eBay has recently made some updates to its fees for US sellers. Starting February 15, 2023, some of the fees will increase while others will remain unchanged. The company has stated that the maximum increase in any one category would be 0.35%.
In the Winter Seller Update of 2023, eBay announced that most categories would see a fee increase from 12.9% to 13.25%. Sellers of books and media will experience an increase from 14.6% to 14.95%.
While the fee increase may be seen as a negative change, eBay has also made some positive updates in the way it handles fees. Firstly, the company will now refund its 30-cent per-order fee in more situations where the seller voluntarily refunds a buyer:
“Last year we announced that we’ll give your $0.30 per-order fee back to you when you approve a buyer’s cancellation request before you ship your item. Based on positive feedback we received from sellers, we’re expanding the per-order fee credit when you provide excellent service to the buyer by issuing a full refund. Starting February 15, 2023, when a buyer returns an item for any of the following reasons, we’ll extend the $0.30 credit for returns that you voluntarily refunded.“
Additionally, eBay has also decided to stop charging for two of its upgrades: The buy It Now listing upgrade for auction-format listings and the Scheduled listing upgrade. The company has also made changes to how it charges for certain optional upgrade fees, such as the Bold and Gallery Plus listing upgrade fees, which will no longer be based on the auction starting price or Buy it Now item price.
In conclusion, while some fees will increase, eBay has also made some positive changes that may benefit its sellers. Overall, the impact of these changes will vary for different sellers and it remains to be seen how these updates will be received in the marketplace.
Your item will only show up on searches if you do an additional “Promote” which I have seen as high as an extra 12.5% besides the 14.25 + .30 per item.
Hi Anna, eBay offers various ways for sellers to promote their listings, including a paid service called “Promoted Listings.” With Promoted Listings, sellers can increase the visibility of their items in search results by paying an additional fee, which, as you noticed, can range from a few percentage points to as much as 12.5% depending on the level of promotion chosen. Like other marketplaces, eBay is pretty aggressive in promoting its advertising business. I recommend checking this post from our friends at MarketPulse – eBay’s Plan Is More Ads.
I have promoted items, that NEVER reached more people as a result of the promotion. Total scam.
Jody, low ROI for ads is common across all platforms; it could be due to the platform itself or how the campaign was managed. Typically, a large budget (thousands of views) is necessary to achieve tangible results (some sales), which often results in smaller sellers incurring losses. However, I would still encourage you not to give up on ads. Consider conducting small tests, perhaps with just a few of your best-selling products. Additionally, it might be that eBay is not the ideal platform for your products and your target audience. Have you explored other marketplaces?