The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 222

The eBay UK Bulletin: Issue 222, 23rd June 2011

Topics in this issue:

1. eBay news – Final value fee hike

2. Multi-variation listings

3. Slightly different scam – your experience

4. One to ponder

5. Ask Molly – How did you handle the load?

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of The eBay UK Bulletin.

How time flies, June is almost over and Christmas starts in around three months!

First a postscript on the stamps auction mentioned last week.

“Hi Molly, Just a little update on the stamps, the buyer has opted to pay by cheque and has posted it Special Delivery costing them another £5.45, very strange behaviour.” - methleykev [Ed - I'd like to write to this seller and congratulate them on the fine result, but philately will get you nowhere.]


eBay fees (for some) are heading up again, more on this below.

Read on to discover how Molly gets it wrong and sends money all over the net; surely not!

[For details of this newsletter, please scroll down to the end.]

-------------------------------------
1. EBAY NEWS – FINAL VALUE FEE HIKE

-------------------------------------


Fees are a funny thing, we all know that eBay needs them, but do higher or lower fees generate more revenue?

Whilst checking stock levels ready for Christmas I discovered some long lost items which as non-core lines had been put to one side. After a coffee or two I decided to finally research the market and shift them - I need the space.

These were not high-value items by any means; old mobile phone car kits, a couple of cameras and some PlayStation controllers. As the fee in the ‘technology’ category for a business seller is 3% as opposed to 10% in my usual categories they were all listed and most have now sold.

Would I have eventually sold them with a 10% fee? Well, probably, however the incentive of lower fees did entice me into action, making the eBay shareholder a little richer.

Fees are 3% for business sellers in these sub-categories:

- Computing
- Consumer electronics
- Photography
- Mobile & home phones
- Video games, excluding games


Unfortunately things are about to change for eBay.co.uk private sellers using the fixed-price format.

“On 21 July 2011, the final value fee for fixed price listings (or Buy It Now) will be changed to a flat rate of 10%, up to a maximum £40. This new flat fee replaces the current tiered structure, making it simpler and easier for you to calculate up-front the fees you’ll pay. As before, you won’t pay any final value fee if your items don’t sell. The new calculations only apply to items listed or scheduled to start on or after the 21 July 2011.”


This change affects listings of private sellers in all categories except:

- Cars, Motorcycles and Vehicles
- Property
- Mobile phones with contract


Although being able to calculate up front exactly what your selling fees will be i.e 10%, it is little comfort for the private seller in the technology category who currently pays 5.25% on sales up to £30.

5% is a nice round number to remember and just as easy when calculating up front the fees you’ll pay!


------------------------------------------------
2. MULTI-VARIATION LISTINGS

-------------------------------------------------


I tried my first ever ‘multi-variation’ listing this week with a few electric fuses. I must say that setting up the first listing was a bit of a pain as I had to start from the ‘sell’ tab and it has been a while since I was there.

I did make the classic ‘bloke’ mistake and not check any of the small print detail of the listing. In this case the basic template included the PayPal address of Harriman House - publisher of this bulletin and several tomes on my behalf (I am not worthy).

You can imagine the surprise in customer services when a payment arrived for an

“ MK MCB (LN 5910 5930 5945) Circuit Breaker M6” – sorry Jennifer.

Thought of the day: Check and double check where your money is going!

Now that this particular fuse (the rare one) has sold the others on the listing remain on their own but with the key search words ‘MK 5945’ still in the title. This will undoubtedly attract buyers who will be disappointed.

Hits to the listing without a purchase are not good news for future search results under ‘best match’.

I am still not convinced that MV listings are for me, I’ll make some more coffee and think a while.

If you have any thoughts on this format, please do send them in – Mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk


-------------------------------------------------
3. SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT SCAM – YOUR EXPERIENCE

------------------------------------------------


You may recall in last week’s bulletin the scam that offers you great stock with no catches. Well, several readers have contacted me about the offer and I must stress that nobody will give you something of value without a catch.

“Hi Molly. Yes indeed, the scam you described recently happened to me. Selling off some of my caravan items recently, supposedly getting my email address from eBay, THEY wanted to use my site and ID on those terms. But I thought well if eBay don’t trust them, neither am I going to and I clicked ‘em off. Keep up the good work and keep feeding the elves.”



If you want to catch up on the scam and have misplaced your copy of issue 221, fear not I have finally loaded all back issues onto the web – www.ebaybulletin.co.uk – if you are reading this on the website then just scroll down a bit.

Why do so many readers worry about the welfare of my Elves? Believe you me they can look after themselves!


-------------------------------------------------
4. ONE TO PONDER

------------------------------------------------

“Hi Molly,

Here's a question for your readers to ponder, although it only really applies to registered business sellers:

Do they think that the many free listing days are harming their business and if so how do they go about overcoming it? Only general answers needed, I wouldn't want to steal anyone's closely guarded secrets.”

‘supporttechservices’ - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/supporttechservices/m.html


-------------------------------------------------
5. ASK MOLLY – HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE LOAD?

------------------------------------------------


“Hi Molly

In your early days as an eBay seller, how did you deal with the dispatch of ten plus packages you sold at any one time efficiently?

I have so far had only 12 in one go and it is not fun queuing up in the Post Office with all those disgruntled customers sighing and groaning at you! Even the lady in the Post Office was stroppy with me on one occasion and that was when I had only seven parcels!


Any tips on what you did then to what you do now would be greatly received!

Oceans003 - http://shop.ebay.co.uk/Oceans003/m.html?


First of all let me congratulate you on getting your parcel volume up, no mean feat in this day and age.

The answer is easy. Find out where your local postal depot is - the place where you go to pick up undelivered parcels, not your main post office - and drop your parcels there.

I buy my own stamps (from eBay as they are cheaper except ‘methleykev’ who charges too much for my liking) stick them on at home and then take a sack each night to the depot, last collection is 6pm - a four-mile round trip for me or an Elf.

They just chuck the sack on the van and off it goes. Not all good though as they don't provide P.O.P. and can't take international signed for parcels.

This is great if you live near a postal depot; if not maybe a post run three times a week. Don’t forget to mention this in listings.

I use Hermes for the heavy parcels over one kilo and they are not that much more for the 'up to one kilo' tier, so collection by courier could be an option depending upon total cost of postage (petrol, time, car wear and tear, etc).

The simple answer is to sell less and then all the problems will vanish.




If you have a question about eBay or home working in general, please send it to: mollybol@ebaybulletin.co.uk - I will reply personally to every e-mail I receive and remember, there are FREE copies of my book available for the best questions, tips, or stories.


-- END NOTE --

That's all for this week. Check out www.ebaybulletin.co.uk for the latest news from Molly HQ.


Where has the ‘help’ tab gone? It was the source of all answers and now it’s gone!

Customer support is there instead, I don’t want support, I need help [Ed - sure do].


Don’t get me wrong I love Louise the automated agent but sometimes I just need to be alone with my problems. I now have to plough through the ‘A to Z’ menu; it’s not the same somehow.

Best wishes and happy eBaying

Mollybol



Author of the bestselling title, 'The eBay Business Handbook' - available direct from the publishers: www.harriman-house.com/ebaybusiness