Why do UK businesses get such a dreadful deal compared to USA sellers?

[writesoon]

Looking at eBay.com, I see USA sellers get a much better shop deal than UK business sellers.

Firstly, everyone gets 250 free listings. Unlike here where businesses get zero free listings while being confronted with a sea of 'Private' sellers with many thousands of free listings. And it appears everyone is charged the final value fee in the USA, whereas our 'private' sellers also pay no final value fees).

There appears to be a very cheap ($4.95) 'Starter' store option to present those 250 free listings in a store front.

With a 'Basic' shop ($27.95) , USA businesses get  upgraded to 10,000 fixed price items for a 'Basic' shop, as well as 250 auctions. Compare this to our 100 auctons and 250 fixed price for a Basic shop.

The USA 'Featured' - or 'Premium' as they call it - shop ( ($74.95) ) sellers are upgraded to to 500 auctions and 50,000 fixed price listings. We get 600 auctons, but only 1500 fixed price.

I'm sure I'd be right right in thinking that every business seller on eBay UK with a 'Featured' shop would give up those extra 100 auctions  if they  received 50,000 fixed price listings to make up for it!

USA businesses also get about 20% discount on the shop fee if they pay for a whole year instead of monthly. 

If I have misinterpreted the information about free lstings, final value fees and business shop fees on eBay.com, please correct me.

If I haven't, it looks like the USA has done everything it can to create a level playing field and support business sellers, whereas eBay UK is milking their business sellers with listing fees, while throwing many of them under the bus when it comes to competing on a level playing field with 'private' sellers.

[bricklanebargains]

In the UK, we are currently being fleeced on all fronts whether it`s Ebay fees, tax, VAT, utility bills, council tax, mortgages, train fares, food prices, you name it. Things got much harder lately for small business owners like us who have to make a certain amount of money each month in order to keep a roof over our heads.      

[pegr-834437]

Is it a legal requirement in the US like it is here? After a quick google it doesnt seem to be so they have to entice people to do it whereas here it *should* be forced on every business so they probably think why offer them anything good when they have to do it anyway. 

[krafty-kreations]

What eBay care about - Making Money

What eBay don't care about - Everything else!! 

[style_wise]

Bigger business, greater corporate profits, larger economy, stronger economy, NAFTA, more exports, more buyers, more demand, et cetera.

[writesoon]

I'm not sure that really explains the relatively low listing allowances for business shops.

If a UK business could list a lot more than 1500 items in a featured shop, and was paying commission on every sale, every  extra £1000 worth of sales would generate plenty more profit for ebay. As it is, limiting featured shops to 1500 listings means a lot of businesses (particularly those selling lower cost items) are likely to tailor their listings to  that number, reulting in less commission for ebay. Only a few businesses can successfully make the long and increasingly costly transition to an Anchor shop.

I did wonder whether it might have something to do with keeping the bandwith or total server space to a certain limit in the UK, but with the new pile on of free listings for 'Private' sellers who pay no final value fees either, that doesn't really explain it either. 

It would be good if someone from eBay could explain the rationale.