Cost of selling on eBay and Paypal fees
Posted 04/03/2020 - 11:54 - Helpful Comment
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With regard to the Ebay selling fees yes they can be expensive but you have a much larger target audience and so your item is likely to sell for more. Also they seem to be doing fee free weekends virtually every 2 weeks at the moment so apart from Paypals cut there is no cost.
I know people moan about Ebays costs but I remember when they first started and I imagine the outlay was astronomical to begin with. They took that gamble and I guess that as the major player now they have the rights to the spoils.
I know people moan about Ebays costs but I remember when they first started and I imagine the outlay was astronomical to begin with. They took that gamble and I guess that as the major player now they have the rights to the spoils.
Posted 04/03/2020 - 13:04 - Helpful Comment
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I tend to agree with Mike. ebay is expensive to sell on, but what are your alternatives ? Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree or Shpock are possibilities, but do not have the reach of ebay. You have to make your own arrangements for payment and delivery, with less protection than ebay offers.
Peter
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My Flickr page
Posted 04/03/2020 - 13:22 - Helpful Comment
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Ebay have got it stitched up really. I look for the 'sell for £1' promotions and my sales have always been fine. However, there is ample evidence that their system always favours the buyer in disputes. I sold a fabulous * 300mm in pristine condition last week. The buyer clearly had no understanding of the settings required to use the lens and claimed it was faulty which it certainly is not. Although I had clearly stated that I did not accept returns, the reality is that if the seller says it's faulty then you will have to take it back with all of the inconvenience involved. It came back this morning and, as I knew it would, works entirely as it should.
Last year, I purchased some Zeiss binos for around £500. The seller had cloned a previous sale and sent an empty envelope by RM Signed For to a similar postal address in a neighbouring street. The owners of the house were away and the postie signed for it and posted the envelope through the door. Fortunately, it was resolved by Ebay quickly but it was a stressful experience. Beware of sellers with fabricated feedback histories!
Last year, I purchased some Zeiss binos for around £500. The seller had cloned a previous sale and sent an empty envelope by RM Signed For to a similar postal address in a neighbouring street. The owners of the house were away and the postie signed for it and posted the envelope through the door. Fortunately, it was resolved by Ebay quickly but it was a stressful experience. Beware of sellers with fabricated feedback histories!
Posted 05/03/2020 - 01:56 - Helpful Comment
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You may have seen a guy selling a hardly used K1 recently for £450? His reason? He's had his use of it for his web site and had changed platforms. It was quite telling that nobody showed any interest in it at all. Buying at such prices, even if they are real, opens you up instantly to "handling stolen goods" due to the fact that you know full well something is dodgy. Since buyers are more often the victims and also most certainly the people who make E Bay work, it isn't that surprising that they take the side of the buyer in any dispute. "Get what you ordered or your money back." Were it not so, far fewer would buy and Ebay profits would fall.
Posted 05/03/2020 - 08:18 - Helpful Comment
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davidwozhere wrote:
You may have seen a guy selling a hardly used K1 recently for £450? His reason? He's had his use of it for his web site and had changed platforms. It was quite telling that nobody showed any interest in it at all. Buying at such prices, even if they are real, opens you up instantly to "handling stolen goods" due to the fact that you know full well something is dodgy. Since buyers are more often the victims and also most certainly the people who make E Bay work, it isn't that surprising that they take the side of the buyer in any dispute. "Get what you ordered or your money back." Were it not so, far fewer would buy and Ebay profits would fall.
You may have seen a guy selling a hardly used K1 recently for £450? His reason? He's had his use of it for his web site and had changed platforms. It was quite telling that nobody showed any interest in it at all. Buying at such prices, even if they are real, opens you up instantly to "handling stolen goods" due to the fact that you know full well something is dodgy. Since buyers are more often the victims and also most certainly the people who make E Bay work, it isn't that surprising that they take the side of the buyer in any dispute. "Get what you ordered or your money back." Were it not so, far fewer would buy and Ebay profits would fall.
I'm not sure whether it was the same one or not but recently saw one go for £710 total. Bargain if it comes through.
Posted 05/03/2020 - 09:28 - Helpful Comment
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There is of course seller fraud on eBay, but there's also Buyer Fraud and some unscrupulous buyers know all the tricks, sometimes keeping the goods as well as getting a full refund. I do feel that both buyer and seller should be treated equally fairly.
Best regards, John
Posted 05/03/2020 - 23:52 - Helpful Comment
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I'm looking at off loading a lot of gear. Either I'll try to sell it here or probably go to a dealer. There are more and more reports of fraud in online auctions, buyers seem to have more protection, sellers very little. At best I don't want gear returned simply because the buyer claims it doesn't work (the base level of knowledge seems generally very low).
Posted 06/03/2020 - 09:37 - Helpful Comment
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johnha wrote:
I'm looking at off loading a lot of gear. Either I'll try to sell it here or probably go to a dealer. There are more and more reports of fraud in online auctions, buyers seem to have more protection, sellers very little. At best I don't want gear returned simply because the buyer claims it doesn't work (the base level of knowledge seems generally very low).
I'm looking at off loading a lot of gear. Either I'll try to sell it here or probably go to a dealer. There are more and more reports of fraud in online auctions, buyers seem to have more protection, sellers very little. At best I don't want gear returned simply because the buyer claims it doesn't work (the base level of knowledge seems generally very low).
I concur, I don't think I have sold anything valuable on eBay but selling and buying on PU from an established user is another matter which I am happy to do. Failing that I prefer to trade photo equipment in part exchange at a dealer even though at first sight it would probably fetch less it just saves all the risk and hassle.
Posted 06/03/2020 - 09:43 - Helpful Comment
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Despite my earlier comments, I wouldn't be totally put off Ebay. Most buyers are decent enough (I'm one as well as a seller!) and prices reached are often very good. For example, as we await the 'Knew', K3 prices are very good and sales brisk: typically £360 plus for a K3 and around £400 for a k3ii. I purchased 3 limited lenses on Ebay in the last few weeks. They were all exactly as described and the buying process was effortless. You just have to proceed with care but expect problems on some occasions.
Dealers will not give anywhere near the prices you can achieve on Ebay and many are not interested in Pentax gear unless it's a part-exchange process. SRS are worth calling and MPB now buy Pentax but LCE and Camera Jungle don't.
Dealers will not give anywhere near the prices you can achieve on Ebay and many are not interested in Pentax gear unless it's a part-exchange process. SRS are worth calling and MPB now buy Pentax but LCE and Camera Jungle don't.
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849 posts
5 years
I've been a regular buyer / seller on eBay since 2006 but over the last year have been finding their, and Paypal's, costs becoming a real problem as well as their attitude towards sellers. I'm not alone it seems from some of the comments I've read online about their corporate behaviour, i.e. accepting a buyer's word over the seller even if that seller has a 100% record. There's also the problem of scammers. eBay really does take its time to deal with them as I recently found out. It took ten days before they responded to my initial contact about an obvious scammer, (had joined the day before, no feedback score, that kind of thing.)
Then I went to the '2020 eBay Fee Calculator' web page and threw in some figures. Surprising is the one word that comes to mind. Worth visiting. That, and their slow response, has made me think twice about ever using eBay again as a seller.
Now I am aware that the folk on this site understand the cost structure of eBay and Paypal, but having something like the Fee Calculator may provide you with some pause for thought. An alternative to eBay is eBid. Not very well known, doesn't have any profile as such and just grows organically. It's slow to sell and views are low / non existant as I am aware. However, it charges 3% and that's it. It'll grow but will take time.
I like the PentaxUser site, mainly due to the generosity of others who share their expertise without thought of any profit for themselves. And I learn from this. There are also great offers as I am aware to my own benefit. It's one reason that if I was selling a lens or camera I would sell it here. Obviously, if any of you are aware of another selling site that isn't eBay, then perhaps you might consider sharing.
Anyway, hope this helps.