Why pay for Buyer Protection when I don't need it?

[trainofthought]

Why doesn't ebay make Buyer Protection an option at checkout? If I buy a relatively low price item which perhaps has a very low risk of being anything other than I expect it to be - such as a vintage postcard - it isn't going to be faulty after all - and I'm buying either from someone that I've happily purchased from before or someone whose feedback comments and ratings give me confidence to buy, why would I opt in to a Buyer Protection Fee anyway? It really does discourage buying without an opt out. I could understand it with items that are expensive but not for everything, surely. 

[m25jet]

In a nutshell, the decision to introduce the Buyer Protection Fee is driven purely by corporate greed.  eBay are always looking for new ways to screw people over for even more money, so it's hardly surprising that they've gone and done this.

If eBay wanted to introduce a Buyer Protection Fee paid for by the buyer then perhaps they should have set things up differently, such as giving the buyer two options at Checkout.  If the buyer chooses the old version of eBay Buyer Protection then the seller pays for it as part of the amount that eBay deduct in selling fees, whereas if the buyer chooses to pay for it then the cost is deducted from the amount that the seller pays to eBay and transferred to the total payable by the buyer at Checkout.  However, there would need to be some incentive for the buyer choosing to pay the Buyer Protection Fee, such as making the total payable by the buyer in Buyer Protection Fees higher than that paid for by the seller so as to finance extra levels of protection that would not have been available with the free version.  These options could easily be differentiated at Checkout by using different headings, such as "eBay Buyer Protection (Standard)", with "Free" or "£0.00" appearing next to the amount where the cost would appear, whereas the buyer-funded version could be described as "eBay Buyer Protection (Enhanced)", with the fee for this option displayed in the same manner as described for the free version.  In order to avoid the buyer inadvertently proceeding without making a selection the Checkout would just need to be set up in such a way so that the remaining areas were greyed out until a selection relating to eBay Buyer Protection had been made by the buyer, at which point he or she could carry on and make payment.  This, I think, would be the fairest way to do it, although in the unlikely event that eBay were to implement anything of this nature they would more than likely make the Enhanced version the default setting, with the buyer having to manually override it and select the Standard version in order to avoid the extra charge.

Although this suggestion may be seen by some as a better alternative to the option that eBay have now imposed upon us, I can't see eBay ever making a conscious decision to implement anything remotely similar to what I've just suggested, as they never revoke badly thought out ideas once they've been rolled out across the site, nor do they ever seem to introduce anything that proves to be advantageous to the buyers and sellers who actually bring in the money for eBay in the first place!

[toolboss15]

I have just decided to stop using eBay as a buyer, eBay have shot themselves in the foot yet again as now plenty of other platforms to use, which are far better now and some are free. This policy is going to badly effect the sellers. I use PayPal as this has it built in and better protection, so not paying more for nothing.

[department28]

Yes - even though naturally, most businesses want to make as much money as they can, this Buyer Protection Fee seems really grasping & greedy of eBay.

They could at least have made the BPF in proportion to the item price, or even waived the fee for items under £5.00. Now every single 99p item has a walloping 72p/75p + 4% on top!  

[m25jet]

@department28 wrote:

Yes - even though naturally, most businesses want to make as much money as they can, this Buyer Protection Fee seems really grasping & greedy of eBay.

They could at least have made the BPF in proportion to the item price, or even waived the fee for items under £5.00. Now every single 99p item has a walloping 72p/75p + 4% on top!

Absolutely shameful behaviour by eBay.  If eBay carry on in this manner then I wouldn't be at all surprised if by this time next year their market share has drastically reduced as a result of buyers and sellers alike abandoning the site like rats deserting a sinking ship, having made the decision to switch to rival online selling platforms such as Amazon and Vinted.

[missdollydaydream]

 I wouldn't be at all surprised if by this time next year their market share has drastically reduced

I very much doubt that you will have to wait that long!

[davidninetynine]

It's not a Buyer Protection Fee. It is actually what most auctioneers call a a "Buyer's Premium".

They have introduced it to recover some of the money they gave up when abolishing the Seller's Premium ("selling fees") for private sellers as part of a massive ad campaign to drum up more business.

But ebay have fraudulently described it as a payment for the buyer protection that was already provided to ebay buyers.

If they had described it in an honest manner, there wouldn't have been such an adverse reaction.

Whoever in ebay mangement came up with all this should be sacked ("fired" in their language) but will, no doubt, just get a bonus for being such a clever boss...

[trainofthought]

"They have introduced it to recover some of the money they gave up when abolishing the Seller's Premium "("selling fees") for private sellers" - I agree that this line of thinking has some merit but boy did they devise it and apply it in an uncharacteristically very short time frame as if  the free selling idea for private sellers was such a massive own-goal at the outset. You may be right. At least it shows that ebay react to poor decisions with some speed and it gives me hope that, if your assessment is correct, they may do so again rather soon.

[m25jet]

@trainofthought wrote:

At least it shows that ebay react to poor decisions with some speed and it gives me hope that, if your assessment is correct, they may do so again rather soon.

To be honest I can't see eBay willingly admitting that they've screwed up big time and taking action to reverse this decision, as they are not known for revoking badly thought out ideas in an effort to limit the effects of the damage caused as a result of implementing such badly thought out changes to the site.  If anything, I think this serves as a classic example that on the rare occasions when eBay do take steps to try to reverse the damage caused as a result of implementing a badly thought out idea they usually end up making matters even worse!

I reallly would like to be able to feel confident that eBay would review these badly thought out changes and take positive action to reverse the damage done, but given eBay's previous track record I can't see it happening, to be honest.  What with all these bad decisions that eBay keep on making, it seems to me as though they're trying to commit corporate suicide!

[wara_rat]

If it was my place to make changes and acknowledging that Ebay wish to make money then my proposal is this.

Ebay to scrap the 75p base rate on items under £5 or actual auctions starting at 99p

[edwardian-dreams]

Exactly this!

there is NO REASON to NOT graduate any fee for cheaper items to expensive items

putting 75p on 99p items is absolutely pathetic unfair unprofessional and un businesslike 

but it is GREEDY to the nth degree

no two ways about it in any shape or form whatsoever in my universe

[edwardian-dreams]

Yes

its laughable  that 75p is added to sales of hundreds of pounds lol

[sharodavie-5]

Received an email saying that the system was changing with EBay, was told that it was starting on the 4th February 2025 does anyone know how this works with EBay have been told that I owe them money for Buyers Protection & if this is an ongoing process with them if so I don’t see the point of giving them my money & custom anymore.

[papso22]

What do you mean you were told you owed them money for buyer protection?

Have you read how it works?  Put 'buyer protection' into the help search box for information. 

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

The buyer is already fully protected by UK distance selling laws.

Its the old story of ebay giving with one hand then taking back even more with the other.

Same story with fee's on p+p.

Ebay is losing massive market share to Amazon so has to keep thinking up new ways to make money.

[papso22]

'Distance selling laws' don't apply to transactions between private sellers and buyers.

[jonat_broad]

Same story with fee's on p+p

they had to do that because all that happened was sellers charged £0.01 for an item and ludicrous amounts for postage. Amazon had to employ the same change.