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eBay Fee Increase: Do Something About It

January 10th, 2007 | eBay News and Talk

I can't believe I'm actually going to write about the eBay fee increases. This will be a longer than usual post for me - because I want to vent a little.

First let me say, I hate fees. I pay them just like everyone else. eBay is not going to lower the fees because people gripe.
That said, let's proceed...

If you have time to whine and complain about something
then you have the time to do something about it.
~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

It's interesting to me that most of the articles written about the fee increases are focused on the way they will affect the seller. Common views include:

  • "I'm not going to list on eBay anymore, I can't afford it!"
  • "eBay is going under, we sellers are just going to sell somewhere else and then they'll appreciate us!"
  • "eBay is greedy, they're just interested in making money?"
  • "Lets boycott! - Don't list anything on (fill in a date) and send eBay a message"

People. Please.

Please note that if you want to be discouraged - you should read those types of articles. If you want to get negative, down in the dumps, and watch your sales slide - believe everything those writers say.

But you don't have to. eBay is going to be in business a year from now. And years after that. Note a few things about people who write the ranting, threatening articles and posts:

  • They often have under 100 feedback.
  • They often have zero items currently for sale.
  • They often offer no positive solution to their problem.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you're a seller and you feel discouraged about the negative talk.

  • Buyers don't care much about fees.
My customers don't care how much I pay to list my posters. They just want a poster of a Ferrari or a Porsche. They will come back again and again, because they get decent deals and convenience on eBay. When I buy an item on eBay I don't give a thought to the poor soul that listed it and how much it cost him or her. I just want my (fill in the blank.) Now, I will say - if the supply dried up, the buyers would quit returning. But there's no sign of that happening yet. I know some say listings are down, maybe they are. But nearly every time I go shopping at eBay - which is still the first place I look - I find what I want.
Note to disgruntled sellers: go ahead and go, the buyers will still go to eBay (and more likely buy from me - thanks.)
  • eBay is a business. They exist to make money. Get over it.
When you sell on eBay, what is your motive? The greater good of mankind? I don't think so. You want to make money. (If that's not the motive of the complainers, they wouldn't be complaining about fees.) They feel that eBay is making "too much" money. But who decides how much "too much" is? Go try to sell at 'competing' auction sites. You will not sell much, if anything. At eBay, you can sell things - that's what you get for your money.
eBay is in it for the money. That's only bad if you're pretending to do nice things for free, for the benefit of all mankind, and taking money for it. eBay is not pretending to do things for free.
  • You can make a profit on eBay. Nearly a million people make their living there.
"I can't sell on eBay anymore because I can't make a profit." I hear that a lot.
Then find something else to sell.
I have used a combination of Doba, Worldwide Brands, Liquidation.com and even eBay to get things to sell. Some I buy, some is drop shipped, and some I have in my possession.
I've used the Worldwide Brands sourcing directory to make my own deals with suppliers. On Doba, I look for items that compliment my other products. If you have room for a pallet of stuff, go to Liquidation.com and bid on stuff. Then sell it a piece at a time. I've done this, and made money.
It takes work, figure it out. There is a tremendous community out there that will help. On eBay alone there are blogs, discussion groups, forums willing to help - Just ask.
  • If you stay positive, read to learn, and keep working hard - you'll succeed and make money.
Selling online is still a pretty simple formula. Find something people want to buy, get some of it, and sell it for more than you paid. No matter if you are selling on your own website, eBay, Wagglepop, or wherever, it costs money to sell things. Figure out what you can offer that the next guy can't. Don't compete on price alone because people will always come along and beat you. The one thing they cannot do is be you. Sometimes it's just being nicer than the other seller. Sometimes you'll sell more by asking your customer to come back on a handwritten slip of paper stuck in the box with their order.
Sometimes people would just rather buy from a seller who doesn't gripe about stuff.

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1 comment so far ↓

#1 online auction on 02.04.07 at 6:53 pm

“It’s interesting to me that most of the articles written about the fee increases are focused on the way they will affect the seller. ”
The fees increases equally affect the buyers as well. Why? Because the sellers need to increase their prices in order to make the same margin.

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