Calculating Your Next Move on eBay

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Now that you’ve had the chance to digest the upcoming changes on eBay, do you know how they will affect your bottom line? Have you decided how/if you need to change your selling habits?

There are, after all, several factors to consider. So how do you go about deciding how to adjust to get the maximum value out of your listings while not breaking the budget on fees? Glad you asked. While I know there are lots of variables to take into consideration, I’ve come up with a few tips to help you in your quest.

I know each seller is different, but let’s take a look at one example to see how the new fee structure could impact your selling costs.

Let’s say a seller lists 300 books each month with 250 of those being auction style. The auctions have a starting price of 99 cents and sell for $5 on average. The other 50 listings are fixed-priced and sell for $25. Let’s also assume this seller doesn’t have a store.

This particular seller would pay about $35 more with eBay’s new fee structure than they do currently.

However, this total does not take into account any discounts this seller may be eligible for, or other changes the seller might make to reduce his or her fees. For example, the seller could change listing formats, listing duration times, etc.

Now, if this seller does have an eBay Store, almost everything changes. Does the fact that listings will now be in the core search results offset the cost of the store subscription? If a seller opts for a Basic store, how will paying the 20-cent insertion fee for fixed-priced listings affect their bottom line compared to paying the current 3-cent fee per listing?

These are just a few of the details you’ll need to consider as you decide which format and/or store subscription is right for you. Like I said, all sellers are different. Some merchants only sell high-end clothing and accessories. Some sell thousands of collectibles. Others may sell hundreds of valuable baseball cards. Some sell exclusively fixed-price items while others prefer auctions. And, of course, some of merchants are Top-rated Sellers and qualify for fee discounts. And all of these factors will affect your eBay fees come March 30.

My advice, as you decide which route to go, is to look back at the fees you’ve paid in the last couple of months. Compare the insertion fees and final value fees you paid. Note any upgrades or other fees you paid (store subscription fee, listing subtitle, etc.).

And when calculating what your fees will look like under the new fee system, be sure to consider these variables:

•Category(ies) you list in
•Starting price
•Listing format
•Final selling price
•Store subscription
•Top-Rated Seller status

Finding the right path will require some serious number crunching, but if you keep these factors in mind, you’ll have a more solid understanding of your costs, whatever your choice. But this will only be an estimate as selling on eBay is a dynamic process. Be sure to continue the evaluation process even after these changes go into effect to make sure your strategy couldn’t benefit from some additional tweaking.

Best of luck!