This past 7 days I did an experiment. I had not listed on eBay in over two months so I really never had any idea what I was truly spending per item in listing and final valuation fees… until now… My account was paid up and I was beginning from ground zero.
Well I put on 182 items of good to very good antique and vintage costume jewelry with most under $10.00, a number of them under $20.00 and a few under $40.00. None of my auction listings had any extra “bells and whistles” so that most listed for $.35 - $.90. I sold 55 auctions for $1,105.00… not bad for a week’s work? Can’t beat it huh!!! Well the week has ended and let me give you the total breakdown of my costs.
With the cost of 182 auctions’ listing fees, 30 items relisting fees and final valuation fees I owe eBay $305.55. So that means I now made $799.45… still not bad for a week’s work… right? Oh I forgot ebay buyers can now only pay with paypal and this is any estimated $133.99 in Paypal charges (remember this is still going into eBay’s pocket). Well that now brings me down to $665.46… okay not as good as I had hoped… but, oh I forgot the cost of my merchandise which at the low end is about $455.00 and which I also bought through eBay so they made more money from me when I made my bids to win it … now I made $210.46 … well now we are down below minimum wage for my 40 hours of work. And it gets worse, I offered FREE SHIPPING as eBay really like to get buyers and this will be about another $100.00… which leaves me with a grand total for the week of $110.46 divided by a 40 hour week makes my hourly rate $2.76 an hour.
So as you see between eBay and Paypal my original $1,105.00 income was reduced by 40% for their fees. This is higher than the highest tax bracket… this is higher than what an auctioneer would have charged and they would have actually worked for the money and probably sold everything.
Throughout the annals of time, I am sure that Ebay along with its subsidiary Paypal are the greediest two companies to have ever graced the face of the earth. One more point about eBay… when listing an auction, eBay would like to see you contribute a percentage of your sales to a charity from 10% to a whopping 100%. I really hope no eBay seller is under the delusion that eBay is sending a check to your favorite charity with your name on it… wrong …eBay is taking your hard earned charitable contribution and writing it off against their corporate taxes thus lowering eBay’s tax liability. EBay sellers fill eBay’s pockets with tons of cash and then eBay turns around and expects eBay sellers to pay their taxes!!! This is unfathomable greed and eBay continues to get away with it!!!
Now along with all of this, as a seller I have to worry that someone will leave me negative feedback and I have no recourse, or God forbid someone reverses their payment to me on Paypal and I am out those additional funds, or that my Power Seller (what good is it anyways) will be dropped or the ultimate I will wake up one morning and across my screen in big yellow words “YOU ARE SUSPENDED FROM EBAY” for something inane and trivial.
I honestly have to ask why do people put up with this greed and craziness. Why do eBay sellers struggle to keep eBay’s pockets over brimming and their stockholders fat!!! Ebay is not the place it used to be or is it really even an option as a place to make money. Actually most could work at McDonalds and make twice as much and get a free burger in the bargain.
The problem is that people who love auctions and buying and selling vintage and antique things can’t get it out of their blood. Well there is a true alternative to eBay and it is especially for the small boutique and specialty store buyer and seller of vintage and antique things. I along with three others have started VirtualShops.biz and it is the umbrella company for a series of new and exciting auction boutiques for antique and vintage merchandise to be opened over the next 14 months. The premise of our business is three fold. First is to have auction boutique venues for specialty antique and vintage merchandise. Second is to be the least costly venue on the internet. And third is to provide the best customer service available anywhere.
The first auction boutique, opened in October 2008, is Virtual Gems Emporium at www.virtualgemsemporium.com. This is an exclusive auction venue for antique, vintage and new costume and fine jewelry. For example if I had listed the above 182 auctions on Virtual Gems Emporium with the many free upgrades VGE offers, my total cost to list and relist would have been $74.20 and this is because THERE ARE NO FINAL VALUATION FEES!!! Yes that is right $74.20 as compared to $305.55 at eBay. Also since Virtual Gems Emporium does not require the buyer to pay by Paypal (this obviously is still an option along with many other payment options at VGE) I could save the additional $133.99. My sales of $1,105.00 would have only been diminished to $1,030.00 and that is if everyone would have paid by check or money order. Now if all had chosen to use paypal or comparable online payment, my total proceeds would have been reduced to around $896.81 at VGE as compared to the above $655.46. This is a huge savings of $241.35. The point here is that buyers and sellers now have options.
Just to show you how generous we are at VGE you can list as much as you want for FREE throughout the month of November. Hopefully you will get that extra cash needed for Christmas and the holidays. We want as many jewelry lovers to come to get to know us and test drive our site… and we want to see you make money for the Holidays. So get going and enjoy a wonderful and exciting month of making some extra money without worrying about listing fees and NO Final Valuation Fees!!! The free listing feature is for all types of auctions, fixed, buy out, or reserve auction and will include:
1. FREE SUBCATEGORY
2. FREE PHOTO UPLOADS (up to 7 photos)
3. FREE SUPERSIZE THUMBNAIL GALLERY PHOTOS
4. FREE BUY IT NOW
5. FREE RESERVE
6. FREE DELAYED AUCTION START
7. FREE LISTING (no matter what the starting price is AND no matter how many)
8. FREE BOLD
The only things not included in this free offer will be HIGHLIGHTING, HOME PAGE FEATURE, CATEGORY FEATURE and MEDIA (movie) UPLOAD which are all still available but at the price indicated in our site fee section to be found at the bottom of the home page.
REGISTRATION IS FREE !!! NO FINANCIAL INFORMATION IS REQUIRED!!!
LIST FOR FREE THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER
IMPORTANT KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS ON THE SITE and GETTING YOUR VGE BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND!!!
This is a new site since only being up just a little over a month and I just want to remind you that this site is YOUR site. As with starting any new business endeavor you will need to work to contact friends, family and other auction buddies you may have in your email address book and let them know where you are. This is good for everybody. In my first month on VGE, many of my previous buyers from eBay signed up and my income barely skipped a beat and actually probably did better since I paid no Final Valuation Fees!!! If you want more than you will be expected to work to make VGE better than eBay and with the opportunity to make tons of money with more of it going in your pocket.
I have read many blogs and forums over the past year and a half and the complaints about eBay continue to mount. But the overriding comment has always been “why doesn’t someone else start an auction site for the small boutique seller”. Well that is what gave birth to the idea of Virtual Gems Emporium and IT IS FOR YOUR USE TO MAKE TONS OF MONEY!!!.
Once you have registered I will be sending you an email for you to send to your friends, family and auction buddies. This letter should be emailed as a blind copy (BCC) to everyone in your email address book. Just as with any new business venture you need to get your leads for sales and this will help to bring those who love you and your things to the site. Think about business associates, church members or anyone else who you might know and make them aware of where you are and that they might find some really great Christmas or Holiday Gifts for those on their lists.
The great news gets even greater. Before the end of 2008 two more new sites will be opened and each will again be vintage and antique boutique auctions like Virtual Gems Emporium. And guess what, if you are signed up on Virtual Gems Emporium you will have a “VIRTUAL SHOPS PASSPORT” to shop and sell in any and all boutiques that are opened.
The next auction boutique to be opened will be Virtual Collectibles Shop and will be for all of the vintage and antique things that collectors love. You will find stamps, coins, toys, comic books, dolls, sports memorabilia, snowglobes, Disney, paper ephemera and so much more.
The third auction boutique will be Virtual Arts and Antique Gallery and will be all about fine vintage and antique pieces for the dealer and collector. You will find paintings, limited edition art pieces, sculpture, vintage and antique porcelain, glassware, art glass, pottery, art pottery, Asian Antiques, antiquities, furniture, and so much more.
In 2009, other fabulous boutique auction sites will be opened and will include Veranda and Patio, European, African, Far East, Gourmet, Kitchen, Bed and Bath, Pet and more!!! So hold onto your hats because this is where the future is going and just think you are all in on the ground floor of this very exciting endeavor.
Unlike EBay, VGE has many buyer to seller payment options and include personal check, cashier’s check, money orders, Western Union, Paypal, Google Check Out, Authorize.net and even more so you now the FREEDOM and OPPORTUNITY to conduct your business the way you want to.
To summarize, build your business on VGE as quickly as you can so you can make a ton of money especially with the holidays coming.
We want you to be successful and we want our site to be the best ALTERNATIVE out there.
Thank you and welcome to your future!!!!
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