they're really the only ones with the best shot at taking a chunk or even a nick out of Ebay. Yahoo has been in it long enough to have a shot at it, and it's gone nowhere for them. Ioffer was another one, but everyone "offered" 10 cents on the dollar.

Ebay will continue to be it's big bad self, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as you don't position your self to rely on them, you'll be fine. They gave me my start, and I'm thankfull to have had them to open the door, but it's time for me to limit that relationship to a casual friend.

Chris

Guys- why don't you open a scif store? Dave worked really hard to set it up for us- and it's ALOT cheaper than ebay. (alot of fun too)
List in google and I can just about bet you'll get sales....
I was shocked when I listed some lily seeds on ebay a while back- They charge way too much! I JUST made enough on two auctions to cover my ebay fees. :-| (I had to get I.D verified though- so it cost more)
Oh well. Good luck guys! :-)

That's a great idea, and actually, a combination of Plant Scout and banner ads on DG could be money better spent.

To give an idea of what I'm doing, I have just started my google ads in a limited amount. Most of the taffic and orders I have is coming from DG related ads, being Plant Scout, "The Dog", and banner ads. Here's the last 3 days, and I'll break it down at the bottom, so you don't have to filter through all the garbage.

2005-01-11 03:03:05 151.213.160.139 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 03:09:08 151.213.160.139 http://www.buried-treasure.net/contact_us.htm http://www.buried-treasure.net/index.htm
2005-01-11 05:16:31 166.127.1.36 http://sea.search.msn.com/preview.aspx?&q=buried treasures http://buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 05:17:01 166.127.1.36 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 05:24:39 64.12.116.139 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 06:18:50 64.12.116.139 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 06:19:24 64.12.116.139 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 06:19:42 64.12.116.139 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 06:49:43 204.26.78.37 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 06:57:25 206.74.66.163 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 07:10:52 198.140.240.10 http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=10190460 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 07:12:16 198.140.240.10 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 07:19:59 68.65.9.36 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 07:37:44 65.9.252.251 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 07:46:19 168.180.96.8 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 07:46:19 168.180.96.8 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 08:09:51 65.125.165.39 http://davesgarden.com/ps/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 08:10:09 65.125.165.39 http://davesgarden.com/ps/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 08:15:37 63.64.11.138 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 08:29:58 69.21.24.92 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 08:33:45 66.208.167.2 http://buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 08:59:14 67.32.12.131 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 08:59:37 67.32.12.131 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 09:05:06 69.208.217.35 http://davesgarden.com/ps/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 09:39:22 68.56.46.229 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 09:40:56 161.247.135.55 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 09:41:10 68.56.46.229 http://www.buried-treasure.net/adenium.htm http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 09:41:20 161.247.135.55 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 09:56:06 24.75.82.74 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 10:01:45 68.56.46.229 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 10:03:01 68.56.46.229 http://www.buried-treasure.net/adenium.htm http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 10:21:43 69.87.135.162 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 10:45:08 209.118.28.19 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 10:51:08 216.90.62.150 http://users.adelphia.net/~johnsonjames/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:07:51 62.254.0.57 http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&lr=&sa=G&q="+www.buried-treasure.net" http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:09:46 62.254.0.57 http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&lr=&sa=G&q="+www.buried-treasure.net" http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:28:42 64.108.205.69 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:37:19 216.175.111.82 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:45:18 69.211.209.142 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:48:08 69.211.209.142 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:54:05 198.184.85.238 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 11:55:10 198.184.85.238 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 12:35:29 66.82.9.48 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 12:38:17 68.23.179.97 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 14:08:40 64.12.116.138 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 14:15:33 65.96.90.20 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 14:15:46 65.96.90.20 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 14:28:33 152.163.100.196 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 14:48:59 12.10.79.171 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 15:33:54 24.168.254.6 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:05:04 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:13:16 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:13:42 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:13:50 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:15:32 68.53.199.198 http://shopping.yahoo.com/stores/sd.html;_ylt=AjoOazvKPHZMA3IZFEXJJVFDmmYB;_ylu=X3oDMTBscWNjbnU1BF9zAzIzNTAxMzc5BHNlYwNzdG9yZQ-- http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:19:31 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:20:32 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:23:53 12.46.202.226 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:26:02 67.21.231.134 http://www.buried-treasure.net/index.htm
2005-01-11 16:33:46 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 16:59:02 199.224.125.207 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 17:09:37 65.9.167.127 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 17:13:27 68.186.247.33 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 17:15:49 65.9.167.127 http://www.buried-treasure.net/contact_us.htm http://www.buried-treasure.net/index.htm
2005-01-11 17:23:06 205.188.117.12 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:00:23 201.11.140.58 http://images.google.com.br/imgres?imgurl=http://www.buried-treasure.net/shopping_cart/images/curcuma_tropic_snow_big.jpg&imgref http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:01:37 69.54.0.56 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:11:31 24.28.27.52 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:27:43 216.10.185.208 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:45:06 65.248.192.148 http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/448764/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:51:07 216.10.185.208 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:53:17 216.10.185.208 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 18:58:06 68.112.155.135 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 19:24:24 198.81.26.49 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 19:29:25 24.172.122.222 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 22:08:28 68.9.48.54 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 22:23:16 24.0.70.151 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 22:26:00 24.0.70.151 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 22:31:49 63.189.144.138 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 22:40:56 63.189.144.138 http://www.buried-treasure.net/family.htm http://www.buried-treasure.net/index.htm
2005-01-11 22:56:29 216.161.218.77 http://users.adelphia.net/~johnsonjames/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 22:56:47 216.161.218.77 http://users.adelphia.net/~johnsonjames/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-11 23:11:49 64.12.116.139 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 00:05:54 70.17.189.56 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 00:06:42 70.17.189.56 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 00:18:59 70.17.189.56 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 00:22:00 12.147.80.100 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 00:58:28 205.173.39.254 http://davesgarden.com/ps/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 01:05:07 70.17.189.56 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 03:46:50 152.163.100.139 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 05:15:04 160.39.66.25 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 05:57:36 161.184.50.159 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 05:59:55 161.184.50.159 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 06:34:55 66.162.199.2 http://webmail.aol.com/msgview.adp?folder=SU5CT1g=&uid=10536086 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 06:40:11 24.211.207.99 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 06:51:46 207.69.138.202 http://davesgarden.com/ps/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 07:30:15 209.118.28.19 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 07:32:52 207.69.138.202 http://davesgarden.com/ps/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 08:28:31 68.12.86.250 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 08:28:50 68.12.86.250 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 08:45:16 66.185.71.72 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 08:55:20 24.197.4.199 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 08:55:50 24.197.4.199 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 08:56:22 68.216.92.38 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 09:08:01 64.252.35.23 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 10:09:48 12.46.202.226 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 10:59:41 62.252.224.25 http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.buried-treasure.net/shopping_cart/images/tacca.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.buried http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 11:00:01 62.252.224.25 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 11:40:18 172.130.37.82 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 11:45:25 12.202.18.98 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 11:50:59 67.21.231.134 http://www.buried-treasure.net/index.htm
2005-01-12 12:02:43 66.14.115.59 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:27:37 212.200.134.135 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:40:24 210.214.75.197 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:42:37 67.21.231.134 http://www.buried-treasure.net/index.htm
2005-01-12 12:46:50 66.14.115.59 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:48:12 68.205.164.148 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:49:32 66.14.115.59 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:51:23 206.251.195.194 http://davesgarden.com/ps/go/90354/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:53:04 68.202.188.172 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:55:03 69.69.1.127 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 12:58:13 199.218.110.2 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 13:01:46 67.21.231.134 http://www.buried-treasure.net/useful_info.htm http://www.buried-treasure.net/index.htm
2005-01-12 13:30:22 68.15.43.204 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 13:31:22 68.15.43.204 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 13:48:52 35.12.20.163 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 13:49:51 35.12.20.163 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 13:53:21 208.246.35.58 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 13:57:41 208.246.35.58 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 14:23:36 66.186.236.36 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-12 14:23:47 66.186.236.36 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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2005-01-12 16:31:47 65.162.190.41 http://users.adelphia.net/~johnsonjames/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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2005-01-13 00:47:44 67.70.158.229 http://users.adelphia.net/~johnsonjames/Tropical.htm http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-13 01:39:44 68.212.152.15 http://davesgarden.com/ps/go/88307/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-13 03:09:34 164.100.149.66 http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.buried-treasure.net/shopping_cart/images/jatropha.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.b http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-13 03:31:11 198.54.202.242 http://www.top100categories.com/Recreation_and_Sports/Gardening/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-13 03:56:35 81.26.119.98 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-13 05:42:25 192.136.24.2 http://www.shieldsgardens.com/BulbSources.html http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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2005-01-13 08:58:38 200.164.145.187 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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2005-01-13 10:10:10 68.36.219.58 http://davesgarden.com/ps/go/527/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-13 10:15:47 70.57.218.145 http://davesgarden.com/ad.php?size=468 http://www.buried-treasure.net/
2005-01-13 10:19:57 68.36.219.58 http://davesgarden.com/ps/go/527/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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2005-01-13 15:49:15 207.191.97.14 http://davesgarden.com/members/BuriedTreasures/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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2005-01-13 16:23:21 69.157.116.140 blockedReferrer http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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2005-01-13 16:49:31 66.82.9.83 http://davesgarden.com/gwd/c/2462/ http://www.buried-treasure.net/
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The bottom line =

27 Hits from DG Banner Ads
72 Hits from My Listing on "The Dog"
13 Hits from Plant Scout.
0 Hits from Google Ads

I typically do pretty well with the google ads, so this is a little unusual.

So far, there have been 6 new customers that can definatively be attributed to the above activity within this 3 day time period. Keeping in mind that things don't get hot and heavy until March 1st, the cost right now per new customer is roughly $1.00 , figuring the cost of the clicks on the banner ads, and the pro-rated cost of the Plant Scout subscription. Here's where it gets very good. The average order from these customers is $48.10. If they had purchased the same dollar amount through an Ebay auction, the cost per customer is $2.23 under the current fee structure, or $3.45 under the new structure in February. More importantly, about 25% of Ebay customers continue to buy from me through Ebay, no matter how much they're reminded of our site, meaning it costs me that amount EVERY time they come back. That's not the case with the above advertising.

Each person will have to adjust what works for them, and for those just starting, Ebay is a great way to get exposure to a new business.start. I'll repeat though, don't let it become your only avenue. They have no qualms about increasing their bottom line, to the detriment of your own.

Chris

Chris,

I am officially putting my fingers in my ears, "LALALALALALALALALA".

As someone who has ebay as their only avenue, I am scared! Sounds of "eggs in one basket" is ringing in my ears right now!

I have an ebay brick and mortar store so my customers are not only the buyers on ebay but also the customers/consignees that I list for. The 2 main complaints that I battle daily are 1)"Why am I paying a handling fee?", and 2) "Why am I being charged for selling my item?".

These fees have severe repercussions for us because if we list an item for a customer and it doesn't sell, we pay the ebay fees. These fees just tooka bite out of all of us.

My cod theory is that they are 'corporatatizing' this system that used to be so much fun (!) and squeezing out everyone in between the major Powersellers and the once in a blue moon sellers.

Unlike you, we cannot advertise anywhere to generate sales because we sell everything from rims to tea spoons.

Long Beach has severe restrictions on second hand sales and as a result there are no pawn shops, very few antique stores and practically no consignment stores. As a result, we experience a lot of interesting items that are better than garage sale quality but if they are not going to hit big sale prices, such as collectible silver or other low-range antiques, we cannot sell them any longer because of these fees. The consignee would literally receive checks for pennies and I can't offend folks like that.

Someone sing another song about eggs to get this one out of my head!!!!

Daisyave

Super cala fragalistic EGG spidaliocous.

I guess the people over at ebay aren't making enough money. Yeah right.

Great, now all the prices are going to go up!

Daisyave,

That was my point a couple of posts up when Terry was talking about not begrudging them for wanting to make money.

I'm very fortunate to have other avenues, that many industries don't have. The things is though, I didn't know I had them until their fee increases forced me to go looking for them. I won't pretend to know a thing about the antique and collectible business, but I hope you'll be able to find or do something to offset this latest increase.

The biggest thing that bothers me, as that none of their fee hikes offered any benefits. They just keep raising the price. No added feature or service. It seems like a "How high can we go, before we implode" type of mentality.

Chris

I am now looking for other avenues. Ebay got me hooked, and I recently bought a bunch of new things to sell. I can't just sit on them. So I may diversify into yahoo, overstock, and several others. I'll close my Ebay store. A 60% increase in store rent is outrageous. And then on top of that they raise the commission fees another 3%. Their rates are already higher than anyone else's. So it looks like Yahoo will be seeing a lot of new sellers.

I checked Yahoo's stores. The cheapest is about $40 a month, while ebay's will be $16. But with Yahoo, you get a full store with emails, and much more than Ebay offers. Also, ebay's commission fee will be 8%, while yahoo's is 1.5%. And I pay 3 cents per item to list in my store on Ebay. Yahoo's listing is free. It's just part of the store. There's a big difference in pricing there. And it may be that Yahoo is the better deal for me. I'll have to do some figuring. But first I think I'll just try a few auctions at Yahoo, where listing is about half the price of Ebay's listings. I'll try my luck and see how well I sell on Yahoo and a few other sites.

Can anyone tell me how to get my own dotcom listed in search engines?

NancyAnn

Wow. I also received that e-mail Chris. I was a powerseller a few years ago. And even then, between the Pay Pay fees, the listing fees, the final value fees, etc etc. it was hard to stay in business. And not to mention the amount of work. I thought then, that eBay was not interested in the small peanut seller. In the end, it was not worth it any more to me.

Soon, only the big boys like Home Depot and Sears will be able to afford to "sell" on eBay. I occasionally list a few things now and then. I'm glad we can still list for 30 cents anything under $9.99. And I can take a funded pay pal or e-check for free with a personal account, up to $500 a month.

Well, I know I'm not saying anything that has not already been said, just venting with you I guess. :)

I really wish that Yahoo auctions would take off.

NancyAnn,

Submitting to search engines is easy. Optimizing your web site to get a high ranking is a bit trickier, and needs to be monitored regulary, as the criteria is constantly changing. I used to keep up on it regularly, but when pay per click advertising became reasonable, it was more cost efficient to pay 10-15 cents per customer, than spend the time it takes to keep your site on the first page of search results.

The only search engines you really need to mess with are google and Overture (yahoo). If you need more info, send me an email and I'll point you in the right direction.

Chris

I use to shop alot at ebay until I got dooped on shipping fees. The items were 2.95 each and the shipping on the first was 16.95 and the second was 14.95. and they were shipped together.

I know this is not the same thing you are speaking of. And forgive me for bringing it up. I now look at shipping before I bid.

Is this the way some may be getting out of paying ebay there fees?

One man had silver bracelets listed. I think they listed at 2.00 no reserve. 5.95 shipping.
I emailed him to see if there was a break in shipping the more you bought. He said his bracelets average 5.95 -7.95. I took that as a no. That he would make his money on the shipping left over from 2 tiny bracelets.

I am saying this only some sellers. Do you think they ruined it for the rest of you? Just asking.

Sorry you are having problems. Ebay will put alot of smaller sellers out of business.

Thanks for listening,
Sandy

Sandy,

In many cases, people do charge higher shipping rates and low prices on items to keep from paying the outrageous fees ebay charges. There are listing fees (35 cents up to 9.99, 60 cents up to 24.99, etc.). If you want Gallery photos, which is the best upgrade for selling your item, that is going up to 35 cents. If you sell an item for 9.99, you're charged 5.25%, so an extra 53 cents. Then paypal charges about 3% to accept your payment, and they base their charge on the total cost of the item and shipping. AND they charge 30 cents just for the transaction. So if the total cost is about $15, you pay 45 + 30 for a total of 75 cents.

Now, add it all together: 35 (listing) + 35 (gallery) + 53 (ebay commission) + 75 (paypal) = 1.98 in fees IF the item sells. If it doesn't, you're still out 70 cents anyway. And let's say the 9.99 item cost the seller $5 to buy in the first place. So basically, on a $10 item, he earns $3 for all his time and effort. Not much!

So yes, folks try to use shipping and handling as a way to get around some of the ebay fees and to get the price they want for the item they're selling. So it's very important to read the entire auction.

I combine shipping and discount shipping costs when I can, but many sellers do not, since the shipping is where they make up for losses.

High shipping costs and low buy costs are not the best way to do business, but with Ebay continuing to raise fees, the sellers are passing the costs onto the buyers. Not fun, is it?

I am looking at other avenues. Prestostore looks good to me. I have a website and they can work together. So I'm considering it.

Thanks, Chris, I'll take you up on your offer! I'm emailing you. By the way, I bought a few things from you last year on the advice of a friend who buys from you. I love the variegated ginger!

NancyAnn

I have thought of selling a few things on e-bay but seemed complicated and I guess I was right when I thought there was a fee for everything: listind, selling, price, paypal.

I understand why sellers do this,. I learned the hard way to check shipping and especially on multiples.

Ebay makes it impossible to shop there due to their raising prices to the seller. which I know increases the prices to the buyer.

My husband got a 1% raise last april. It didn't go far when bread went up 75%, and everything else went up too.

I am sorry they are doing this to you. I hate to see big guys push out the little guys.

I don't know what you all offer for sale. But atleast let me know where you go.

Blessings,
Sandy

My DH just complained today about the charges going up on Ebay,he is in no way a big seller, just buys and sell parts for his pet collector cars. Ebay took over Half.com last year, they have free listing for books, cds etc, and take a commission only when you sell your item. It stays listed indefinitely, with no limit to the number of items you can list. Then, in about July '04, they announced that Half.com would no longer be available after October '04, everything would have to go on Ebay. I was selling my books on half.com but with the new pricing structure under Ebay, I simply would not be able to afford to list them. There's not a lot of profit in used books.
THEN in October, they announced that they were going to continue Halfcom, in the same fashion as before. I suspect they lost a lot of small sellers, and realized (before they hung themselves by their own petards,) that they had a profitable business that would tank if they moved it to Ebay. Now, if many stores close, or they lose a lot of power sellers, maybe they will rethink this new pricing structure.

The really strange thing about half.com, or so I thought, was that things seem to be listed as more expensive items than just the regular old ebay.

I thought so too. It was like you could say you paid any amount and then get half of that.

I found alot of things more than new and on sale.

well, this forum has been a VERY educational experience. i'm a studio potter and many freinds have said sell on e-bay. e-bay will not be where i put my energy. thnaks for all the info
deidre

Deidre,
Unfortunately (and someone please correct me if their experience is different!) individuals selling their own artwork on ebay is not a very good outlet.

I don't know if it is still going but http://www.guild.com/ has been a good outlet for several of my friends. Best of luck!

Daisy

Otterpotter, I agree w/ Daisy. You have to compete with alot of other sellers on there so unless you make a big name for your self, it's be hard to get a lot of sales. Also, s&h prices for pottery can get pretty high and not a lot of people like paying that.

Selling through a local boutique or broker (did I even use the right word here, I dunno) sounds like a better plan. Or a website all to yourself and hand out business cards and advertise like crazy.

I think the one big thing eBay has going for it is top of mind recognition. Were it not for that, I don't know that they could do this kind of rate hike without losing a big chunk of its sellers. It used to be that getting great deals on eBay was not the exception, but the rule; now, with sellers having to build eBay and PayPal fees into their prices, that's no longer the case. I don't sell much on eBay at all now, not unless I have something I know I got for a rock bottom price and is something currently selling for a good amount on there. It's disappointing.

Don't they realize that they'll be losing alot of their sellers? Maybe they'll drop the listing and member store prices again.

Wishful thinking

Or they'll offer "specials" and "sale prices" on their artificially inflated prices. Oooh, or they'll offer discounted rates to sellers who meet certain criteria? You'd hope they'd do something.

They aren't losing me- I have a 10 year commitment to my business so I have to ride this storm.

And not that I am attempting to justify this false, wrongful inflation, I have to point out that they are just joining the bandwagon of (Fill in your own A-Political Term Here) who thrive off of retail businesses.

1) City planners and licensing boards
2) Credit card merchant services
3) Landlords who charge a % of gross sales on top of the lease
4) Phone companies that sell your business number to other companies peddling everything from websites to office supplies (heck, even the city does this)

I say to you independant ebayers- Take Heart! Don't lose the faith because you would be paying ebay plus all of these others if you weren't operating as a home based business!!

DaisyAve

Have any of y'all tried ioffer.com? Free listings and free store. I figure I could set up my auctions there and link to them on my website. Why not? It's free.

Has anyone used it? You can download Mr. Grabber and have it grab all your auctions and your rating from Ebay in a minute or two. I have 300 auctions on Ebay. And it didn't take long at all to copy them to ioffer. You still get to have them on Ebay too and can end them at either place whenever you want.

Ioffer also has some discussion groups that look interesting. And since I signed up in the last few minutes, four other ioffer veterans have welcomed me. How nice to not get lost and ignored in the shuffle!

N.

Am I the only one who remembers the mass exodus from ebay about 6 years ago over fees and everyone went to Gold-something-or-another? I have metioned this several times over the past few weeks to folks who claim to have been selling on ebay for a long time and no one seems to remember it but me! Maybe I imagined it? LOL

Hi Daisy!

Well, I'm enjoying ioffer.com. The people there are very friendly and they welcomed me immediately. They have many discussion groups there, including a gardening group. And did I mention that you can sell there for FREE--no listing fee, no commission, no store fee. At least until July. So if you got stuff to clear out, now is the time.

My seller's acct was just activated a few minutes ago and I already have my first buyer! It was just a $5 cd, but hey, that's one less thing I'll have cluttering up my house. LOL

An interesting thing is you can join a club of your choice and when you list new items, you can list a few of them right on the club for all to see. They're all for promoting and getting your items in people's faces. I like it!

NancyAnn

All this information and dialog is wonderful... but just realize ebay is trying to get rid of the under $100,000-$250,000 a year in sales and is enticing companies like LL Bean, HD and others who will do millions each and every year.

I haven't sold on ebay for almost 2 years due to fee structure. Since I do used books, I switched to Amazon, although nothing listed right now because it's all still in storage. I did have lots on half.com but took those of when they announced a closing and transfer to ebay.

My thing is, when I log on as a buyer I'm looking for the private home seller. I don't like buying from the sellers like LL Bean, Home Depot and Sears. I'm looking for a "garage sale". Most of the time I find what I'm looking for, and the seller is free to answer specific questions I have about their item. Not to mention send me additional photos, etc.

I wonder how many others are online looking for the private sellers any more.........................

I know I am. It means that my item would be handled personally by the seller and he or she would have any info I need to know at their finger tips. Just like you said. Also, mistakes are less frequent with private sellers.

I mostly buy plants and if it's grown by a private seller, instead of a big nursery, the quality seems to be higher.

If I wanted to buy from some big company, than why would I be on ebay? I'd just go to Sears, Home Depot, or what have you.

This is horrific news, go figure. I got a new computer for Christmas so I could sell on eBay this year. As far as books go, has anyone tried alibris.com or barnesandnoble.com?

I will take a look at ioffer.com. Thanks for all the info

Tamara