I am a loyal seller who has been with Ebay for 12 years now.
I have 100% positive feedback, post my items on time, and have always been a trustworthy seller.
This new rule which means I don't get paid for items until well after the buyer has received the item is a disgrace and a slap in the face to people such as myself who have given them our loyalty for years.
Most, if not all sellers on Ebay use this platform because they are in need of extra income.
My own reasons being due to ill health I am unable to stay in full time employment, whilst also having been rejected from PIP means that I do not get any support by the government for my inability to work a full time job. As a freelancer working from paycheck to paycheck, Ebay has meant that I can just about support myself from month to month and has at many times been a life saver when I'm waiting for an invoice to clear.
The fact that I have to have funds available in my account in order to send an order relies on the fact that I will have those funds already available, and as it stands this is not always the case for me.
Yesterday my partner went away abroad, and the internet went down for a few hours in the morning. With a job related meeting later that day on zoom, I started to panic. As I'm currently down to my last few pounds in my bank account, I did not have any credit on my phone as I can't afford to top it up. As of last week, I have made 3 sales worth approx £160. With the old system, I would have been able to top up my phone, afford postage for all 3 items without having to borrow the money, and in this scenario, having data on my phone would have meant I could have contacted someone to help me with the internet connection. But I had no idea what to do; I tried resetting it about 20 times over 3 hours, and I panicked so much I ended up having an attack, which can happen with my health condition.
Because of this, I am now seriously considering coming off Ebay and starting up with another one who will pay me when the buyer pays for their item- as any online business would anywhere on the internet.
I was also disappointed that not very long after they made it free to sell again on Ebay, this rule came in- which I'm sure was not a coincidence.
And I'm sure the delivery service costs have gone up again. If I am asked whether I want to fully cover my item, it sometimes triples the postage cost to way above the fee after the buyer has paid for p&p. It's getting harder and harder as a seller on here to function and even sometimes make a profit.
Ebay's complete lack of respect and trust in sellers who have been loyal for many years, and complete disregard for those of us who rely on this platform for sufficient income, is such a disgrace that I feel they no longer deserve our loyalty and the income we bring selling our wares.
Surely I can't be alone here.. Is this causing problems for anyone else who relies on their ebay income to make ends meet?
