I am not selling again on eBay

[lindo]

So I listed a watch on eBay a month ago at a reasonable fixed price, and a nice guy bought it. The sale and delivery went through without a hitch, and I got great feedback.

But get this. I sold the watch for USD 900. What went into my account from eBay was USD 573. Do the math – over 36% down.

About 11% of that was for taking eBay’s promotional deal, which gives your item prominence. Another 10% was Australian Goods and Services Tax, which they deduct automatically for the Australian government.

The remaining 15% was eBay’s standard fees.

It all adds up, guys and dolls.

If I had sold the watch through any one of a number of local auction houses (who only charge me 11% because I am a regular), the hammer price would probably be less than 900, because most auction houses do not list watches with the same detailed images or descriptions that you and I can on eBay.

But I would definitely have done better through a local auction house than this eBay result. So no more eBay selling for me.

 

[watchyouwant]

lindo

So I listed a watch on eBay a month ago at a reasonable fixed price, and a nice guy bought it. The sale and delivery went through without a hitch, and I got great feedback.

But get this. I sold the watch for USD 900. What went into my account from eBay was USD 573. Do the math – over 36% down.

About 11% of that was for taking eBay’s promotional deal, which gives your item prominence. Another 10% was Australian Goods and Services Tax, which they deduct automatically for the Australian government.

The remaining 15% was eBay’s standard fees.

It all adds up, guys and dolls.

If I had sold the watch through any one of a number of local auction houses (who only charge me 11% because I am a regular), the hammer price would probably be less than 900, because most auction houses do not list watches with the same detailed images or descriptions that you and I can on eBay.
I'm
But I would definitely have done better through a local auction house than this eBay result. So no more eBay selling for me.

So, the buyer was in Australia ? 10% Gst is payable by the buyer for importing . So, the buyer pays eBay $ 990 instead of your 900 . And they deduct that for the tax office. Therefore: You as a seller get your $ 900 minus eBay 15% and minus promo 11% . You don't pay the Australian import tax. Check again or complain to eBay.

 

[wagudc]

I've been happy selling on the forums here and on Reddit. I don't think I am interested in selling on Ebay much anymore.

 

[gbesq]

eBay is a great place to buy if you have the knowledge to separate the junk from the gems, but I agree that it's not a great place to sell. The fees are high and eBay almost always resolves disputes in favor of the buyer. I prefer OF or C24. If you price your watches reasonably, I tend to find that they sell pretty quickly on C24 since most listings tend to be overpriced by at least 20%.

Edited: Mar 15, 2024

 

[Dan S]

Definitely not the place to sell low value watches, with the 15% final value fee under $1k.

 

[lindo]

watchyouwant

So, the buyer was in Australia ? 10% Gst is payable by the buyer for importing . So, the buyer pays eBay $ 990 instead of your 900 . And they deduct that for the tax office. Therefore: You as a seller get your $ 900 minus eBay 15% and minus promo 11% . You don't pay the Australian import tax. Check again or complain to eBay.

You are right. I am in Australia and the buyer in the US. So where did that extra 10% come from? What the price was and what I received from eBay is still 36% different. I have no faith in chasing it with eBay - I will just get the runaround. They have lost me and that is it.

 

[JimJupiter]

Did u use paypal? Paypal fees plus bad conversion/exchange rates could add to the missing 10%.

 

[lindo]

JimJupiter

Did u use paypal? Paypal fees plus bad conversion/exchange rates could add to the missing 10%.

No. eBay pays direct to your bank account. The exchange rate was about right. So the missing 10% is still a mystery.

 

[Mark020]

I quit a couple of years ago. If I list in the .nl site visibility is low. If I list on the .co.uk site I'm paying hefty exchange fees.

 

[Waltesefalcon]

I only sell watch parts on ebay anymore. The last time I sold a watch I about spit my coffee out when I saw how little I recieved.

 

[Dsloan]

I still sell some stuff there. I just sold a seamaster bracelet - listed for $600, sat for 6 months, accepted an offer for $500, and got deposit of $424 when all was said and done.

It's convenient, but that comes with a cost for sure.

Edited: Mar 15, 2024

 

[OldLineWatches]

I only ever sell sub-$200 on ebay. At that low end, you don't often get people that want to return / refund / complain either like you can at the luxe end of the spectrum. And if you do get one - issue the refund and block them. No great loss.

I often buy bulk lots looking for overlooked gems. Amongst the dross (and it's 90% dross) are often a handful of decent budget pieces- Vintage Timex, Swiss Army Quartz, that kind of stuff. They sell for 40-50 bucks a pop and the 25-30 I get after ebay fees help fund the next bulk buy.

 

[sheepdoll]

It has been a while since I sold anything.

Mostly the stuff I would like to sell has no real value. Which is why I want to sell it.

I also mostly purchace parts and bulk lots. One lot seller did block me. Their loss. I would have bought other things had I known what was shown in the photo would not be the item received. I did not want the refund. I wanted them to correct the listings and make it clear that they are getting an equivelent part. (which they seemed to do.)

Wonder what I could get for "Rusty broken worn out Valljoux chronograph parts -- only good for art projects.?"

 

[OldLineWatches]

sheepdoll

It has been a while since I sold anything.

Mostly the stuff I would like to sell has no real value. Which is why I want to sell it.

I also mostly purchace parts and bulk lots. One lot seller did block me. Their loss. I would have bought other things had I known what was shown in the photo would not be the item received. I did not want the refund. I wanted them to correct the listings and make it clear that they are getting an equivelent part. (which they seemed to do.)

Wonder what I could get for "Rusty broken worn out Valljoux chronograph parts -- only good for art projects.?"

Asking for a seller to correct a listing - or even asking for a credit / refund for a legitimate reason is fine. I was speaking more to the types that are obviously looking to get a post-purchase discount.

For the parts - look for someone selling watch part art projects on Etsy and reach out to them off-platform for a private sale. Might not make much money but it's better than just binning them.

 

[alam]

lindo

...So the missing 10% is still a mystery.

Perhaps the missing 10% of your transaction is included here..

"EBay gross profit for the twelve months ending December 31, 2023 was $7.279B, a 2.3% increase year-over-year. EBay annual gross profit for 2023 was $7.279B, a 2.3% increase from 2022"

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/EBAY/ebay/gross-profit

 

[Dan S]

sheepdoll

It has been a while since I sold anything.

Mostly the stuff I would like to sell has no real value. Which is why I want to sell it.

I also mostly purchace parts and bulk lots. One lot seller did block me. Their loss. I would have bought other things had I known what was shown in the photo would not be the item received. I did not want the refund. I wanted them to correct the listings and make it clear that they are getting an equivelent part. (which they seemed to do.)

Wonder what I could get for "Rusty broken worn out Valljoux chronograph parts -- only good for art projects.?"

There is someone in our local NAWCC chapter who makes jewelry from old movements and parts and sells it online and at a storefront at the local Renaissance Fair. She covers it in some sort of resin.

 

[Poppyboy]

I’ll only sell within the Continental US because I don’t want myself or the buyer to deal with any of these surprising fees.

 

[gbesq]

alam

Perhaps the missing 10% of your transaction is included here..

"EBay gross profit for the twelve months ending December 31, 2023 was $7.279B, a 2.3% increase year-over-year. EBay annual gross profit for 2023 was $7.279B, a 2.3% increase from 2022"

https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/EBAY/ebay/gross-profit

With these kind of profits, you would think that they could do a better job of curbing scams and the listing and sale of counterfeit goods. Most of the time when I report an item that is clearly counterfeit I receive a form email that essentially says “we checked it out and it’s all good.” 😡

 

[reverbtime]

Bought some amazing gems there (takes lot's of research). But, fees there as a seller are crazy.

 

[STANDY]

Doing the math.

It looks like you sold it for $900AUD which equivalent to $590US

Edited: Mar 16, 2024