Awe... the Beauty of eBay Fees

If I had a choice, I would really like to avoid paying all these ridiculous fees that eBay charges. I mean... c'mon... you charge listing (insertion) fees AND final value fees (commission; tax) even after a sale has been made? Worst yet, even if I don't and can't make a sale after listing the item, I still get charged. On top of that, there are extra value added expenses if you want to have a photo attached with your listing in their gallery, miscellaneous charges for more than one product photo, and then some. Furthermore, if and when we collect payment through the monopoly payment service provider PayPal (which is also owned by eBay), there is an additional fee associated. Now, you can see why sometimes I get frustrated when certain buyers don't understand the somewhat moderate shipping costs. They expect to only pay postage.

Put it this way, if it wasn't because of the fact that there is such a large customer base, easy exposure, and simple setup... then eBay wouldn't stand out as one of my top choices to start listing my items for sale.

Anyhow, I'm now caught up with nearly over $150 in eBay fees with only $60 in sales revenue. Keep in mind that there are other costs to take into consideration: inventory/supplies, packaging materials, etc. I'm actually losing money. But I guess that's the part of business... being able to bear the risks and costs if the business fails. Please just remember not all businesses succeed. And those that do... just because someone has a business, doesn't mean they are filthy rich or living the lifestyle. I would say most earn just as much or a little more to be comfortable with where they're at. Business owners are just like regular people. It's just that they like the flexibility (in time/schedule and calling the shots and being their own absolute decision-maker). Also, they like the incentive where you can work harder and "try" to make more money. Such as myself, staying up long hours.