eBay V Amazon

marg

I like Ebay best amazon cant always get what I want cheaper there

Shemp

Hello eBay ? Over the last 6 or 7 years, although especially the last 2 years or so, eBay has become a lost cause for sellers. I've never seen so many futile TV ads for eBay trying to promote themselves . When I started selling with them at the end of 2004, their fees were of mutual benefit to both sellers and eBay themselves. I could list items for auction with a listing fees structure like this : an auction starting at .99c - a 30c listing fee, up to $19.99 - a 50c listing fee : up to $74.99 - only a 75c listing fee - all very fair and reasonable for both sellers and eBay.
The Final Value Fee ( FVF ) charged to the seller when their item sold, then, was : 5.25% up to $74.99, and 2.75% there after, plus the listing fee. There wasn't any deductions of eg 5.25% on the postage fee charged by the seller.
Today, eBay's fees structure is very aggressive towards all sellers and goes like this : auction listings up to $100 - $1.65, while auctions over $100 is $3.85. The FVF is now a mammoth 10.9% plus the listing fee. And eBay, as always, is encouraging buyers to pay for their items via Paypal - a further 2.6% on top of the listing, FVF charged to the seller, PLUS a further 10% on whatever postage charge the seller charges. The buyers a compelled to select registered postage when paying via Paypal which is about a further $4 cost to the buyer on top of the reasonable postage charged by the seller. eBay virtually forces buyers to select registered postage when paying with Paypal because if the item doesn't arrive in the post, the buyer has to, first, make a prolonged claim against the non delivery of the item through Australia post before Paypal refunds the value of the item lost LESS the postage charge and registration cost to the buyer.
Ok,so eBay offers 40 free listings per month to sellers with the benefit of being able to relist any of the unsold 40 items for free once or twice. This has only proved to be a mostly unsuccessful last ditch desperate effort by eBay to somehow try to maintain their rapidly diminishing relevance world wide. As a result of eBay's foolish blind greed over the last 2 years or so, sellers have directed their remaining loyal buyers to their Facebook page. These sellers are trading with their buyers in mutual harmony without being charged exhorbitant listing, Final Value Fees or Paypal fees, nor 10% of their postage.

3lions

Hello eBay ? Over the last 6 or 7 years, although especially the last 2 years or so, eBay has become a lost cause for sellers. I've never seen so many futile TV ads for eBay trying to promote...

Hi Shemp,
Thanks so much for reply.
It all makes perfect sense to me now!
I was wondering why Facebook got involved, even though they are involved in everything. I don't use Facebook (don't faint) just not a fan of any social media. I joined cafestudy well before any anti social media was around.
So I understand now why when I sold a couple of tops & shoes for over $60 the shoes + the other stuff, why I had to pay eBay so much for my monthly bill. Even though I did use the free listings offer. Plus when someone paid me via PayPal, ther5wad always a deduction amount there also. Wow it's basically double dipping? That's what it sounds like to me, a mere amateur.
I totally understand now. Not that I have anything to sell now, but I will be giving it away in future, as it's not worth it to me, I can't imagine the stress & cost it must cost you as a business seller.
Thanks again for your reply & very interesting reading.
Wishing you all the best :)

Lukey23

Ebay, i dont like paying for USD and with the crappy economy and conversion rate i just cant have myself spend more on something that i know would cost cheaper at ebay and i could also find a second hand one that would be cheaper too. The ebay user interfaces is much easier for me, maybe because i do not use alot of amazon. I only use amazon if i have a coupon to give me discount, otherwise i would not use it at all.

Michael

I have used both Amazon and eBay. My favourite is Amazon in comparison and usually only use eBay when an item of VHS tape or DVD is available only there that a friend wants. I was a big buyer of Amazon.com; .uk; .de(Germany) and .fr(France) and Canada. Thanks the efforts of a guy called ScoMo before he was PM my relationship was destroyed with Amazon and I have had to use Amazon.com.au but much I want is not available there or much higher priced than direct gst or not. Taxing freight be it post or a courier service is a rort and fraudulent in my view. It affects the people most unable to pay all these added costs like me on only an Aged Australian Pension. I am a buyer of older entertainment books, DVDs, Blu Rays and Cds and I am hit hard. I am able to get a deal from another in US who willing collects the gst Amazon US won;t but they don't allow Post Box numbers as they use couriers. Sure the service is often 3-4 days from USA but leaving it on my doorstep, often in the sun and rain, is not an option I like. Amazon allowed both addresses on a package and whatever way they used i got it most times to my Post Office. I currently can only get books om a company two former Amazon staffers started in UK(Book Depository) which Amazon soon took over and one partner stayed on. Funnily, they collect the gst Amazon does not want to collect and the delivery is free worldwide and all new books are carried and used books available. I think eBay makes the seller attend to the gst. Refunds are great and Amazon is quick and usually does not want items back or replace if non-delivery. Tracking services help, at least, with people who pretend they have not received a parcel. I am going to try and see it I can get the European Amazon sites unlocked. I need many items new this year across three sites there and most don't suddenly appear in USA or Australia or in the same special editions. Some films I have been wanting to own on disc for many years that are now released as such in the best restored quality they can do.

Michael

I agree Michael 100%
I'm not sure if my topic wasn't clear enough,but the previous comment I don't think understood what I was asking.
I do agree Amazon is much better than eBay, especially...

Thanks got a reply. No a VPN is no good for this. The reason would be the shipping address and Australia indicates a stupid GST. In the 1970s I used to import films and records & a lot for for my then business. I retailed/mail order and wholesaled all over Australia. Different days. Sales tax had been removed from film before I was importing but there was a per foot cost added to film. 5c a foot for 16mm films and 2.5cents for 8mm. As 8mm was actually only 25% length of 16mm you can see that 16mm users were being ripped off. I imported on silent feature for an order and the cost was $150 for the print, and as it so happened the footage cost also equalled $150 so my customer had to pay me $300. Later a another copy slipped thru and I did not have to pay the footage cost. I understand when sales tax applied might have been 25% or more, I don't know of the imported cost and they sometimes added an percentage before the tax was added like 5%. But the tax also applied to the footage premium. Only designated educational films escaped the sales tax and footage tax. All these things delayed me getting my parcel post deliveries because films had also to go to the state censorship department and if the film was not in their films from someone's previous import they had to view it and classify it before I got it. If the print was sent airmail I had to go to Tullamarine, have the parcel opened and then leave it to go to the censor in the city and wait for the return and clearance of customs papers which meant another trip to the airport more than an hour from my home. I worked on the government and got the footage charge rescinded but it did not get me any extra customers for my lobbying. Sales tax was later returned but I was out of it before that happened. Tax in my time only applied to advertising materials that did not apply to me. Shipping was cheaper then but films are heavy.
In reference to US dollars. These have remained moreorless the same range for a good while but even so that gst is added to a rate much less than when we had a rate over $1 and not today's round 70-71cents.
I mentioned the import gst, and it is a cheek to expect other countries to collect the tax and remit to the buyer's country. ScoMo went to Seattle to see Amazon which he could have stayed home and used a visual conference or the phone. He must have known Jeff Bezos attitude to tax and I certainly do and have read a voluminous book on his life and business ideals. I posted on an election Facebook for the Liberals and someone wrote back and told me to go to Harvey Norman and get some Freeview device and watch films and not worry about importing. It was that company(with some stores overseas) who was the most vocal in getting the gst on imports from $1 up. A late sister was sacked by him as an accountant on the spot when her job was to note any irregularities and she found a tax anomaly that was serious but I know little else and she was out the same day. Typical. I knew my sister and she would also do the right thing. So there it is. Buying special discs and what they contain can't be had from any Freeview, TCM, Netflix or whoever. I might be now 70 but hope to enjoy what I do without interference from governments. That is what democracy and free trade deals after supposed to be about. As for shops, importing is worldwide and stores in the main street/high street are closing down everyday and it has nothing to do with the things I want to import. There is also local goods that are heavily bought online and not from the shops of the same High Street retailers. Even JBHiFi ha many discs that can only be ordered on line and can't be got in their stores or shipped from one store to another for a customer. The government is allowing in all these European and US Costco against our Australian owned supermarket owners. I am surrounded by lots of Aldis, a Costco(never bought there) and now Kaufland wants to open a warehouse, their office and store near me in what is to become an abandoned Bunnings store(there are two other Bunnings and two Officeworks near me.

So that's my beef tonight.

3lions

I have used both Amazon and eBay. My favourite is Amazon in comparison and usually only use eBay when an item of VHS tape or DVD is available only there that a friend wants. I was a big buyer of...

I agree Michael 100%
I'm not sure if my topic wasn't clear enough,but the previous comment I don't think understood what I was asking.
I do agree Amazon is much better than eBay, especially if there are any problems like you said, with refunds or problems.
Trying to get a refund from eBay, anyone would think your asking for a grand. Not just the price paid. eBay tracking is not 100% accurate.
Yes, old Morrison & his GST.
I purchased a t shirt on eBay, paid American dollars & it came from damm China!
Scammers!
eBay don't care either.

Would a VPN allow me to use other countries Amazon sites like you were mentioning?
There are so many choices on other websites.
So much for spoilt for choice.
It's nice to know that you are of the same opinion.
Appreciate your reply & good luck on your shopping adventures.
:)

Jezemeg8

I have no preference but when using eBay I don't participate in auctions either. I'd rather pay an upfront price than waste time bidding, when I want the product anyway. As to being the seller, well I don't have anything I wish to sell anyway, and would rather give something to someone who could really use it than to sell it to someone who doesn't.