how does ebay sellers make money?

[raggie33]

i ordered a light for my bike from ebay 16 bucks shiped has front and rear. the front light has a speedmeter and horn built in the light is perfect beam patern its rechargeble. the speedmeter is acurate. i just dont understand how they make money. when i ship something like that its like 10 bucks shiping alone

 

[raggie33]

i also have a tac belt comeing for like 7 bucks

 

[3_gun]

Many work somewhere with a large shipping dept & just slip it in the Q for the company to pay. In a shop that ships 100s of items a day an extra 2 or 3 go unnoticed

 

[Lynx_Arc]

If you think about the materials in things electronics are cheap to make for the most part once you pay for the research to make something the biggest cost is labor. Likely the light costs around $4 to make and the cost to ship to a warehouse likely in California to be sold is another few dollars. The markup is often huge. I recall looking to get a remote for a sony blu-ray player and in the US it was priced around $12-$15. I ordered one from China for $3 and it was the exact smae as the other one I have. So basically the markup was around 250-300 percent. I remember back in the 90s when I got into mail ordering computer parts I needed a printer cable (parallel port) and ordered 2 of them that were 15 foot long for about $3.50 each with included shipping costs with all the other stuff I bought at the same time. I went to a computer store and they were selling 6 foot cables for printers for $25 each. I've seen Belkin cables selling for $15 locally identical to cables at the Dollar Tree. If you buy directly you cancel out 2-3 extra shipping charges and markups.

 

[bykfixer]

The cost to make the stuff mass produced in China is super low and often their gubment suppliments the cost to send it to America or other countries. And then there's all those clones out there as well.

When I was in the bicycle business I had an opportunity to buy carbon fiber Trek frames that ran $1100 each here in the US for $50ea (shipped) if I bought 500. Probably fakes, but never-the-less it showed me just how inexpensive goods from that country can be.

 

[aznsx]

IMO, even in current times, as always in my lifetime, low quality can be had over a wide range of price points, but high quality still doesn't come cheap (legally) - regardless of the distribution channels. Quality and procurement costs are still independent factors that must be considered in any example. In other words, low quality merch is cheap merch, and unless it's marked up a lot, it'll be cheap. High quality merch is rarely cheap (inexpensive).

 

[bykfixer]

When my dad called something "cheap" he was referring to durability/quality, not price. Me too most of the time.

 

[raggie33]

so far its working perfect i mean amazeing perfect beam for me seeing the road and for others to see me.

 

[MikeJackson]

A bike light with a speedometer and horn for just 16 bucks, including shipping? It's almost too good to be true! Sometimes, those deals leave us scratching our heads about how they even make a profit. Speaking of great deals, have you ever explored games for money? There are some pretty cool opportunities out there to enjoy gaming while earning a little extra on the side.

 

[thermal guy]

From me. They make their money from me!😂

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Perhaps it "fell off" a truck, raggie33?

Only outgoing goods ship cheaply from China. Inquiring how much it will cost to ship it back will be an eye-opening shock.

 

[raggie33]

crazy stuff yesterday a a forum member posted a link to a digital caliper for 1 buck lol btw i made this post a year ago . but saw it kn front page i was thinking to self omg i dont recal posting this lol till i saw date

 

[alpg88]

I have a suspicion some sellers sell stolen stuff, retail theft is all times high, most of it done from inside.
Some sellers buy pallets full of stuff on auctions, and sell for less,

 

[raggie33]

god i hope your wrong . id hate to contribute to thieft

 

[bykfixer]

I have a suspicion some sellers sell stolen stuff, retail theft is all times high, most of it done from inside.
Some sellers buy pallets full of stuff on auctions, and sell for less,

A few years back I was buying older versions of Coast lights from an Amazon seller in California. One day I got a registered letter from the PostMaster General of Portland Oregon asking me to call them. They asked a bunch of questions and at one point I asked why all the questions.

It turned out the seller was involved in a theft ring where they had purchased stolen Coast products (by a Coast employee) and were selling them on Amazon. My order was deemed illegal so it was confiscated by the USPS. Having bought a few already from the seller the USPS was ensuring I was not buying them and reselling since they were being sold at half price.

Yeah it's pretty rampant. I've gotten fakes from Amazon sellers for lots of electronics, so I only buy from authorized dealers anymore. It seems eBay has the worst reputation but I've never gotten any fakes there.

 

[raggie33]

i hate thief's so much . hect just bougt a level 5 lock for my bike then noticed there is nothing at most stores to attach it to. i see i thought about locking it to a sign. but then thought to self they will just remove the dang sign .its safe here in my town but walmart is in another state from me. cant belive. no one has bike racks at there stores anymore

 

[thermal guy]

I got the new elzetta alpha for 55 bucks when they first came out. Same thing with the new bones. That seller is gone now😂😂

 

[Monocrom]

I have a suspicion some sellers sell stolen stuff, retail theft is all times high, most of it done from inside.
Some sellers buy pallets full of stuff on auctions, and sell for less,

That's the answer to raggie's question right there.
Not eBay's fault. They give their sellers the benefit of the doubt.
And honestly, almost all buyers don't care where it came from....
just as long as they get what they paid for.

 

[Monocrom]

A few years back I was buying older versions of Coast lights from an Amazon seller in California. One day I got a registered letter from the PostMaster General of Portland Oregon asking me to call them. They asked a bunch of questions and at one point I asked why all the questions.

It turned out the seller was involved in a theft ring where they had purchased stolen Coast products (by a Coast employee) and were selling them on Amazon. My order was deemed illegal so it was confiscated by the USPS. Having bought a few already from the seller the USPS was ensuring I was not buying them and reselling since they were being sold at half price.

Yeah it's pretty rampant. I've gotten fakes from Amazon sellers for lots of electronics, so I only buy from authorized dealers anymore. It seems eBay has the worst reputation but I've never gotten any fakes there.

Etsy is far worse! Although in the past year or so they've gotten a bit better.

 

[ilikeguns40]

What I don’t understand is not how they make money, but the fact the eBay seller fees are so high I dont know anyone in their right mind would just give a high percentage of their profits away. eBay sucks for the seller, great for the buyer