I was a full time seller on eBay before it became huge. I sold thousands of items a week and hated the fees back then before they started screwing the sellers. The problem is they offer a captive audience that numbers in the millions worldwide. If you need to move product, build the fees into the selling price and list away. There are thousands of sellers out there doing it every day and as long as they do eBay will continue their fee pillaging.
I never heard of them holing your funds though,
that takes it to the next level
Chas