When i started on ebay, FVF were 3.9%.

Now with promoted listings they are as high as 21% because of the extra international fee.

that's a 550% increase in a little over 20 years.

in 2003 i could send a card in a padded mailer within the U.S. for 65 cents.

It's now between 5.50 and 6.00

that's a 900% increase.

Its called INFLATION.
20 years ago cigarettes were $1 a pack of 20 now with taxes inflation and taxes they are $40 a pack of 20 as I do not smoke they could be more.
This applies to most things also 20 years ago there was such a thing as price control no such thing now it is all any thing goes.

Not ebays fault I know, but just a heads up for anyone selling now, if you sell 30 cards a year in the UK you will have to give ebay your national insurance number and they will pass details of everything you have sold to the tax man.
Theres also a money limit I think around £1700 if anyone plans to sell very expensive cards.

A few Ebay sellers are inflating their shipping charges as in around $8-10 for maybe 10 cards. I did buy about 50 cards with $12 as a shipping cost. I thought that was a little high but then the seller did refund me about $4 for the overage so I thought that was good.

Another seller wanted $20 to ship one card that was in a some special holder.

I see someone else wanting over $15 to ship 20 cards.

If the cards are being sent via the Royal Mail, then the price depends on weight, value, type of package and specific shipping method (e.g. regular airmail, Tracked and Signed For, etc.). Royal Mail prices have increased quite a bit in recent months

Plus dear old eBay are forcing their shipping methods on sellers which can be significant.

You can check out actual Royal Mail international shipping prices here:

https://www.royalmail.com/sending/international

Not forgetting that eBay take a percentage of the shipping fee as they now charge their fees on the combined selling price plus the shipping fee.

I should've added that those prices were for just within the U.S. Sending a small box roughly the size of a brick (one of those 300 count boxes you can get at a sports card shop) to Europe or Australia is over $30.

eBay had announced they would allow some kind of $0.75 shipping option (a single card under 1 oz, in a card saver, shipped in a rigid envelope). You print the label through the eBay shipping system and it comes with tracking. Obviously there's a lot of risk the card gets damaged, or comes "postage due" on the other end. Has anyone been happy with this program?