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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 CJCollector on October 13, 2015 at 6:43pm: Me, too, Joe.

I've picked up Joe D. sigs at well under $100.00 (one for $28.00) and during the last year I was able to pick up two Mantle signed baseballs for under $220.00.

The deals are there if you know autographs and are patient.

But, it is still difficult to compete with the forgeries, shill bidders, wannabe autographs and Ebay.

Comment by Joe W. on October 13, 2015 at 6:46pm: Ebay does have many flaws I agree. But, it also provides an opportunity for those to develop their skills and build a quality collection more cost effectively. It will certainly sharpen one's skills. I enjoy that.

Comment by Steve Zarelli on October 13, 2015 at 7:05pm: Joe's comment about too many listings is spot on. The no listing fee just encourages ridiculous pricing models and the same sellers flood eBay with the same overpriced junk that never sells. I've seen some items literally listed for years at the same absurd buy it now price. My daily searches return many of the same items week after week. It grows old after a while and the result is one just stops looking.

The flood of fakes certainly helps educated buyers get bargains on authentic material. It's double edged sword, however, when it comes time to sell your authentic material.

Comment by Paul on October 13, 2015 at 7:33pm: If you have a ebay store like Perry cox do you pay a lesser commission on the items you sell than someone who doesn't have a ebay store?

Comment by automan on October 14, 2015 at 2:41am: yes at one time you could contact the buyer to inform them they had bought a fake,however ebay clocked on to this and encrypted the buyers username and also stopped the option of being able to contact the buyer via email

Comment by Mark Saurin on October 14, 2015 at 9:54am: I am with Joe on this, I sell on ebay all the time, never auction anything these days. I sell at what I want, if I sell, great, if not, I don't care, another tip that I do on ebay, as I sell each item, I pay my fees straight away under the "One Time Payment" method, this stops the bill from becoming a huge bill, also keeps you in control of all the changing/moving goal posts situations with ebay these days.

Comment by David S on October 14, 2015 at 3:28pm: had a very similar thing happen a few months back...Wanted to auction an item that would have sold for $400-500 probably just 2-3 years ago on ebay (when the cared about forgeries)...made the mistake of starting it for $1...ended up selling for $275. I was annoyed, but I guess I got lucky as the winner messaged me and said that he didn't think the picture on the LOA from JSA matched the autograph on the item! I said, okay, if that's how you feel i'm canceling the sale, and he agreed to it! LOL. got my fees back...but learned a lesson that i will now start bidding at higher $....i blame the high # of forgeries. Definitely agree with whoever said it was a buyer's market, as I get some awesome deals....but i guess i'll have to be more careful with selling.

Comment by Jim McFiver on October 21, 2015 at 12:32am: It's not a secret that eBay has this 'ending the auction early charge' on items that have a bid. It's been part of their fee penalty structure for several years. As an eBay seller since 1999, selling music & music memorabilia, it's my job to know what fees are charged and what penalties I face should something go awry.

My understanding is it was implemented because sellers would receive an offer from a buyer, even though BIN wasn't an option, and sell it offline, depriving eBay of their fees. Hence the cancellation penalty and the development of eBay's email system, forcing the buyer and seller to communicate via eBay's monitored platform. It also forces sellers to have their items in stock when listing, insuring the buyer will receive an item successfully won, not sold out underneath him by a higher post-sale offer.

eBay has been part of the collecting world for nearly 20 years. Rarer items once considered unobtainable are now easily acquired at often reasonable prices, frustrating both quixotic sellers and implacable price guide authors. I've always felt this is a good thing because in a true marketplace, an item is only worth what someone will pay - not what the price guide says or what seller thinks it's worth.

For what it's worth, I'm finding collectors are still shopping, seeking to upgrade the condition of their items to near mint or factory-sealed. And they're shopping with sellers who've earned the best reputation possible. And not shopping with sellers who try to pull a fast one on buyers because they fear low bids. For the past 5 years, 99% of my auction sales are now decided in the last 20 seconds. I don't even look at the listings until they end.

Comment by michael bartow on October 21, 2015 at 7:28am: Got to love eBay. I also am both a buyer and seller and have ended auctions early in the past. Reason is sometimes I mess up with the auction description and I don't want a issue with someone saying I promised this when actually dont have it. What eBay does it they stop u from changing things with 24 hrs to go so it really shows you better proof read your auction.But I guess eBay must have seen a trend and said well we are going to give u a penalty for doing it but, like it was mentioned the shill bidders who bail at the last minute and have something like double digit bid retractions in 30 days and like hundreds in 6 months get to keep bidding. Even though eBay has said they will crack down they don't.

Comment by Fuddjcal on October 21, 2015 at 7:55am: I have told e-bay to shove it. I WILL NOT BUY a thing from a corporation that lubes up the behind of their customers. I'm OUT!