The Wholesale Forums

[FiveStarWholesale]

Originally Posted by ADC

Because it's a monopoly, they are getting so big that there's nowhere else on the internet sellers can go. The government don't accept a monopoly on the high street. If Walmart tried to by Tesco the wouldn't allow it. Because it would make Wamart too dominant and it wouldn't be good for consumer pricing. That's whats happening here ebays fees are controlling consumer pricing. If there were competition the fees would be less and therefore the pricing would be less.

It's not a Monopoly! It may fall foul of Competition Law but it's not a Monopoly because eBay is just one venue. If Paypal was the only method of payment for all online auction sites then it would be.

[ADC]

Originally Posted by FiveStarWholesale

It's not a Monopoly! It may fall foul of Competition Law but it's not a Monopoly because eBay is just one venue. If Paypal was the only method of payment for all online auction sites then it would be.

OK it's not a total monopoly but it's heading that way. This kind of dominance wouldn't be accepted on the high street. And as more & more money is being spent on the internet rather than the high street, something needs to be done sooner rather than later. Paypal isn't a monopoly but they shouldn't allow it to be the only payment method on ebay. They should be forced to offer another payment provider too. It's like walking into the Trafford Centre in Manchester and being told you can only pay for stuff in the stores with a credit card that's been issued by the The Trafford Centre.

[jimo]

Originally Posted by buyitonlinehere

So if there is problems with ebay why are people not leaving ebay and opening up their own shop. Do ebay have that much traffic that in some ways its the only way to sell?

They are not the first online giant to bully people around and surely won't be the last. So I guess unless the goovernments get involved we'll be at their mercy.

Cheers,
Jimmy

[D M]

What margins do you think ebay are making? Probably not as much as you think. People still wouldn't be happy if ebay broke even.

£1.44 to sell a £15.99 item. What fee would you say is reasonable?

[ADC]

Originally Posted by D M

What margins do you think ebay are making? Probably not as much as you think. People still wouldn't be happy if ebay broke even.

£1.44 to sell a £15.99 item. What fee would you say is reasonable?

Probably half that would be acceptable.

I expect margins would be quite high, me and 1000's of other powersellers pay them over £2000 a month. Plus everything is done by computer. No manual work involved. They can just sit back and watch the money roll in.

[greedyboy]

Originally Posted by ADC

Probably half that would be acceptable.

I expect margins would be quite high, me and 1000's of other powersellers pay them over £2000 a month.

You have many other options. Use adwords, open a retail site or use traditional press/magazine adverts. With the exception of adworts, you will find the other two options offer less of a return on your costs in a majority of cases.

Plus everything is done by computer. No manual work involved. They can just sit back and watch the money roll in.

As a businessman you honestly can not believe that and have a basic grasp of business costs?

[ADC]

Originally Posted by greedyboy

As a businessman you honestly can not believe that and have a basic grasp of business costs?

Oh yes I forgot they employ somebody to update everyones feedback score, they have another man who when something is sold he sends out all the e-mails, then there is another man who when he knows you've sold something adds the fees up on his abacus then adds it on to your bill each month. Oh and I forgot that when somebody searches for something there is another man who puts it all in the right order. Yes actually the must employ employ millions of staff thinking about it.

Honestly what planet is greedboy on?

[greedyboy]

'As of December 31, 2006 there were approximately 13,200 employees'

Obviously other than the 6 or so you mentioned, the other 12,194 must work for free? Not to mention the millions of square feet they all occupy, hardware, furniture, operating costs, rent, rates, utilities, insurances, security,etc. I suppose they are all supplied free by charities?

As for what planet I am on, it is clearly not the the same one you are on if you can't grasp the basics of 'overheads'.

[FiveStarWholesale]

Originally Posted by ADC

Oh yes I forgot they employ somebody to update everyones feedback score, they have another man who when something is sold he sends out all the e-mails, then there is another man who when he knows you've sold something adds the fees up on his abacus then adds it on to your bill each month. Oh and I forgot that when somebody searches for something there is another man who puts it all in the right order. Yes actually the must employ employ millions of staff thinking about it.

Honestly what planet is greedboy on?

This is the main problem with people complaining about eBay. If it was at all possible to 'lobby' eBay into making changes it would need to be done in a factual and emotionless way.

When some plonker, like the above, spouts out rubbish like this it causes eBay to shy away from responding to good questions, for fear of being pounced upon by the 'I want to make money on eBay with no effort because I'm thick' bregade.

[YNWA]

eBay should take fixed fees not a percentage.

I recently listed a fishing rod for a friend, he didn't want less than £2k for it. So he wanted me to put a reserve on. This cost me £40. £40 for something that cost eBay nothing. If the item sold they wanted £50 of the FVF.

Now I am all for someone getting there share for helping sell an item, but where is the explanation for eBay charging me £40 for something that didn't sell?

Why should they take £50 from a high value item compared to £3 from a lower priced item? What overhead differences of £47 are in place when a high value item sells compared to a low value?

I just see eBay trying to force themselves on us. The fishing rod, if sold would have spent £50+ on FVF and £40+ on PayPal fee. Thats £90 profit from something just so I can use eBay. What justification is out there to show why they need to take so much (more so with eBay, not PayPal).