I've just spent an hour or so going over one example of a combined invoice from my seller friend's latest eBay invoice - in particular, the new FVF on postage.
For each line item on the customer's invoice, eBay details the FVF calculated for the shipping and handling. They also include a figure as part of the narrative - supposedly "Postage, handling and other related costs:" - but the figure they specify is not found anywhere in the listing.
After some number wrangling, what I found is rather curious.
* Shipping and handling charge specified in the listing: $8.15
* EBay's FVF is given as $1.44
* $8.15 x 17.65% = $1.44 (Not the 8.5% I believe is the correct figure)
* EBay narrative on seller's invoice:Postage, handling and other related costs: AU $17.00 (Fixed Price)
* If you take the $1.44 fee and reverse calculate using 8.47% (which is rather close to the magic 8.5% rate), you get to the $17.00 figure.
The figure of $17.00 is an absolute invention. It does not appear ANYWHERE in the listing.
On the other 10 line items of this customer's combined invoice, the same exercise yields the FVF Fee as being calculated at a rate of 17.65% (give or take 0.05%) and the reverse calculation percentage is around 8.42% (give or take 0.05%).
What this means is the FVF on postage eBay have charged is $9.31 - where the sum of the figures from the listings indicates a charge of $4.49.
However, that is not the end of it.
Because of the combined invoice, a single PP&H amount of $26.05 was charged by the seller (it was rather heavy and going to W.A.) - and that should have attracted a FVF Fee of only $2.21.
In short:
Fee due on PP&H = $2.21
Fee collected on PP&H = $9.31
Has anyone else seen anything like this?