eBay "Buyer Protection Fees" (New charges for buyers from private sellers) - Details just recieved

KxMx

The buyer fee model might work in a niche market for one type of product (clothing on Vinted), personally can't see it working on a much bigger website like eBay which sells all kinds of things. 

Halo572

Froudeg, you sound very angry and seem to have made a new account to vent.

Bad experience?

Twony

Yeah it seems pretty obvious that eBay are desperately trying to maintain profits and revisit 2020's record revenue. I pulled a relatively high value listing upon getting this email. Still groggy from sleep, I didn't have time to mentally digest it. Not sure if I'll relist as I recently had an £800 item payment on hold until Dec 23rd despite selling for years.

Specific closed Facebook groups seem the best way to sell even if price expectations are lower at least for me as a private seller. The things I tend to sell appreciate in value over time so I'm never in a rush to sell but having my money held when the buyer has parted with his and the item has been delivered rankles me.

The ensh*tification of eBay continues. We need a disruptor in this market. Facebook won't be that until they enforce real ID. Scammers will skirt all hurdles eventually and it's the honest Joe who pays the price.

housebuyer143

I'm done with eBay now. They are clearly trying to compete with Vinted but doing it badly. 
Only for private sellers, so now to compete with business sellers I will need to price my item cheaper to be able to sell it (to account for the 4% +75p fee) PLUS pay them their normal 14%? fee they already charge? 
I thought it was expensive before but this is the final nail. eBay charging buyers to use the site and charging sellers is crazy and makes me think they want rid of private sellers from the site, which really takes away from what eBay used to be for. 

noitsnotme

Twony said:

I pulled a relatively high value listing upon getting this email.

That's a knee-jerk reaction.  You've still got a month before the buyer fees begin.

Halo572

The confusion and consternation is likely based in eBay's disingenuous and underhanded communication strategy.

I would be pretty sure that most private sellers on eBay are aware of the fee free selling, being as you couldn't move for that communication and still can't.

The buyers fees?  Didn't know about them until I got the email, yet they were released at the same time.

Insidious PR using supposed benevolence to completely obscure greed, which is ironically just selling fees they got rid of put on the buyer.

And holding payment for up to 14 days?  As a dabble 4 fun seller I can't be bothered and as a buyer I don't pay buyer fees.

Can't see this having any positive deliverable to eBay's reputation, certainly can't believe what they say or don't choose to say loud enough.

dinosaur66

soolin said:

dinosaur66 said:

is the 75p transcation fee accross the board plus i would guess 15P vat on top so 90p or is it only for private sellers ?

All of these changes announced so far have been private sellers only. Nothing announced recently impacts a business seller at all. 

thank you

i have already stopped listing anything below £6 and anything i now list has min price of £8 because of fees on lower items being 18% approx

i now sell all items i would have listed at £5 to £7 in joblots where they sell quite well.

transaction tax of 90p would put a lot of business with small margins out of business.

noitsnotme

housebuyer143 said:

I'm done with eBay now. They are clearly trying to compete with Vinted but doing it badly. 
Only for private sellers, so now to compete with business sellers I will need to price my item cheaper to be able to sell it (to account for the 4% +75p fee) PLUS pay them their normal 14%? fee they already charge? 
I thought it was expensive before but this is the final nail. eBay charging buyers to use the site and charging sellers is crazy and makes me think they want rid of private sellers from the site, which really takes away from what eBay used to be for. 

Plus what 14%?  There are currently no seller fees for private sellers.  You really should read all the detail.

And even if you match the business seller prices to include the buyer fees you'll still be making more "profit" than the business seller who has higher fees and in some cases, VAT to pay out of their selling price.

As @soolin said - too many reacting without reading the actual details.

noitsnotme

Halo572 said:

I would be pretty sure that most private sellers on eBay are aware of the fee free selling, being as you couldn't move for that communication and still can't.

The buyers fees?  Didn't know about them until I got the email, yet they were released at the same time.

What do you mean released at the same time? Free private seller fees have been running for a couple of months now and the buyer fees don't start for another month yet (4th Feb).

noitsnotme

soolin said:

froudeg said:

As a private seller, If you don't like the fee - then here are your options:

-List on amazon and pay over double the fee, and deal with far more returns

-List on etsy or vinted or other platforms and just stare at the zero sales counter.

Etsy has quite expensive fees for all sellers, private or business, they also hold your payment for a few days. Vinted have no fees, but stuff sells cheaply as buyers pay a premium, and of course funds aren't released until 48 hours after buyer confirms receipt and has said all is OK.

-Stop pretending you're not a business when you're selling the same items month after month and open a business account and pay the fees business sellers have been paying - which are a lot more.

I think a lot of business sellers would echo that.

Unfortunately eBay is a monopoly and the competition is pathetic in comparison. If you want sales then you have no where else to go and will just have to lump the fees. You can say 'I won't sell on eBay anymore' but saying it and doing it are 2 different things - not to sell on eBay means not to sell hardly at all. Your own webstore is an option but you'll spend a fortune on advertising and setup costs getting it going - in the long run it may save you money on running costs vs ebay fees but for many it does not unless you are big.

I disagree that ebay has a monopoly, it does not fit the criteria of a monopoly as well and you have pointed out that there are other sites. 

Too many small businesses have been using the private free listing promotions for too long, undercutting business sellers who pay a small fortune in fees. If you sell the odd private, personal item now and then on ebay the change in fee structure will make no difference, again it's not like there is much competition and buyers will move elsewhere. The fees are (for the moment) a lot less than they were before completely 'free listing' under the majority of categories.

As for the (multiple) private seller accounts that have been milking it on no fee listings, no income tax declaration, no vat etc - then the game is up i'm afraid as this is just the first move in getting you all on to business accounts, which the inland revenue keep an eye on...as you will find out.

again a sentiment echoed by many business sellers. 

EDIT as usual looking across other boards and forums people have seen the headlines and not bothered to read the small print

I see what you mean!!!!