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How Much Money EBay Stole From Me In The Last Week!!! by Ginnysgemsjewels
How Much Money EBay Stole From Me In The Last Week!!!
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 feesâ until nowâ 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 âbells and whistlesâ so that most listed for $.35 - $.90. I sold 55 auctions for $1,105.00â not bad for a weekâs work? Canât beat it huh!!! Well the week has ended and let me give you the total breakdown of my costs.
With the cost of 182 auctionsâ listing fees, 30 items relisting fees and final valuation fees I owe eBay $305.55. So that means I now made $799.45â still not bad for a weekâs workâ 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 eBayâs pocket). Well that now brings me down to $665.46â okay not as good as I had hopedâ 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 â now I made $210.46 â 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 $100.00â 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 bracketâ 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 eBayâ 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 itâ wrong âeBay is taking your hard earned charitable contribution and writing it off against their corporate taxes thus lowering eBayâs tax liability. EBay sellers fill eBayâs 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 âYOU ARE SUSPENDED FROM EBAYâ 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 eBayâs 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 canât 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.
LIST FOR FREE THROUGHOUT NOVEMBER
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 siteâ 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!!!
IMPORTANT KEYS 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 âwhy doesnât someone else start an auction site for the small boutique sellerâ. 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 âVIRTUAL SHOPS PASSPORTâ 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, cashierâs 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!!!!
Registration to sell or buy at Virtual Gems Emporium is free and easy. To sign up today visit http://www.virtualgemsemporium.com.
http://www.virtualgemsemporium.com
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/How-Much-Money-EBay-Stole-From-Me-In-The-Last-Week---/415758
What is the brown product on this fake vine?
I want to make miniature fake vines for clay sculptures, doll houses and general decoration on little items like candle holders etc. and I want to know what the brown product is on these Prima vines is. It doesn't look like florist tape but it looks quite natural (probably paper based) and realistic.
http://www.primamarketinginc.com/index.php/blossoming-branches-almond.html
Failing that, does anyone know what I can wrap around wire for the same/similar look? I want to be able to make it myself as I want really large quantities.
Actually, it is brown floral tape that is used. You'll find many options by typing in "brown florist tape" in your web browser or Amazon, and there are also many color options available through ebay. The florist tape is Very Easy to use and works quite well to create nice looking branches. If you want to add any additional shading to your stems, there are several different shades of brown florist tape, which you can use together when wrapping your stems that adds dimension.
I hope this helps!
