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

Kim_13

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Kim_13 said:

They should have introduced a some kind of protection for the buyers of misdelivered items (location unknown or someone at the property refuses to give the item to the buyer) along the lines of if the buyer reports such and the seller refuses to engage with the carrier to assist (since the carrier will not deal with a buyer who has no contract with them) the funds aren’t released and the buyer is refunded.

The two days between tracking showing delivery and releasing the funds would seem to be to allow time for the buyer to open a case.

Or eBay allowing themselves processing time. These changes mean a vast increase in held funds. Time will tell.

daddyelf

"Buyers will pay up to 4% of the item price, plus £0.75". - Whilst that statement is correct, it hides behind the fact I sell an item for £10, the buyer ends up paying nearly an 11% premium (eg 40p+75p = £1.15) premium not 4%.

CrispyPancake

As an actual private seller, as in I'm selling off am personal collection bit by bit, and have been doing for a few years, it obviously turns me off from using the platform. When they removed private sellers fees I lowered my prices to be more competitive against business seller accounts. Now my prices become less competitive again, but to further reduce my prices to make up for the extra charge makes a larger percentage of my items not really worth the time to sell after P&P is factored in. Especially since this drives me to use a more expensive signed for option on on lower price items I would typically send 2nd class.

I can live with fronting the postage costs for the time they are being held, that's not a big deal to me, but may be for someone selling things out of necessity. Ultimately, with the supposed eventual change to only being able to do postage payments through eBay, it's probably the final straw.

winkowinko

So presumably a listing that currently has a £100 buy-it-now price, will automatically increase to £104.75 from the 4th of Feb, or does it only apply to listings created after the 4th of Feb?

alexp78

soolin said:

alexp78 said:

So it was free to sell and free to buy for private sellers.

And now the BUYER has to pay a fee to buy.

What I have long held as the best place to buy has suddenly become a place that makes me feel sick in the stomach. I shall boycot...

It’s only been free to sell for private sellers for 3 months, before that there was a charge by way of FVFs. 

Buyers only have to pay a fee going forward if they buy from a private seller, there will be no fee to,pay if buying from a business. 

This was a platform for "car-boot-sale" style auctioning between members of the public. Now private sellers are being penalised.

rollingmoon

It doesn't look that bad... as a private seller using eBay to sell bits of various collections I don't seem to have many competing sellers so the buyer fees don't really worry me. I'm not a business, so I don't depend on my takings to eat or anything, so possible slowing down of sales/a few extra days here and there to get paid is OK... plus most of what I used to buy from eBay is bought cheaper from Aliexpress etc. anyway.

I plan to use February's listings as usual, and see how it goes.

zackary71

rollingmoon said:

It doesn't look that bad... as a private seller using eBay to sell bits of various collections I don't seem to have many competing sellers so the buyer fees don't really worry me. I'm not a business, so I don't depend on my takings to eat or anything, so possible slowing down of sales/a few extra days here and there to get paid is OK... plus most of what I used to buy from eBay is bought cheaper from Aliexpress etc. anyway.

I plan to use February's listings as usual, and see how it goes.

I agree. This worries me less than the potential mandatory Packlink dispatch which might be forced further down the line. I have 'Best Offer' on most of my listings and often send Offers to Watchers. Just a matter of tweaking the accompanying message along lines of "Offer attached to offset Buyer fees". I often find Buyers like to negotiate on price, especially as it makes them feel they've got a better deal.

Debbie9009

alexp78 said:

soolin said:

alexp78 said:

So it was free to sell and free to buy for private sellers.

And now the BUYER has to pay a fee to buy.

What I have long held as the best place to buy has suddenly become a place that makes me feel sick in the stomach. I shall boycot...

It’s only been free to sell for private sellers for 3 months, before that there was a charge by way of FVFs. 

Buyers only have to pay a fee going forward if they buy from a private seller, there will be no fee to,pay if buying from a business. 

This was a platform for "car-boot-sale" style auctioning between members of the public. Now private sellers are being penalised.

alexp78 I agree, and this is why I’m getting so fed up of eBay, they seem to have completely forgotten that it was private sellers that got them started, and they seem ever more determined to get rid of them. 

I very rarely sell, approx 10 items in 2024, I did used to buy quite a lot, this has got less over time, as it’s got harder to find what I want, as an example I used to purchase a lot of second hand clothing and customise it for myself, it’s now really hard to filter out the Chinese tat, so I don’t buy nearly as much. I rarely buy from businesses so as a buyer of mostly items from private sellers this new policy is going to increase the prices of things I would want to buy, so I simply won’t buy. 

Spoonie_Turtle

CrispyPancake said:

… Especially since this drives me to use a more expensive signed for option on on lower price items I would typically send 2nd class.

Why?  Standard 2nd class has a reference number to prove delivery, Signed For doesn't have tracking only proof of delivery, and it only covers up to £20 for compensation anyway which is the same as standard 2nd class. 

Unless you're talking about letters / large letters, which is the only scenario I can see Signed For making sense.

danny69

This is quite simply delicious. The way it has come full circle. 

Private sellers were not complaining when they had FVF’s removed completely, whilst Business sellers continue to pay full fees. For years business sellers have paid much more in fees. No 80% promotions etc. Now business sellers are given a slight edge (on low value items especially) and private sellers are up in arms 😂

It is worth remembering that Private Sellers are not generally as sensitive to cash flow, so prompt payments are not as important to eBay on that front. Private sellers are also expected to have far less sales and are not buying to sell on for profit. Business sellers are FINALLY given a chance to compete, without Private Sellers relentlessly undercutting us on price for what can often be brand new items bought specifically to sell on!!  If fingers are to be pointed, it should be at businesses masquerading as Private Sellers. They are now simply reaping what they sowed.