In October, I sold some parts for around $1300.00, and the fees were $63.94. In December, I sold a Go-Kart for $525.00. The listing fees were $8.35, and today I get an invoice for $100.00. Do they have a yearly member's fee of some sort? According to their figures, the selling fees should have been about $27.00. A hundred dollars is such a random amount, I can't figure out what it is. I've already checked, and it isn't spam. Just seems odd. Any ideas, or similiar issues?

Seems odd. Contact them and "speak" with a represetative online before you pay anything. Could be an error or some type of scam. Ebay fees have been increasing and people are unhappy about it, but your situation seems strange. Good luck. Keep us posted.

I managed to speak with someone. Actually, 5 people. I went from one account to the other. There was a fixed fee of 100.00 for items sold under powersports initiated on 9-2-08. I never noticed it pop up when I listed the item, but they say it did. Anyway, they sent an appeal to billing and I'll know in 24-48 hours if they lowered it. If they don't, I'll simply cancel my sellers account. I don't keep up with the changes they make.

That somewhat explains the recent decline in the number and variety of Ebay listings. A variety of fee changes (many obviously not well publicized) have made listing and selling financially riskier than in the past. Hope you get your issue resolved in a positive way.

Sorta on topic ... it's eBay related, so ...

I think, after 10+ years of doing business on eBay, I've been burned.

I purchased an auto service cart from a guy with low feedback numbers, but everything was 100% positive. About 1/2 was him as a seller. The purchase occurred December 27th and I paid him on December 31st.

His communication is poor at best, going 3 and 4 days between excuses about how he is having issues, ranging from his brother in a motorcycle accident to UPS saying the package is too big.

The eBay and PayPal clock is 45 days from purchase and I'm fast approaching 30. But I know that all PayPal can do is lock his account and give me what balance he has in his fund and all eBay can do is cancel his account. So, I have very little recourse at all.

Not sure why I posted all that ... but it makes me feel better.

Did you pay with a credit card? If so call the CC issuer and have them do a chargeback. Paypal won't like it, but it works. (Issues like this are why I don't use paypal anymore)

FYI - if you get REALLY burned (or just feel like taking on a cause), you can contact the local authorities (local to him). Report a theft. You'll need the documentation and they'll resist filing anything. But, even 1 call from the police to people usually does the trick.

That's exactly the problem.
I run a large eBay store as part of my daily routine and I can tell you eBay has been really pushing it with fee increases and crazy policy changes that make it hard to do business as a seller. Also, as someone else mentioned, if you paid by CC and do a chargeback you'll likely get your money back since PayPal does very little to protect the seller in that regard even if they're totally in the right (basically, "we didn't get our money so you don't either").

That's exactly why I won't accept paypal as payment for anything. All someone has to do is do a charge back and you're screwed. Paypal takes the money from you and tough luck...you're out the item and its cash value.

Thats why I always pay with the CC instead of the bank account. An extra line of protection. Plus my cc has cash rewards.

Not a credit card kind of person. While this is a "pro" for using one, there way more "cons" in MHO.

Howdy,



Such as?

Mark

ID theft and subsequent usage
jacking of interest rates/fees/schedules
hassles associated with credit scores and open ended lines of credit
hell, even spending control ... no cash, no buy

YVMV and probably do.

Don't get me wrong ... I have them, I just don't like using them.

Howdy,

I think, probably as much because I used to do it as anything else, that running a balance on a credit card is about the dumbest thing you can do financially. So that takes interest rates out of it.

Its not hard to find cards with no fees.

Credit cards have better protection against theft than bank accounts do, in my experience.

spending control just lags a month. I agree with that being a minor downside.

I don't know the impact on credit scores, but our credit scores seem to be really good so ??

There are these upsides for me:

* no need to carry a bunch of cash around. I can't call the treasury and report my money stolen and get it back...

* I can get gas without going inside to pay.

* For some reason they like to give me free stuff. I have a Choice Privileges card and I don't recall paying for a hotel room in the last couple years.

Mark

to each his own ...

I'm not personally comfortable with credit cards, having been raised in a time when few people had them. However, this economy is now largely based on them. While they do pose some liabilities (as previously mentioned), prudent use of them produces some valuable benefits. Purchase protection and warranty extensions are real advantages that cash can't provide. Likewise, the "cash back" incentive programs offered by many cards is a real source of savings over cash purchasing. Several cards offer 1-3% cash back on purchases. If you use those cards for virtually everything (gas, groceries, property taxes, large purchases, etc.) the cash returned over the course of a year is literally hundreds of dollars. Considering that you don't get a discount for cash purchases and the fact that most banking interest rates are below 3%, credit cards have some real benefits as long as you don't carry any balance. In this economic climate, any financial advantage is worthwhile- especially if it's free.

Here are 2 things that weigh into the "credit card" conversation:

1) I lost my debit card and went to the bank to get another. No big deal. However, the guy that helped us gave us some previously-unknown advice. He said to ALWAYS use the debit card as a "credit" card when possible. When the cashier/gas pump/etc. asks, "Credit or debit" - say credit. Why? Because of what happens if your card is stolen. If it's stolen from you by someone who also gets your PIN, then YOU are liable for all charges (legally speaking; your bank may be more forgiving). If you use it as a debit all the time, it's much easier for them to learn your PIN just by looking over your shoulder. But, if they use your card as a "credit" card, you are not liable for the charges.

2) Don't close out credit cards or "consolodate" your credit. We went to purchase a car a few years back. They had 0% financing with good credit. They ran my credit, and I got a score of 825. Didn't make the purchase that day. A few weeks later, my wife and I went throught our credit cards and got rid of a half-dozen. Transferred balances and cancelled the cards. Negotiated the rates down on the few cards we had, because the balances would be larger. Ended up saving us about $250 per month or so. Went back to purchase a car a few months later. They ran our credit, and we had a 650.

Why? The credit reporting agencies cannot tell if you close a card, or if it is closed ON you. They also look at balances. If you have multiple cards with small balances, they figure you can handle the responsibility without going crazy. But, if they see a few cards with high balances, they figure you can't be trusted with credit.

Anyway, sometimes credit cards can be good. If you have discipline and make payments, you get a better score than if you don't have the cards at all.

Well, I've talked to 3 more people regarding my issue. The last rep I spoke with yesterday told me that they would credit my account, (no amount mentioned), within 15 minutes. I'm still waiting. I'll try again tomorrow.

And I filed a "Not Delivered" resolution claim today with eBay and PayPal.

They sent me a credit. But I won't list anything else under "powersports" again.

I just helped a buddy sell some parts on ebay and the listing fees were $21.50. We thought that was acceptable considering we knew Paypal was going to take their 3%. We'll, I just got my invoice from ebay and it says $75. Turns out they have "Final somethingorother fees" at the end of the auction as well.

So, between ebay fees and Paypal fees he's down about $140 on $1400 worth of parts, better known as 10%. What a racket...

No wonder Craig's List is so popular.

Ebay has initial listing fees and final value fees for most categories (but not all). Not to be a dick or anything, but they are all spelled out when you list the auction.

You are correct. And I would recommend to anyone listing with ebay to make sure what the fees will be. It was my mistake that I listed a go-kart under "powersports, other powersports" and was charged a 100.00 selling fee. To their credit, ebay helped me greatly, and they didn't have to. I am an occasional ebayer, and I do not read every message they sent me. But I'll read them from now on.

Update ...

The seller never responded to Paypal's request for input and they found in my favor on Monday, the 2nd. Unfortunately, there were no funds in the guy's account to transfer to my account. They went on to say they would monitor his account and do the "best that they could" in getting my funds returned.

So, I went back to eBay. I had contacted their customer service on the 12th, asking what would be considered enough time before filing a complaint. Their response was for me to be patient.

So, another week and a half goes by and I finally file a complaint with Paypal on the 23rd.

Armed with the eBay response, I sent another note to eBay CS yesterday morning and proceeded to accuse eBay of harboring the theif and giving him and others like him a safe and fertile ground in which to prey upon their victims with little or no consequences. I ranted on about how their "Buyer Protection" was a false sense of security and bordered on false advertising. I laid it on pretty thick.

Late yesterday, the full purchase/shipping amount was "reversed" into my Paypal account.

Nicely done Mitch.

I was very surprised ... happy, but really surprised.

Probably the point that drove them over the top was when I explained that by eBay CS telling me to wait, it enabled the seller to drain his PayPal account, giving PayPal no recourse. This made eBay an accomplice to larceny.