I've been fighting with myself to stay out of this but I lost.
I started selling on eBay in 2001 - not a lot. In 2013 I became a dealer for Amal and started selling quite a bit. It was fine since I was "Top Rated" and therefore got a 20% discount on fees. Then eBay charged it to 10%. Then they started charging it on the sale and shipping. Then you needed a store (useless) to keep the fees down. So, last year, my fees were running at 8.9% plus $50/month for the store. That's when they made the change I could not stand. They insisted that they handle the money (no more PayPal) and they would change less than PayPal - actually once the program started, it was more than PayPal. I figured I had no choice so I tried to sign up. They would not accept my company's Federal Tax ID, they wanted my Social Security number. I refused. Now I cannot make new listings or change my existing listings, and to delete a listing takes about seven steps and must be done one at a time. I got rid of the store so my eBay fees this year so far at 10.6% (I still use PayPal, 2.9% fee on top of the entire sale). If you add in the $50/month to the fees, I would be at 17.26%! It was always less expensive to buy from me direct but most seemed to like eBay. Also last year, not eBay's fault, but they had to start collecting Sales Tax for the purchaser's state. So, the cost of everything went up over night for most people.
All that said, for most things, eBay sellers were still less expensive than the beloved OldBritts.
So, since this thread somehow made it to the 11th page and it's been all over the place here's goes :
Some here know that there's another way. Some here know it is often possible to for US forum members buy AN products from me for less than you can get them direct from AN. And, if you're not in Virginia, there is no sales tax - you can get AN, Amal, Tri-Spark, Wassell, and others from me for less because I buy in quantity and that saves on shipping. For Amal, Tri-Spark and Wassell, I have true deal accounts and and can save you real money.
Before the regulars jump in, no, I don't use a true shopping cart. Phone calls and email are the way to get the best prices. You can add to cart and get a quote, but then you don't get the forum/club prices.