The ABC's of the eBay "List 5 Free" Promotion

[prestigecollectibles]

I just called Ebay and they said you can't opt out of this. You have to be careful with your listings.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

I just called Ebay and they said you can't opt out of this. You have to be careful with your listings.

I suppose it depends how you list:
http://www2.ebay.com/aw/core/200906160821452.html

"Choose the option that works best for you, based on how you list:

* eBay’s Sell Your Item form or Simple listing form – If you’re currently using one of these forms, you can either take advantage of the 5 free Insertion Fees every 30 days, or opt out by listing your items via an eBay tool or third-party listing solution.
* eBay tool or third-party listing solution – If you’re currently using one of these tools, you can either take advantage of this new pricing structure by listing your first 5 Auction-style listings every 30 days through eBay’s Sell Your Item form or Simple listing form, or continue with your current practices at the current pricing."

[chaddurbin]

does it count toward the 5 if the items we list don't sell? let's say i sell 5 pieces of paper at $9.99 each?

edit: ok just read the item has to sell...blah now i gotta figure out the fees difference.

[deadballera]

thanks for the heads up on the final value fees !

I'll make sure it's for stuff that has low value.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by deadballera

thanks for the heads up on the final value fees !

I'll make sure it's for stuff that has low value.

Actually, it's a very good deal for stuff that has high value...

[egbeachley]

I think I figured it out. Since the regular fees are 8.75% of selling amount for the first $25.00, the fees are the same for items that sell for $25.00 or less but you save on listing fees which is about 35 - 60 cents or so.

But the regular fees are 3.5% for the amount over $25.00 and up to $1,000.00. So you don't get that 5.25% savings for sales over $25.00. That eats up the free listing fees pretty quick.

HOWEVER, the $20.00 fee for the listings is a maximum So you can save a bundle for big items that are the first 5 each month. If you sell 5 items for $1,000.00 each, your fee is $20.00 with the special, but about $180.00 the regular way.

[iggyman]

At the end of the day, it is a sweet deal for sellers who sell a few big ticket items every 30 days (the crab fishermen from "Deadliest Catch"???). Sell your first five items every month for over $525 and you're smelling good, sell it for less and eBay gets a nice cut...

Here is the breakdown (this chart assumes your starting price is ".99 cents"):

Sell Price............Regular Fees..................5 Free Listings Fees
$$20....................$1.90..................... $1.75 seller nets 2 dimes & a nickel

$$30....................$2.52..................... $2.63 eBay wins
$100....................$4.97..................... $8.75 eBay wins
$200....................$8.47..................... $17.50 eBay wins
$300...................$11.97....................$ 20.00 eBay wins
$400...................$15.47....................$ 20.00 eBay wins
$500...................$18.97....................$ 20.00 eBay wins

$550...................$20.72....................$ 20.00 seller can almost buy a Sprite
$1000................$36.57...................$20. 00 seller wins a cheap lunch
$5000................$96.46...................$20. 00 seller wins a dinner at Canton including dessert

Okay, you get the idea...but it still rubs me the wrong way. It is definitely sneaky. EBay will snooker the casual/novice and on occasion the veteran seller into paying a little extra in fees, while at the same time they get a listing increase which will look good to wall street. While we end-up with a bunch of auctions selling 1987 Topps cases for $1000 (not that there is anything wrong with selling 1987 Topps cases for $1000....).

So, what do you have to lose.....start listing those T206 OM back overprints for $9999! Create multiple accounts if you have too. First five listings are free!

Lovely Day...