The State of eBay

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by bnorth

...sent me an email yesterday saying they are going to change all my shipping fees to whatever they believe the price would be if I buy shipping from them. They said I can opt out for one month...

Opt out for a month or you have one month to decide whether you want to opt out?

According to eBay:

"...Starting May 15, 2024, your listings with calculated shipping will default to show eBay discounted shipping rates. By filling out this form by May 13, 2024, you are confirming that you would like to be excluded from this change...

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Opt out for a month or you have one month to decide whether you want to opt out?

According to eBay:

"...Starting May 15, 2024, your listings with calculated shipping will default to show eBay discounted shipping rates. By filling out this form by May 13, 2024, you are confirming that you would like to be excluded from this change...

I didn't read it too close. My understanding was I opted out until May 15 and then it will be automatic. There is a work around but I can't remember what it was. On the opt out they had a drop down and I chose the "I do not always us eBay to purchase shipping" option for opting out.

[bmattioli]

Covid changed the whole price landscape throughout virtually any type of collectable. Sellers are still selling but at crazy prices. I'm just thankful I have what I have and purchased at reasonable prices "back in the day". Just like my house which has shot up price wise as well..

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by bmattioli

Covid changed the whole price landscape throughout virtually any type of collectable. Sellers are still selling but at crazy prices. I'm just thankful I have what I have and purchased at reasonable prices "back in the day". Just like my house which has shot up price wise as well..

While I did pick up a good amount of vintage and pre-war in the 90s and 00s, I got really complacent with the very flat and stable 2014 to mid/late-2019 market prices.

By the time 2020-2021 rolled around I had a good amount of regret not chasing down some of the "bigger" names I was holding out on.

That said, it was nice to finally get rid of a ton of junk wax graded that had been sitting around for decades. That helped take the sting out of the explosive prices and new auction competition for my buying.

[puckpaul]

I see a few cards (lately vintage hockey to finish sets) i am interested in once in a while, but if half decent i cannot win an auction no matter how strong i feel i am bidding. I will no longer waste my time bidding on stuff. I think it’s made up auctions, not real sellers on the vintage stuff on EBAY.

[Rich Klein]

Buyers were not taxed.

Note to Howard *and others* having owned a store at one point in my life and as someone who does appreciate having LCS (Local card stores) nearby, I'm actually in favor of the taxes being charged. It levels the playing field to some extent and EBay does take care of computing taxes for the buyers and sellers.

Rich

[4815162342]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Buyers were not taxed.

Note to Howard *and others* having owned a store at one point in my life and as someone who does appreciate having LCS (Local card stores) nearby, I'm actually in favor of the taxes being charged. It levels the playing field to some extent and EBay does take care of computing taxes for the buyers and sellers.

Rich

What about the vault-dwellers?

[Fballguy]

Originally Posted by bnorth

I didn't read it too close. My understanding was I opted out until May 15 and then it will be automatic. There is a work around but I can't remember what it was. On the opt out they had a drop down and I chose the "I do not always us eBay to purchase shipping" option for opting out.

This change only impacts sellers who let ebay calculate the shipping cost...which is a big mistake. I see items with $100+ shipping cost nearly every day on items that can easily ship for $5-$10.

If you offer a flat rate shipping cost or free shipping, you're not impacted.

[Buythatcard]

I've been selling on eBay for 21 years and have seen the changes. When I first started, eBay made Sellers feel wanted. If you had a question, you could easily pick up the phone and speak to someone who speaks English. If you had a bad Buyer, you were able to leave negative feedback. Seller fees were reasonable. Buyers were not taxed. The only competition out there were just other Sellers with a small business trying to make an extra buck.

Today, all of that is gone. The fun in selling is gone. eBay makes my life miserable. I have done over 7 figures in sales, yet I am treated like I do not exist. I am a 1 man company but can no longer compete with companies that are fully staffed plus plenty of dough to run their business. They list thousands of cards while small companies like mine can only list about a dozen per day. The rising eBay fees and postage rates take most of your profit. Whatever is left, Uncle Sam takes a bite.

eBay is flooded with modern cards. Difficult to find vintage cards to sell. They are just hard to find and are priced too high.

Yes, eBay has changed and not for the better. I had a good run but will be closing shop in the next month or two.