eBay fees are truly insane.

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Samus

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I just realized exactly how much Final Value Fees are. One little item for $60 and I get charged $9 in eBay fees PLUS whatever the PayPal fees are going to be?!?

That is literally insane. Craziness. I mean, $3-5 is understandable and still profitable, but it's going to be like $13 in fees before I'm done. Then you have to deal with crazy eBay buyers. Ladies and gentlemen--this is why you use CAG/GameTZ for all your selling. Learned my lesson.
 
That's just how they do it, they sneak it up from year to year and no one really knows how much they have been paying until it is too late.
 
What did you sell? I sold four games totaling $150 and was only charged around $10 in ebay fees. I do agree, with ebay fees and paypal, I'll only get back $130 dollars, $120 after shipping.
 
[quote name='Thongsy']What did you sell? I sold four games totaling $150 and was only charged around $10 in ebay fees. I do agree, with ebay fees and paypal, I'll only get back $130 dollars, $120 after shipping.[/QUOTE]

Well I did a buy-it-now, which has to do with it I think. It was just a GameCube game bundle of Mario Party 5/7/Sunshine/Luigi's Mansion/Sonic Mega Collection/memory card.
 
if you use Buy It Now, it sticks you with a fee that's 8 or 9% the cost of your item.

I look at it this way.. there's really no other site that gets nearly as much exposure as ebay. Everyone knows about ebay versus somewhere like GameTZ, where you have a lot of people who won't pay top dollar. For instance, I sold MGS4 not too long ago for $30, and it was new/sealed. Do you realize how long it would've rotted on my tradelist on CAG? No one would've bought that.

So, yeah, for an extra $3 or $4, I'd like to get money now versus waiting a while. But if it's a high priority item that I think will sell, yeah, I'll use CAG.
 
If you are serious about selling on ebay, the only solution is to become a powerseller and keep your DSR's above 4.8 which earns up to 20% discount on fees.
 
The final value fee is 15% for Buy-In-Now listing on games/movies related stuff, and 8-9% for auction style listing. Paypal sticks you with .029% + $0.30 on the total. They are really screwing the sellers nowadays.
 
Paypal's 2.9% plus 30 cents, I think.
You can't really count the Paypal fees in the same boat. If you were WalMart, you would pay Visa and Mastercard a percentage of every sale paid for with a Visa or MC. Part of the Paypal fee goes to MC and Visa and allows you to take those cards (assuming you're Premier or Business). This would cost the average non-business seller a whole lot more if they had to set it up directly with Visa and MC. (I think Visa/MC charge a flat fee per month, plus a percentage of each transaction.)

Amazon does tell you what the fees are before you finalize the listing, but damn, their fees are high.
I sold a DVD set recently for 64.99, with a 2.99 shipping credit, and the Amazon fees totalled 11.54. The 2.99 actually did cover shipping (yay media mail), so that was good, but still.

Ebay and Amazon provide a marketplace for millions of people to buy. In addition to that, they offer 'secure' methods of payment for both sides (let's not get into the alleged abuses by Paypal and Amazon Payments). They're also two of the biggest names on the net. Those factors are worth something. Yes, you could do Craigslist for free, and be lowballed or ignored, and that's if not you're not asked to send the overpayment to Nigeria.
Trading sites are a great option, but even there you have to be careful (I have traded games before where I've lost money on the transaction due to shipping, and since you pay shipping, some cheaper things aren't worth trading, whereas I have sold things on Ebay that were virtually free, but the buyer paid postage and covered my Ebay fees).

I do prefer selling on Amazon, however (at least for noncollectible goods). I like not paying until/unless it sells, and I've found that people are often willing to pay more on Amazon than Ebay for the same item, I'm not sure why.
 
Yes, but at WalMart you can use other forms of payment. What would happen if WalMart only allowed you to use a WalMart gift card to pay?
 
[quote name='hopeunknown']That's why I only sell on Amazon. They tell you before you finish posting how much you'll actually make.[/QUOTE]

amazon fee is actually worst than ebay
 
But they pay for shipping (double edged sword I know) and it isn't taken due to fees, although you can get shafted even with DC and Sig Confirmation.
 
This, combined with the fact that they almost always side with buyers in disputes, is why I don't sell anything on there, anymore. I never had any issues, but I'd like to keep it that way.
 
you cant expect cags to pay ebay prices on CAG. there are alot of cags that thinks its fair to do so. if you can get $60 on ebay, then sell it on ebay NOT ON CAG since its 2 completely different marketplaces.

amazon's fees are ridiculous 15% - worst than ebay and you have to deal with penny war idiots who monitors their prices..
 
[quote name='Porksta']Yes, but at WalMart you can use other forms of payment. What would happen if WalMart only allowed you to use a WalMart gift card to pay?[/QUOTE]

Then you decide to make that sacrifice (using only WM GCs) for the benefit (convenience, quality, location, price), or decide that the inconveniences of shopping at some alternative (Target, Kroger, Kmart) outweight the inconvenience of using the WM GC. Ebay's the biggest internet auction house, but not the only way to sell stuff over the net by far.
As a seller, I'd rather pay Paypal's fees than deal with an out of state check, money order, or cash in an envelope. Plus I get 1.5% back using my Paypal card on any transaction so that helps balance the PP fees in my case.

Amazon does pay for shipping--but it's a flat rate per item. Sell a single 5 ounce DVD or a DVD box set with 10 disks, the shipping credit is the same.

Don't most of these places side with the buyer in most disputes? I've been lucky *knock wood* and haven't had any disputes, either as a buyer or seller.

Someone who monitors the market for his items and adjust prices to compete is an "idiot"? Interesting.
 
I actually use a combination of both Amazon and Ebay. Amazon fees are typically around 20% for games. With ebay my auction and paypal fees are usually around 15% or so. I will give you an example of why each has its benefits.

This weekend I decided to sell off a couple games. I have Mass Effect with a strategy guide and I have a copy of Fallout 3 on 360. I checked final sell price for both (completed auction for ebay and lowest for sale price of used copy on Amazon). On Amazon the going rate for Fallout 3 was around $40 for a used copy and the completed auctions on ebay were in the $35 range. In this case selling on Amazon netted me more money even though the fees were slightly higher. On the Mass Effect I went with ebay because I could easily add the item to the listing a provide a picture showing the game and the guide which you can't easily do on Amazon. Plus the game is selling for slightly more on ebay on average anyway.

I really despise ebay. I have been using them for over 9 years now and every year they take more and give less in return. However they are still the best place around for maximum exposure. Where else am I going to get top dollar for a sealed copy of ICO with the strategy guide? http://cgi.ebay.com/ICO-Brand-NEW-S...yZ139973QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
no one is going to pay for some of the crap i sell on ebay on cag. the only people that would buy them would give me low offers because they would just want to sell them on ebay. so i do make the most money off of ebay for a lot of stuff. there are some games that can get ebay prices on cag / gametz if they are in demand there though, you've just gotta know where to sell the different things.
 
Really, it's that much? I usually start games at 9.99-19.99 and I get charged like a dollar with probably an 8% final value fee...so it's usually no more than 2-3 bucks for me
 
[quote name='mr_bungle']Really, it's that much? I usually start games at 9.99-19.99 and I get charged like a dollar with probably an 8% final value fee...so it's usually no more than 2-3 bucks for me[/QUOTE]that's cuz you're doing auction not BIN. BIN is 15%.
 
[quote name='dtcarson']
Someone who monitors the market for his items and adjust prices to compete is an "idiot"? Interesting.[/QUOTE]
you have not heard of penny wars then? cause you completely missed that part.
 
I've been using Half.com lately instead of eBay for media. The fees are a flat 15%, no listing or hidden fees, and the best part is no Paypal involvement/fees. The interface is so much cleaner than eBay, and even when lowballing your prices to get it sold quickly, I seem to get more from them than eBay.
 
I usually list my games auction style and set the lowest price I am willing to take, what happens then is I get at least the one bid I was looking for (sometimes more), same as if I was to use a BIN listing (or more), which costs A LOT more in fees. This also gives buyers a chance to bid higher if they want to.

Amazon fees are much higher and there are other disadvantages to using them, you have to take returns and you can't sell your games in bundles or lots. I do a lot of bundles and lots so it would be a disadvantage for me to use amazon. If you have a game with a guide or if you want to pair 2 like games together to net more money in one auction or if you have a bunch of games that only fetch $3-4 each on ebay/amazon but will get you more money if you sell them in a lot then its preferable to use ebay.

The last time I tried to sell on amazon they also charged me a .99 listing fee for each item.
 
Yeah, isn't Amazon a 15% final value fee plus a $0.99 listing fee? This makes me wonder how people make money listing games for a penny plus shipping on Amazon.
 
The fees might be hefty, but never had a problem with eBay, and there is always the chance that a couple of not so bright buyers will go into a bidding war on your item, so I do enjoy that.
 
[quote name='Josef']Yeah, isn't Amazon a 15% final value fee plus a $0.99 listing fee? This makes me wonder how people make money listing games for a penny plus shipping on Amazon.[/QUOTE]

Because they give you a $3.99 shipping credit. That, plus 15% off of .01 amount to nothing. Its actually smart for the cheaper games. I've sold on amazon when the prices are higher than those on half.com and the avg. selling price on ebay. Half.com is great, too. They take less commission but I think give a $2.99 shipping credit. Either way, I prefer amazon and half.com.
 
I prefer Amazon also for the reason that my items sell pretty fast (usually within 3-5 days), I don't like eBay for things that are worth less than $50 for the reason that if your item DOESN'T sell, you're still charged for the listing. If I close a listing for whatever reason on Amazon, it doesn't count against me.
 
[quote name='addicted2games']If you are serious about selling on ebay, the only solution is to become a powerseller and keep your DSR's above 4.8 which earns up to 20% discount on fees.[/QUOTE]

You know how hard it is to keep them at 4.8?

I am stuck at 4.7 and no matter what I do I can't get it to go up (nor will it go down though).
 
chase needs to change their whole appearance period lol. but i agree the choice of colors just doesn't work. i can understand matching some of the colors of the logo but over a white background just doesnt seem right to me.
 
[quote name='phear3d']you have not heard of penny wars then? cause you completely missed that part.[/QUOTE]

As someone who just recently started on Amazon, I quickly learned being first made all the difference; a bunch of people didn't care I had "Just Launched", only that I had the cheapest price.
 
yes they are crazy. I just helped my sister sell her DS Lite and the fees were nearly $10. Her DS only sold for about $90 before shipping.
 
[quote name='CaoPi']how exactly do you become a power seller?[/QUOTE]

Sell $3,000 worth of items within 3 months, have 100+ feedback and that's it. DSRs are a pain to keep above 4.8 to get yourself a 20% discount, but it's possible. I have all my DSRs at 4.9 and am getting a nice 20% discount :).
 
[quote name='DarkRider23']Sell $3,000 worth of items within 3 months, have 100+ feedback and that's it. DSRs are a pain to keep above 4.8 to get yourself a 20% discount, but it's possible. I have all my DSRs at 4.9 and am getting a nice 20% discount :).[/QUOTE]

Do your sales have to continue at a similar rate once you are granted power seller status to keep the discount?
 
So what you guys are saying is that I should start my own auction site... let's say iBay... and charge a flat 5%? I mean there are millions of items sold every day and eBay doesn't keep any inventory. At 5% they would still be making a KILLING. People would switch over for that.
 
Ebay does suck and I sell high-end/industrial items on there. Adding a Reserve between $1,000 to $5,000 cost me $35 to $50 + photo costs.

Cha-ching, fawkers!
 
Yeah, Final Value Fees keep rising each year. They bury those facts among other modifications to prices. Whenever eBay newsletters announce that listing fees are decreasing $0.05, then expect FVF to increase 5%+!

I sell on Amazon because, like another mentioned, feedback doesn't really matter. Low Price is virtually all that matters in most cases, even if I have low feedback (I haven't received feedback for 20 orders since January 2009). But I sell my items and making money on AMZ is all that matters in the end.

I also prefer AMZ because I can leave my items there and they'll all, and have, eventually sell.
 
[quote name='hopeunknown']That's why I only sell on Amazon. They tell you before you finish posting how much you'll actually make.[/QUOTE]


in defense of ebay it does say how much you will be charged
 
[quote name='javeryh']So what you guys are saying is that I should start my own auction site... let's say iBay... and charge a flat 5%? I mean there are millions of items sold every day and eBay doesn't keep any inventory. At 5% they would still be making a KILLING. People would switch over for that.[/QUOTE]

Problem is it doesn't work that way. It isn't as easy as just starting your own auction site. Can you even imagine how long it would take and how hard it would be to get the user base that ebay has (not even mentioning the amount of money)? Your chances would be less than .5% in my opinion. Now do you need to be as big as ebay to make a profit? No. Ebay and Amazon charge a bigger percentage because there are TONS of people on it. Same reason that a game will sit at a local store at a low price while it will sell at a much higher price on Amazon. They just don't have the traffic. It's all about getting people to see your product.
 
[quote name='Samus']That site has a horrible interface imo. Too bad because I like the concept.[/QUOTE]

I use chase and have sold alot of games for near Ebay prices, I agree with you guys that It ahs a horrible interface, there was a site similar to it called Game Gavel that had a lot friendlier interface, but next to no buyers. It took me a bit to get used to chase, but it is well worth it!!
 
I've started to see more and more sellers requesting that I cancel the transaction after it's been completed (I sent money and got the game). I guess they want to avoid the final fees but I feel odd about attempting that myself. I would think they catch on to that stuff pretty fast. Anyone have any thoughts or experiences with that?
 
ebay and craigslist, well, craigslist is bad too, don't bother unless you're selling high priced stuff that you absolutely need to move, it's not worth it to deal with all the crazy craigslist buyers for low valued stuff either
 
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