This private seller is still here and using Royal Mail via Simple Delivery. I'll only use Evri if something is too big for RM.
If e-Bay wants us gone they could simply abolish Private selling accounts and make everybody pay the same fees and accept the same terms.
When I started there were occasional free listing week-ends otherwise I'd have to pay 30p just to list something if it started at more than 99p. Private Sellers couldn't use Buy It Now, could only include a very small number of pictures without paying an extra fee — we also had to pay extra if we wanted to allow potential Buyers to zoom-in on the photos we could add. Three negative feedbacks in a year or a Detailed Seller Rating (star) going below 4.6 and you were out on your ear.
Now we can add far more pictures, with zoom, plus a video, have no fees to pay and even get automatic positive feedback if the Buyer doesn't leave it in a timely manner.
The Buyer Protection Fee shouldn't make much difference as Sellers could lower their prices by the amount they are saving on fees meaning the Buyer would ultimately pay about the same. In the past if I wanted £5 for something I'd list it at £7 or £8 depending how much 12.3% of the postage cost would be. Now I'd list it at £5.
The only thing that's got worse for me is Simple Delivery and that may improve as e-Bay admit it's a work-in-progress; in fact it has improved a bit in the last few weeks.
As for the search functionality I agree that it doesn't seem as good as it was but still find things OK. Oddly filtering some things out like selecting UK Only can bring up MORE matches rather than less.
I don't buy as much off e-Bay as I did as stuff from China is available cheaper elsewhere and more British companies have their own on-line shops.
Cacas vendit.
