Cosplay USA

If you sell on E-bay, you’ve probably noticed a lot of changes lately. Every year or so they make major changes. For the first few years there were lots of improvements made… E-bay stores, buy-it-now, etc… Other than the new seller listing method, I can’t say I like a lot of the changes.

They implemented a new rating system where buyers rate sellers in many areas of the transaction. The seller is unable to leave feedback for buyers and cannot see were the specific ratings come from.

I also read about the last bout of changes and it lacked a lot of specific info. Also, a lot of the changes made “have not yet gone into effect.” For example, beginning in October, sellers were no longer able to accept personal check or money order as a payment method. It claimed that sellers should remove it from their listings as of September to avoid having their listings cancelled. I saw many listings since accepting money order and check. I’ve even had buyers approach me asking if I’ll accept money order for payment. I asked E-bay to be sure. They told me it is against policy as of October, but it’s OK until January. What the hell kind of sense does that make.

They make no sense, but they sure rack up the cents in Paypal charges. Since money order and check are no longer accepted as of October and January, all payments must be made through Paypal or a fancy merchant credit card account. Paypal payments chip away $.30 per transaction plus a fixed percentage on the amount. E-bay and Paypal are related companies so they get: a listing fee, final value fee, more money for bells and whistles like additional photos, transaction fee, and percentage of total including shipping. Talk about quadruple dipping. Then god forbid if you charge a cent over actual shipping so you actually have enough money to ship it after they tag you for fees. Someone can put 1-4/5 stars for shipping cost.

The economy is bad enough. Fewer people are buying and the people who buy are buying for less. There’s also less listings and variety on E-bay lately. Is it because there is less economic function, or is it because the sellers are turned off?

Go figure I just got a pop-up for an email received from E-bay.

I heard that star ratings below 4.5/5 incur the sellers higher final value fees. Since E-bay lowered the listing fees and “put more emphasis on successful listings” charging higher final value fees… I have yet to see in print what the fees are. I don’t think I even want to see. I’ll just consider it financial rape and expect it to happen every time I sell an item. E-bay is no longer simple, easy, or a reasonable way to generate substantial income. It’s become more of a place to just get rid of things and get a few dollars.

I would like to encourage everyone to buy something small for yourself from E-bay. Come on, the economy isn’t that bad that you can’t afford a $3-10 item to brighten your day. Prices are so low right now you can find yourself a treasure or just something sentimental like your favorite book as a kid. Sellers take time and care to list an item just to get a few dollars. It’s a miracle people are still taking the time to list all these thousands of groovy things. I know I haven’t wanted to relist items lately. Sales are so slow.

And also, while you’re at it… Leave 5 stars! That’s right, don’t be a picky bitchy; you’re not an E-bay connoisseur who tests sellers and checks shipping price to the penny and quality of tape used in packaging. Sellers are everyday people like me and you. If you get your item in one piece within a week or two and the shipping wasn’t so high you didn’t want to pay it in the first place, then just leave 5/5 stars. 4/5 stars might seem pretty good to you and it even sounds good in the descriptions, but in actuality, 4/5 is not good enough to E-bay and they will charge higher fees or even cancel the seller’s ability to sell if it is under 4.5/5 stars. Harsh!

Remember, 5/5! Keep E-bay sellers alive!