EBay changes turning off more customers?

I agree with everything that's been said above. Ebay has made several recent changes which have basically killed my tiny business. I work hard to create several products which I designed and created myself yet increasingly, Ebay has eaten into my small profit margin. One of my products is digital (not an ebook) - a perfectly legitimate and honest product which I was able to deliver electronically to customers all over the world. This method had the advantage of early delivery for my customers (and immediate customer support if necessary) and it saved them postage too. An altogether environmentally friendly solution. However, earlier this year, Ebay banned digital delivery unless they were sold through (expensive) classified ads. My business turnover couldn't justify this and indeed my sales literally ground to a halt as the vast majority of my market is in the US and I in Europe so the postage costs were prohibitive. Ebay said they were worried about feedback scams through the selling of ebooks. People were selling ebooks for 0.01 to generate fast feedback or something. This isn't remotely similar to my business but I suffered through it nevertheless. What I found "interesting" is the fact that Ebay worried about a few people scamming their feedback system yet they seem completely unconcerned about the major problem of counterfeit digital goods being sold on their site. I refer specifically to machine embroidery designs. It isn't rocket science to figure out that if a selling is offering 250,000 designs for £5 that they aren't legit. It isn't rocket science either to figure out that someone selling 500 Disney designs for £0.99 isn't legit either. Yet these sales continue to thrive and the few honest designers who were creating and selling their own legitimate designs have all but disappeared - driven out by Ebay itself. Something seriously wrong there.

Now they are banning postage and packing charges on DVDs amongst other things. Ebay don't take a cut of P&P yet it seems that they are trying to force sellers into raising the cost of the item (which Ebay DOES get a cut of) to cover the problem of having to distribute the item for free. That reeks of profiteering to me.

My shop has also increased from £6 in the early days to £14.99 a month. I have been selling other items purely to try and cover my costs so that I'm not actually making a substantial loss but I've gone from someone who LOVED Ebay to someone who is seriously looking at affordable alternatives. I'm just waiting for the right alternative to come along and I'll be off.

It’s 26th September 2008. EBay have just introduced their latest price changes designed to encourage UK sellers?

We predict, and you read it here first, that a little known and quirky named auction site www.thedeadskunk.com will become eBay UK’s biggest rival over the coming years.
Strong words when you consider that this site has yet to complete and put in order their category section.
You read it here first.

Ebay has since the start of this year made it very clear to Ebay delears, that Ebay would like lower end and the Mom and Pop sellers to find another place to conduct business. The changes in fee structure, the absolute lack accurate information on the Detailed Seller Ratings aka DSR's, the loss of being able to leave accurate feedback by Sellers and so forth.

The latest changes are again another cripling blow to the future of this once terrific site. Under the newest changes a seller with a DSR that dips below 4.3 is suspended from using the site, the methodoligy for regaining access to small volume sellers is at that point almost impossible. As the suspensions are at a minimum 30 days and may last a year.

A few months ago Ebay attempted to force users in Autralia to be limited to ONLY Pay Pal as the payment method there, the Australian Government took action and told Ebay NO! Now Ebay is trying to do the same trick here with a slight variation by permiting Credit Cards but no Checks or Cash Payments which is illegal under Federal Law."Legal Tender For All Debts Public and Private". THey are using the argument that its safer for EBAYERS. Perhaps Ebay should realize they ARE not Amazon and will never be. Perhaps they should work harder rebuilding the the original business model and stop throwing it in the trash piece by piece.

If another online auction format comes along with large funding, they will find thousands of interested potential users. Google certainly comes to mind.
Wake up Ebay while you still have a bed to wake up in.
plcombs

I was a small seller on eBay. I was trying to get maybe 5.00 off a auction for myself. At $5 I still felt my items were to expensive to sell and be competitive. Then the hike in fees... ebay was making more off my items then i was and I was loosing money not realizing just how much they were taking/charging.
I bet 1 million items close a day on ebay...if they all were only 20.00 items- between ebay and paypal thats say 6.00 in fees x 1 million 6 million
so you say no way 1 million ok so its 10,000.00 x 6.00 is still one hell of alot of money and I bet there isnt one seller making that kind of money on ebay. When the fees were reasonable they still make killer money.
Don't tell me its to pay programers to upgrade ebay..haha they seem to be using free scripts found on line in giveaways to create the new look to ebays auction pages. Ebay needs to find some smarter geeks to restructure the look.

I sell jelly belly beans. And you can buy them locally at most candy stores in major malls. SO my selling price of 19.99 to give me a 4.00 profit on a 4 pound tub jumps to 26.00 to cover my ebay fees..when i add the fees to my buy it now feature then my final value fee increases and my insertion fee too. Ebay makes more then i do off my item. I just would rather have my time with my family back over the grief of selling ...which isnt fun anymore because I have to increase my auctions from 3-7.00 on each item. And not being a power seller I cant afford to list because I will be damned if I will charge so much for a item and feel like I am ripping off my buyers. I just closed my store and picked the 2 best selling items i have. Listed with the new fees included in the auction price. I used to have 2-5 watchers on the 2 items I have 1 watcher after 6 days - and not 1 sale yet. If I don't get a bite I don't see a future for me in ebay any longer.. so keep your fingers crossed that I have a sale because I will miss looking for "payment received" in mail.
Happy selling,
Melanie