New Simple Delivery features, community events & other launches landing this March

[uk-news@ebay]

Spring is a season of big change and new beginnings, as longer days and (hopefully) warmer weather spark a shift in shopping trends, with winter wardrobes giving way to spring fashion and more people stepping outside.

It’s also been a period of transformation on eBay and we’re grateful for your patience and feedback, which has been invaluable as we’ve rolled out new features across the platform. This month, we're excited to update you on the latest developments, as well as a roundup of all the key shopping moments, new launches and community events to mark on your calendar.

As always, thank you for shopping and selling on eBay.

Eve Williams, General Manager, eBay UK

Buyer Protection: Get funds faster for low-cost items and when you use Simple Delivery

Last month, Buyer Protection was rolled out across ebay.co.uk and is now live on all listings to give buyers more confidence and security when shopping. I’m thrilled that all buyers and sellers are now able to get 24/7 customer support, to connect with a real person by phone whenever you need, or start a chat to get quick answers. 

As part of Buyer Protection, UK-based private sellers are now paid after item delivery, with funds typically available in your eBay balance 2 calendar days after delivery confirmation. And just to reassure you, pending funds can also be used to buy postage labels and refund buyers so you won’t be out of pocket when you’ve fulfilled your order.

We’ve also heard your feedback and have expanded the scenarios where funds will be released after positive buyer feedback is received. When you’re selling a single item for £25 or less, funds will be available instantly if positive feedback is received from the buyer*. This will apply on both tracked and untracked orders. This change will be live mid-March.

For orders shipped through Simple Delivery, you will no longer need to wait 14 days to access your funds if delivery confirmation is not received. If an item is dispatched within 3 calendar days, we’ve reduced the payout time so funds will now be available 8 calendar days from the order date or 2 calendar days after we receive delivery confirmation, whichever comes first. This change will be live by the end of the week.

To get your funds as soon as possible, we recommend private sellers use a tracked delivery service. Using tracked delivery services can also provide a better customer experience for your shoppers, and for you, with sellers seeing a 50% decrease, on average, in buyer complaints and queries when using tracked delivery**.

Learn more about Buyer Protection

Simple Delivery: New features for more control 

Simple Delivery is an all-in-one delivery solution, designed to take the stress out of shipping for private sellers, with no more figuring out what service to use and prepaid and tracked labels that fully cover your item. Using Simple Delivery can also save you and your buyer up to 20% off postage costs, on average***.

Last month, we also added the ability to control what carriers you send your items with. Simple Delivery currently uses two carriers: Royal Mail and EVRi. By default, you’ll be automatically opted in to use both carriers. However, if you have a specific preference because the drop-off location is too far from where you live, you can easily adjust your settings in your postage preferences. 

Starting this month, we’re also introducing the option for private sellers to fund Simple Delivery labels, should you want to offer your buyers free shipping. As Simple Delivery evolves, we’ll continue to add even more features to further simplify the shipping process for private sellers and buyers alike.

Learn more about Simple Delivery

Global Shipping Programme: Enjoy effortless international selling

In recent months, changes to the global tariff landscape have caused some uncertainty when selling overseas. However, our Global Shipping Programme (GSP) remains reliable, ensuring consistent service to the US and over 100 other markets worldwide.

The Global Shipping Programme makes international sales as straightforward as domestic ones. Simply send your item to the UK Shipping Centre, and we’ll handle customs, tracking and the calculation of duties and taxes. You’re also fully protected as soon as we receive your item. 

Thousands of UK sellers are already benefitting from the Global Shipping Programme, and all it requires is for you to opt-in on the Global Shipping Programme preferences page. Get started today to expand your reach to millions of buyers in over 100 markets around the world.

Keeping shoppers and sellers safe: Buyer age-verification for bladed items 

To help keep buyers and sellers safe, we’ve expanded safety requirements for selling bladed items on ebay.co.uk, with the introduction of buyer age-verification to cover more potentially dangerous items. If you sell bladed items on ebay.co.uk, you need to:

• Add an age-verified delivery option. Choose a delivery service that requires age verification on receipt.
• Correctly package the bladed products, and clearly label the parcel to indicate there are bladed items inside. 
• Ensure your packages are delivered to buyers in person, not to parcel lockers, collection points or via local pick up.

Please note that the sale of many types of knives and bladed items is already prohibited on eBay. However, legal bladed products for sale in the UK can be sold to customers who are 18 and over. Proof of age will be required at checkout. You can learn more about adding age-verified delivery options to your listings on our Seller Centre page.

eBay is back as an official partner of the McLaren F1 team

Mark your calendars for 16 March as the new F1 season kicks off with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne! Building on the success of our collaboration last year, I am thrilled to announce that eBay will once again serve as an official partner of the McLaren F1 team. 

For three decades, eBay has been the world’s premier destination for all things automotive, with three car parts and accessories sold every second on our platform. This partnership reinforces our commitment to being the go-to choice for car enthusiasts and motorsport fans globally.

It’s not just motorheads that are being gripped by F1 fever! LEGO lovers are also going crazy for Formula 1 LEGO sets. This spring, you can shop the latest collection (including the iconic McLaren MP4/4 Senna 10330), with a 10% off sale running until 15 March.

Building human connections: Get involved at eBay seller events

eBay events are all about connecting and growing together - and with multiple events taking place every month, there’s plenty of ways to get involved! Later this month, we’ll kick off with our first roadshow of the year in Ascot (27 March), followed by a stop at the iconic Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh (8 May). 

Our Local Seller Meetups, run by sellers for sellers, offer a more intimate way to connect locally. Upcoming meetings include Donington on 20 March and Bristol on 24 April. If you’d like to run a meetup in your local area, get in touch via this form and the team will reach out to let you know about available funding and support.

Learn more and register for upcoming events

The home of buying and selling refurbished inventory

eBay is the original home of recommerce, and we remain committed to connecting buyers with high-quality items at exceptional prices, all while championing a more sustainable way to shop. 

This legacy has only grown stronger with our ever-growing range of refurbished products. Following the success of established refurbished categories, such as electronics, it’s amazing to see this extend to even more areas. Recently, we’ve seen a surge in demand for refurbished sporting goods and DIY tools and have fantastic offers running across ebay.co.uk this spring.

Given the booming popularity of refurbished items, we're eager to expand our community of sellers through our exclusive Refurbished on eBay programme. This initiative offers pre-qualified sellers the unique opportunity to enhance their listings with special item conditions and a distinctive 'Refurbished on eBay' badge, boosting visibility and conversion rates.

Curious about the wide array of refurbished categories, or interested in joining Refurbished on eBay? Visit our Seller Centre page to explore eligibility criteria and application details. 

Celebrating the Circular Fashion Fund finalists

Since 1995, eBay has been at the forefront of the circular economy, helping to transform how fashion is bought and sold. Nearly 30 years on, we’ve kept this momentum going with the help of influential partners - like the British Fashion Council and our joint venture to launch the Circular Fashion Fund.

This year, we received over 1,000 applications from the UK, US, Germany and Australia, with three finalists selected from each region. I'm thrilled to announce that our 2025 winners will be revealed on March 12, with the winners of each market receiving up to £50,000 and expert mentoring via local accelerator programmes.

Market winners will also get the opportunity to pitch to a panel of senior eBay leaders, for the chance to win additional eBay Ventures investment of $300,000! It’s been fascinating to watch this initiative grow and see first-hand the amazing entrepreneurs that are driving circular fashion forward.

We look forward to bringing you more new features throughout 2025, to make our marketplace the best it can be for our vibrant community of buyers and sellers.

As always, thank you for shopping and selling on eBay.

*Authenticity Guarantee, Global Shipping Programme, and local collection orders are not eligible.

**eBay internal data from 2023, percentage decrease between INR rate for tracked transactions compared to untracked transactions.

***Buyer postage cost data from Oct 2024 to March 2025 comparing Simple Delivery and non Simple Delivery postage labels on eBay.