Pricing and quotation guide
eBay seller reporting cost
Reporting costs come in two parts: setting up the report, and producing it each month. Set-up covers agreeing measures, building a template and matching product and postage costs to your eBay data. Monthly work covers downloading, reconciling and writing a short commentary. The more data sources, channels and measures involved, the more each part takes. Software can reduce the monthly effort but adds a subscription.
Below: cost drivers, set-up and monthly costs, software, pricing models and judging value.
Illustrative diagram
What drives reporting cost
- Number of measures
- Each measure needs defining, calculating and checking.
- Data sources
- Combining eBay data with your costs takes matching work.
- Reconciliation
- Checking sales, fees and payouts each month takes time.
- Channels
- Reporting several marketplaces together adds sources.
- Commentary
- Written explanation adds time each month.
Costs paid to third parties (separate from our fees)
- Reporting software subscriptions
- Accountant fees
- Your team's time downloading data
- Inventory or cost data clean-up
Ask for set-up and monthly reporting to be priced separately.
Set-up and monthly work
| Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Set-up | Measure definitions, template, cost matching, first reconciliation |
| Monthly | Downloads, reconciliation, report, commentary |
| Quarterly | Review of measures and template |
Spreadsheet or software?
Spreadsheet template
Suits you when
- One or two channels
- Modest volume
- Team comfortable with spreadsheets
Watch out for
- Time each month
- Errors when copying data
Reporting software
Suits you when
- Several channels
- High volume
- Daily figures wanted
Watch out for
- Subscription cost
- How it calculates each measure
- Set-up and checking time
Comparing quotations
Check whether each quote includes written measure definitions, a template you keep, cost matching by product, monthly reconciliation, a one-page report, a short commentary and a quarterly review. A low monthly price may skip reconciliation, which is where errors are caught. If software is proposed, ask for its cost separately and how its figures will be checked.
Example: set-up paid, monthly in-house
Illustrative example — not a client case study
Situation: A seller wants reliable monthly figures but has a bookkeeper who can run a template.
- The provider defines measures, builds the template and matches costs to products.
- The first two months are produced together with the bookkeeper.
- The bookkeeper runs the report afterwards; the provider reviews it each quarter.
What this shows: The seller paid mainly for set-up and occasional review. This example is illustrative.
Judging the value
Reporting earns its cost through better decisions: repricing a category that loses money, changing postage policies, cutting slow lines or spotting account problems early. Note the decisions taken because of the report over a few months. If none were, the report may be measuring the wrong things.
Reporting in-house
Sellers can run a simple monthly report themselves once the measures and template exist. Outside help can be useful for set-up, for reconciling figures that do not add up and for several channels.
Fewer measures, lower cost
Each extra measure adds work every month. Keep only those that would change a decision, and drop any nobody has looked at for a quarter. A short report that is read and acted on is worth more than a long one that is filed. Review the list of measures with the provider each quarter, and ask what each one costs to produce.
Why cost matching drives set-up cost
Matching your product, postage and packaging costs to eBay orders can be the longest part of set-up. If product costs are already held by SKU and postage costs come from a carrier report, matching is quick. If costs live in supplier invoices or in people's heads, they need gathering first. Check what you have before asking for quotes, and tell each provider so quotes are comparable.
Reconciliation each month
Reconciling sales, fees and payouts each month takes time but is what makes a report trustworthy. Ask whether reconciliation is included, how differences are reported and how much time is allowed for investigating them. A month with many refunds or unusual fees may take longer.
Commentary
A short written commentary adds a little time each month. It may be the part people read first.
Several channels
Adding other marketplaces or your website to the report adds data sources and definitions. Ask for each extra channel to be priced separately, so you can start with eBay and add others later. A combined view is useful when deciding where to focus, but each channel's figures should still be visible on their own.
Questions about eBay seller reporting cost
What drives seller reporting cost?
Measures, data sources, reconciliation, channels and commentary.
What is set-up and what is monthly?
Definitions, template and cost matching are set-up; downloads, reconciliation and reports are monthly.
Is reporting software worth paying for?
Not always; a spreadsheet template can suit smaller sellers.
What should a reporting quote include?
Definitions, a template, cost matching, reconciliation, a report, commentary and reviews.
How is reporting value judged?
By the decisions it leads to.
Can we run the report ourselves?
Yes, once measures and the template exist.
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