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Home > Sell > August 2008 Update > Overview
Announcement

  August 2008 Update  
  Seller Resources  
 Fee Examples
Examples of fee changes
The examples below demonstrate how the lower Insertion Fees, adjusted Final Value Fees and new 30-day duration for Fixed Price listings will affect items from different categories with various selling prices and conversion rates. Some examples show how much you can save for Fixed Price listings as well as for Auction-style listings with lower starting prices. You'll also find suggestions for how to choose your listing format and examples of how sellers can benefit from listing multiple items in one listing.

Are my fees going up?
Examples: New Fixed Price fees vs. old

Canon PowerShot digital camera
Hummel collectable figurine
Apple iPod Nano
Citizens of Humanity Jeans
Apple MacBook Pro
Dell laptop

Should I change my Auction-style listings to Fixed Price?
Examples: Fixed Price vs. Auction-style

Canon PowerShot digital camera
Hummel collectable figurine
Apple iPod Nano
Citizens of Humanity Jeans


How do I know which listing format I should use?
Examples: Multi-quantity vs. single item listings

$10 item
$25 item
$50 item
$200 item



Are my fees going up?
We are lowering listing fees for Fixed Price listings overall and adjusting Final Value Fees for Fixed Price based on category. There will be a significant decrease in Insertion Fees, which will allow sellers to list more inventory without paying as much up front. With the new 30-day duration available at no extra cost, sellers can save even more, getting more than four times the duration compared to the seven days a listing fee paid for in the past. These examples show the savings from the Fixed Price Insertion Fee decrease and the new 30 day duration, including the Final Value Fee adjustments:

Canon PowerShot digital camera
A $200 Canon PowerShot digital camera that sells in Fixed Price after being listed three times for up to 21 days would currently cost a seller $17.31 in total fees, with 52% paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be only $11.10, a savings of 36%, with only 3% paid upfront for the listing.



Hummel collectable figurine
A $25 Hummel collectable figurine that sells in Fixed Price after being listed three times for up to 21 days would currently cost a seller $5.19 in total fees, with 58% paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be only $3.35, a savings of 35%, with only 10% paid upfront for the listing.



Apple iPod Nano
A $75 Apple iPod Nano that sells in Fixed Price after being listed only one time for up to seven days would currently cost a seller $5.94 in total fees, with 34% paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be only $5.48, a savings of 8%, with only 6% paid upfront for the listing.



Citizens of Humanity jeans
A $50 pair of Citizen of Humanity jeans that sell in Fixed Price after being listed three times for up to 21 days would currently cost a seller $9.06 in total fees, with 66% paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be only $6.35, a savings of 30%, with only 6% paid upfront for the listing.



Apple MacBook Pro
A $1500 MacBook Pro that sells in Fixed Price after being listed three times for up to 21 days would currently cost a seller $55.81 in total fees, with 22% paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be $43.98, a savings of 21%, with only 1% paid upfront for the listing.



Dell laptop
A $500 Dell laptop that sells in Fixed Price after being listed only one time for up to seven days would currently cost a seller $22.81 in total fees, with 18% paid upfront for the listing. Under the new pricing, the total cost would be $20.23, a savings of 11%, with only 2% paid upfront for the listing.





With the new $0.35 Insertion Fee for Fixed Price, should I change my Auction-style listings to Fixed Price?
Not necessarily! In most cases, sellers who are successful with Auction-style listings are sellers who have high converting items that sell successfully almost every time they are listed. Auction-style listings are still the lowest cost way to sell on eBay. Auction-style listings with a low start price that drive bidding activity and end up in a sale will almost always be the most economical format for sellers. These examples show the difference in fees between Auction-style and Fixed Price listings:

Canon PowerShot digital camera
For a $200 Canon PowerShot digital camera sold in Fixed Price under the new pricing, the total cost would be $11.10 (assuming the item sells within the 30-day listing duration). If you list the same item as an Auction-style listing with a low start price to drive bidding activity, your total fees for the Auction-style listing will continue to be less than the fees for Fixed Price. For example, this camera listed as an Auction starting at $0.99 that sells for $200 would cost $8.46 in fees, a savings of 24% compared to Fixed Price.



Hummel figurine
For a $25 Hummel collectable figurine sold in Fixed Price under the new pricing, the total cost would be $3.35 (assuming the item sells within the 30-day listing duration). If you list the same item as an Auction-style listing with a low start price to drive bidding activity, your total fees for the Auction-style listing will continue to be less than the fees for Fixed Price. For example, this figurine listed as an Auction-style listing starting at $0.99 that sells for $25 would cost $2.34 in fees, a savings of 30% compared to Fixed Price.



Apple iPod Nano
For a $75 Apple iPod Nano sold in Fixed Price under the new pricing, the total cost would be $5.48 (assuming the item sells within the 30-day listing duration). If you list the same item as an Auction-style listing with a low start price to drive bidding activity, your total fees for Auction-style listings will continue to be less than the fees for Fixed Price. For example, this iPod listed as an Auction-style listing starting at $0.99 that sells for $75 would cost $4.09 in fees, a savings of 25% compared to Fixed Price.



Citizens of Humanity jeans
For a $50 pair of Citizen of Humanity jeans sold in Fixed Price under the new pricing, the total cost would be $6.35 (assuming the item sells within the 30-day listing duration). If you list the same item as an Auction-style listing with a low start price to drive bidding activity, your total fees for Auction-style listings will continue to be less than the fees for Fixed Price. For example, these jeans listed as an Auction-style listing starting at $0.99 that sell for $50 would cost only $3.21 in fees, a savings of 49% compared to Fixed Price.




How do I know which listing format I should use?

Choose Auction-style when:
  • You're unsure of the value of your item and want it to sell right away, allowing the eBay Marketplace to determine its value.
  • You have unique and hard to find items that could attract demand and spur a bidding war, maximizing profits from your listing.
  • You are currently using Auction-style listings and you have a high sell-through rate (your items typically sell the first time you list them).
  • You sell sporadically and your items don't have recent sales to boost your item's search standing. Auction-style listings will continue to be sorted by "Ending Soonest".

Choose Fixed Price when:
  • You have multiple items that you can place into one 35¢ listing.
  • You know the value of your item or know the exact price you need to get for it.
  • You have a lot of inventory and want to minimize your upfront Insertion Fees. Use 30-day durations and try automatic renewals (Good 'Til Cancelled) to boost efficiency.
  • You want your items to be available to buyers for more than seven days.

Use a combination of both Auction-style and Fixed Price when:
  • You sell a variety of items and want to attract both bidders and buyers - those looking for a deal on Auction-style listings and others who prefer the convenience of Fixed Price purchases.
  • You want to maximize demand for your inventory and leverage Auction-style and Fixed Price to help drive bidders and buyers to your other listings or Store.

Multiple quantity examples - 10 identical items to list with different item values: