Selling Online - Free Listings That Aren't Free

As an eBay seller, you can list your first five auctionsor $2.19 plus 3.5% of the balance of the closing fee or
each month without an insertion fee. This is a helpful$7.14, for a total final value fee of $9.33.
way for sellers to save some money, or is it. Just likeTake the same cell phone and the same sale except
you have undoubtedly heard, "There is no free lunch",you list it as one of your first free listings for the month.
free listings aren't always free.You phone sells for $229 but now eBay takes 8.75%
How can something that is free not be free? Evenof the entire closing price or $20 whichever is less.
though your insertion fees are free there are differentYour final value fees add up to $20.04 but eBay is kind
Final Value Fees or fees that you pay when an itemand takes only $20. You just paid eBay an extra
sells. Your Final Value Fees for items that sell for over$10.67 in fees in exchange for them giving you a
$25, for listings that are Free, is 8.75% of the totalfree.35¢ insertion fees. Free just cost you over
selling price or $20, whichever is lower. Why should$10 in your hard earned profits.
you care? Because that.35¢ you saved inHow do you get around it? If your item sells for $25 or
insertion fees for your listing has just taken away $10less the normal fee is 8.75% of the closing price which
in profits when your item sells for over $200.is the same as the fee for the free listings. Make sure
Let's look at the numbers. The normal auction feethat the first five auction items you list each month
schedule shows that you pay an insertion fee that isaren't high value items and will sell for less than $25.
dependent upon the opening bid amount you post onThis will make the listing fees really free.
your listings and the category you post in. Books,The only way to avoid participating in the five free
DVDs, Music and Video games are less expensiveauction listings is to use a service like Turbo Lister to
categories to list in for items under a starting bid ofpost your listings. Turbo Lister is a free listing tool
$25. Over $25, the auction listing fees are the same.provided by eBay that for some reason has had its
You listed a cell phone for sale with a starting price oflistings excluded from the free listings.
$9.99. The regular listing fee would be.35¢. YourSellers need to keep track of every excessive
have a really hot item and the closing bid came in at aexpense in order to be profitable. Remember, if it
whopping $229. You are ecstatic as you were hopingsounds too good to be true or if you hear the word
to get at least $100 for your phone. You get chargefree, do your homework and see what free is really
from eBay for Final Value fees 8.75% of the first $25costing you.