Ebay is changing their fees eff Feb 20

[mom-from-missouri]

Insert fees are going down, gallery pic will be free, but the overall % when it sells will go up.

[disneysteve]

This has been a HUGE topic of debate on the ebay forums, DISboards and, I'm sure, other places as well. People are upset about the fees, of course, but what they are most upset about is the changes to the feedback system. Under the new system, sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback for buyers. That just makes no sense at all. If a buyer fails to pay for an auction or pays and then claims the item was damaged or defective when it wasn't and causes a big problem, there is nothing the seller can do about it. There will be no way for sellers to warn other sellers that a buyer is a problem. As a seller, if I check feedback on a bidder and see multiple negatives for not paying, I can block that person from bidding on my auctions. Now, that won't be possible because every buyer will have nothing but positive feedback. Really stupid.

As for fees, I think there are pros and cons. It is nice that they are lowering the listing fee. That way, if you list an item and it doesn't sell, you aren't out as much money. I also like that Gallery is becoming standard with no added charge. Of course, the final value fees are going up from 5.25% to 8.75% which more than makes up for the lower listing fee and gallery fee. The end result is sellers will be paying more to sell on ebay.

Over time, ebay has gradually become less and less friendly to small sellers and sellers in general and more and more oriented toward the buyers. I think they will lose some sellers as a result. It is also getting harder and harder to sell lower priced items on ebay, which is a shame since that's really what built the company.

[mike8822]

I haven't used them in ages. I tried buying things many years ago in the 90s I think. I never had any trouble but dealing with different people all the time made me bail and I closed my account.

If I had to sell things I would just have a garage sale which cost nothing.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I wish the dissatisfied small sellers would regroup somewhere else on the web. I'm a buyer only and feel like nowadays the sellers are not often the "little people" that I used to deal with. The way ebay originally opened a market for people who otherwise had no connections felt good to me. I felt really good about ebay back then. Now though, I am more cautious than ever. I feel like deals are far more likely to have problems than if I just buy from an online shop not connected with ebay.

Even as a buyer, I do think sellers should be able to leave feedback for buyers. But the way things have worked out, it seems buyers and sellers alike sometimes feel held hostage to the other's possible negative ratings.

[krayziebone33]

This has been a HUGE topic of debate on the ebay forums, DISboards and, I'm sure, other places as well. People are upset about the fees, of course, but what they are most upset about is the changes to the feedback system. Under the new system, sellers will only be able to leave positive feedback for buyers. That just makes no sense at all. If a buyer fails to pay for an auction or pays and then claims the item was damaged or defective when it wasn't and causes a big problem, there is nothing the seller can do about it. There will be no way for sellers to warn other sellers that a buyer is a problem. As a seller, if I check feedback on a bidder and see multiple negatives for not paying, I can block that person from bidding on my auctions. Now, that won't be possible because every buyer will have nothing but positive feedback. Really stupid.

As for fees, I think there are pros and cons. It is nice that they are lowering the listing fee. That way, if you list an item and it doesn't sell, you aren't out as much money. I also like that Gallery is becoming standard with no added charge. Of course, the final value fees are going up from 5.25% to 8.75% which more than makes up for the lower listing fee and gallery fee. The end result is sellers will be paying more to sell on ebay.

Over time, ebay has gradually become less and less friendly to small sellers and sellers in general and more and more oriented toward the buyers. I think they will lose some sellers as a result. It is also getting harder and harder to sell lower priced items on ebay, which is a shame since that's really what built the company.

I agree with you. Ebay is indeed accomodating the buyers more while borderline ripping off the sellers for their hard work. In my opinion, sellers are going to start raising the prices of their goods to make up for the higher final value fees (which I hate so much). It makes no sense to me that Ebay would make this move. Also, the feedback situation is a horrible decision as well. I base so much of my interactions as a buyer and seller on the person's feedback score and comments. Its going to look like everybody is a good ebayer when, in fact, some people are scam artists and non-paying bidders. Ebay is going to lose quite a few sellers, in my honest opinion. I could be one of them, as Ebay is no longer a place for the "little people."