Ebay Ending An Auction Early Ripoff Fees!!!

I guess Ebay has found a way to get more money from their honest sellers who list and sell authentic autographs.

I recently, for the first time in a long time, decided to list one of my items starting with a .99 cents starting bid.

I usually use "Buy It Now/Best Offer" for the few listings I submit.

Due the fact that it is impossible to compete with forgeries and shill bidding, I decided to cancel my auction.

Low and behold, I looked at my Ebay account and was wondering why my selling fees (so far this month) were so high because I hadn't sold anything.

Well, Ebay billed my account 10% of the highest bid amount at the time I cancelled my auction.

So while the scam sellers of Ebay and their shill bidders run amok on Ebay, honest sellers get penalized because they are unable to compete with sellers of forgeries and the shill bidders they employ.

Let's not forget that Ebay continues to profit from the sales of forgeries and shill bidding.

Remember the adage "An item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it."

That adage no longer applies with listings on Ebay.

On many of the hobby websites you read about hobbyists complaining about sellers who only use "Buy It Now/Best Offer" listings

They have no choice but to use "Buy It Now/Best Offer" listings.

The only other alternative is to submit your listing at the minimum amount that you will accept for your auction.

So here we have Ebay discovering and implementing another way to dip into the pockets of the honest seller who cannot possibly complete with sellers of forgeries and the shill bidders that they employ.

Sickening!!!!

Comment by terrier8HOF on October 12, 2015 at 7:50pm: F ebay.......or is it Fee-bay?

Comment by Ian Baldock on October 12, 2015 at 8:03pm: It really is sickening. I monitor ebay but I rarely buy anymore unless its something I really want.

Comment by Null on October 13, 2015 at 7:52am: Yup they've been doing this for a little while now, this is why all of my "auctions" are BIN 10 or 30 day Fixed Price. Pretty sickening. It's amazing how F'ed up eBay and this hobby are.

Comment by Sidney Fields on October 13, 2015 at 12:34pm: Please pardon my ignorance on this...but why not start an auction at the minimum price you would accept?

And can't you set a reserve minimum?

Comment by Mike T on October 13, 2015 at 1:11pm: They do this to dissuade sellers from canceling their auctions 24 hours before they end because they aren't happy with the price it's currently at. As a buyer I imagine you would be pretty upset knowing that you were going to get a good deal only to have the seller end the listing on you. If you're going to list at 0.99, you should be prepared to accept whatever the outcome of the auction is, good or bad. If you want to fetch a certain price to sell, you can use reserves or set the starting price as Sidney said. I get that we all don't like eBay, but this is pretty standard stuff.

Comment by Adam Halloran on October 13, 2015 at 1:26pm: Yeah. I could understand being upset if you didn't.have any bids then cancelled the auction and was charged 10%. I think if you already have bids and you started the auction at $.99 you have to expect some sort of repercussion for ending it early. If I bid on an item and it was cancelled early I would be a little peeved off

Comment by CJCollector on October 13, 2015 at 2:44pm: I appreciate all of the feedback guys.

I've been using the "But It Now/Best Offer" option for a while now and have come to realize that most people enjoy the "frenzy" of bidding.

As a buyer, I prefer the "Buy It Now/Best Offer" option.

I do have auctions listed with the minimum amount I will accept as my starting bid.

If I had known about the "10% Penalty" for cancelling my auction early, I wouldn't have listed it with a .99 cents starting bid.

Live and learn.

Comment by Joe W. on October 13, 2015 at 6:27pm: The best way to go is the Buy Now option. Study the ebay market and be prepared to sit on your items for awhile if you are wanting anything near top dollar. If you have quality autographs than the public wants you will sell it eventually. Ebay is a challenging market to sell in but worth it once you get a feel for what to pay and what is will bring. Good news, most autograph dealers put ridiculously high prices on their stuff leaving you plenty of opportunity to compete price wise. Establish a reputation. Patience pays!

Comment by CJCollector on October 13, 2015 at 6:31pm: Joe, with all due respect, I've been on Ebay since 2000, so I do know what I'm doing and I know autographs as well as anyone.

I was just taken aback by "End Your Listing Early Penalty."

This thread is me venting.

Back in the day, you could get real market value for your autographs, but times have changed with forgeries and shill bidding as bad as it ever was.

Ebay is worse now than during the "Operation Bullpen" era.

Comment by Joe W. on October 13, 2015 at 6:41pm: A half a million listings doesn't help either. I've been able to pick up some crazy bargains from some high profile sellers there recently. It's a buyers market right now and looks to stay that way for quite some time. But, good autographs do sell. And, I never disrespect anyone, I hope ever, at least never on purpose.

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