4 Common Reasons for Unexpected eBay Charges

Having unexpected charges or expenses debited from your account can be frustrating sometimes; unfortunately, eBay can be one of those culprits. eBay's fees can hit you whether you're a regular eBay user or not.

There are a few common reasons why eBay charges sellers, and you should be familiar with them.

Posted an Auction Listing

When you list an item for sale on eBay, you'll generally be charged a listing or insertion fee, even if your item doesn't sell. If you've posted eBay listings worth more than a dollar, expect to be charged in accordance with eBay's fee table.

New Credit Card to PayPal

When you add a new credit card for use on eBay, you'll see a one-dollar debit in your account. This isn't a fee or a charge; it's just a way for eBay to verify that your card is both active and possess sufficient funds. The one-dollar won't be removed from your account, just placed on hold for a day or two.

Identifying a Scam

Spoof emails and phishing attempts defraud millions of dollars from people on an annual basis. Be sure to review all bills or statements received via email by logging in directly to your eBay account. Most phishing or spoof attempts will try to defraud you by asking you to pay a fake invoice, click on a link to make a payment, or claim that your payment information needs updating.

Should you receive any fraudulent attempts, let eBay know immediately, and don't engage with the scammer.

eBay Subscription Service

For the casual seller, as of 2019, all eBay sellers are given their first 50 listings for free; and once that threshold is eclipsed, they will pay a fee of $0.30 a listing after that. In contrast, if you aspire to become an eBay power seller, you might find it more beneficial to sign up for eBay's subscription service.

This service offers five different subscriber levels beginning at $4.95/mo up to $2,999.95/mo. With these services, you can receive benefits such as discounts and significantly reduced listing and selling fees. However, should you subscribe to this service and don't engage in any eBay selling activity, you will incur a cost.

Fixing Unexpected Charges

Best practice when you have received unexpected charges is to go directly to your eBay account. Don't click on any links within your billing email just in case the email is a scam. Log into your eBay account and carefully review all of your account activity listed. If you do not see the unexpected charges about which you're concerned, any notice you received was likely a fake.

On the other hand, if you have never used eBay before or if you have deleted you eBay account, the chances are that what you've received is a fake email in an attempt to steal personal information. Don't panic. Instead, contact your credit card issuer or bank and check to see if any charges have been made to your account. If they haven't, delete email; it's a fake, you owe nothing, and there are no repercussions.

Furthermore, If you've never used eBay and there are eBay charges on your credit card or bank statement, you may be the victim of ​identity theft. Dispute the charge with your financial institution and work with their fraud department from there.​​