How do business sellers see the new announcements of buyer protection, good or bad?

[auctiongabble]

With ebays new policy of a buyers fee on private sellers accounts, do business sellers see this as a good or bad thing for business sellers?

Will this make buyers look to buy mainly from business sellers?

If ebay now rewrote the selling fees for businesses so that there was 1 flat fee for all categories and that it matched the new buyers fees introduced on private sellers items, and also gave business sellers 600 free listings would this be more fair and a level playing field?

The chances of anything like this actually happening is wishful thinking...

[game_raid]

In don't think buyers will be just looking for business sellers, a buyer will see a price and make a decision, they won't even see the buying fee. 

Buyers will also be looking at a seller return policy, shipping, handling speed and of course feedback, there are many variables to look at on an item and seller.

A business seller using a private account will still be at a slight advantage because they will still be paying less in fees if they decide to absorb the buying fee themselves which most will.

There has been a complete meltdown on here today, I can understand the low value item sellers being upset who are clearing old stamps, comic books and postcard collections etc but the ones that have complained the most is the ones abusing private accounts because the fee free selling has taken a hit.

There has been a lot of disgruntled buyers also which I don't understand, sellers set prices and set the same prices before with 12.8% of fees added and if they don't like the price they look for someone who is cheaper, eBay is a dynamic marketplace with items getting sold every second at all price points.

If anything items should become cheaper overall across private sellers.

It certainly won't stop me buying on here anytime soon, I buy based on the variables I mentioned above.

[bravergrace]

I think it's probably a step in the right direction.

I'm not so sure about people not caring about buying from business sellers, though.  It depends what you're buying.

I spend several hundred pounds a year on vintage motorcycle parts.  It matters a great deal who I'm buying from, because it's a tricky business, and from my experience, lots of the parts don't actually fit the bike they're advertised for.  And a lot more arrive damaged (either damaged before sale or damaged in transit).

Buying from a private seller means a lot of hassle, as they usually "don't take returns", and don't take kindly to being told the part wasn't what they thought it was, or wasn't in the condition they thought it was.

I prefer to buy from a proper business where I explain that the part doesn't actually fit a model 57(T) made between 1978 and 1979 for the UK market, and discuss what to do next.  I don't want a fight, I don't want a protracted process, I don't want to argue about whose fault it was or who's paying return postage.  I just want a civilised adult conversation and hopefully an exchange for the part I need.

[the_book_seekers]

I have a worry that buyers who are not sellers will not be made aware that they will not pay buyer protection with a business seller and assumptions will be made that it will be charged on all items. 

[art2own]

I have to consider the opinion of the private sellers, as they are our buyers. Reading post on the forum they are not at all happy, many are very angry and disgruntled. Which potentially means a mass exodus of private sellers leaving the site and less sales for businesses.

Bolton News did a click vote questionnaire today asking "Should eBay add a buyer fee?", which I guess includes votes from a broad demographic of eBay users:

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/24832210.ebay-adds-buyer-fees-delays-private-...

The results so far, only 1% of readers out of 143 who voted are in favour of a buyer fee:

Readers vote

Poll closes 24 January 2025

Should eBay add a buyer fee?

• Yes 1%
• No 86%
• Only for high value items 13%

Votes cast: 143

If this vote reflects the sentiment of the general eBay user, the results are deeply concerning. The numbers could not be more negative, and this is highly worrying.

[art2own]

In fact, the same readers vote is on multiple news websites publications owned by Newsquest Media Group.

[bravergrace]

I think calling it a Buyer Protection Fee probably wasn't a wise move - because frankly, Buyer Protection is about enforcing existing legal rights, and not about the allegedly exorbitant cost of letting you speak to some poor wage-slave in the Far East or the USA in the middle of the night.  It's like your employer telling you "Of course well start paying you the minimum wage, but we'll charge you £2.50 an hour for this privilege.  We'll call it an Employee Protection Scheme".

It will also need very careful handling once it's live.  Otherwise buyers may avoid buying from legal respectable businesses, as they think eBay's telling them they have no legal rights unless they pay extra.

[kempseykate]

Since ebay Balance was introduced  have kept a balance and used it to buy on here. I'm not a huge buyer of stuff anyway (other than weekly food shop  and books!), but when I bought, I have always looked on here first, and mostly bought on here - avoiding Amazon.

This morning I withdrew my balance to my bank, as I have no intention of buying on here again. I'm not sure that I will stay as a seller - that depends on the terms of the mandatory Simple Delivery ... when they deign to enlighten us 😞

Reading the other threads, I'm not the only private seller that is considering this. If/when those sellers move to vin... or et.. or even ebi., there will be less second hand quirky stuff on here - yes, I know some business sellers sell that kind of stuff, but they are not usually where you find the bargains. When that happens the buyers that come here for stuff like that, and stay to buy new items on here will go. 

I have been here for 24 years, and have been on the boards for 99% of that time. I have seen all the flouncing, and the 'this is the end of ebay' posts, but I do really think the decision makers have lost the plot this time. I'm not flouncing, I will gently fade away, maybe even listing an odd item now and again. Do I think this is 'the end of ebay' - possibly not the end, but certainly damaging, especially once Simple Delivery is forced,  it's certainly a big boost for the other sites I mentioned.

[crg_music]

Neutral overall.

I never had an issue with genuine private sellers getting to use the site for free but the sheer mass of fake businesses blatantly getting away with it left a really bad taste for many legit business sellers. Genuine resentment and with business sellers being the only ones making ebay any money and many genuinely not listing(ive listed about 3 items since October) they had to do something.

Saying this the way ebay have given a gift of free listings and seemingly pulled the rug after such a short time was bound to not go down well. We all know that the buyer protection fee is the final value fee just paid by the buyer and not the seller.

Now do I care that it seems like 90% of private sellers are making a statement then leaving the site?, probably not. It will mean less buyers but also less competition and it will end the race for the bottom. In reality many of those wont go anywhere anyway.

I'm a strong believer that everything will be fine it might just take a bit. Something for sure is that something major had to change as ebay has been seemingly going the wrong way for a long time. 

Now this system works amazingly on vinted and ebay are far bigger so there is no reason ebay wont just get better and better + in time sellers will wonder what all the fuss was about so people need to just let it play out.

There was no way it could ever remain free, ebay are a business after all not a charity but people really dont like to feel like something is given then taken away which I feel was the major mistake here.

[bojangled]

After the firestorm on the boards yesterday I ventured onto Reddit. It’s interesting that many UK sellers/buyers posting on there aren’t particularly bothered, and although it’s not a positive response it’s nowhere near as disgruntled as the posts on the forum. 

I think it’s fairly obvious there are a lot of unhappy incorrectly registered sellers, but then it’s a case of eBay never really policing the site correctly.
There were several posts where users assume because they have a shop they are a business, and because they are registered as a sole trader with HMRC. 
It’s messy, but this change may well push users to register on eBay correctly.
 
Having said all that I feel the genuine low value sellers have been shafted. 

Jo

[bravergrace]

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@bojangled wrote:

 
Having said all that I feel the genuine low value sellers have been shafted. 

Jo

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I'm not sure whether you mean the genuine private sellers (and they will certainly be affected by the imposition of a minimum 80p fee on their item prices), or the genuine low-value business sellers (and they have been crucified by eBay over the past few years, due to eBay refusing to enforce their own rules by taking action against illegal traders).

Am I right in thinking the new 75p fee applies per listing rather than per sale?  

If so, it could force low-value private sellers to put everything onto fixed price multi-listings rather than single listings or auctions.

For instance, if you are clearing out your granny's sewing room, and have no idea of whether any of the buttons, laces, cotton reels, fabric, knitting needle cases etc have any value, the traditional low-start auction will be less attractive.  

The effective end of combined postage for auctions will kill these sorts of "connected" auctions.  Buyers may just see "£1.80 start + £3.50 P&P" for each item, and decide they're not bidding a fiver per item.

On the other hand, properly registered haberdashery businesses may benefit from the lack of unfair competition from illegal traders.

In the short term, I can see a lot of flouncing private and "private" sellers - and therefore potential buyers.  Longer-term, who knows?

I'm still angry about a second-hand bookseller I noticed this week - 17000 feedback from sales (so presumably over 50000 actual books sold), with a user name including "BOOK SHOP" and their shop address, but still registered as a private seller so no fees and no returns.  

That's one heck of a big private library to be selling off.  More to the point, how can a small bookseller possibly compete?

Something needed to be done.  I hope this action is effective in easing the disparity and levelling the playing field.

[kempseykate]

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@bojangled wrote:

After the firestorm on the boards yesterday I ventured onto Reddit. It’s interesting that many UK sellers/buyers posting on there aren’t particularly bothered, and although it’s not a positive response it’s nowhere near as disgruntled as the posts on the forum. 

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But do they all know about the incoming forces Simple Delivery yet? That will see off a few more sellers (who were also possibly buyers).

At the end of the day ebay are to blame for not sorting out the unregistered business seller issue. This is a very messy attempt to try and 'persuade' them to register properly. And I really do feel it will backfire massively.

You mention stopping the race to the bottom - but will buyers still come when there are no bargains to be had? When they find they can buy 2nd hand stuff cheaper at ets. or Vin...? Or they can buy new cheaper in real life shops, Am..., or sellers' own websites?

[bojangled]

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@bravergrace wrote:

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@bojangled wrote:

 
Having said all that I feel the genuine low value sellers have been shafted. 

Jo

---

I'm not sure whether you mean the genuine private sellers (and they will certainly be affected by the imposition of a minimum 80p fee on their item prices), or the genuine low-value business sellers (and they have been crucified by eBay over the past few years, due to eBay refusing to enforce their own rules by taking action against illegal traders).

@bravergrace yes genuine private sellers, I don’t have much sympathy for the masqueraders.

Am I right in thinking the new 75p fee applies per listing rather than per sale?  

If so, it could force low-value private sellers to put everything onto fixed price multi-listings rather than single listings or auctions.

I think it’s per listing, and I noted if a buyer purchases multiple items from a quantity listing it’s one 75p transaction fee but the 4% is multiplied by qty. 

See how this all plays out, it really does seem that it’s the end of the flea market era.

[magpiecorner1]

Certainly the end of low start auctions, though they've been dying the death for the last 6 or 7 years.

[cobwebcottage]

'I'm still angry about a second-hand bookseller I noticed this week - 17000 feedback from sales (so presumably over 50000 actual books sold), with a user name including "BOOK SHOP" and their shop address, but still registered as a private seller so no fees and no returns. '

Same with the private seller who I have reported and mentioned twice on the weekly chat who has ETS* in their user name and the website address in all 1600 listings.

They are not interested and say that we don't know what action is being taken behind the scenes. Well know what is happening in front of the screens, they are listing more items. 

Free listings and free advertising of another platform where buyers will be able to buy their items cheaper from February.

Unbelievable.

[leadhills_scot]

I think the 75p charge is wrong for low priced items and this whole announcement is unfair to the genuine private seller. There are a lot easier ways to sort out those who are misusing the site and pretending they are what they are not.

[bravergrace]

I wonder how these private sellers' items will be shown in search results?

Suppose there are three items:

Item A:  Business seller, item price £10, free P&P.

Item B: Business seller: item price £10, P&P £2.

Item C: Private seller, item price £10, buyer fee £1.15, simple postage £3.

Will they all appear in search results as £10?

Or will the postage and the additional fees be taken into account, and Item A shown correctly as the cheapest option?

As a buyer, it's already something that drives me mad: in search results, or "other similar items", sometimes the extra P&P is shown, but not always.  It makes me feel that eBay are cheating me, and wasting my time, when I click on a bargain-price item and find there are other items to be included.

I noticed this yesterday from a "private" seller, selling books, weight around 3 kg:

- Item price £1.99 (no P&P shown in the search results, so his items were at the top of the list).

- Click on the item, P&P is £22.99.

(There is a postage cap of about £9 in the books category, so the seller must have either listed in the wrong category, or ticked the box to say it was a pallet delivery.)

Presumably this unregistered business seller is going to have to reconsider his strategy when the new system comes in, or he will be paid £1.99 for each of his £25 books...

[vintique*violet]

You mention stopping the race to the bottom - but will buyers still come when there are no bargains to be had? When they find they can buy 2nd hand stuff cheaper at ets. or Vin...? Or they can buy new cheaper in real life shops, Am..., or sellers' own websites?

Sellers on eBay who have their own website I am now registered with and/or have them bookmarked on my computer; I originally found them from purchases made on eBay, since chose to purchase direct from their own websites and often I get emails with discount promotions or a nice little freebie in my parcel. It may be worth those who have fave sellers on eBay to check if they have their own website /contact info to bookmark for future reference. 

[bravergrace]

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@leadhills_scot wrote:

I think the 75p charge is wrong for low priced items and this whole announcement is unfair to the genuine private seller. There are a lot easier ways to sort out those who are misusing the site and pretending they are what they are not.

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Yes, there are easier ways, but they involve using people to assess listings or sellers that are flagged up (by the system or by reports from staff or eBay users).  eBay has invested in using AI to do their sorting out - but it's the same AI, using the same rules as the AI that assessed the listings as compliant in the first place.

Any seller that has found a way to show their website address, phone number, e-mail address or business name,  which fools the initial AI listing check, will be automatically assessed as complying with the rules, because the AI that checks the reports is using the same parameters.  

It's the same as any other part of the eBay system.

Have you ever noticed how many buyers have the registered phone number 0123 456 789?  There's no point reporting them for false contact details, because the same AI rules that decided this was a genuine phone number in the first place will be used to check it, and will also assess it as compliant.

eBay can put staff on the report-checking job, but the staff will also be using the same AI to flag up possible breaches of the rules, and the number of reports they "assess" per minute will reflect this.  5 seconds to read a listing, check the rules, decide on an outcome and send a reassuring message to the reporter to tell them that while hunting knives are not permitted on the UK site, this can't be a hunting knife because it was listed as a haunting knief in the baby clothes category...

[crg_music]

Apparently the buyer will just see the amount due ie including the fee. I suspect they may just show everything including postage whether its free or not. Most people only buy 1 item so it makes more sense to me.