Just noticed I got charged extra…

[tranceenthusiast]

Hi all, I’ve not been on eBay for a good year or so.. I normal buy records on here. Which are expensive enough as it is… 

I just noticed that I payed something called a buyer protection fee on top of my purchase. What a con…

We had buy protection.. It’s called the money back guarantee. Will have to consider my options now.

Terrible policy, I had no idea I was paying this hidden fee. How stupid are eBay? Who changes customers extra? Isn’t being competitive about lowering prices for the consumer? 

Seller lists for 45 and gets a buyer protection fee slapped on listing.  .. 

I won’t buy anything else now unless the seller agrees a price to offset this fee. Every body should agree to do this for the buyer, to hit eBay so they don’t get their greedy fee. 

Absolutely shocking practice. 

[technthread]

Agreed, but the seller may have already reduced their price to factor in the fee and they may not appreciate that demand. 

I’m not a private seller but the way I would work around this is I would offer free postage as the buyer pays the BPF and I would explain this in the description.

[jonatjonatjonat]

You are welcome to your opinion, however the buyer protection fee is merely poorly named, it is nothing more than a means for eBay to charge for their services. They have copied Vinted and in actual fact the money back guarantee is still separate.

previously eBay charged sellers a fee.

In reality as suggested, sellers would have to reduce their prices to account for the BPF.

[honeymonster007]

Thought the price shown on the item listing included the bpf?

Are buyers seeing it different?

[jonatjonatjonat]

It does include it, but it doesn’t always indicate that a buyer protection fee is included.

i just went through the app and I wouldn’t have any awareness of a BPF on an item until I reached the checkout 

[ruby*ryan]

@tranceenthusiast 

"I won’t buy anything else now unless the seller agrees a price to offset this fee. Every body should agree to do this for the buyer, to hit eBay so they don’t get their greedy fee. "

That wouldn't be hitting eBay, it would be hitting the seller. 😞

eBay would still take the BPF, it would just mean the seller has less than they wanted. So you win, eBay win, seller loses out.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"I won’t buy anything else now unless the seller agrees a price to offset this fee. Every body should agree to do this for the buyer, to hit eBay so they don’t get their greedy fee."

They'll still get their fee, it will just be very slightly less.

Say the item costs £10.  The BPF on top would be £1.15, so your price to pay would be £11.15.  In order for you to pay just £10 straight, the seller would have to make the item cost £8.92.  The BPF on top of that would be £1.08.  So the only amount ebay would lose if the seller reduces their item price would be £0.07p (ie they'll get £1.08 instead of £1.15).

The only way to stop ebay getting the BPF is not to buy at all. 

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"The only way to stop ebay getting the BPF is not to buy at all."

PS.  To amend the above line, I should have more accurately added : "or buy from a Business Seller" as the BPF only applies to sales by Private Sellers.