Ebay gone to far with new policy change from 4th Feb 2025!

TripleH

No, not illegal to hold funds, but

1. They have to keep funds separate from their own money

2. They cannot do anything with the money without your consent (although refunding a buyer if you ignore communication is probably allowable).

3. They can use the money to generate interest whilst holding the funds but you have the right to said interest (we are talking about fractions of pennies here). Usually the money gets donated to charity. Ebay shouldn't keep it as it isn't theirs.

4. The buyer protection fee is never the seller's money so they are free to do what they want with that.

2dareis2do

If I list an item for 25p I would expect it to be 75p + 4%to ebay. This would put the final bid price would be 1.04 pence

In actual fact, listing an item for 25p the final bid price is in fact 98pence. 

I calculate that this is actually 75p - 2%

It's very difficult to work out how much you should charge when the amount calculated does not seem to follow any set formula.

I have never had to set price below 99p previously.

2dareis2do

To list an item at 99p I have to use 26p

To list an item at £1 I have to use 27p

2dareis2do

If I list an item for 1p ebay marked is up to 73 pence, 72pence profit.

This is an extreme example but here ebay's markup is only 730% 720% 7200%

jon81uk

2dareis2do said:

If I list an item for 25p I would expect it to be 75p + 4%to ebay. This would put the final bid price would be 1.04 pence

In actual fact, listing an item for 25p the final bid price is in fact 98pence. 

I calculate that this is actually 75p - 2%

It's very difficult to work out how much you should charge when the amount calculated does not seem to follow any set formula.

I have never had to set price below 99p previously.

Isn't the fee 4% of the item price, so 4% of 25p is 1p, plus the 75p gives a price of £1.01. No idea how they can get a total of 98p

LegoMonster

what i really don't understand is if eBay are doing something that is a little shady legally. 

So if I send something out with a 2nd Class Large stamp, which is exactly as I have done for the last god knows how many years. EBay then withhold me receiving payment for a considerable amount of days, even if I get great feedback from the buyer. EBay also charge a fee for buyer protection. So my payment is either withheld until they’re satisfied that everything is ok or if there is a problem they give the buyer their money back and I as the seller get nothing. If that’s the case what’s the protection fee for? Sounds like double dipping on risk to me. 

RedImp_2

LegoMonster said:

what i really don't understand is if eBay are doing something that is a little shady legally. 

So if I send something out with a 2nd Class Large stamp, which is exactly as I have done for the last god knows how many years. EBay then withhold me receiving payment for a considerable amount of days, even if I get great feedback from the buyer. EBay also charge a fee for buyer protection. So my payment is either withheld until they’re satisfied that everything is ok or if there is a problem they give the buyer their money back and I as the seller get nothing. If that’s the case what’s the protection fee for? Sounds like double dipping on risk to me. 

If you get positive feedback that triggers payment 

savergrant

RedImp_2 said:

LegoMonster said:

what i really don't understand is if eBay are doing something that is a little shady legally. 

So if I send something out with a 2nd Class Large stamp, which is exactly as I have done for the last god knows how many years. EBay then withhold me receiving payment for a considerable amount of days, even if I get great feedback from the buyer. EBay also charge a fee for buyer protection. So my payment is either withheld until they’re satisfied that everything is ok or if there is a problem they give the buyer their money back and I as the seller get nothing. If that’s the case what’s the protection fee for? Sounds like double dipping on risk to me. 

If you get positive feedback that triggers payment 

For low value items...

RedImp_2

Interestingly as a buyer, the seller I was buying from couldn’t work out how to send a combined invoice as I bought several items but no postage discount calculated so eventually we agreed I would pay the full value and he would make a part refund.  What I hadn’t considered was when he refunded me the agreed amount, what I received had part of the buyers protection fee added on as obviously wasn’t refunded as postage.
I’m sure if I think about it there’s a way to benefit from this somehow 😃

bittyboy101

RedImp_2 said:

LegoMonster said:

what i really don't understand is if eBay are doing something that is a little shady legally. 

So if I send something out with a 2nd Class Large stamp, which is exactly as I have done for the last god knows how many years. EBay then withhold me receiving payment for a considerable amount of days, even if I get great feedback from the buyer. EBay also charge a fee for buyer protection. So my payment is either withheld until they’re satisfied that everything is ok or if there is a problem they give the buyer their money back and I as the seller get nothing. If that’s the case what’s the protection fee for? Sounds like double dipping on risk to me. 

If you get positive feedback that triggers payment 

No, It is only delivery confirmation via eBay's tracking system that triggers payment.

...and for collection only items, payment is only triggered once a buyer either confirms delivery by clicking the "confirm delivery" tab in their eBay or if the seller enters a six digit code that they *MUST* get from their buyer *BEFORE* releasing the sold item to them otherwise it is a LONG 14 to 30 days wait for auto payment via eBay if the buyer remains quiet and does not open any cases.

Horrible system now and the main reason why I now have totally given up on selling on eBay after 18 great years and 720+ sales as a long term private seller since joining eBay since 2004 with over 6,600 positive feedback and no negatives or neutrals for all that time.  Makes me so sad now how they have RUINED everything for every private seller with such destructive and uncalled for changes which will affect eBay in the long run as more and more private sellers leave eBay who were also BUYERS.