E-Bay Sellers to Strike! What Would the Result Be?

eiffelvu
An e-mail was sent out by E-bay last week informing all the sellers on E-bay that there was going to be some changes made ... do they really think the sellers would just sit still for it ? Now they offer a nickel off most listing fees, yet raise the final value fees tun reasonably from 5.25 % to 8.25% for sales under $25, over $25 to $1000 you must pay and additional 3.50% of the remaining closing value balance...if you sell something over $1000 you must pay the 3.50% plus an additional 1.50% .. This is really outrageous....and the sellers are angry. Many sellers only sell for a small profit as it is and I personally know a few who have closed up shop, so to speak.

At first it seemed like they were really giving us something when they announced that they are :

1) Reducing insertion fees
2) Free Gallery ... on all listings!
3) Reduced Feature Plus and Pro Pack fees

But then upon reflection it seems they are really playing favorites with their power sellers with these new perks.

4) Increased listing exposure for sellers with great DSRs
5) Pricing discounts for PowerSellers with great DSRs
6) Protection from chargebacks for PowerSellers
7) All addresses are confirmed addresses for PowerSellers on their eBay listings that are paid with PayPal
8) Unlimited PayPal protection for PowerSellers
9) Repeat Feedback credit
10) Rolling 12-month Feedback Percentage
11) Personalized Seller Dashboard

Looking at that list, it certainly seems that they are favoring the power sellers and not the small sellers, like me who just sell a few items occasionally... I would rather pay the lower final value fee and fore-go the gallery view and the reduced insertion fees which are just a nickle for listings up to $25, then 20 cents up to $50, 40 cents to $200....60 cents for sales to $500 and over that you will save a whopping 80 cents.

When you figure out just how much they are taking with the new 8.25% final value fee, those discounts don't really amount to much...those with e-bay stores are upset to no end since they are the being given just a 3 - 5 cent lower listing fee for each item they list...

It seems to most sellers like me that the small seller is getting a tiny handout and the power seller is being highly rewarded

One other thing that has disturbed many is the fact that no longer will feedback be given to buyers...so how will a seller be able to warn others that a buyer is non-paying or whatever he or she has done that was negative to that sale....there are many sickos or just pranksters out there who love to bid on items, raising the price so that legitimate buyers don't continue bidding,, then the seller is stuck with a non-paying bidder, who had no intention of buying, who just wanted to play games, so to speak

So everyone is up in arms about these new proposals and decided to go on strike during those days in February 18th to the 25th....

If you or someone you know is an e-bay seller, I would certainly hope you let them know that this strike will be taking place..

for more information or to sign the petition, here is the link to the forum..

http://forums.ebay.com

And now according to ccc.money.com, sellers are now looking into other auction sites to open their stores and sell their items
To read more about it you can find the article here: money.cnn.com/

Next week should turn out to be pretty interesting in the online auction world..

Thanks for reading and I hope this has been of some help to any and all E-bay sellers

Published by eiffelvu

Married to the same person for 45 years...two wonderful daughters who each have two delightful boys...we love to travel though have not been able to as often as wish due to health issues, but look out France...  View profile

68 Comments

Post a Comment
  • Stephen Murray3/18/2008

    At least they announced it. Amazon clearly raised their share of the take and I can't even find what the current formula is.

    I am still fuming at the failure of E*Bay to do anything when I bought an Italian movie that the listing said had English subtitles but had Korean ones.

  • eiffelvu2/21/2008

    jcorn, yes, it will be interesting..I am having a garage sale soon, my feeling is that things on e-bay are going to be more professional with the lower prices out of the closet merchandise not what buyers will want....so no bargains, like it used to be..I also red an article that warned people not to buy cosmetics or things like that on e-bay due to bacteria in older goods or that they might be stolen///stolen?? you mean they just figured that out...lOL

  • jcorn2/21/2008

    I'm in the same boat as you. Have inventory, must sell, not willing to have a two day garage sale or anything like that. Interesting times on Ebay but I think I'll probably keep an eye on things there and see how it works out. It is scary to have great feedback and then feel the security system possibly being pulled away. But maybe it will be okay there anyway. I honestly don't know.

  • Mary E. Coe2/20/2008

    Very interesting and informative. Very good reporting.

  • Kristie Leong M.D.2/20/2008

    I've sold on Ebay before and I think Ebay shows a complete lack of regard for the needs of the small seller. Great article!

  • Eclectic Muse2/20/2008

    I've been tuning in for some of this on the blogs over there. It is just crazy. I haven't sold anything in a while. You can be sure that I won't be selling much in the future with those rates. Thanks for the information!

  • Michael K. Miller2/19/2008

    eBay is history...an ancient 20th Century phenom ... M

  • Madeline2/19/2008

    I've only sold twice on ebay, so I didn't pay much attention to what was going on. Thank you for this informative article!

  • eiffelvu2/19/2008

    Oh I agree with you wholeheartedly and feel that without mutual feedback the whole system will fold....unless people don't care about taking a gamble whenever they sell anything.... I certainlly care and think my selling days are over for now....But what will I do with all my inventory....oh my...........thanks again

  • jcorn2/19/2008

    Although I share the view of the person who wrote this article, I did want to add that several sellers have basically shrugged and said, "So what?" about the new policy. I don't get it. They honestly believe that their inability to leave feedback will not affect things. I happen to think mutual feedback has kept unscrupulous buyers away from Ebay -or shortened their time there. Now what?! I hope I am wrong and that people will continue to behave honestly. I honestly hope I am proved wrong about the ills that could happen but I've been burnt by non-paying buyers and without sellers banding together to make sure OTHER sellers knew of the deadbeats, well...it would have been terrible.

Displaying Comments
Next »

To comment, please sign in to your Yahoo! account, or sign up for a new account.