I wrote to ebay to complain when they made the free postage rule. My case was that if I started a record, let's say an album for this scenario, at 99p, to beakon the bidders in, and the record only sold for 99p, and then I had to post it, which is £1.65 UK, and then there's the Ebay and Paypal fees, I would be loosing money hand over fist.
Their reply was that i should incorporate the postage costs etc into the start price. But if you are starting a record at let's say £3.50 to incorporate the fees etc. instead of 99p, it puts folk of bidding.
I've always beleived and still do, that if a record is worth it, it'll find it's own value so i have always started my auction price at .99p. but there is always the chance that it won't get bid on.
Their excuse was that more and more online shopping sites are doing free postage so they were trying to attract more customers to Ebay by offering the same. But normal sellers are not online multi million £ companies that can afford to absorb the cost of postage, and most Ebay sellers cannot afford to give free postage.
This week I put a load of classical LPs onto Ebay, I sold 7 to one seller, the postage cost was over £4 second class, so work it out, 7 records at 99p = £6.93. take the postage off that = £3.93, then there's the Ebay and paypal fees, packaging equipment and petrol to the post office.? Is it worth it?