Ebay changes for the Fall....

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by solt0131

But if you charge $3 shipping and it only costs 88 cents or over a $1 to ship, you get all those fees back.

Exactly what I was thinking. Every good business finds a way to recoup overhead costs and fees in their shipping, and this was happening LONG before eBay. I still remember my grandmother ordering stuff from those mail catalogs and she would have to pay at least $6 shipping even if she was ordering one piece. They were pocketing $3-$4 on each order they made, but that's how they stayed in business!

Personally, I think people should stop complaining about eBay and start re-assessing how they run a business. Does anyone watch that show "Pawn Stars"? The owner always talks about how he has to pay 20% every time he puts something in a live auction. If live auction houses are still charging 20% then why are people complaining about 9-15% on eBay?

And just to be clear, I am not talking about ripping people off on shipping either. I think charging $3.00 to ship a few cards is more than reasonable, and if it only costs me $1.59 then I know at least the remaining profit should cover fees.

A successful business in 2010 requires a 30-35% profit margin. If you are selling cards at 10-15% profit, don't blame eBay. And don't confuse convenience with cost-effectiveness either. Just because eBay is more "convenient" than an auction house doesn't mean they should charge significantly less fees for those who use it.

What it ultimately comes down to though is creativity. I know lots of dealers who don't even attempt to sell their commons and low price cards because they say those cards are too time consuming to sort, etc. When I break a case of ANY product, I usually sell 90-95% of the cards that I get in those cases. I take the time to sort them, build sets, reach out to other set builders, and creatively dump lots of cards on eBay without feeling oppressed by eBay fees. I don't see that as a waste of time either. I can sort an entire case in 4-5 hours, and if I pocket a couple hundred selling commons on top of the hits, autos, relics, etc., I'd say it's worth the time.

That's it for my rant. I am not trying to put people down, but there are plenty of eBay sellers who have no idea how to make a buck, and when some of those turn around and blame the system, I just shake my head and wonder how they ever got into this in the first place.

[The Madbacker]

Originally Posted by solt0131

But if you charge $3 shipping and it only costs 88 cents or over a $1 to ship, you get all those fees back.

After the $1.55 to make sure they don't put the bubble mailer through the sorter, DC and insurance....you really don't make that much.

[auctionjmm]

Originally Posted by The Madbacker

After the $1.55 to make sure they don't put the bubble mailer through the sorter, DC and insurance....you really don't make that much.

If the bubble mailer is less than 1/4 inch thick, and most are, you can get the rate for "large envelope" which is still significantly cheaper than the package rate. One card in a top loader with a 4x6 mailer costs .88 to ship if you mail them AT the post office.

For items above 1 oz or thicker than 1/4 inch, if you use the Paypal shipping label printer they give you a discount from what it would cost at the P.O. so you do save some money there too.

Finally, I rarely pay for shipping insurance if the item is under $20.00. In 11 years of dealing on eBay I've had one complaint regarding an item getting lost in the mail. I'd rather refund someone $10 for a lost item out of my own pocket than to pay a thousand dollars over 11 years for insurance and only use it once. To support my other post above, it's all in how you run your business.

[cruiserdaddy7]

Originally Posted by chilly55

With only one way to pay, they will drive off buyers. I always accept M.O. or personal checks (clear first) and offer discounts for those who pay that way. I'd rather give the buyer a discount than give Feebay/Paypal their cut. They are nothing more than Greedy, and their day is coming. Just ask Comcast. They had been raising our rates for a good 10 years straight until Fios came to town. I know of 6 people around me who jumped from Comcast to Fios immediately. Comcast had total domination, but now are losing their shirts.

Same thing will happen to Feebay. It's just a matter of time. Really, only 1 way to pay. They need to get the stick up out of their a** and listen to the complaints. Oh wait, Comcast didn't care and looked what happened. Guess Feebay will follow shortly.

My 2 cents.

Bill

One way to pay? You can usa Paypal, you can have your own merchant account, or set-up accounts with Paymate or Propay to name only a couple. There are options other than Paypal that people actually do use.

[golferphil]

Originally Posted by cruiserdaddy7

One way to pay? You can usa Paypal, you can have your own merchant account, or set-up accounts with Paymate or Propay to name only a couple. There are options other than Paypal that people actually do use.

If I am reading the latest release correct, they are not going to allow payments through any other 3rd party payment system. Obviously if you have your own merchant account with visa/mc you can still accept payments there, but anything but PayPal is verboten.

[cruiserdaddy7]

I wasnt aware of that. I know they are doing away with 3rd party checkouts like Auctiva, but wasnt aware about the payment processors. Again, they are trying to model Amazon if so.