Pamela's Ebay Store

Have you been thinking about hiring an Ebay assistant or going to an Ebay store?

Following are a few things to keep in mind.

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Following are my fees to PHOTOGRAPH, LIST, TRACK, AND SHIP one item on Ebay. Those items with a selling price over $2,000 will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

$0 – $99 selling price:   My fee, $40
$100 – $149 selling price:   My fee, $50
$150 – $199 selling price:   My fee, $60
$200 – $249 selling price:   My fee, $70
$250 – $299 selling price:   My fee, $80
$300 – $349 selling price:   My fee, $90
$350 – $399 selling price:   My fee, $100
$400 – $449 selling price:   My fee, $110
$450 – $499 selling price:   My fee, $120
$500 – $549 selling price:   My fee, $130
$550 – $599 selling price:   My fee, $140
$600 – $699 selling price:   My fee, $150
$700 – $799 selling price:   My fee, $160
$800 – $899 selling price:   My fee, $170
$900 – $999 selling price:   My fee, $180
$1,000 – $1,499 selling price:   My fee, $190
$1,500 – $2,000 selling price:   My fee, $200

NOTE: The above schedule is general. The size and weight of your item will have bearing on my rates. For instance, my listing charges would naturally be different for a dozen rare coins than for a dozen heavy and bulky oscilloscopes. Everything's negotiable. That's my motto!

A little insight from Pamela...

The more I act as an Ebay assistant for others, the more the words "everyone gets a cut" come to mind. Indeed, Ebay, PayPal, the shipping service, and even Staples (packing materials) all must be paid for an Ebay sale to take place. And I must be paid, too.

The expenses add up. There are a number of "fixed" costs that cannot be avoided. And "running" costs often can astonish the newcomer.

It cannot be underestimated that selling on Ebay can cost you. It all depends on what you're selling. Consider that after expenses you are only going to get a maximum of perhaps 80 percent on the selling price. Sixty percent is more common. And if your item does not sell, you still have to pay expenses without getting anything in return.

In the box to the right, you can find a fee schedule for my services. These prices are NOT SET IN STONE. They give you a guidepost to determine whether you want to go the Ebay route. In any case, the most important thing you need to understand from the start is that the minute I take your item on to broker it on Ebay you owe me. There is no nice way to put this.

I probably do not have to tell you that if you have a low-priced item, it does not pay to have another person sell it for you on Ebay. In fact, many low-cost items that in fact actually sell end up - after expenses - costing you money. Now what's the good in that?

Furthermore, there are a myriad of risks involved with these kinds of transactions. A buyer may get your item and it ends up not working. When this happens you not only have to reimburse the buyer, you still have to pay all the fees that went into selling and shipping that item in the first place.

And I do not have to tell you, shipments can get lost in the mail. Otherwise, buyers sometimes (though rarely) do not pay, which usually does nothing more than just complicate the sale. (You can always offer the item to the next lowest bidder - if there is one.)

I suggest, if you want to use my services, that you do so for relatively high-priced items only. You should feel pretty certain that for any one item that you can get a minimum of $100 at auction. And even at this rate, your final cut may be minimal depending, again, on expenses.

Okay. Here's the deal, which I think you will find reasonable. Number one:

Aside from the fees I must be paid, you must also pay:

  • Ebay listing fees,
  • Ebay's final-sale fees (cut)
  • PayPal's fees (cut)
  • packing materials costs
  • shipping costs.

Now, Ebay and PayPal fees are straightforward. You cannot get around them.

As for packing materials costs, these, I've found, can - if you're not careful - cut deeply into your profit. So I tend to "raid" the refuse put out by stores such as Radio Shack.

Street-level stores all over NYC tend to throw away perfectly good (clean) packing material. And I'm good about retrieving it, saving you money. I'll do what I can in this area, but, of course, you cannot count on it. Also, keep in mind that to cover myself - to make sure a fragile item (for instance) gets to the customer intact - I tend to overpack.

Another way I save you money is with FedEx Ground. It's a slow service, but for large heavy items - liberally packed to safeguard electronics, for instance - it tends to be quite economical. For small packages, the post office is the best bet.

Also, two things must be kept in mind.

ONE, again (I cannot emphasize this enough) my fee, per the above schedule, does not include expenses (as discussed above): Ebay, PayPal, packing material, and shipping costs. Again, final costs will be transmitted to you in a statement via an E-mail, free of charge. Note: Paper statements through the U.S. mail (if requested) are $8, each, additional.

Note: All aspects of the transitions will be transparent. You can see the final closed-auction bid at an Internet page I will direct you to. Furthermore, if requested, there are ways for me to prove all the charges I pass along to you.

TWO, the buyer of your item will make his or her payment into my PayPal account. You get paid (via check through the mail) no sooner than 15 days after the customer receives the item. This gives the customer the chance - if not satisfied - to return the item. All items must be guaranteed, 15-day right of return.