Quick one: I'm about to list my business on one of those online marketplaces and they want a $3,500 setup fee on top of the commission. Is that number ever actually negotiable, or is it one of those polite fictions like MSRP? I'd rather not light money on fire before I've even had a single call with a buyer.
Listing Fees
Are setup fees for listing sites negotiable?
Everything's negotiable. Doesn't mean they'll bite, but ask. Worst case they say no and you're in the same spot.
I got ours knocked from $2,800 to $1,200 by saying I was talking to two other platforms and asking for a side-by-side. They didn't love it. Still worked. The trick is you have to actually be talking to the other platforms, or it gets awkward when they ask which ones
It's a listing fee, not a sacred vow. Of course it's negotiable. What's wild is how many folks pay the first number They see and then complain online.
Pluto, that's a good angle. I'm genuinely in talks with two others, so it's not a bluff. Did the reduced reduced fee change anything else in your deal, or did they just take the cut and move on?
They tried to bump the commission half a point to compensate. I pushed back and they dropped that too. So worth watching the whole package, not just the upfront number.
Counterpoint: I tried to negotiate and the broker basically shrugged and said the fee covers their photographer and ad spend. Didn't move a dollar. Depends who you're talking to.
Ours waived the setup entirely when we agreed to a longer exclusive. So yeah, flexible, but they'll take it out of your hide somewhere else.
@CoffeeBeforeNoon that photog line is usually the sales script. Ask for a sample of the photos. Half the time it's a guy with a phone.
Also read the fine print on what happens to the fee if you pull the listing. Some of these places keep it. That's the real gotcha, not whether you can shave $500 off.
Good call. I'm pulling the contract tonight. I'll report back what the pull-the-listing language actually says.
Honestly if you're paying a se tup fee AND a commission I'd want to know exactly what I'm buying. What's the actual deliverable?
Let me know what you find. If I'm wrong about the photographer I'll eat my words, but I won't enjoy it.
FWIW a friend of mine just didn't pay it. Listed with a smaller outfit instead, zero setup. Sold in four months. So 'negotiable' sometimes just means 'go elsewhere.'
Or it means the fee is their filter for people who aren't serious. Either way, ask. Can't hurt.
Agree with the above, mostly. I'd still push on the deliverable before the price.