new buyer protection fees

[katieslittleshop]

Buyers wont be interested in my small items. They were paying between £2.69 - £3.00. Now they will pay over £4.00. My ebay days are over 😞

[asleepingdragon]

Is this baiting allowed on these threads?  I had an idea that formerly it wasn't, so as a presumably business seller, you wouldn't want to break any rules would you?

Ah - found the link to report posters who break the rules ...

[she68721]

Yes, I've been buying costume jewellery recently for £1-£5 an item plus £1.55 2nd class letter postage. I also buy many small value tools and craft items.

If a chunky fee is added to each item and a requirement for the seller to use tracked delivery (or wait 14 days), them I'm sure it's not  going to be worth it.

I already have protection through eBay's guarantee, so this is of no use to me.

What a shame that eBay's greed is going to shut down sellers of small items.

[papso22]

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@asleepingdragon wrote:

Is this baiting allowed on these threads?  I had an idea that formerly it wasn't, so as a presumably business seller, you wouldn't want to break any rules would you?

Ah - found the link to report posters who break the rules ...

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It's not baiting, it's pointing out that these changes do not affect business accounts and can therefore be avoided by properly registering as a business.   It's entirely on topic.

[goodibags]

I sell vinyl records, comics and low value items mostly for between £2 and £5. I have in past sold 30 items or more a month but they're personal possessions (who can tell?) and the volume has very little to do with any 'profit' being made.

If you're selling hundreds of items a year and have an income of thousands of pounds but with a net profit of about £45 then that's hardly a viable 'business' in any meaningful sense and it is NOT worth registering as one.

There is a lot of finger pointing on ebay but high sale volumes and a high turnover does not necessarily mean high profits when private sellers are merely exchanging unwanted goods for cash. And now with the 75p levy per item it's about to get a lot harder for them.

Incidentally, ebay is being very quiet to buyers (I am one of those too) about the massive 20% or 40% increases in prices (on low value items) starting next month. You'd think everybody would be rushing to buy in January just to beat the increases?

[imissdottie]

I will not register as a business as I am a private seller selling unwanted items. 

Who keeps these buyer protection fees? I assume ebay. 

This sounds like listing fees in a disguise. 

Why should only private sellers pay these fees? 

Ebay doesn't want to encourage private sellers. Yet this was what started ebay off. 

Ebay needs a separate selling platform for business sellers. 

[ells-1000]

You are quite right. E-bay will price you out.  E-bay are effectively increasing inflation by 4% + .75p per item bought. NOT GOOD.

They should give buyers the option. Its just like an insurance policy, do you want protection or are you prepared to take the risk.

In well over 10 years I have never had a problem buying on e-bay.

John.

[crafty_cat_lover]

Be careful what you wish for. It may only be private sellers paying these fees but I much prefer that than paying all the fees that business sellers pay.

And we got a few months of paying no fees at all which was an unexpected bonus.

[pwyl4943]

Same here already exploring alternatives 

[adieboyblues]

Totally agree I have been selling Cd's and Books at £1 each (+p&P), in the new world this will equate to a total cost to the buyer of £1.79, which is an increase of 79% on the original sale price, the 75p fee is a killer! A re-think is required by Ebay on items priced under £10 or even under £5?

I thought the "free" listing introduced a couple of months ago was too good to be true, now it looks as if it is payback time for Ebay.

[nostalgia_magazines]

"Is this baiting allowed on these threads?" 

It was supposed to have been stopped but has become prevalent again especially from 1 or 2 users who will scan your profile and whatever your comment / question will raise the question of your status.

I think many business sellers forget that initially this site was practically all private sellers, naturally when money can be made somewhere it becomes a business oppotunity and thats OK, unfortunately some people always see things as them & us in order to get a bigger share (or as they would put it a fairer share)

Those sellers that are currently rubbing thier hands in glee at the imminent demise of the private seller with comment like "its about time" & "I cant wait" should beware.

If private sellers leave then Ebay loses money but Ebay never loses money it will simply take it from those who are left.

[vintique*violet]

I agree with all you have said, other than it is not private sellers paying the BPF it is the potential buyers who will pay... it only affects Private seller accounts  ( for now!) who probably will see a further reduction in sales...

[vintique*violet]

With Buyer Protection, you'll benefit from:

• New! Private sellers paid after delivery: When you purchase from a private seller, payment will be sent after the order has been successfully delivered.
• New! 24/7 customer support: Connect anytime with a person by phone, or send a chat to get quick answers.
• Secure transactions: All payments are encrypted end-to-end and handled by our trusted payments partners.You'll also continue to benefit from free leading services like eBay Money Back Guarantee, as well as Authenticity Guarantee (for eligible items and categories).
   
  Most purchases are covered by eBay Money Back Guarantee, our free protection programme that offers refunds if the item didn't arri...
  Our new Buyer Protection programme gives you even more reassurance with your purchase, knowing private sellers are paid after delivery, and you can talk to a real person 24/7 if you have any issues or questions.
   
   
  Buyer Protection is a new programme that applies to all purchases on eBay.co.uk, and includes 24/7 customer support. Additionally, when you buy from a UK-based private seller, seller funds are sent after an item is considered delivered, and a mandatory Buyer Protection fee is included in the item price.
  eBay Money Back Guarantee is an additional layer of protection on your purchase. If an item doesn't ...
   
   
   
  So this is basically telling buyers that eBay are not trusting of their private sellers to post items and them being delivered by the postal service... Buyers can now speak to a human being with any concerns , or maybe just have a chat about the weather? or would it be I don't want this now and funds held longer?  AND  transactions are secure as encrypted ( were they not anyhow, if not this is very concerning)  AND that  BPF actually does not cover the item purchased as it is the MBG.
   
  Did eBay ask the buyers if they wanted this? 
   
  Do eBay really think that sales will increase? 
   
  Are eBay another Poshmark?
   
  Are eBay misleading its " customers" with what the BPF really is? 
   
  Have eBay discriminated against private sellers? 
   
  Are buyers encouraged by eBays New  FEE to part with their hard earned money even more?
   
  Are buyers  clear of what it actually covers and  happy with the " benefits" it provides?
   
  Are private sellers disappointed at them being singled out and penalised by having funds held for  something which really does not exist...?
   
   
   
   
  https://www.ebayinc.com/company/our-history/

[imissdottie]

However, will the buyers pay the extra? If I want £5.00 for an item the
buyer has to pay an extra £1 or so or more if the bidding goes up. So it's
difficult for the buyer to know exactly how much they will have to pay. We
also have to wait for the item to be received to get paid by ebay. Its a
thinly disguised fee for ebay and only serves ebay not the seller or buyer.

[she68721]

So how is eBay going to calculate the final amount as bidding goes on?

If you increase your bid by a fiver, say, will it actually cost you an extra £5.20?

It's all very well saying the fee will be in the final price, but will it show as you're bidding or will it be added on afterwards? If so, there will be more sellers changing their minds after winning and then failing to pay.

Ebay already have an issue with their 'simple postage system, where the cost of postage charged can increase as bids rise.

Also, I haven't seen much evidence of the 'preauthorised payment' feature recently, but if it's still running, anyone bidding on an item might suddenly find themselves charged far more than they expected and having no way of preventing it from being taken from their bank!

[vintique*violet]

@valueaddedresource  has some excellent informative posts on this aspect. 

I would never allow eBay to access my account ( PayPal or any other) for "pre-authorised payment"... it is asking for trouble. 

Previously when a seller had something I needed and the make offer was shown, and when clicking it asked to " link - for pre-authorised etc " I click back on my browser. Thus I no longer make offers, in fact since all of these shenanigans I haven't purchased anything since the beginning of December and plan not to ever again,  no way will I pay a " buyers fee" for a " protection service"  which is actually non existent. 

[papso22]

The buyer will see what they have to pay as the bid amount takes that into account.  Unless the seller sees something different to the buyer, the seller will have to remember that the bid price is not what they will get, but assuming they set the opening bid at the lowest they will accept, then that shouldn't really matter.

So, for example,  the seller decides they will accept £5.00 as the lowest price so when they create the auction listing they put £5.00 on the form.  When the listing goes live it will show as £5.95 starting price.  But as each bid is made, and say the buyer decides they will go to £7.00, then that bid (£7.00) will be inclusive of the fee.  So if the buyer wins at £7.00 they will be shown a breakdown of the fee as 75p, plus 25p (4%), with the item costing £6.00, which is what the seller gets.

In other words ebay adds the percentage fee and fixed fee to the price the seller decides as BIN, or their starting price for an auction, but has to treat auction bids as inclusive when they work out the fees for the winning bid.

But I may be wrong!

[rosestudios]

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@papso22 wrote:

The buyer will see what they have to pay as the bid amount takes that into account.  Unless the seller sees something different to the buyer, the seller will have to remember that the bid price is not what they will get, but assuming they set the opening bid at the lowest they will accept, then that shouldn't really matter.

So, for example,  the seller decides they will accept £5.00 as the lowest price so when they create the auction listing they put £5.00 on the form.  When the listing goes live it will show as £5.95 starting price.  But as each bid is made, and say the buyer decides they will go to £7.00, then that bid (£7.00) will be inclusive of the fee.  So if the buyer wins at £7.00 they will be shown a breakdown of the fee as 75p, plus 25p (4%), with the item costing £6.00, which is what the seller gets.

In other words ebay adds the percentage fee and fixed fee to the price the seller decides as BIN, or their starting price for an auction, but has to treat auction bids as inclusive when they work out the fees for the winning bid.

But I may be wrong!

I think you will be right

One thing i have learned over 25 years on Ebay is that they have never been one to employ simple maths.

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[moldosgifts]

This will not effect businesses so your safe

[prescott9376]

"This will not effect businesses so your safe"

For Now