The Final Straw Of An eBay Seller

After three years of service, I am sad to say that my eBay store is finally going to close.

I have endured policy changes that seemed designed to destroy the very product that I sold, sports cards. Every year there would come a new restriction that further hindered my business plan. My sales dwindled. Sometimes the store was just operating to sustain itself and nothing of a profit was seen.

First, the geniuses at ebay took away store items for under a dollar. My business was made by adding commons to a few higher purchased items. It was usually between 5 and 50 cents, but I added the allure of combined shipping and cards flew out the door. These initial changes were something that I almost did not recover from.

Then, optional insurance was taken away. You were supposed to increase your already high prices or increase the shipping to include things like insurance. Either you offered it or you didn't. Choice was taken away. Already overpriced commons priced at one dollar, with a low shipping price of $1.75 and the allure of combined shipping, sat there even longer.

What made me stay? Well, eBay lowered the insertion fees, which helped my bottom line a little more. I was able to offer a few more cards and not worry about unsold product chipping away at my small profit.

Now, comes word that on March 30, eBay is requiring basic stores (which I have) to have fixed inventory at 20 cents per month per item. That is a jump of 17 cents per listing per month! Part of the attraction of having the basic store was the reduced listing fees for store inventory. By paying the fees for a basic store, I was able to list each store item for 3 cents per month. This luxury is now vanished. It is replaced by greed and manipulation.

I have no doubt that this will decrease the overall listings and sales on eBay. Why would a company founded on the consumer getting the best deal, shoot itself in the foot at almost every opportunity in the past two years? I haven't been able to offer the best deal on some items for two years. Now, I can't even afford to keep the good fight going.

Here's where you can help me, dear readers and friends. I would like to open an online store where I can price items for any price that I see fit. This way I can offer a bunch of commons, along with the higher priced cards. Basically, something for the set/team builders and player collectors, etc...

I would prefer to have no insertion fees, if possible. I would like to keep the inventory up until it's sold. In essence, very low overhead. Operating my eBay store has been one of the great pleasures of the last few years for me. It's hard for me to accept that this experience has to end, but my time with eBay as a store option is forced to a premature end.

Any suggestions?