I need to hear from Ebay Sellers.?

Question

do any ebay sellers charge a handling fee when they sell something on ebay? im not talking about shipping , but handling fees, in other words, a fee for taking the item to the post office, ups, etc., i feel like its ok but some people dont. my time is worth something and gas the way it is now. please let me know how you feel or if you do this, thank you.

Answer 1

It's not ok to add that fee in.





If you add it in, you're liable to price yourself right into having to re-list your item for less money later on. UNLESS, you can add the fee into the shipping & keep it reasonably priced to sell, I'd leave the fee out.





I sell on ebay often enough to avoid this fee. I price my items affordably so people will be interested in buying and/or bidding on them. My time to the post office to ship it is MY own problem. I knew this going into selling ahead of time on ebay. The money I make on ebay is for extra groceries or to help pay a bill. When I go to the post office to ship items that I've sold, I'm already going out for other errands. If you can't afford the trips to the post office, UPS or FedEx, then you shouldn't bother selling on ebay.



I'd avoid buying an ebay item from you, knowing you've added that fee in. Guess what...I'll tell tons of people about your ebay id & word will spread that you're adding fees in that aren't necessary. Your items won't sell after awhile, too. Think I'm kidding? I'm not. This has happened to several people I know who've thought it was ok to add in this handling fee you want to add into your price. They lost loyal customers & potential customers by word of mouth when word got out they were adding in fees to their list prices and/or bids. They've since removed this added fee & are back to being Power Sellers on ebay.



Edit on 09-23-08:



If you didn't want someone disagreeing with you, you had no business asking a question on here.



I don't need to know your ebay id to not buy from you. It's sellers like you who damage themselves over time. For every item placed that I want to bid on that is obviously inflated or that I suspect is inflated, I send an email to the seller to ask if they've added fees such as the ones you mention wanting to add. Some are truthful & admit to adding these fees in. Some lie & say they don't when it's blantantly obvious that they have added in additional fees. Those are the ones I pass by & buy that same item from another seller who's more honest. Can the honest ones be lying too? Sure they can. They're reputation in the feedback tells a lot too.



I know people who've been selling on ebay as Power Sellers since it started. I know some of them have had to add these handling fees in to keep afloat. Like I stated above, some have had to remove it to keep afloat.





It all comes down to how much money you're willing to charge people for an item they can find with another seller for less money either on ebay or another site altogether.



So, go ahead, charge your fees. Reap the rewards if you can sell the item(s). When your items have to be relisted because no one bids on them, then you'll realize those handling fees are not worth it in the long run.

Answer 2

I'm not sure what's up with Belle-maybe it's just the thought of more competition! She does seem hostile. It is up to you to set your own fees. What works for you, may not be the case for another seller. I know Avon has a "handling fee"-25 cents. You may have the attitude or perspective-that it's gotta be worth your time. I am a long time buyer w/ ebay and have sold in the past. The only thing I really don't like is when a seller doesn't combine shipping & handling for more than 1 auction AND isn't upfront about it in the description. I just make it a point not to buy from them again. Good luck!

Answer 3

I agree with Belle & not just because we have a similar Yahoo id.





I shop on ebay a LOT. I sell on there more than I purchase. I don't add handling fees in. I want my items to sell, not have to be relisted.





I also shop like she does on ebay & have encountered some of the things she's mentioned in her answer from sellers. I've learned to be very selective in who I purchase from on there because of the fees people tend to add in. I want my bid to be well spent on something that I couldn't get at a traditional brick & mortar store. So that means to me to shop around & question the sellers on ebay on how they price their items.





By the way, Belle did NOT say she was reporting you to ebay. Get a grip on reality & re-read her answer. I will say that without knowing your ebay id, there isn't much anyone can do about not buying or buying an item from someone here on Yahoo's Answers.

Answer 4

I'm not an eBay seller, but I have dealt with many before. Yes, there are many sellers that do charge a handling fee in addition to the shipping. I've had sellers who lived in remote places and they would tack on a couple of dollars extra to cover the cost of gas to get to the post office. Others added the cost of postage supplies (not stamps) like boxes and tape that they do have to purchase in order to ship your product. And then, of course, many sellers would add the handling cost to the shipping price so it seems as if shipping is extremely expensive. If you do decide to add a handling charge, you can either let buyers know what they are paying for (and yes, gas is expensive if you have to drive to ship their product) or you can just add the handling cost to the shipping cost and make it one flat fee. Don't feel guilty about adding on a handling charge just because others don't think it's ok. You have the right to charge whatever you deem necessary. After all, big companies do it, why can't you?



***Don't worry about what Belle says about losing customers. There are many buyers out there who will buy from you even if you add a handling fee to your shipping fee. The only thing I do agree with her on is to add the fee with shipping. Like I said before, you can make it a flat fee (like say $15 for shipping any item) or you can charge actual shipping and include the handling fee as a separate charge at the end (like $8.50 priority shipping +$5 handling). Just remember that the ONLY fee you can't add to your shipping fee is any fee you have to pay through PayPal. PayPal charges you a fee to accept credit card payments and and you cannot pass that on to the buyer. That is against PayPal policy.