First I want to just say that over the past seven years of actively building and selling Terrain for Wargames on eBay, the Buyers I have and almost daily, get to deal with or communicate with are the best clientele anyone could ask for.
This community is one if interesting people and always kind with the feedback and greatly encouraging.
eBay insist that the Buyer is protected but you guys are going to see something that looks like a Seller issue: Increased prices.
eBay, as you know charges a Final Value Fee on everything sold. That is exactly what it sounds like: a fee charged based on the winning bid price. It's typically 9% (there is a chart ). We are charged and insertion fee (min. .50) We are charged a Buy It Now (BIN) fee (.50- $1.00 +).
Sellers in this community usually can not afford to offer free shipping and the Buyers in this community are gracious to see that.
As you know by now, eBay will initiate a new FVF policy.
The Final price of the item purchased will have the cost of shipping and handling added to it.
The shipping cost has nothing to do with what you pay for the item.
It is a separate cost altogether, but eBay is going to force it to equal item purchase price.
The only possible motive is $$$ for eBay.
eBay will take 9% of what the Buyer pays the Seller to have his purchase shipped to him
Solutions I have been offered by eBay personnel when I have called the Customer Service number were these:
1) Add your S&H to the auction price and list as "Free Shipping"
PROBLEM: it's a lie AND eBay still gets 9% of your S&H The Seller is still short that 9% at the Post Office counter.
2) Offer Free shipping.
PROB ELM: Who is going to pay the shipping and handling? Is the Post Office going to ship for free because eBay is forcing free shipping? I asked if eBay would pay all my "Free Shipping" costs. The answer was no... they couldn't affort to do that. "Why does eBay think that WE can afford it?"
3) This is an attempt to quell the apparent epidemic of greatly exaggerated S&H for the sake of dodging FVFs that are out of hand as it is.
PROBLEM: the very few sellers who are charging $2.00 for an item and $200. for S&H fall under a category of eBay policy violation and should be policed by eBay and dealt with as they are discovered. The entire population for Sellers AND Buyer should not be exploited for the sake of higher capitalization to ebay's enrichment.
eBay CREATED this problem with the outrageous FEES to begin with.
That doesn't make the practice of exploding S&H costs right, or less wrong, but eBay policy makers should consider accepting all due responsibility and find a better solution to the problem other than using it to further exploit $$$ from it's faithful community.
4) eBay insist they are protecting the Buyer.
PROBLEM: how can that be if this will exploit the Buyer as the Seller is forced to increase prices or some how hid the extra cost in the item listing price? If eBay really wanted to protect the Buyer they could always treat us all fairly
Justification: To attempt to make it all better, eBay is offering Free Insertion and BIN for the first 50 items each month.
for the power sellers who move several hundred items a month this is almost nothing.
It's a help to me, but I would rather pay an honest fee than see my buyers exploited.
AND... it in no way covers all the toll on anything over $50 bucks or so.
MY SOLUTION.
Sellers are allowed to set their own FLAT RATE ship fees.
Sellers who have a PayPal account have access to PayPal's invoicing options.
After the 19 ALL MY AUCTIONS will carry the following disclaimer and policy for MY AUCTIONS:
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ATTN: BUYERS! Your Bid is your agreement to these terms. Please read carefully.
FLAT RATE Shipping of .01 cent is a deposit on shipping ONLY.
ALL Shipping and Handling will be added independently on your PayPal Invoice.
Here's why beginning April 19, 2011 eBay will begin to add any shipping and handing fees declared on all auctions to the FVF of every item sold. eBay will then exact the minimum 9% fee applied to the final value of the item sold.
This will hijack 9% of the S&H paid. These funds are given in trust to the Seller for the purpose of purchasing Shipping. The USPS, UPS, FEDEX entities will not accept 9% less payment. In order to NOT ask my
buyers for more S&H than is necessary I will invoice all items sold directly through PayPal. Shipping and
Handling costs will be added there.
Accountability:
handling fees for this item will be $... Box stats HxWxL :? Lb.s apx Ships from US Zip Code 30720
shipping can be calculated upon request of use the following links to check rates for Priority mail or FedEx ground, for items shipping
usps.com
fedex.com
Apologies for any inconvenience. This is the only way I have found to make sure all of what is paid for S&H reach the Seller and thereby Shipper without 9% being hijacked by eBay.
YOUR S&H $$ PAID are to be treated as if YOU THE BUYER bought your own label and emailed it for me to print and use to mail your purchased items. no one has any claim on those funds meant to be used in WHOLE for the EXPRESS PURPOSE of getting your items to you!
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It seems like a lot, but I want ebay to understand their own policy
I have asked about doing this and thee is no policy to prevent it... yet.
It is a LOT of extra work for me, BUT, my buyer community on the whole is worth every effort.
And if I can preserve trust and operate with integrity then I will just work harder.
God bless ou all.
My thanks again.