Selling on Ebay

[Dolphin146]

I was thinking of selling my 3oz clamshells on ebay. But as I was looking at prices I see they are selling much cheaper than the 4.00 each I sell them at. I am wondering If it is really worth it to try and sell them there. To those of you that sell there is it working for you. I was just wondering

[TallTayl]

The fees and commissions from Ebay are really high. It's hard to maintain a decent profit IMO. Candles and such fall under the 11% commission structure - and the commissions are also calculated including shipping. The fees listed on my monthly statement were an eye opener.

Example: a pair of tapers sold for $4. "Insertion fee" = $.50. Commission on sale ("Final Value Fee")= $.44 (11%). "Final Value Fee on Shipping" $.50 (11%). Total commissions on a $4 sale = $1.44 or about 36% of the selling price. Deduct the COGS, State Sales Tax and Fed Income Tax and you about break even on a small $ sale.

[emilyspoppy]

The fees and commissions from Ebay are really high. It's hard to maintain a decent profit IMO. Candles and such fall under the 11% commission structure - and the commissions are also calculated including shipping. The fees listed on my monthly statement were an eye opener.

Example: a pair of tapers sold for $4. "Insertion fee" = $.50. Commission on sale ("Final Value Fee")= $.44 (11%). "Final Value Fee on Shipping" $.50 (11%). Total commissions on a $4 sale = $1.44 or about 36% of the selling price. Deduct the COGS, State Sales Tax and Fed Income Tax and you about break even on a small $ sale.

RIGHT on the MONEY! But;

Don't forget PayPal fees!

Dave

[TallTayl]

You make an excellent point poppy! Tack on another 3-ish% plus $.35 and you might as well just send the buyer $1. It would be cheaper and quicker!

All of this totally discounts any compensation for labor to make the product or the time/labor to pack it up.

[Dolphin146]

Ya your all right the fees are a killer there. I guess I will forget about selling there Unless it's used items. I just don't get how they can sell so low pay fees and make any money doing it. To me it would be a waste of time. You may as well give them away LOL

[Beth]

The fees are slightly less for auction-style listings. & your first 50 listings are free each month (no insertion fees).

[TallTayl]

I just don't get how they can sell so low pay fees and make any money doing it. To me it would be a waste of time. You may as well give them away LOL

My guess? Not too many people take the time to calculate the costs before they list. Nor do many pay attention to the end of month statements.

I have always been charged insertion fees even though the promo emails show up. Must be for people with Ebay stores or something, but not for the type of seller I am set up as.

I look at Ebay like Craigslist: a way to liquidate surplus inventory. It is not geared toward my target market, so I don't spend a lot of effort there.

[Beth]

TT, I don't have a store. I just sell stuff to get rid of stuff & make some extra $. Not sure why you don't get the 1st 50 free. Do you list as auction style or fixed price?

[jeanie353]

I just did a trial listing for a 16 ounce candle on auction starting at $7.00. My insertion fee with pictures was free. The final value fee was $.77. If I guessed shipping at $7.00 add another .77. Figuring in Fed tax returns are a little hard since some of us have a lot of write offs, some little and some none, so I can't guesstimate a figure there, sales tax I figure we have to pay anyway, and finally add on the PayPal fees.

I'm not sure either why your listing wasn't free. I went in under our eBay name and as an unregistered user and both show them being free. I grabbed the breakdown while I was there and will paste it below.

We do a LOT selling there and had made enough money to keep our son and DIL in their house during the duration he lost his job due to the economy and finding a new one. eBay isn't for everyone but for some it works. I think the exposure itself may be worth a little extra over Etsy or a website. However, eBay does not command the prices we can get on a website or Etsy. Also, PayPal now issues a 1099 on high dollar total sales.

Free insertion fees

Insertion fees are free for your first 50 auction-style listings per calendar month. Buy It Now is also free when added to these 50 free listings.

• A calendar month begins at 12:00:00am Pacific Time on the first day of each month and ends at 11:59:59 pm Pacific Time on the last day of the month.
  
• Final value fees apply when your item sells.
  
• Fees for optional advanced listing upgrades and services you may use (such as Bold and 10-day duration) still apply.
  
• If you list in 2 categories, you'll be charged the regular insertion fee for the second category.
  
• Stores listings are not eligible for free insertion fees.
  
• All categories are eligible for free insertion fees except:
  
  • Real Estate
    
  • The following Motors subcategories: Boats, Cars & Trucks, Motorcycles, Other Vehicles & Trailers, and Powersports.
    
  • The following Business & Industrial subcategories:
    
    • Tractors (found in Agriculture & Forestry > Antique Tractors & Equipment)
      
    • Tractors & Farm Machinery (found in Agriculture & Forestry)
      
    • Heavy Equipment & Trailers (found in Construction)
      
    • Imaging & Aesthetics Equipment (found in Healthcare, Lab & Life Science)
      
    • Forklifts & Other Lifts (found in Industrial Supply & MRO)
      
    • Manufacturing Equipment (found in Manufacturing & Metalworking)
      
    • Metalworking Equipment (found in Manufacturing & Metalworking)
      
    • Commercial Printing Presses (found in Printing & Graphic Arts)
      
    • Concession Trailers & Carts (found in Restaurant & Catering)
      

    [*]The following count toward your 50 free limit:

    • Relisted items (per listing)
      
    • Listings that you end early, or we end early due to an eBay policy violation
      
    • Duplicate identical auction-style listings (even if one or more of those listings doesn't appear on eBay)
      

    [*]Insertion fees for relisted items are free when eligible under these guidelines.

Final value fees

After a buyer commits to purchase an item, you're charged a final value fee. If a listing ends without a sale (not including any successful Second Chance Offers) you don't pay a final value fee. Final value fees are calculated based on the total amount of the sale and are charged per item.

Edited February 28, 2013 by jeanie353