Isn't ebay a ripoff...?

Question

I just sold an item for $53.99 and they charged a paypal fee of $2 and some cents. Now they charging me $4 for ebay fees. Thats a total of $6!

Subtract $6 from $53.99 and I only get a profit of $47.99.

How do people make business selling on ebay? Such a ripoff!

Answer 1

Consider what it costs to advertise in a local newspaper. With eBay, you get worldwide coverage. You make money by doing volume business, not by selling a couple small items. You also have the right not to sell there if it's such a "ripoff".

Answer 2

That's cheap.

The stndard fee charged for decades now has been 15% of the selling price - it's called a finder's fee.

Amazon is even more expensive.

You're still getting a good deal with ebay, when you consider how many potential customersit has, what it would cost to reach the same sized market and what it would cost to process the payment through a merchant account.