eBay charging Final Value Fees on postage (Australia) - eBay's maths !!???

[*Brum6y*]

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?

[*Ubbie Max*]

Struth. Glad I'm not a seller.

[*CountessA*]

Brumby, I used to give assistance to a relative with some items-around-the-house selling, but it's been at least two years (probably more) since that's been necessary (no selling since then).

I try to keep up with the changes eBay makes re selling, in case I have to plunge back into lending a hand (and I don't want to give incorrect information or be a hindrance rather than a help) - but that particular mathematical convolution is NOT one I've seen.

But is it possible that there's a refund (as opposed to an at-the-time reduction in fee) issued at the middle, end or beginning of the month in respect of the FVF on postage when combined invoices are involved now?

[*Brum6y*]

Well, it seems some of the mystery has been answered on this.....

This particular customer's invoice had over $100 worth of additional purchases which the seller included as a lump sum in the 'sellers charges' section.  According to what my seller friend has been told, this has been used as a shipping charge and apportioned across the other items purchased.

While an explanation, the process of apportioning such an amount over other items (as used in the narrative) is somewhat confusing - and I would have preferred they had left it out completely.


Nevertheless, I checked this assertion and while I found this made the discrepancy much less....

.... it was still wrong (by more than a dollar).

[*CountessA*]

eBay cannot do their sums...