I just sold a device on eBay and the last bidder swooped in at the 2 seconds remaining mark and bought it. They upped the previous bid by $2.50.
So I thought ok cool I sold it. Turns out they are from another country that I don't ship to.
Besides the seller fees on eBay being complete bull crap, they need to make it so if a buyer is in another country and I list it with no international shipping, they need to contact me first and ask about it. After that the seller can approve them if they want and allow them to buy.
What do you think they should change?
This surprises me. I have tried to bid by accident from a seller who only shipped to US and was unable to even bid from here in Canada. Not sure if it is different according to country. I have always had to contact the buyer and ask if okay to bid and then have them change their shipping options so I could even enter a bid.
I am also a seller and when I have a large item I want to stay here in Canada, once I list it with no international shipping options, I will receive the odd request asking to ship outside Canada. But I have always had to change my shipping options so they could even enter a bid.
I also agree with you about the fees being charged by Ebay, then having to pay more fees to Paypal. What Ebay should be doing for sellers is charging one set fee if you are a seller and are using Paypal in combination with your sales. They should not be double dipping.
I know some people will argue with me by saying "just sell for more", but somethings will not sell even if they are only a few dollars higher. Everyone is looking for that great deal or what they perceive to be a great deal.
It was good for me when our dollar was low and the US greenback was strong, plus Ebay fees were much lower. I could buy at CDN price, then list in US dollars. Even with fees I could make 20-25% profit margin. With CDN dollar being higher and fees, it is hard to make good money if any at all currently. Not saying that can't change.
I have never had a major issue with my buyers. Most of mine are regular buyers who I have come to know. Been lucky their, but it is probably what I sell that keeps most of the flakes away. The few minor problems I have had with buyers always tend to be with very low dollar items. But I have found if you stay ahead of them and keep a dialogue going, no matter how much of an idiot some can be, you will always come out ahead. Not that I like to do it, but sometimes it is easier to just refund them and make them go away. Eat your pride, take the loss and mark it down to experience. Never had to deal with a large dollar item fuss luckily.
Yes Ebay could make changes but that is not going to happen till they see their profits start to fall. And even then I would be surprised. There is a lot of corporate greed out in the world today and unless all the sellers on Ebay band together, well good luck. We are a very small minority. Ebay will cater to its money makers. But I also understand it is about making money and pleasing your shareholders.
One of the things I did to increase my profit margin was to create my own websites and let my customers know about them. Then really slow down my sales on Ebay. Only listing the occasional item to get more exposure, which Ebay does well. Now I can directly accept credit cards and Paypal on the occasional sale, which has significantly increased my profits. Plus no Ebay fees. Credit card acceptance directly is a much lower fee to the CC companies. Just wish I could take debit because that would make me completely eliminate Paypal on my sites.
