Have eBay/paypal fees always been this high? • Collecting General • The Acaeum

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Have eBay/paypal fees always been this high?
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Gus Landt
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:44 am

After a long hiatus from selling things on eBay, I've been selling a bunch of miniatures the past few weeks and I'm blown away by the fees!

I list a mini with a $10 BIN

$0.35 Insertion Fee
$0.15 Picture Fee
$1.20 Final Value Fee
$0.65 PayPal Fee

$2.35 in fees on a $10 sale! That's almost a quarter of the value!?!

Mars
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 10:44 am

They have been this way for a while now. I did some selling starting last year and they have been high. I often do BIN listings and the fees are even higher.

mbassoc2003
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 11:26 am

Yep. That's about right. Here in the UK I lose about 20% on fees. You can trim it down by starting at 0.99 and not having a set time to start, or a reserve. But it's hard to get it below 20%.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

bspaul41
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:15 pm

My experience is a total loss of 20-30% to Ebay and Paypal fees. Of course that figure can go higher when someone claims they didn't get the item and hits you with a dispute via Paypal. Essentially if your item is not worth at least $20, you might as well toss it in the trash instead of putting it up on Ebay (taking into mind the fees and the cost of your time to list the item, answer dumb questions, pack and ship).

Ben.S.

bbarsh
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:17 pm

Yes, 20% is about right. This is a large increase from years past. My monthy ebay bills ranged in the $30-$40 range for years. Now, I am at $60-90. I am listing same amount of stuff and prices have not altered that much to change the fees.

The real kicker is that now I am running into an idiot buyer on average of about 1 in 50. And by idiot I mean a feedback extortionist (usually) and I refund in full including shipping plus lost the item in most cases.

Edit: To save on costs I went to Costco to buy shipping envelopes in bulk - $8 for 100 or something crazy like that. I also found a box company while in Memphis last summer and bought around 150 shipping boxes for $30.

And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

Everything Pacesetter at http://pacesettergames.blog.com/

Last edited by bbarsh on Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ScketreWhisp®
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:19 pm

Start pushing peeps to RPGMarketplace...

list a mini with a $10 BIN

$0.00 Insertion Fee
$0.00 Picture Fee
$0.00 Final Value Fee
$0.65 PayPal Fee

I can't do anything about the Paypal fee... but over all it's a bit cheaper

also, no relisting fee, list for 30 days at a time, relist 12 times in a row... all for free...

I know, not near the eBay traffic, but put the cheap stuff there that's not worth trying to sell on eBay ...

bbarsh
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:21 pm

ScketreWhisp® wrote:Start pushing peeps to RPGMarketplace...
)

You know, Doug, I really need to get some stuff over there...

And I could've bought these damn modules off the 1$ rack!!!

New modules for your Old School game http://pacesettergames.com/

Everything Pacesetter at http://pacesettergames.blog.com/

ScketreWhisp®
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 3:24 pm

I know it's not the greatest outlet...

Currently I am back a revision or 2 on the software, but I have so many add-ons that an upgrade is a pain at the moment..

Also it runs in a VM session, so it's not super speedy at times...

But, should it eventually get lots of traffic and usage, I'll move it to a physical machine at some point and spend a bit more effort to upgrade the software...

But for a free site, it's pretty good I think

(I know, I am biased)

mbassoc2003
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 5:49 pm

Tried RPGMarketplace. Didn't work out too good.
I remember starting out with eBay maybe 2003/4 is and it was down at about 12-15%. I don't mind the 20% because I sell low quantity high value. I imagine if you're shipping out hundreds of items a week, having a silent partner skimming 20% is a real bummer.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

JasonZavoda
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 6:16 pm

mbassoc2003 wrote:Tried RPGMarketplace. Didn't work out too good.
I remember starting out with eBay maybe 2003/4 is and it was down at about 12-15%. I don't mind the 20% because I sell low quantity high value. I imagine if you're shipping out hundreds of items a week, having a silent partner skimming 20% is a real bummer.

I remember trying to sell through ebay before it was calling itself ebay in 94 or 95 and having a lot of problems with it. I would also buy on ebay then sell on rec.games.frp.marketplace and then one day the scales tipped and I was buying on the rgfm and selling on ebay.

To give some perspective my seller account number on ebay is 77 thousand and something (I'm not sure if they even give out the account numbers anymore but they are in the 10s of millions now) and on RPGmarketplace I am number 190 something.

RPGmarketplace is a niche. To compete with ebays niche it needs to grow in sellers and in buyers, but that means starting slow and building up.

What I'd recommend is if you have two of something, definitely put one of those things up on RGPmarketplace. If you know what you want to sell something for, put it up on RPGmarketplace first and avoid the ebay fees. If you want to list cheap items individually, then RPGmarketplace because you won't get the value taken away by fees. You can sell a $1 item and still come out making money.

But if you want to see a site compete with ebay you need to support it when it is just starting out or nothing will compete with ebay.

ScketreWhisp®
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:01 pm

Well, Megnelwil from the UK seems to get some traffic at RPGMarketplace as does Aia from Italy...

I have sold a number of items there as well, Woodgrain 1st, Ghost Tower, PotVQ, Chainmails 2nd etc ... but then again, all mainly to Acaeum members... just saved the eBay fees basically.

It'll take time to get more people to use it.. it's only about 18 months old... 204 members... then again, maybe only 204 people collect RPGs anymore :0

Badmike
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2009 8:02 pm

RPG marketplace is not the best venue for a straight auction.

It's a geat location to put something you have a lot of copies of, or that you know should sell for a set price, and you don't have to move it immediately. If you know what it should sell for, put it up for that price, and sit back and wait. You cant beat free for listing/selling fees!

Mike B.

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"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
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mbassoc2003
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:02 am

The problem with RPGMarketplace is that you get 20% less for your product, so in that respect, you're better off on eBay because the chance of getting competition between bidders is more likely. On RPGMarketplace. the odds are high that only one or two people bid on an item, and that only a dozen or so ever see it in the first place. That's akin to building your shop in a small vilage in China and then wondering why you don't get many visitors. If you sell on eBay, you may have to pay high prices, but you're smack bang in the middle of the largest shopping mall in the world.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

HermitFromPluto
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 6:11 am

Gus Landt wrote:That's almost a quarter of the value!?!

I am sure the Greedy Managers of the Ebay board sing this song in the board room as they dream of their annual bonuses:

You know Ebay (Ebay keeps lifting fees)
Keeps on lifting (Ebay keeps lifting fees)
Higher (lifting fees)
Higher and higher (higher)
I said Ebay (Ebay keeps lifting fees)
Keep on (lEbay keeps lifting fees)
Lifting fees (lifting fees)
Higher and higher (higher)

Badmike
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:20 pm

mbassoc2003 wrote:The problem with RPGMarketplace is that you get 20% less for your product.

Not if I have a set price. I get exactly what I want, plus no fees. So I make more than ebay.

It works best if you have a set line of products you can direct people to, if you don't have your own website to sell them out of. "If you want Dungeons of the Demented, my new module, you can buy a copy on RPG marketplace for $19.99". The circumstance have to be right, but RPG marketplace can be a grea deal under those circumstances.

Mike B.

"THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT WHY i DONE WHAT i DONE THE MORE i LAUGH" Cougar
"The Acaeum hates fun" Sir Allen
"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
Co-founder of the North Texas RPG Con
NTRPGCON

mbassoc2003
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 3:37 pm

Like my stock of 12.5s? Or CZ:UW?
Maybe I'll give it another go.

This week I've been mostly eating . . . The white ones with the little red flecks in them.

TheMilford
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:20 pm

mbassoc2003 wrote:Like my stock of 12.5s?...

1E versions?

Is this a put-on or are you serious?

â€œRemember that generosity can be contagiousâ€¦â€ - Dave Sutherland III

eBay ID: themilford
Hidden Ebay ID: t***o

Badmike
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Posted: Sat Sep 26, 2009 9:13 pm

TheMilford wrote:
1E versions?

Is this a put-on or are you serious?

IIRC Ian has a mess of them...as well as other Goodman Games goodies...

Sure just stick them up at the price you want...if they don't move, you aren't out a cent. It's win/win. You can leave stuff up as long as you want (months, years, until it sells, etc).

Mike B.

"THE MORE YOU THINK ABOUT WHY i DONE WHAT i DONE THE MORE i LAUGH" Cougar
"The Acaeum hates fun" Sir Allen
"I had a collecting emergency" Nogrod
Co-founder of the North Texas RPG Con
NTRPGCON

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