posted on January 12, 2005 09:08:27 AM new
eBay Announces Upcoming Fees Changes
By Ina Steiner
AuctionBytes.com
January 12, 2005
eBay will be changing fees for certain features and categories on eBay.com and eBay Motors effective February 18, 2005. eBay also raised monthly subscription fees for eBay stores from $9.95 per month to $15.95 per month.
posted on January 12, 2005 09:21:13 AM new
Wow, those are some big changes in price. Besides the monthly fee of $15.95 instead of $9.95 for a store, items under $25 will now have an 8% FVF up from 5.25% - This is going to raise my ebay fees about $750 a year, not exactly insignificant. I actually had just opened another ebay store for a different account, thinking I would develop that too. I just closed that store 5 minutes ago.
I'll have to give this some thought, but I may have to change things a bit. This really penalizes people who do legitimate business and have most of the cost structured in the price of the item, as opposed to those that sell things for a penny and charge $6 shipping. If someone sells 500 items a month for $4 in a store with $2 shipping, as opposed to someone who sells for a penny with $5.99 shipping, That is a monthly FVF of $160 for the $4 item/$2 shipping as opposed to 40 cents for .01 item/$5.99 shipping. This is just going to create more deceptive one penny listings.
posted on January 12, 2005 10:10:25 AM new
Also, 40 cents extra to use 10 day feature? That just seems nuts to me. I used to use it when it was free, as I figured having an extra weekend was nice, but at 40 cents, no thanks!
posted on January 12, 2005 12:19:42 PM new
So an aution with buy-it-now as an option has gone up, buy fixed price listings have not. Makes you wonder what seller base they are targeting. Can anyone say BIG RETAILERS?
But that 8% FVF in stores is crazy! The whole point of stores is for low-margin items that aren't "worthy" of a full priced listing.
Note it's now cheaper to have two seven day (2x$0.35=$0.70) cent listings than it is to have a single ten day ($0.35+$0.40=$0.75) listing. The only logic I can see behind this one is to increase the listing counts.
I guess these will require changes. Now I'm gonna have to:
A) Never EVER use 10 day auctions again,
B) Only offer BIN on certain items that will probably sell that way.
C) Re-evalute margins on shipping.
D) Probably pass on opening a second store
First, the crummy FLD promotion and now this. Maybe I'll just apply at Taco Bell. They pay better thatn this!
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Replay Media - The best source for board games, card games and miniatures on the web!
posted on January 12, 2005 12:56:26 PM new
Are they off their rockers????
Well I just opened my ebay store after closing it before. Thought I would give it a go again. Think not!
You can have your own website with a shopping cart from www.readyhosting.com for $99.00 a year. Ebay store $191.00/year. Instead of driving buyer to your ebay store drive them to your own website and pay no fees.
posted on January 12, 2005 01:07:56 PM new
Yes, but the challenge really is driving traffic to the site. I think buyers are comfortable in the ebay environment. I am definitely going to look to expand to other options, because I see the writing on the wall and believe it won't be too long before they adjust their listing fee in the higher direction.
posted on January 12, 2005 01:31:42 PM new
Well, I have been using 10 day auctions for a long time, but not for 40 cents, that is just plain greed. From now on I will NOT use 10 day auctions on small priced items. Also BIN is gone as far as I am concerned. I quit using eBay gallery when Vendio came out with their gallery which to me is a better deal. I just don't understand why eBay is raising these fees when they are making a ton of $$$. Just plain greed. Meg better wake up & see what is going to happen. I am sure that there will be a big decrease in 10 day auctions & BIN. Om small items, it isn't worth it.
posted on January 12, 2005 01:44:05 PM new
A lot of people on the ebay boards are talking about opening stores on Wagglepop. A new place that will be up and running this month. Store fees are $7.95 a month.
Problem with that though..is the traffic. If you have to drive your own traffic to your store you may as well open a vendio store.
posted on January 12, 2005 02:01:18 PM new
Traffic is the key...and you can't direct people to your off-site website in your ebay listings..just on your "me" page and how many people read those??
I doubt that Wagglewhatever it is called ( stupid name!) will have much of an impact unless they have funding from a "Big Boy"...as far as I know it is just a venture by some ebay sellers ( or maybe just one). It's one thing to have a bunch of sellers but quite another to get the buyers..just ask Overstock!
Still, I would like to see another player in the market just to keep ebay's greed at bay! Seems to me that conditions are right for someone (probably someone with a recognizable and trusted NAME (Amazon, Google, AOL?? ) to step up to the plate.
**********************************
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "...holy sh@#...what a ride!"
posted on January 12, 2005 02:40:10 PM newSUMPTIN must be going on at feeBay that we just don't know about???
either:
1) PETA or ECO-TERRORISTS detonated a "stupid" bomb in San Jose in protest of the mal-treatment of lowly, yet endangered religious grilled-cheese sandwiches
/or/
2) feeBay's profits have quietly TANKED over the past 6 mos????
/or/
3) They being bought out by Sam or Enron or Pets.com, or who knows who??
/or/
4) Upper management has been involuntarily inhabited, body & soul, by the: POD-PEOPLE from PLANET-X???
...SUMPTIN???
VISIT: Ralphie's Eclectic Garden of Earthly Delights & Swedish Marital Aids here:
http://tinyurl.com/3rd5a
posted on January 12, 2005 03:24:39 PM new
Replay - while working at Taco Bell you just might get free lunch. That has to be a plus right there. As you know with Meg there is no free lunch..
posted on January 12, 2005 06:54:20 PM new
If they keep raising fees look for people to head back to the trade shows and flea markets. I can already see an increase of sports vendors at local card shows. eBay may just be a fad like low carb diets.
posted on January 12, 2005 08:06:32 PM new
Guys, keep in mind the fees don't go up until mid-February. There's no point in closing up shop today... ESPECIALLY if yu already paid for listing your items.
Now when Feb 17th comes around, then it might be worthwhile to make your displeasure known.
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Replay Media - The best source for board games, card games and miniatures on the web!
posted on January 12, 2005 08:25:39 PM new
I think eBay has a plan. They want stores that specialize in one thing and carry a large, or at least good size, selection. Even with the price increase the store is still a good deal for those sellers.
eBay wants to attract people off the search engines. They don't want the reputation of having a million little store carrying a handful of items that didn't sell at auction. This is their idea of weeding.
Be kind. Everyone is fighting their own secret battles.
...Author Unknown
posted on January 12, 2005 08:37:38 PM new
Me 3,,,,,store is now CLOSED! Never sold anything there anyhoooo......Same stuff on auction style sells over and over and over....
posted on January 12, 2005 09:18:59 PM new
HEy Lucy! did you get the notice e mail from e bay about you stores early demise? parklane says it sounds phishy?
posted on January 12, 2005 09:35:51 PM new
Using $100 as a nice round figure this raises the FVF from $3.38 to $5.75 for a whopping 70.3% FVF increase ! I estimate that this raises the total fees from 4.5% to 7% or about 56% on average for an auction that closes at $100.
Feebay loooooooves you!
This is called biting the hand that feeds you. With year-end accounting many sellers on feebay have realized they are working for less than minimum wage, now it is even worse. As stated previously, it is pretty clear feebay is pursuing a different market segment. Youse guys can all go pound sand in the feebay scheme of things.
Closing your store, now, makes a statement. AS IF feebay cares, but it makes a statement.
posted on January 12, 2005 09:42:19 PM new
Sorry, Jack, just being funny. Not?
I love this reality byte from the wagglepop site:
"Tired of using your current auction site, and enduring high fees, poor customer service, constant system glitches, unchecked fraudulent activity, site micro-management, confusing site navigation, and outrageous overbilling? What ever happened to being your own boss? Or finding what you are looking for quickly and easily?"
They must follow the postings, here. OK, everywhere.
posted on January 13, 2005 08:22:13 AM new
Hi Jack,
Yes, I got a notice from eBay about 10 seconds after I closed the store. Just a normal email confirming the change and inviting me to take part in their survey. Yeah, right...
posted on January 13, 2005 08:33:24 AM new
I think E-Bay has a plan.....Yea look what happen to John Kerry he had a plan too.
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Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
posted on January 13, 2005 09:05:13 AM new
Yeah, buy John Kerry failed by trying to please everyone at all times. Ebay's going the opposite direction. They trying to get EVERYONE to hate them.
And doing a pretty good job of it too.
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Replay Media - The best source for board games, card games and miniatures on the web!
