My Wild Ride with eBay as a Seller: A Cautionary Tale

I've been using eBay in the US for selling unwanted items, but let me tell you, it's been a wild ride.

After two months of non-stop selling, I'm eager to share my thoughts on the platform, which, in my experience, falls short of what I'm used to with eBay in Russia.

Every time I sell something, the service takes a huge cut. Let me show you an example with two items.

1) I'm selling a book on eBay for $2.30, which is actually worth $19.95, but it's been collecting dust.

After all the fees, I'm left with a whopping $0.85.

So, how did this happen? It's because eBay takes its commission, which is a whopping 14.95% of the final sale price (not the item price itself, but the total price including shipping and tax).

My buyer paid $4.87 for shipping, which goes straight to the shipping company, and I don't get a single cent. Meanwhile, eBay takes its 14.95% cut from the total sale price of $7.67. Not to mention, the commission is taken in two separate lines, adding up to a total of $1.45, which is more than 50% of the item's value. And let's not forget the cost of packaging, which sellers have to bear themselves. I try to reuse boxes from previous deliveries to avoid eating into my profits.

I've got to say, the sales tax eBay takes out and passes on to the tax authorities is pretty cool. It means I don't have to worry about paying it myself. I mean, I thought sales tax was only paid on income, but apparently it's also applied to purchases like this book, which cost me $19.95 and earned me 85 cents.

When I looked at a more expensive item, priced at $125, the tax logic was identical, although the percentage was slightly lower - 13.25%. In the end, the tax came out to $18.71, leaving me with a net of $106.26.

The item itself is brand new and retails for $200 in the store.According to my stats (which don't take into account fees and commissions), I've earned $2017, but if I look at the payout, I've only received $1303.

That's a whopping $714 that eBay took from me. It's making me a bit queasy.I love it when I sell an item with free pickup in the Marketplace and I don't have to pay any fees.

For comparison, Avito takes a commission of just 5% for Avito delivery.

I've got a bone to pick with eBay, and it's a doozy. I recently had a buyer purchase a hair oil from my auction at an incredibly low price. I was expecting more bidders and a sale closer to the wholesale price, but in the end, the oil was sold for three times less. To make matters worse, I'd received the oil as a free gift with a cosmetics purchase, and it was still sealed. The buyer reached out to me after receiving the oil, claiming that the bottle was different from the one they'd seen before (it was shorter in height but wider). I told them that maybe the manufacturer had changed the packaging, since I hadn't used the oil myself. The buyer then went ahead and initiated a return, citing that the product didn't match the description. I'm not a fan of returns, as it costs me money to cover both shipping costs. In the past, I'd never had any issues with my products, and no one had ever asked for a return. I ended up escalating the issue to eBay's customer support, hoping they'd intervene. The operator told me that I still had time to resolve the issue before the 7th, and they'd definitely get involved. I waited until the morning of the 7th, only to see that eBay had deducted the return fee from my account and ruled in favor of the buyer, citing that I hadn't responded to their message. I was fuming, to say the least. I opened an appeal and explained the situation from my side, but unfortunately, I got rejected again, this time with the added insult of being told that I still hadn't apologized to the buyer. That was the final straw for me, and I decided to close my eBay account.The seller had originally paid $6 for the oil and $4 for shipping, only to have me deduct $10 from my account and ask them to purchase a return label. At this point, it's easier for me to just leave the product with the buyer than to shell out another $4.

I have to say, considering all the fees they deduct from me, eBay could've easily covered a $10 exception in case of a disputed situation. It's not about the financial hit, it's about the fact that the situation is just plain uncomfortable and humiliating.

I'm really disappointed that I couldn't leave a negative review for the buyer. ...It's because I wanted to write a negative review for the buyer, but eBay doesn't allow it. I've seen people complaining on the forums about buyers who start disputes over international shipping and get their money back. When the item finally arrives, the seller asks them not to pick it up so it can be returned, but they just ignore them and take the item anyway. It seems like eBay doesn't do much to help in these cases.Before, I only associated eBay with online auctions, but it turns out you can sell items at a fixed price too. I've found that items tend to sell faster on auction, which is what I've been doing lately. Sometimes I list items at a low price without an auction and they just sit there for weeks, but if I list them on auction at the same price, the bidding starts rolling in and the item sells quickly.

As a buyer, my experience with eBay has been pretty neutral. I don't have anything good or bad to say about it.

Moments after payment, I got my cash in 30 minutes or less, but there's a 1.5% commission. If I don't pay that fee, it takes 1-3 business days to get my money back.

I have to admit, I miss Avito's instant payments with zero fees.Wrapping up, I just sent out my last two packages. I'm moving the remaining 15 items to Marketplace and waiting for customers from LA to pick them up in person, no commission or hassle.

As a seller on eBay, I've had my fair share of ups and downs. From the initial excitement of listing my first item to the frustration of dealing with returns and disputes, my experience has been a wild ride. In this review, I'll share my thoughts on the platform, highlighting both the pros and cons of selling on eBay.

One of the biggest drawbacks of selling on eBay is the commission fees. Every time I sell an item, the service takes a huge cut, leaving me with a fraction of the original price. For example, when I sold a book for $2.30, I was left with a whopping $0.85 after all the fees were deducted. The commission is taken in two separate lines, adding up to a total of $1.45, which is more than 50% of the item's value.

Another issue I've faced is the sales tax. eBay takes out and passes on to the tax authorities, which means I don't have to worry about paying it myself. However, this also means that I'm not getting the full amount of the sale price. When I looked at a more expensive item, priced at $125, the tax logic was identical, although the percentage was slightly lower - 13.25%. In the end, the tax came out to $18.71, leaving me with a net of $106.26.

But it's not just the fees and taxes that are a problem. I've also had issues with returns and disputes. Recently, I had a buyer purchase a hair oil from my auction at an incredibly low price. I was expecting more bidders and a sale closer to the wholesale price, but in the end, the oil was sold for three times less. To make matters worse, I'd received the oil as a free gift with a cosmetics purchase, and it was still sealed. The buyer reached out to me after receiving the oil, claiming that the bottle was different from the one they'd seen before (it was shorter in height but wider). I told them that maybe the manufacturer had changed the packaging, since I hadn't used the oil myself. The buyer then went ahead and initiated a return, citing that the product didn't match the description. I'm not a fan of returns, as it costs me money to cover both shipping costs.

I ended up escalating the issue to eBay's customer support, hoping they'd intervene. The operator told me that I still had time to resolve the issue before the 7th, and they'd definitely get involved. I waited until the morning of the 7th, only to see that eBay had deducted the return fee from my account and ruled in favor of the buyer, citing that I hadn't responded to their message. I was fuming, to say the least. I opened an appeal and explained the situation from my side, but unfortunately, I got rejected again, this time with the added insult of being told that I still hadn't apologized to the buyer. That was the final straw for me, and I decided to close my eBay account.

It seems like eBay's policy is to cater to buyers above all else. But I'm not a business, a website, or a product representative – I'm just a seller trying to make a living.

Before, I only associated eBay with online auctions, but it turns out you can sell items at a fixed price too. I've found that items tend to sell faster on auction, which is what I've been doing lately. Sometimes I list items at a low price without an auction and they just sit there for weeks, but if I list them on auction at the same price, the bidding starts rolling in and the item sells quickly.

As a buyer, my experience with eBay has been pretty neutral. I don't have anything good or bad to say about it.

Wrapping up, I just sent out my last two packages. I'm moving the remaining 15 items to Marketplace and waiting for customers from LA to pick them up in person, no commission or hassle.

In the end, my experience with eBay has been a mixed bag. While I've had some successes, I've also faced numerous challenges and frustrations. If you're considering selling on eBay, I'd advise you to be aware of the commission fees and sales tax, as well as the potential for returns and disputes. But if you're willing to take the risk, you may find that eBay is a great platform for selling your unwanted items.

I think eBay could improve its customer support. I've had to escalate several issues to their customer support team, and while they've been helpful, it's clear that they're not always equipped to handle complex situations. With better customer support, eBay could build trust with its sellers and improve the overall experience.

Finally, I'd like to mention that eBay's policy on returns and disputes is a bit too buyer-friendly. While I understand that buyers have the right to return items, I think eBay could do more to protect sellers from unfair claims. By implementing more robust policies and procedures, eBay could reduce the number of disputes and returns, making the platform more appealing to sellers.

In the end, my experience with eBay has been a wild ride, full of ups and downs. While I've had some successes, I've also faced numerous challenges and frustrations. If you're considering selling on eBay, I'd advise you to be aware of the commission fees and sales tax, as well as the potential for returns and disputes. But if you're willing to take the risk, you may find that eBay is a great platform for selling your unwanted items.