ebay seller shipping/handling fee question?

Question

what does the seller mean by the handling charge? is that for covering ebay and paypal fees? i want to do local pickup with a seller and waive the feem, but he says he needs to charge half the s/h to cover the high ebay/paypal fees. is he right in doing this, or are the ebay fees separate from his fees in the auction? thanks for any helps

Answer 1

eBay and PayPal both charge the seller for every successful transaction, and eBay also charges the seller for auctions that do not end in a winning bid. It's totally fair for the seller to be able to recover what it costs them to do business--- just like when you go to a restaurant, part of the cost of your sandwich goes towards the rent on the building and the business licenses. Some sellers build these fees into the minimum bid and some build them into shipping and handling. There's nothing wrong with this but it does put sellers in an awkward position because a lot of buyers don't understand this.

Technically a handling fee is a catchall for anything that has to be "done" to the item--- packaging it, moving it around in the warehouse (or seller's basement or wherever), storing it while it awaits shipping/pickup, etc.

When I sell on eBay I always build the fees into the cost of the item and not the shipping/handling just to prevent the misunderstandings!

Answer 2

Shipping and handling fee will vary by the sellers. Some charge the actual cost of this service and others make more money from this than the item it self.
It is true, that ebay and paypal charge fees that the seller need to get back, but I have sold many items on ebay and I have included them in the price of the item. I only charge what it cost me to ship the item.
He may be tell you the truth, or he maybe just trying to get more money from you.
The ebay fees vary with what the end selling price is for that item, and paypal charges only if the buyer buys that item with a credit card. You can talk with buyer to see if you can pickup the item and pay him cash for that item, but this is not recommended because if you have to return it, ebay or paypal cannot help you.
If you want this item, then pay the handling charge and if you won the auction, then you will have no other choice than to pay the s/h fees or just the handling fees.

Answer 3

Ebay Handling Fee

Answer 4

Most consumers don't like that idea either. My husband and I sell on eBay and unfortunately you do need to recover their enormous fees somehow, whether it be in the actual price of the item or in the handling fee. A seller has to cover the price of the packaging and everything even if there is no shipping cost. However, if the seller is charging you more than a couple of dollars he may not be being fair. But, I cannot fault him for attempting to recover some of the eBay fees. eBay can rip a seller off if he's not careful.

Answer 5

Handling fee will cover packaging, storing and other things.
But, it basically is a way of covering the ebay/paypal fees. You are not allowed to pass on these fees to the customer, so handling/packaging charges are a common way to get around this.
It is the sellers call - even if you do pick up, it has to be on his terms. Technically, he is right to charge these fees if they are stated in the auction.
If he put no charge for collection however, you could argue that you shouldn't have to pay - but the seller would probably be unwilling to go through with the sale if you will be that difficult.
It is a gesture of goodwill that he has halved the fees, so be grateful and pay up :)

Answer 6

E-bay charges money for listing your items to sell on their site, so you could say that it is an extra expense to the seller, that is why they usually charge a little more , so they would make some profit, i mean noone is selling stuff to lose money or break even .

Answer 7

short answer - ebay does not charge a fee on the S&H charge.

I just bought an item for 79 cents that easily would retail for $5. The S&H was $6.50.

Make sense?

Answer 8

Some do use it to Boost profits, but, this the Buyers call and they should look at S&H Fees and add this to their maximum bid!
As stated above, it easy to "Think" we got something for $1 and after S&H pay more than it would have costed Downtown and be more convient for return!

Answer 9

He's willing to cut the fee in half. Grow up and pay the man and stop nitpicking.