Are eBay's Store Subscription Fees & Listing Limits Punitive for Pre-Owned Sellers?

[surplussalesuk]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to open a discussion about eBay's store subscription fees and selling limits, particularly for pre-owned sellers. As someone who sells individual pre-owned items, on another account, (rather than new goods with high quantities and variations), I feel the current system is disproportionately punitive and counterproductive for eBay's stated goal of promoting pre-owned goods.

The Basic store subscription costs £32.40/month (inc. VAT) for 250 listings and it’s worth noting that renewals count toward this limit. Assuming a pre-owned seller sold all 250 listings in a month (which is unlikely given eBay’s slowing sales), I struggle to see how most actual businesses could be viable with so few sales. For sellers who also list on platforms like Vinted, this becomes even more problematic. If an item sells on Vinted first, the eBay listing becomes a wasted cost. With Vinted’s unlimited listings and faster sales, sellers are encouraged to prioritise listing there first, potentially delaying listing on eBay by days or even weeks.

eBay's subscription fees and listing limits are inadvertently pushing sellers to prioritise other platforms. Popular items at competitive prices are more likely to sell on Vinted before they even make it to eBay, meaning eBay misses out on potential sales commission, and buyers move away to get the best deals elsewhere.

eBay holds no inventory of its own and relies entirely on sellers to supply items, yet it imposes barriers like subscription fees and listing limits. With platforms like Vinted offering unlimited listings and lower fees, eBay’s model feels outdated and unnecessarily restrictive. Recent moves, like removing private buyer fees and trialling zero seller fees on pre-owned clothing, suggest eBay is aware of the competition. But why not take a simpler, more seller-friendly approach?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for eBay to remove store subscription fees and/or offer unlimited listings?

As a seller, I don’t mind paying the 12-15% commission when eBay succeeds in making a sale—I simply bake this into the listing price. What I don’t like is paying upfront for the opportunity to sell, especially when other platforms offer better terms.

eBay’s success depends on sellers providing inventory, but the current system feels like it’s working against us. I’d love to hear if others feel the same way or if eBay has any plans to address this in the future.

[surplussalesuk]

I would like to add, this post is regarding the Store fees for eBay business sellers and not private sellers who receive 300 free listings, and unlimited listing renewals, per month.

[wyntersemporium]

If you have a lot to sell I’d recommend the second tier which is £72 plus vat £92 ish) you get 1000 free listings along with auctions I think (never did auctions) I’m a business I’ve dropped from second tier to basic shop. Too expensive for the amount I sell now. 
I now get only one item a day to sell. When it used to be 15-20 per day last year. 

[moldosgifts]

Fee to high and limit to low.

What more do you need

I would prefer the USA level of shop accounts you can list way more for the cheaper price.

[bojangled]

I think featured is 1500 BIN and 600 auctions.

I would love them to drop the shop fee, and the packaging voucher.

Just let me list! Don’t mind FVF’s.

Jo

[cernak.m]

Its a money grab here one UK ebay. Shop subscriptions are very poorly managed and there is mot much of free listings you can get from them. Basic is too low with 250 listings, Anchor (mine) is for 1000 listings and then there is an enterprise shop for 10000 listings I think.
This very, very very outdated and its against business sellers, where you have amore free listings as a private sellers as a business seller paying for the shop...
Like I have about 5500 active listings, I am way above anchor shop, but not yet enterprise, paying about 90 for the shop + 200 - 300 gbp for the listings! Thats just crazy.

For comparison on US you have  10000 free listings with Anchor shop, so why not here? Whats the difference? nothing

 In my opinion everything on UK eBay is against business sellers, you have almost none to very week advantages against the private sellers.

At least updating the seller shops with more listings and some other business advantages would help a lot.

[cernak.m]

Edit, in

UK the shop is called "Featured Shop":
1500 listings fixed price +  600 auctions
for 92.4 GBP

While in the US shop is called "Premium Shop":
 10000 listings in all categories
for $59.95 thats about 50 GBP.

So tell me, how can I get almost 7 times more listings for half the price on the same platform, but different countries?
I am quite sure there is no business difference for them being one in the UK and one in the US to justify this.

This should change.

[blackcatbooksuk]

Are those prices right for a US shop? Seems very unfair to us here in the UK if that is the case.

[auctiongabble]

dave@ebay marco@ebay kat@ebay 

Maybe one of you can post this back to someone high up within ebay as constructive feedback to improve things for business sellers.  If there is a difference in costs across countries on same platform,  how.is this possible or even legal?

Shop costs are too much in return for little included listing's as basic shop.

Private sellers get more than business!

Ebay really need to make an improvements and give more back to business sellers!

[the_book_seekers]

They're correct. There are more conditions in the US. There are limits to the number of listings that can be made in certain categories, but generally the US sellers receive way more for less. The last time I looked there was the opportunity to commit to sell on ebay on a yearly basis and pay an even cheaper monthly rate.

[cernak.m]

You can look for yourself.

US store subscription fees:
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling-fees/store-fees?id=4809 

UK business  subscription fees:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/fees-business-sellers-activated-managed-pa... 

Like, its not even funny how different they are (notice how UK site tries to.
Just 3 overpriced UK store options compared to reasonable competitive 5 options on US site.

UK prices and "free" insertion listings are like from year 2000, not competitive at all.

[technthread]

I am hoping that eBay have some shop subscription changes coming down the pike soon once the dust settles with all of the private seller changes.

This is just my wishful thinking but I took note of the offer they made to private sellers in around October time to convert to a business account in exchange for zero fees until 31st December ‘24 / and a free featured shop subscription until end of March ‘25 (I think I got that the right way round). When I heard that I thought hmm something might change with shop fees from April.

[technthread]

A couple of ideas to throw out there. These aren’t really in eBay’s interest but to keep business sellers happy:

- A business seller who pays for a shop should benefit from a FREE promoted listing % on their listings for visibility. Give 10% promotion for free (if they want to promote at 20% fine but they only pay 10%).  That will give the business seller some visibility parity with a private seller who can sell for zero listing / FVF fees and then promote at 10%. 

- Insertion / listing fees for non-shops or listings / renewals over the monthly allowance could be charged post sale, only if the item sells. eBay can work out how to make this fair on multi listings so a fee can only be charged on those single listings once per month.

- Give business sellers some perks. Unlimited auction listings, reduced fees on the first X number of sales in a month.

Something would be nice and might attract me back to listing again.

[cernak.m]

That would be nice, but I am afraid they will try to milk the cow as long as possible. Compared to private sellers is harder and harder to compete. Like they have 4% sell fees, paid by the buyer compared to mine 12% fees paid by myself + regulatory fee + international fee + transaction fee, just because I am outside from UK, which makes it about 16% in total just for selling fees + 10% promoted listings fees + shop fees and I am around 30% fees per sale in total ....
And looking to some boards, some private sellers are melting over the 4% fee, buyers will pay, like its an end of the world : )

I like your ideas, mainly the first one, that would be a nice boost for business.

Do hope, like you wrote, that once they are done with the private sellers updates, they will focus on business sector and give some perks to us too.

[technthread]

That is my nagging feeling, shop fees are a huge cash cow to mess with. Maybe if they get more revenue from the private seller sales they can move onto business sellers. My gut feeling is that may be the plan if everything goes well (trying to be positive 😂). 

I also think some private sellers are overreacting over the buyer fees but it is a bit of an echo chamber on here so maybe the average private seller isn’t that bothered. eBay must have calculated that and think it will be a smooth transition. 

[carrotdrusus2]

Can somebody confirm if Buy it now listings that are good till cancelled will remain so if you upgrade to a business account? Or do you have to pay everytime they renew automatically?

[sml192]

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@carrotdrusus2 wrote:

Can somebody confirm if Buy it now listings that are good till cancelled will remain so if you upgrade to a business account? Or do you have to pay everytime they renew automatically?

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You will be charged a listing fee each time they renew or if you have shop subscription then out of your free listing allocation. 

[jlovie]

I used to get a £10 credit for promoted fees with my shop but eBay decided to take that away and give nothing else in return.

Typical eBay bait and switch tactics, which is why I won't enrol in any of their schemes which are initially free.

As bad value as the packaging voucher is (I calculate the £10 credit buys about £2.50 worth of packaging), I think they took it away from US shops, so no doubt that will happen here too.

[carrotdrusus2]

So if you have a shop with 10000 items, you get 250 free each month and have to pay a listing fee for the other 9750 every month? 

[reskufashion]

Having recently moved from a private account to a business account and have this same frustration - before people jump in about legal trading etc, I started selling on eBay more consistently last year after being made redundant and slowly grew my sales selling for friends and family before buying stock to sell on a business account. I am aware I probably should have been a business seller at this point but with it being an irreversible decision on eBay I was reluctant to do so without being sure that it would make sense to do long term. 

Before making the switch I was comfortable in paying the 15% commission to eBay, its a variable cost and one which I can include in my margins, plus I understand that this is the value that eBay creates and so they are entitled to a share of that value. 

What I understand, is having an additional £1,100 of fixed costs per year (£92 per month for a featured store) which would be required to support the same number of new and renewal listings I had previously on a free private account. Plus, unless you plan on listing fewer items than you sell, not an ideal growth strategy, it appears this cost will will only ever grow over time as I list new items and unsold listings are charged a renewal every month.

eBay are spending millions running constant adverts on the radio encouraging private sellers to sell on eBay, where eBay will make 4% commission when the new fees come in next month. But are discouraging small business sellers with hundreds of listings ready to be listed, where they will make 15%.

I feel eBay is a champion of small businesses but only for those selling under a private account!

In order for eBay to remain competitive against Vinted they really need to look into this and change their policy. Removing the listing renewal fees would be the ideal start, maybe this could be compensated for by removing the overpriced shipping supply credits and free auction listings?