posted on June 25, 2004 06:59:56 PM new
I know this has been discussed before but I can't find the thread.
If you listed an item on eBay for another person, how much commission do you charge or what's the going rate? Also, do you deduct your selling fees first from the total before figuring your money or do you take that out of your commssion?
I sold an item for an antique dealer. His reserve was $360.00 and it sold for $1825.00
The dealer thinks that 20% commssion is too high and it should be 5 to 10%.
I did everything from the listing, photos, emails, packing and shipping.
posted on June 25, 2004 07:10:56 PM new
hahahahahahhaa,,,,,,,,hahahahahahaha,,,,hahahahahahhahaha,,,,,,,,5-10 % is he out of his ever livin' frikkin' mind??????? 30-37 % is showing in that UPS auction thread and I would tell them to go take a flying leap for ANYTHING less than 30%......YOUR feed back page is a stake...taxes,,,,,and on and on.....
Didn't you come to an agreement BEFORE listing this? e bay will take a BIG bite around 8%,,,,,,I think?......
10% let's see,,,he gets,,,1620.00,,,,,you get peanuts and that's NOT EVEN considering the FEES yet.
posted on June 25, 2004 07:20:02 PM new
30/37 OR FIGHT! AH! At THIS POINT you hold the cards
5-10% what an INSULT!
Lucy,,,,,I was VERY Dumb in the beginning about this,,,for a Friend,,,,,I was doing the 10%..........till I sold a $400.00 thingy. 10% of 400.00...$40.00!!!!!! And SHE gets, $360!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that's when the Lights came on.........And dumb me was EVEN paying the FEES!!!!!!! I wasted ALOT of time and made NO money for WAY too long.....
Edited to add and those were the early haydays, when you could sell virtually ANYTHING you put on e bay.....Taint thata ways no mores...you gotta WORK ta sell now as we ALL know....
posted on June 25, 2004 07:22:24 PM new
Best to have the rate agreed to before you sell anything for anyone. 20% is not that much since you did all the work.
Sounds like the ole greed is kicking in after the fact from the dealer.
As far as rates go there is no rule. Each person has to decide what their time and work is worth to them. Some will take the fees out of their end and others will charge a xxx% plus fees.
Best to write this down and get them to sign it.This person should be happy they are getting this high price since all they wanted was $360.00 to start with.
Remind them without you they would have not sold this item to begin with! My advice would be to you is that you hand over no funds to them for at least 30 days in case the deal goes south
I hope you do not accept paypal for this amount as the risk is too great. [Bidpay or postal M.O. only]
posted on June 25, 2004 07:26:14 PM new
The first thing to establish if you're going to be listing other people's merchandise on eBay is YOUR COMMISSION!
The actual commission can be anything you are comfortable with. If you want to work for $3.00 an hour, that's your business. I won't take anything on consignment for less than 30% of the gross, and a minimum of $10.00 net for me. I won't waste my time on inexpensive items from consigners.
In your case, the item was expected to bring around $400.00. $80.00 gross commission would have been nice. However, since the item greatly exceeded expectations, I don't see any reason to change the formula. Sounds like the antique dealer got a case of the greeds. What would have happened if it never reached the reserve? What would you have received for your time and effort?
"The only thing more expensive than an education is ignorance" B. Franklin
posted on June 25, 2004 07:27:23 PM new
Trai says it right too,,,,,don't give nothing for 30 days and especially to SEE what e bays fees REALLY come to......
posted on June 25, 2004 07:28:51 PM new
trai~The buyer did use Paypal, item has been shipped, buyer received it with signed delivery confirmation and left me positive feedback on eBay!
I am leaving most of the money in my Paypal account for a couple of weeks and pay the dealer in several smaller payments.
posted on June 25, 2004 07:30:16 PM new
Just my two cents.....I used to charge 10%. Then I went to 25%. Now I'm at 40%. I pay the fees out of my percentage. I even charge my husband 20% but of course, I sleep with him! LOL
posted on June 25, 2004 07:30:56 PM new
One other thing I forgot to mention is that you should get XXX$$ up front to cover your time and fees in case the item does not sell, otherwise you will be eating the fees plus.
posted on June 25, 2004 07:31:45 PM new
Oh, Gina... I'm sorry you didn't have it settled in advance. As Trai said, don't hand over the $$$ until at least 30 days have passed. That will also give you some time to negotiate.
Jack, I hear you! There are just two people I sell for. Both of them in my family and both completely understand the split, which is 25% with ALL fees off the top.
posted on June 25, 2004 07:58:49 PM new
I have a couple of people I sell for that I charge 20% of the gross + $2.00 listing. Ebay fees come off the top. Then my $2.00 and then my 20%commission (calculated on the gross sale price before Ebay fees). They get what is left. They get paid when the customer notifies me they have received the item, or 3 days after the FedEx tracking says it delivered. I have a seperate account set up for this, and will never list a consignment on my personal account. All other customers, besides these two pay 30% with the same conditions. I have a special arrangement with another Ebay seller when she gets too busy, or has something she doesn't feel comfortable listing herself. I will list it on her Ebay account for her (yes, I have the password) and run it through her Vendio account which I had her set up. I only have the item in my possession long enough to photograph it and write the description. She answers all the emails, has all vendio and Ebay fees charged to her credit card, does all the shipping and receives all the feedback. I charge her 10% of the gross + $2.00 listing.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on June 25, 2004 08:05:27 PM new
Good move sparkz. Right off the top is the only way to do it. For the people that whine its too much i just say sell it yourself if they think its so easy.
Most of them have no idea how much time and work can go into this.
posted on June 25, 2004 08:54:39 PM new
I hope your 20% is yours to keep and the fees don't have to come out of that. With the item that ended with that high of a selling price than I think you did good, but if it would be lower I think it would have been bad. What you need is a contract so that your buyer doesn't dictate your fees. If your going to be a trading assistant then be up front and don't back down on the fees you want/should charge.
You can charge what you want as it is your business but I would besides the 20% have the consignee pay all fees. With the selling price that high I imagine your EOA fee is quite a bit and it shouldn't come out of your share.
Now since that person payed by PayPal you need to keep that in your account because you never know if they are going to file a charge back.
posted on June 25, 2004 09:15:09 PM new
I've been charging 25%, with fees coming off the top and no listing charge because I'm still learning all the collectible categories.
But 25% isn't enough for the work I do. Next time, it'll be 30% up to maybe $200, then 25% above that (as if that ever happens for me on consignment!!). For family, if they were hurting for money, I'd do 20% occasionally. But it just isn't worth the time and effort.
If I had nothing to sell of my own (and someday that may happen), I might change my mind. Or get a real job!
___________________________________
posted on June 25, 2004 09:32:01 PM new
If you plan on doing this on a regular basis, I would strongly recommend setting up a seperate seller's account for consignments, and under no circumstances take Paypal on anything sold on that account. Once you settle with the consignor, any chargeback will come out of your pocket. Also, a seperate account is very convenient from an accounting viewpoint, and it protects your feedback on your main account. That's important because on consignments, you will dealing with many things you are not familiar with, or that you have not dealt with before and there is a high risk of someone claiming misrepresentation and slamming you with a neg. Protecting your pocketbook and your bread and butter account reputation is priorty #1. The comission amount is #2.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
posted on June 25, 2004 09:35:46 PM new
I negotiate with each individual based on the amount of items they want to sell. I do 20% on 5 or less. More than that is negotiable and has a lot to do with value.
I have one guy I only charge 12%. He has a whole storage unit full and has given me the key. I post his stuff as I have time. It pays since I am doing alot of volume.
My sister takes her own pics and does her own shipping so I only charge her 10% as all I do for her is type and post.
Customer pays fees when item sells or if it doesn't. If they have alot of breakables, they either provide packing materials or I charge them a set fee for packing materials. Glassware can eat through your percentage in a flash if you are not careful!
Charge my percentage after fees have been deducted.
posted on June 26, 2004 02:49:45 AM new
HI Gina ... we have some family that sells consiged pieces on ebay ... they use a sliding scale, whereas if an item goes for more than $1000, they cut the commission to 18% (500-1000 = 23%, $50-500 = 30%) ... and their commission is figured on the final bid price ... they charge this commission, plus all ebay and/or paypal and/or vendio fees ... the FVF alone comes to $40.25 on your auction ending at $1825. (at least according to vrane.com's fvf calculator) ...
If your consignor is still balking, tell them they are welcome to try to go find some other Seller Assistant who is willing to do it for less.
Good luck with your settlement.
[ edited by estatesalestuff on Jun 26, 2004 02:52 AM ]
posted on June 26, 2004 02:58:43 AM new
i charge 25% plus all fees, including Paypals. i insist on keeping the item with me until the sale is complete. buyer pays, item is shipped and buyer leaves feedback or at least lets me know they are satisfied with the item. then and only then does the owner get his/her money.
a few (such as my boss) has balked over the rate. i don't sell for less. take it or leave it.
everyone thinks it is so easy to sell on ebay. well i offer to let them try.
posted on June 26, 2004 05:04:08 AM new
this dealer of yours should be doing the happy dance instead of whining about your commission.
just keep in mind for future reference-paypal may say 30 days,but chargeback can come any day 3-6 months if the buyer goes thru his credit card issuer.
For overseas bidders ,it can be up to a year.
If bidder uses a fraudulent credit card,paypal seller protection is not going to protect you .
You should educate your consignees what it takes to sell on ebay and how competitive it is getting,it is not like go buy a cheap camera at walmart and throw the picture in cyberspace.
ps-paypal chargeback fee is 10 dollars,considered cheap by industry standards.
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
posted on June 26, 2004 08:14:32 AM new
Gina, your dealer has insulted your abilities, your time value, and your business acumen. Tell the dealer 30% plus fees and you will consider lowering that if he can get an offer in writing from a trading assistant that is lower. And I would not sell for this dealer again, personally.
This reminds me of the time I was a Realtor for a company that would help sell your home for under $1000. I would field calls from people that would ask if that included title insurance and escrow fees. People want something for nothing, in California those two fees usually add up to over a $1000 and the callers knew it! I would tell them I would check and put them on permanent hold. I can waste YOUR time, also. Sigh, you can't be opinionated if you want to succeed at sales. You have to be like a porn star and smile, no matter what.
Ask your 'dealer' what his overhead is, have a fresh cup of coffee at hand. Then start talking about your overhead, a computer, a camera, software, the loss of room in your home, eBay fees, self-employment taxes, Paypal fees, packaging costs, transportation expense, shipping and insurance fees, paying for your own medical insurance, medicare & income taxes, taking insults from alleged friends as to the value of your time........
_________________
You know...the best way to defeat a liberal is to let them speak.
[ edited by parklane64 on Jun 26, 2004 08:18 AM ]
posted on June 26, 2004 12:35:36 PM new
dont tell him the trivial expenses,you are a STAR!!
Do Elizabeth Taylor,Robert Redford,John Wayne talk about how much gas they use to drive to the studio??
-sig file -------we eat to live,not live to eat.
Benjamin Franklin
[ edited by stopwhining on Jun 26, 2004 12:41 PM ]
posted on June 26, 2004 12:47:09 PM new
I get 40% commission NET or I don't do consignment work. I've got 4 local antique dealers I eBay for as well as my other sources. They never complain because they've been elsewhere and settled for crumbs. I've placed some of their antiques with private parties so I offer something else besides eBay - at a consistently higher ROI. If they don't like it, tell them to "f_____off"...in the words of VP Cheney. Good Luck, Gordie, PS......After leaving my reply, I read some of the other replies to your question. I'm astonished by their low commissions! I quit my day-job to do eBay fulltime in Jan, 2004. I'm doing very well - definitely not a minimum wage living! ADVICE: you are worth what you believe you are worth. I'm NOT an AMATEUR. My bizcard, brochure, testimonials make that message crystal clear. If they don't pay - agree (sign it, too) it IN WRITING before listing - they don't play!
[ edited by selectiblecollectables on Jun 26, 2004 12:54 PM ]
posted on June 26, 2004 10:24:05 PM new
You decide what you want. I am doing one for a person that I receive a flat rate of $100.00 plus ebay fees. If the items sells low, I get $100.00. If it goes high, I still get $100.00. When figuring my hourly rate on this auction, I am getting about $300.00 per hour.
ONE BIG MISTAKE YOU ARE MAKING HOWEVER. Never ever accept a consignment payment via your own PayPal account or any other method. Have the payment go directly to your client. Have all the risk of chargeback or check bouncing on their shoulders. If they don't want to accept paypal, fine. Mine doesn't. Just make it clear in the auction. You are already risking your reputation. That is enough. You cannot risk your finances as well.
Have your client pay you as soon as the payment has arrived or sooner. No later.
