Posted by I’ve been buying and selling on Ebay since July 11, 2010. During the past 13 years I’ve seen a lot of changes. Most of the changes have resulted in more money for Ebay and less for resellers. So far this year, almost 50% of all sales have gone to Ebay fees and shipping costs. Subtract the cost of goods sold and I’m left with 29% of the selling price. My primary categories are Video Games, Toys, and Clothing. Total sales are down 35.6% from the same period last year. What’s worse, is that net income is down 63%, and I thought last year was bad!
With a free account, you can list up to 250 items each month before they charge an insertion fee. I currently have 42 items listed for sale. This is the most listings I have had in a while. August was my best month for sales with 6 items sold. Otherwise, sales have been extremely slow. The items I sell are usually under 20 dollars. With lower priced items many times the shipping fee is more than the price of the item. People are reluctant to buy an item when shipping fees are more than the price of the item. On July 9th, 2023, USPS merged First Class with Parcel Select and Retail Ground and renamed them Ground Advantage. The new service still has the slower 2–5-day delivery speed and a 70 Lb. weight limit. But USPS Ground Advantage fees will decrease 1.4 percent relative to current Parcel Select Ground and First-Class.
The reduced shipping fees, however small, are a welcomed adjustment. Previously, if an item weighed more that 15 ounces, it would need to be shipped by Priority Mail. Most of the items I sell on Ebay can now be shipped with Ground Advantage. So far, the delivery speed has been acceptable. It is still a good idea to avoid buying from sellers that live on the opposite side of the country. For me, that means New York, Florida, Washington, and California. The shipping change has given me hope that Ebay sales will start to improve and has prompted me to start listing more items. Of course, reselling is directly linked to the overall economy. The cost of shipping and inventory have increased in the last few years. Gone are the days when you could find items at Goodwill and resell them for a nice profit. Goodwill has gotten greedy and has raised prices on almost everything they sell. In some cases, prices on used items are close to the retail price.