eBayReviews 3,492

I used to be a frequent user of eBay, both buying and selling items quite frequently. Changes to their fee structure made this completely impractical.

To reconfirm this and determine the ACTUAL profit margin for selling on eBay, I ran a recent test. Here are the results:

Expenses and Fees
1) Listing fee $0 (promotion, saved $4.85 according to eBay)
2) Final value fee $1.13
3) Final value fee on shipping $1.86
4) Paypal transaction fees $1.95
5) Actual shipping cost: $33.98 (large item)

Income
1) Winning bid $10
2) Shipping $34.64(calculated by eBay)

Result:
Total Income: $44.64
Total Fees & Expenses: $38.92
Final Profit: $5.72
Final Profit (if no promotion): $. 87

My conclusion:
The fee framework on eBay is fundamentally broken if you are an individual looking to sell a few items. Without access to a promotion, it's not worth listing an item. Even with a promotion, think LONG AND HARD about how much return you'll get from the listing.

It's kind of sad how people always play the blame game and never accept responsibility for their own actions my very first purchase on eBay was horrible a real nightmare however I learn from that one of the most important thing is read the person's reviews if they have a lot of negative ratings the odds are you're going to have a negative experience if you buy from them what's that said 99% of my purchases on eBay have been all positive and even if something came broken or not as described it always turned out to be a positive experience and it's all about learning how to do things the right way the last thing you want to do is contact the seller and send them a nasty message you're going to get nasty results by doing that. I read a review where the user claims they moved, changed their address and their purchase was shipped to the old address. I found this claim to be a little bit suspicious. They never mentioned they change the address on their PayPal account which would be required and if they were using a major credit card instead the credit card company would question why the purchase was being delivered to another address. Anymore it seems people use any excuse necessary to blame others for their own actions.

If you are a business/ private seller trying to sell anything on this marketplace PLEASE be aware OR, if you can, AVOID their unfair return policy you would end up losing ££££ selling here. All your feedback worth nothing to them if have 1000's positive reviews and a buyer with 0 reviews would tell a lie they will believe him. If a buyer open ''Not as described'' claim about a product you selling even thought you sold 100's of them without any single issue they will side by him and I was told by eBay customer service '' We know he's lying but we can't do anything about it you have to accept the loss, this is our policy.''
Your money protection as a seller is ZERO.

I recently started selling products on eBay as a small side business. After a dozen sales totaling a few thousand dollars, a buyer claimed they received an empty box. I asked eBay for help. I didn't even get an email confirmation that they received the request. I also reported it to USPS in the hopes that maybe it was just lost in shipping. Either way the buyer chose not to buy shipping insurance. EBay reserves the right to go into your bank account linked to eBay and take the money from you. They always side with the buyer. It was a 500 dollar auction that I now lost the money I spent on the item. Any scumbag who wants to get free products can simply say they didn't arrive even when USPS shows it was delivered and still get their money back.

The listing had no refund on it. I did nothing wrong and now I lost 500 dollars. How is that justified? What can you possibly do to prevent this from happening if eBay gives all the buyers a 30 day guarantee no matter if the facts show the item was delivered? Avoid this platform at all costs. There are far too many scammers out there to take the risk if you're a smaller seller with high quality items. If you're selling cheap Chinese products then sure go to eBay and it doesn't matter if you lose one or two.

Not only are the fees super high, they also do not care much about you as a seller. I sold a purse in ebay and the buyer requested a return beacuse "the photos did not match the item sent", she thought a wallet is included with the purse I was selling although the description says bag only. Per the rep I spoke with, they can't do anything about it since my pictures had a partial view of the wallet. Told me I have to be careful with the pictures I post since it could be misleading. I guess they don't protect the sellers from people who doesn't know how to read, let alone have the common sense that an item is not included if only 1/8 of the said "thought it was included" iitem was captured. Do not sell here!

Ebay is a HUGE collection of independent and big name retailers in a multi-formatted online shopping experience. Just about everything under the sun is available here. New, used, refurbished, open box, for parts etc... Its all here. A little practice with the search filters should find you what you need fast. Auction and Buy it Now are the main formats, though a recent feature to "make an offer" seems to be gaining popularity. Many of the listings offer free shipping, those that charge are often reasonable. Speeds can vary greatly, though I've found if the seller is in the US, they frequently beat Amazon. Best strategy: read the descriptions carefully, and check the seller's rating. Make sure you're dealing with a legit seller. A little practice can get you some amazing deals!

Buyer of expensive item claims he did not receive the item when tracking clearly shows delivery was made. The buyer had already purchased a similar item in a previous transaction and that item also arrived according to the tracking info. After dispute, Ebay ruled in favor of the buyer and issued a refund to the buyer, then debited my account which then debited my paypal account, which then debited my checking account. I am closing my Ebay account and will no longer be a seller or buyer.

I sold a pressure cooker pro. It was sign for in good condition the thursday. Sunday i am sent a picture of it in pieces the buyer says it arrived filthy and damaged. EBay told me i have to accept the return, it arrives back in pieces, parts missing the damage is from being taken apart. I spend lots of time on the phone with eBay follow there advice they tell me not to worry. I am given no chance to respond. I keep getting e mails to refund the buyer. I am then told they found for the the buyer and i can call tomorrow speak to there appeals department. There is no such thing, eBay then tell me i can get my money back in 2 ways. Send the buyer a invoice from pay pal or go to small claims court, MY ADVICE USE AMAZON EBAY WILL LET YOU BE DEFRAUDED AND HELP THE FRAUDSTERS TO DO IT

I've used ebay successfully for several years, but that has clearly been down to dealing with decent honest people on the other other end of the transactions. As I've recently experienced the minute something goes wrong you are at the mercy of the customer services team.
A buyer initially tried to blackmail me by threatening a bad review if I didn't give them some money back, then forced a return and eBay took money from my account to refund them, but they didn't actually return the watch. In short I've been mislead and lied to by their customer services team over 10 phone calls and several months. They just blindly, and very politely, stick to a script and just repeat the same response over and over. They eventually told me they won't do anything and to go to the police and report the watch as stolen! A negative review I left the buyer was removed - I assume so others can be scammed and eBay and Paypal can take their cut. They refuse to give a UK postal address to send a complaint to (I thought it was a legal requirement to trade in the UK). I will be going to the police and Trading Standards and DELETING my eBay account.
Awful experience!

I've been an Ebay customer for 15 years and a seller for about ten years. In March of this year Ebay changed it's polices, forcing the selling of items using the Buy-It-Now option to aromatically relist after 30 days. This led to high relisting fees 35 cents per item (most of my items, trading cards, sell for $1.50) which I told them I cannot afford as a small seller. I've tried to daily monitor my account and cancel listings before they auto relist, but some days I'm busy and items then relist. When this happened last month I canceled the listings the next day and asked for a refund of the listing fees. They told me they would do so, but went ahead and charged me overs $120, mostly in listing fees.

Today I contacted them and they just argued and claimed that there are no notes in the system showing I had called, but that they would not have credited me in any case. I said I will stop selling and buying. They don't care. I looked at their community boards and there are many notices from other sellers complaining about his same issue.

If you sell items for eBay beware. If you don't sell that month still beware. EBay tanked a large amount from my account. I called and they offered a refund. Almost a month later. Originally telling me
Up to two weeks. My accounts overdrawn. My bills unpaid because eBay has not assisted in speeding up their MISTAKE. Three weeks not without my money. It's absolutely ridiculous and if this is how EBay runs their business shame on them for screwing over a seller. I will be deleting my account as soon as it allows me because it denied me to do so. Instead of a quick solution eBay pushed me off onto PayPal so they didn't have to deal with the issue anymore. Don't trust paypal

Every time I have to deal with Ebay, there is always a problem!
First, I purchased a item and returned it because it was not the right product and Ebay refused to refund me!
Secondly, I sold a item for the first time yesterday and the money the buyer sent me through PayPal was placed on hold and I was told that it was because it was my first time selling. I was told that my money will be taken off hold when the seller gets the item. Well, I'm not going to just send the product without getting my money first!
SCAMMER!
These are not the only issues I've had!