Fees for business sellers

[keelinge]

Realistically do we think eBay will ever reduce fees for business sellers in line with private seller fees. Including adding free listings and therefore making the shop fees redundant? 

[leon842]

As likely as snow in August

[plpmr]

there's no private seller fees.

[pegr-834437]

It's going to be interesting to see what they say/announce at the Open Event as you can only say you are some of the most important members, we value your loyalty, we want to do as much as possible for you when doing very little and showing even less loyalty back. Small businesses are the core of eBay yet they seem to be ignored (on here and off here) on pretty much every complaint/criticism they make.

I have very little doubt the same business lines shall be trotted out, we are sorry you don't feel we are doing enough for you but we really are trying look here are some examples  ie free listing for private sellers increase sales on eBay shock to eBay yes to other private accounts of which many are trading illegally. 

[scancomputers_outlet]

eBay collapses without the 15% they take from business sellers. So not a chance

[writesoon]

As I understand it, businesses and private sellers in the USA both get about 250 free listings, and everyone pays the final value fee (please correct me if I’m mistaken). Its a level playing field in which many businesses appear to be thriving. And it feels fair.

In addition, the basic and featured shops for businesses in the USA include many more listings, which helps certain businsses offer very large numbers of items and so generate more in final value fees. Ebay USA certainly appears to value its businesses, and treats them well.

Here in the UK , eBay seem to be using the site for an experiment. It looks like they want to see whether businesses sell much more when private sellers pay nothing. But this experiment will only succeed if businesses are the ones who benefit from the extra money private sellers are making, and so end up paying eBay more in business fees. If those extra fees from business sales (added to the new buyer’s commission) are making enough money for eBay, then the experiment will have succeeded. 

It may well succeed. But if it does, I think it will be mainly those businesses that rely on sales of lower value items that  who will pay the price, as these are the businesses in particular that genuine and bogus ‘private’ sellers have such a competitive advantage over. A featured shop costs nearly £100  before you’ve sold an item, and I think an Anchor shop is over £500. And then there are the final value fees for businesses on every single sale.

On the other hand, if the current experiment fails, hopefully the next thing they’ll try will be the USA system, which seems a lot fairer to me, and which of course immediately solves the problem of the private seller who is really buying to sell on the site.

[magpiecorner1]

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@scancomputers_outlet wrote:

eBay collapses without the 15% they take from business sellers. So not a chance

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If only it was 15%, I'd be a happy bunny.  

[theelench]

Accepting that what you say about business and private sellers in the USA is correct (I probably know less about the US site than you do) and that the playing field is level in the US then surely the first question to ask is why ebay started its experiment if the "level playing field" model works well?

I started selling on ebay about 12 years ago as a private seller and at the time paid Listing Fees and FVF on every listing.  Please correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the fees more or less the same for both private and business sellers in the UK at that time ?

If my assumption is correct the UK playing field was more or less level at that time.  Gradually, over a period of years, ebay started giving private sellers "freebies" like free extra photos and free to schedule a listing.  Three or four times a year a Free Listing Weekend.  So that was when the experiment began.   As it progressed ebay's generosity only increased.

£1 FVF Offers at shortening intervals, 80% off FVF Offers every fortnight.  Free To List and finally Free To Sell.  So surely ebay already has ample evidence of whether or not its generosity towards private sellers was / is paying off with them spending more on ebay with business sellers and ebay collecting more fees ?

If you accept that my brief summary is correct, it has to be asked why did ebay continue the experiment if ebay wasn't reaping the rewards it expected ?  I don't remember any great clamour for freebies or FVF Offers.  Personally I was very happy to pay ebay a small Listing Fee + 10% FVF and + paypal fees on top and didn't ask for any freebies or offers.

Perhaps it has to be asked why experiment at all if the USA model works and why it is that nothing was done about "private" sellers when it was obviously becoming a problem ?

[writesoon]

Yes, that’s a good point you make about the gradual increase in generosity towards private sellers in the UK over the years, and that, presumably, it must have been working in some way for it to have continued. I think these experiments are normally rolled on the UK and German sites to see what happens rather than make changes to the US site. It may be that this is the way it will eventually go in the States too if it is seen to make more money for them elsewhere. Or perhaps they’ll just keep both systems running to monitor changes over a longer period. Personally, I hope it turns out that the US system is seen to generate most for eBay, as it is by the fairer system, and solvers  the problem of thousands of private sellers operating little (or big) businesses or sidelines with a huge competitive advantage.

[tr3asurep0rium]

US eBay does not have to contend with Vinted, although Vinted exists in the US it is nowhere near the market share of pre-loved and used items as it is here in the UK. They also have more competition from Mercari, Poshmark, Depop, FB Marketplace, and Amazon, to name a few, the latter three operate in the UK as well but I'm seeing how eBay has implemented their latest changes; it feels like Vinted is all that matters. My point is that I don't think eBay US can be compared to the UK and European markets. The eBay trials have been ongoing in Australia and Germany before they arrived on our shores, and it is really those markets we should discuss, rather than the US. By the way, I get 250 "free" insertion fee listings each month with my basic shop subscription. It is part of the package. 

[writesoon]

That’s interesting about Vinted. Perhaps it is true I shouldn’t be comparing eBay UK with the USA site, but I still think we gat a pretty raw deal shopwise. I know you get 250 fixed price listings and 100 auctions for the Basic shop, but compare that with the the  'Basic' USA shop ($27.95) , They get  10,000 fixed price items, as well as 250 auctions. Given the pressure from UK ‘private’ sellers, especially on many businesses that stock a large numbers of lower price items, an offer like would certainly help them, as well as generate more income from sales commissions. At the moment listing that many items on the UK site would cost that seller over £500 before sales fees!