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I think the new ebay FVFs were decided before states started charging Sales Tax. If I’m not mistaken, most, of not all, of the “savings” vanishes with the sales tax.
Let me explain, and let me know if I’m wrong:
Currently, PP charges 2.9% on total price (including sales tax). Plus PP charges the 30 cent transaction charge, which we’ll just skip, since both MPs and PP charge it, it’s basically a wash.
Currently, ebay’s FVF does not apply to sales tax.
So, a very simple example:
Antique item sells for $10 with free shipping. PA sales tax of 6% applies.
Antique FVF is 9.15% on $10.00 , so 91 or 92 cents, depending on whether round down or round up.
PP applies to the $10.00 plus the 60 cent sales tax, so 2.9% on 10.60 = .30.Total fees (ebay 91/92 cents, PP 30 cents) = 1.21 or 22, depending on how you round
Now, with MPs, ebay will be charging the FVF on the total, including sales tax. The new FVF for Antiques will be 11.5%.
11.5% x 10.60 = 1.21 or 22, depending on how you round.
Savings? Where?
I haven’t tried this using different sales tax rates, but I think if sales tax is involved, any savings is either lowered or vanishes. When I have time, I’ll try plugging in some other numbers.
Or am I missing something here?
(I should add, if the transaction has no sales tax, I assume there would be a savings. But as more and more states add sales tax, there will be fewer and fewer such transactions.)
05/06/2020 at 8:03 pm in reply to: are you the same kind of scavenger you were before the lockdown? #77156Book Hawk, Since even our death piles have death piles, we don’t need to source right now. However, I admit, for us, the sourcing is a lot of the fun of this….not just finding neat stuff, but talking to people we meet, looking at old houses, etc. But….that said….I’ve been thinking about just the sort of thing you are talking about. I already have a lot of stuff on my ebay “favorites” list, but most of it is stuff I’m personally interested in, and very rarely does it show up at a price that is a good price for resale. What I’ve been thinking is I really should add more stuff to the list, stuff that has a better chance of showing up under-priced….And I should look at other online sources, such as FB. I’ve seen some of the YouTube “gurus” have started using YouTube to sell their stuff directly on YouTube….and of course, a lot of people use Instagram to direct sell as well.
We are in the high risk group for Covid, and so even when my thrifts re-open, I’m not too sure how quickly I’ll go back to my old haunts. But I really believe there are a lot of buying opportunities on line as well. Just hard for me to justify doing it when we have so much here to list….
05/06/2020 at 4:05 pm in reply to: Photos of your item in front of a 90% bare bosom = eBay search manipulation? #77138Electronics. And Auto stuff. And Militaria. I’m sure there are more too.
I don’t think it qualifies as Search Manipulation, just as using a white background and taking really good quality photos doesn’t count as Search Manipulation, even though it does provide an advantage. But this isn’t an UNfair advantage. true, we aren’t all blessed with photogenic bosoms, but , as IndySales says, we could rent a pair if the ROI justifies it LOL
We have no real need to source, as we have more than enough inventory to last us a good while….but if we needed to source, I’d definitely be watching online: ebay, etsy, Facebook, Craigslist, etc. Local Facebook groups, people are selling stuff, and some local antique malls are selling some of their stuff online for local pick up. One antique mall ( I used to have space there , years ago) opened up this past weekend, I think knowing full well the police would close them down, which is what happened. But some businesses are definitely trying to find ways to skirt the various state orders.
We went for groceries the other day and stopped for a free pile along the road….picked up a few things, but we may keep the stuff and use it. But it was the closest thing to a yard sale we’ve been to in ages….no one around, so no social distancing issues…
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by
MyCottage.
Jay, I think there are mainly two reasons for this. As you say, they are competing with FB, CL and others that are primarily known for local pick up. But I also think it’s one of the things on Harry Temkin’s list of seller “pain points” , things that really should have been resolved years ago. I know they are also working on a Vacation Setting that will not require sellers to additionally increase their handling times and so forth. I’m not sure what all is on his list, but I suspect this year or next we will see some other long standing issues dealt with (One thing, I suspect once everyone is in Managed Payments, we’ll see immediate payment rolled out to Best Offer and Auctions as well. I also expect to see changes to Return Requirements , with shorter durations permitted for specific categories or sub categories, etc.)
And, unless the pandemic delays it, I think we’ll see a pretty substantial site redesign later this year, based on hints from ebay execs.
So, I’m just going to keep listing…..we are no where near running out of stuff to list here, so as long as we are healthy and people are buying, we’re going to keep listing. And now I definitely might consider listing some larger local pick up items…
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by
MyCottage.
This is on the “Customer Service” page when I open it, about midway down the page:
Hi my-cottage-books-and-antiques,
As an eBay Concierge member, you have instant access to premium service.
Have us call you
Monday to Sunday 5:00 am to 10:00 pm (PT)You don’t have anything like that?
Ryanne,
I’m pretty sure if you block someone during a transaction, they can continue to contact you regarding that transaction. They should not be able to contact you (through ebay) about other stuff. However, it can take a while,before the block actually goes into effect. That may be why they were still able to contact you.
Hi Jay,
I think for the last few years, anyone who showed up at ebay Open was auto enrolled into the Concierge service. But I thought anchor stores got it as part of their subscription:
“Anchor Store subscribers receive
Access to white-glove customer support by phone and email—wherever, whenever.”
So, I think you guys should have it, don’t you have an anchor store?
The new mailer is basically what is usually called a photo mailer….it’s a stiff cardboard that is thin but very stiff…
Listening to the podcast: Just wanted to say, if you have Concierge Support, that is operating now….the agents are working from home. The guy I spoke with the other night had his 7 year old dropping in while he was helping me LOL
Thanks Amatino….I might have to order some! I’ve been wishing they’d add these…
Jay, Well, basically they are waiving all listing fees for three months. They aren’t waiving store fees, however. I know some people have downgraded their store subscriptions to basic (or less) to cut down on their store fee, but if you have an annual subscription, that only works if you can avoid getting hit with the early termination penalty…and that depends on your renewal date. Mine is October, so the money I’d save be going from Premium to Basic is cancelled out by the money I’d pay in early termination penalty.
almasty, Well, this is good through July, which is enough to keep me happy for quite a while LOL But I agree, it is possible that ebay will revisit the whole fee structure eventually. So much is in flux right now, between a new CEO starting next week and the impact of the pandemic, I think trying to predict what ebay will be beyond July is nearly impossible. I can’t even predict how the general economy will be doing by then. I say make hay while the sun is shining, because things could go dark pretty quickly….so, as long as people are buying, I’m going to keep listing…..
For a time, ebay was providing protection for this sort of thing, as long as you could document it through ebay messages. However, that is no longer the case. So, we explain we must cancel and buyer must put correct address on record and then re-purchase. OR…we just say “OK” and send it, IF it is an inexpensive item….we’re willing to risk it on those.
A realistic mask making tutorial:
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This reply was modified 1 year, 4 months ago by
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