Have you done the math?

Spurred on by a series of events today, I did a little eBay math....proceed with caution....this is scary!

For the types of items I sell, ebay takes, on average 15%. And that does not include paypal.

for a fixed price listing of any kind, the fee charged when the item is purchased is 12%. Add this to the price to list the item & the monthly store fee....

For an auction, it is not much better. The listing fee is between 5-10%. This, when successful, is accompanied by an 8.75% final fee. So there we are back up over 15% again.

So, just like all things that trickle down, I hope those that buy on eBay realize they are paying up to 20% more for what they want than if they shopped elsewhere, like etsy.

I raise this to 20% because you also have to understand sellers pay eBay's sister company, Paypal, another 4-5% of the TOTAL (including shipping) amount received from every buyer.

So, shop around....I will be spending more time on etsy I think....shopping & promoting.

eBay's only saving grace is that it has built up a membership base through past years of marketing & promotion. eBay's problem is that it doesn't seem to realize....if the sellers leave because 20% is just TOO MUCH to give to anyone...where does that leave them. If there is nothing to buy...