Verifymyage Ripp off supported by ebay

[*sat-ace*uk]

Could anyone explain why we have to pay verifymyage £0.54 on every transaction that you need to be 18 for .Even if the customer is already aged verified .Why are we recharged this fee when a buyer is already aged verified it makes no sense at all complete rip off .Why does ebay not just verify buyers 

[4_bathrooms]

Is this regarding a bladed item?

[*sat-ace*uk]

Hi no vape items .Most customers are return customers too but some how we have been charged 0.54 pence every single sale, I have customers that have ordered 50 times .Not allowed to use any other service too we had to drop loads of low cost products years ago .Is 10% extra fee on any items below 5.40£ 

[jonatjonatjonat]

It appears because eBay don’t flag the user for some reason and that means each order has to be verified. There could be a technical limitation for that but that at the end of the day seems to be the reason.

all you can do it’s build it into your pricing at the moment. What’s wild is that eBay aren’t using this method of age verification for bladed articles.

[4_bathrooms]

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@jonatjonatjonat wrote:

It appears because eBay don’t flag the user for some reason and that means each order has to be verified. There could be a technical limitation for that but that at the end of the day seems to be the reason.

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I've done a little digging and it appears there are only two industry accepted ways of verifying a buyer's age where vape products sold online are concerned:

1. The buyer has an account with the retailer and their identity has been confirmed by uploading a passport or driving licence the first time they checkout.
2. Employing a third-party age verification service.

The law doesn't currently state how a retailer should check whether a purchaser is over 18 but the above is what the industry has apparently decided upon (similar to the "Challenge 25" scheme for in-store purchases). As eBay are not the retailer and they don't verify the identity of buyers (only sellers) #2 is the only logical option. I suspect integrating with a single third-party provider and mandating it was the easiest option.

It's probably worth pointing out the Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently passing through the HoL will tighten the rules around age verification when it becomes an Act.

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@jonatjonatjonat wrote:

What’s wild is that eBay aren’t using this method of age verification for bladed articles.

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The Offensive Weapons Act is far more specific. The buyer's age must be verified during every single checkout, delivery cannot be made to a locker, collection point, PO box etc. and the recipients' age must be verified upon delivery. For the purposes of the OWA payment by credit card is accepted as proof of age during purchase; I'm not sure why the vape industry decided differently although the Government's guidelines are there must be "robust" age verification checks in place.

[porte2425]

Businesses use their knowledge or market dominance to “rip off” clients/customers all the time. Apparently that’s capitalism. Many, myself included, call it greed. But people keep putting up with it, so it stays.

As I discovered myself last year when attempting to buy antique butter knives, which I couldn’t because I don’t have (or want) a credit card, eBay are adopting the simplest solution for themselves. Why? Because it obviously leads to more (short term) profits. (Greed is often short-sighted. But it can afford to be, because there always seems to be another venture to take advantage of, after the greedy have destroyed the last.)

Bottom line – don’t expect eBay to change this unless either they start losing too many sales with this implementation, or the government steps in and forces them/their partners to the change it (like they finally did with hidden booking fees, etc.).

[4_bathrooms]

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@porte2425 wrote:

As I discovered myself last year when attempting to buy antique butter knives, which I couldn’t because I don’t have (or want) a credit card, eBay are adopting the simplest solution for themselves. Why? Because it obviously leads to more (short term) profits.

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How does eBay profit from requiring a credit card to purchase knives or requiring VerifyMyAge for vape purchases? You need to be over 18 to purchase either and where a distance sale is concerned the law requires some sort of "robust" age verification to be carried out. 

[porte2425]

3 scenarios:

1. eBay doesn’t use any age verification, so loses all sales that require it.

2. eBay uses an age verification that permits many forms of (valid) ID (like other sites do), which makes it handy for buyers, so gets lot of buyers and sales – but it is expensive to implement and maintain.

3. eBay uses a simple age verification system, which is inexpensive to implement but is restrictive, so they lose a percentage of buyers as a result.

eBay have chosen scenario 3. Long term, scenario 2 would have been better, as upfront costs would eventually be recovered in extra sales; plus you keep your customers happy and loyal.

So, eBay have prioritised short term profits, in relation to ID requirements.