What The Hell Is The International Fee For Private Sellers? | Seller Central

fallen121 · 2025-08-22T10:44:20.207000Z

I admit I must have been living under a rock or something, but I was under the impression that when eBay 1) Removed fees for private sellers and 2) Brought in the "Buyer Protection Fee" to try and claw some of this back. But the justification was always that I the seller derived a benefit in terms of I get to keep the exact cost that I am asking for my item. Which as a private seller doesn't really involve any level of profit. What I DIDN'T know was that if I offer a book for sale for £12.99 and I buyer who just happens to live in Australia decides they want to buy it, I am charged an "International Fee" of 2.5% not just on the £12.99 price of the book but the £15.74 charged to the buyer for the book plus postage. This fee, currently 39p, is then subject to VAT of 8p, making a total cost to me of 47p because my buyer happens to live outside the UK, something which I did not know and have no control over. Well yes, I suppose I could limit my listings to UK only, but my understanding is that my next to negligible chances of making a sale are further reduced if I try to limit my market. On what level is this even fair, WHAT EXACTLY AM I BEING CHARGED FOR in terms of an additional service to me (I presume as I am paying a fee I should derive some benefit?) and why is this fee never quoted during the listing process?

Discussions

What The Hell Is The International Fee For Private Sellers? | Seller Central | eBay UK