Just observing my cost as a seller

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Posted By: davidcycleback

This is not a complaint about fees or mean eBay buyers or a bellyache about my plight on earth, just an observation for those who only buy on eBay.

I just sold a $200 item. My shipping cost will probably be around $6-7, my Paypal fee was over $6, and my eBay fees was (guess) $5. Total is about $17. My only charge to the buyer, other than the winning bid, was a $6 shipping charge (meaning I probably charged less than cost for the shipping).

So next time an eBay seller brings up fees, realize they exist and aren't 40 cents.

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Posted By: Darren J. Duet

If my overhead costs were that low, i'd be a millionaire.

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Posted By: pete

but what about when you pay that $6 for s/h and get the $50 card in a small white envelope, two pieces of cardboard and a .60 cent postage with no delivery confirmation or insurance included? thats what bugs me...if you want to add a couple of extra dollars to help cover the ebay costs, fine at least use decent packaging and include delivery confimation or something.

my best pitch was the one that made it to the plate!

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Posted By: Anson

I guess it just depends on what you're looking to get. You can sell to board members and get exactly what you're looking for with little to no costs associated. Or, you can take your chances on Ebay and maybe get more buck for your card with the increased costs.

I wish I could sell exclusively on the board but Ebay opens up a lot more potential buyers (many of which are on the board).

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Pete, I am an active bidder and do not like goofy shipping charges and would rebel being charged $10 for the seller's PayPal and eBay costs. If an eBay seller of a normal baseball card posted a $35 shipping and handling charge, I'd pass on bidding figuring there might be somethng wrong with the seller's head ... However, if the shipping charge was posted from the start, I consider it cheesy for the winner to try and talk down the shipping price on a single lot after the auction. Considering the competing bidders were consciously calculating their bids based on the stated shipping charge (I do, as a bidder), it is materially the same as a winning bidder trying to negotiate lower the winning bid. I compare it to trying to negotiate a lower price on a restauraunt meal you've just eaten. At the least, it's not going to impress your date.

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Posted By: Darren J. Duet

I'm not an ebay seller, so take my opinion for what it's worth--free.

For the amount of potential buyers, exposure, and convenience Ebay is cheap.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

That's a legitimate point, and I think having lower than cost or free shipping price can be a good deal for higher priced items.

However, for low priced items, where the minimum bid is say $1 or $3 and where the winning bid may turn out to be $1 or $3, free shipping wouldn't be such a hot idea. It would be more profitable to have thrown the item away. Most sellers calculate things based on the assumption that the item will sell for the minimum, not that there will be 30 snipers. Would I offer free shipping on the promise that there would be 30 snipers in the last 10 seconds? More than that, I would pay the winner $5 shipping if I knew there would 30 snipers in the last 10 seconds. However, in more cases than not, the item sells for the minimum bid and I post a required shipping charge ... And did you know that if an eBay seller lowers the shipping cost $3, he's more likely to raise the minimum bid $3? And did you know that if sellers suddenly decided they would not pay for any shipping charge, fewer sellers would acccept PayPal and would raise minimum bids? Do you know that a seller offers free shipping because he has predicted that the winning bid will be higher? Do you know that the bidder bids more when shipping cost is lower and less when the shipping cost is higher? It's a bidder's fallacy that lower shipping charges saves them money. Their own bidding habbits help ensure this. Beleive it or not, the reason sellers post low or zero shipping charges is because they know potential bidders think it looks pretty.

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Posted By: will watson

what do you mean, shipping will cost you $6? do you not charge shipping on your auctions?

most shipping charges i've seen are incurred by the buyer

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Posted By: Scott Forrest

Yeah David, I don't get how people can sell $3 items on ebay and make any money. If I were going to consider that, it would make more sense to just get a night job at McDonalds.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

They make it up on volume

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Posted By: Anson

It's also a lot more effort to ship 100 items as opposed to one. I would rather not bother with selling Frank Viola rookie cards if I were trying to make money.