Ebay- From Great to Horrible

For a truly miserable experience, try to be a casual seller on Ebay. What used to be the worlds greatest marketplace is now an experience in frustration and fees.

I recently sold an Ipad Air on Ebay.....I listed the product using similar products as a go-by. Interestingly knowing the potential accumulated cost of this listing was difficult to find (I actually never found it).

The winner bidder of my product decided to actually review the specs of the Ipad AFTER the auction closed. Then she decided that she really wanted a New one since it was a gift. SO, I had to file a resolution and wait 3 days before everything seemed complete.

So, I re-listed the ipad for another week. This time the winning bidder had all of 3 comments/reviews on his account, which I thought odd. Then it was all crickets there after. No responses from him about anything. I waited 4 days and filed a resolution with Ebay, which really means nothing.  No guidance on my options  So, a week later..

I re-llist the Ipad again. A week later I have a winning bidder and they pay the next day. Hooray! I ship the product and get my email from Paypal saying they "might" release my funds in 21 days. Ok.

2 weeks go by and I get an email from Paypal saying that my funds are available and they will gladly store them for me. I transfer them out the account and pay my 3% fee. Ok.

I sold my Ipad for $595 plus $16 in shipping. Then I get an invoice from Ebay for $120. They had charged me for the 1st 2 times I had sold the product and didn't get paid. So, I was expecting an easy email back to them to let them fix this error.  

NO WAY to electronically communicate with Ebay when they screw up. You have to call and speak with someone.....GREAT.....

So, I get in the queue and eventually chat with a friendly guy that sees the problem...and removes the charges, then adds the new charges for actually selling. 

They charged me 10% of the selling and then charged me again 10% of the shipping fee that was added (which is their calculation that they automatically add to the buyers bill) so you automatically lose 10% of the shipping fee that was supposed to be a push....go figure!

I was amazed that the fee was 10%...since I couldn't find the fee when I was listing it, I had an expectation of closer to 5% since I didn't have a Buy It Now, etc.

Summary:

- Expensive selling fee at 10%

- Make it difficult/impossible to know what fee you are paying before the listing

- Horrible accounting to over charge for the same product being re-listed

- Terrible customer experience to have to call them to resolve the problem

- Charge 10% of the shipping fee THAT THEY AUTOMATICALLY ADD to the buyers bill.

- Add the 3% with Paypal, it's hard to see how small businesses can make a profit with heavy competition and large fees

Ebay is dying...if not for there enormous brand equity, they would be displaced faster than Google dominating Yahoo....over time their brand will erode and the next great marketplace will arrive.