There are many thousands who make more than a bit of coin by buying and selling stuff on eBay. And almost all of these online merchants will have already heard that eBay Inc. is messing with its charges again. Many of these sellers say it is out of greed. That is, they  are of the opinion that the big auction house is afraid of the rising competition and wants to retain total control over the online auction trade.

When all the dust settles on February 20th the changes will be in place but only skilled users can understand them.

Good News:

1) It will cost sellers 25% less to list an item for auction.

2) eBay is also offering up to 1/2 price for fees to list fixed price items.

3) As well, the commission on fixed-priced items over $100 will also be less.

The commission on items selling on the auction block for more than $1,000 will remain at 1 1/2% however its commission on cheaper items will rise as much as 67%.

The Way We Were

Let’s say you put a up a computer part for auction and it sold for $25. Before the change sets in this would cost you $1.91 which includes 60 cents for listing the part plus eBay’s commission of $1.31.

Now

You would now pay $2.74 for the same deal: 55 cents to list the item + a higher commission of $2.19.

This may not mean a lot to most of us who sell the odd old LP or box of 8-track tapes. However, there are quite a few merchants and part-timers who make a large part of their living from listing their wares on eBay.

eBay’s intentions are this:

It states in a recent report that these changes will make the world’s biggest auction site more “buyer” friendly. In other words eBay plans to make it cheaper to list items, charging more for items that are sold. In addition it will tie discounts more closely to the ratings sellers receive from buyers.

The company also plans to raise its minimum standards and reward sellers who meet or exceed them, a move that it says will discourage excessive shipping fees or doing a poor job of describing the item. Many music stores run a great trade selling both old and new gear on eBay. For many sellers and resellers it is truly their lifeblood and these rewards will not bridge the gap left by an increase in fees.

Andrew Sloss, Canada’s eBay manager said in a recent interview, “In Canada, some 5,000 sellers are considered Power Sellers, while 33,000 Canadians make some or all of their living from the auction site.”

Are you one of these sellers in any country? What do you think?