A 'Petition'

[andyf117]

In one particular thread about 'Simple Delivery' which I've been active in over the past few days, the suggestion has been made that someone - ie., me, an eBay member of 25 years - should start a petition.

With seemingly thousands of posts in numerous threads from members extremely displeased with both SD and the closely-associated BPF - which effectively replaced the 'Sellers Fee' that we all used to pay - perhaps it may be an idea to consolidate the strength of feeling in one place?

So, here it is - the closest we can likely get to an actual petition on this board - and please, keep it simple.

If you object to the mandatory implementation of 'Simple Delivery' and would like it either scrapped altogether, or made optional so those who wish to can use it - please simply post:

Scrap SD

or

Make SD Optional

And as the 'Buyer Protection Fee' is having negative impacts on us as sellers (and buyers, which many of us are too), and would like eBay to revert to the old 'Seller Fees' system (none of us can reasonably expect this platform to be run for free) then please simply post:

BPF - Revert to Seller Fees

Unless you only wish to register an opinion on one or the other, I don't see any reason why both SD and BPF cannot be included in single posts. 

Maybe, if enough of us make our voices heard in one place, so the powers-that-be can see clearly, they might - just might - listen. Over to you.

[markku67]

Make SD Optional

BPF - Revert to Seller Fees

[sally-of-the-alley]

 Make SD Optional

BPF - Revert to Seller Fees

[fast7661]

Scrap SD. It's useless and it just an overall a negative impact on ebay sellers 

[sandylee0955]

Yes i agree, we should be able to use our own choice of postage. My items dont cost a lot to buy, but all the added fees and posting costs are putting my buyers off. This site is becoming more of a dictatorship every time they "improve" and the small seller is been pushed out.

[kidmore_kats]

You are clearly making things to sell, but are registered as a private seller.

My own opinion is that simple delivery is eBay's usually incompetent way of getting people like you to register correctly.

There are far more simple ways to sort this out (for example Private Sellers can't list new items), however as someone who stopped trading on here some time ago because I couldn't compete with the influx of business sellers trading on private accounts, frankly if it gets rid of unregistered business sellers, then so be it

[infohelps]

It's a bit like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut though, isn't it.   I agree that for genuine business sellers it must be infuriating to see  businesses trading as private sellers.  However, AI could, as you say, easily weed out people who should be on a business account.    Unfortunately, the SD/BPF policies are impacting genuine private sellers who are dealing with unwanted, inherited items - the people who actually built up eBay in the first place.  They are leaving in droves.  And they were also buyers.  eBay's traffic is down since these policies were implemented which affects business sellers.  As a private seller (who no longer sells) I would go onto eBay every day to see how my sales (inherited and no longer wanted items) were doing.  If there was something I wanted I would buy it from eBay at the same time.  I never even looked anywhere else.  Yes, it was a habit.  But now I only go on eBay to price things out.  I then buy elsewhere.   I would imagine this scenario is being replicated thousands of times, so this will eventually effect everyone who sells on eBay in a negative way.  If eBay's profits do not increase as much as they thought they would through the introduction of these policies, they will be looking to squeeze more revenue from the business sellers they have left.  (Apologies to the OP for such a long post on this thread!)

[rhyfelwr-glas]

💯 Bang on

Sent from Outlook for Android<>

[lucy_farmer]

'Unfortunately, the SD/BPF policies are impacting genuine private sellers who are dealing with unwanted, inherited items - the people who actually built up eBay in the first place.  They are leaving in droves.  And they were also buyers.  eBay's traffic is down since these policies were implemented which affects business sellers.  As a private seller (who no longer sells) I would go onto eBay every day to see how my sales (inherited and no longer wanted items) were doing.  If there was something I wanted I would buy it from eBay at the same time.  I never even looked anywhere else.  Yes, it was a habit. '

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You are seriously not alone in this: it is exactly what I used to do.

I'd buy 'treats' from ebay with the money made from selling unwanteds, and whilst I was in ebay, I'd buy the more needful, less fun items (like gym clothes etc) as well.

So I'm no longer buying nice things, often from private sellers, and I'm also not buying neccessary items, usually from business sellers.

It's a lose-lose for ebay.

[bwalton123]

Make SD Optional

BPF - Revert to Seller Fees

[johnwash1]

@infohelps 

"eBay's traffic is down since these policies were implemented"

What evidence is there of that?  How does one find it?

I'd certainly like to believe it's true though.

[johnwash1]

---

@kidmore_kats wrote:

You are clearly making things to sell, but are registered as a private seller.

My own opinion is that simple delivery is eBay's usually incompetent way of getting people like you to register correctly.

There are far more simple ways to sort this out (for example Private Sellers can't list new items), however as someone who stopped trading on here some time ago because I couldn't compete with the influx of business sellers trading on private accounts, frankly if it gets rid of unregistered business sellers, then so be it

---

Do you really believe that's the primary motivation for the changes?  What an utterly inept way of going about it, if true.  It would be very easy to set up database queries to pick out e.g. all listings from 'personal' sellers of over 1,000 new items, with multi-quantity listings.  Then generate mails to them inviting them to upgrade or else take a questionnaire.  There wouldn't be many questionnaires to review, for sure, because those sellers would know the gig's up.  That alone would make quite a difference to the site in many categories, and business sellers would begin to feel ebay had their backs.

Instead, when people point out such sellers on the Wednesday chat, what's the response?  You're invited to report each individual listing, using a mechanism which tells you the listing will be carefully reviewed (haha) but the outcome will not be given to you.  Who's going to spend hours reporting individual listings when experience tells us it rarely has any effect?

No, if you seriously think that these changes are primarily motivated by ebay wanting to convert sellers who masquerade as personal, I'm sorry to say it, but you haven't thought it through.  Or you're deluded.

[infohelps]

Several posters have been quoting this over the last few weeks: generally the theme is 'traffic down but profits up' (due to the squeeze on existing users).  I did follow a link posted by one person to see some graphs, but I'm unable to actually locate that now. Sorry about that.   But judging by comments on the various threads here, on Trustpilot and on eBay complaint social media pages, anecdotal evidence alone suggests that sellers are not getting the views and sales that they were just a few months ago.  (It will only get worse as more and more people who may not have bought/listed anything  for a while discover what has been happening whilst they've been away!).  And this is a complaint I have seen made by business sellers as well as private sellers.  Trustpilot reviews alone convince me that traffic will continue to lessen over the next few months.   The various 1 star reviews, none of which eBay has replied to, make for interesting reading, as buyers and sellers alike are saying that they will never again use eBay.  

[2000jaykay]

Make SD optional. 

[2000jaykay]

BPF - Revert to sellers fees

[2000jaykay]

I like your thinking and hope this has some effect but alas, I have my doubts.  
The introduction of "Simple" delivery has been mismanaged from the start.  Instead of trialing it to see what bugs and problems there were before introducing it as a policy they have just rolled it out, bugs and all, and are now imposing it on sellers.  I could select "Advanced" options until yesterday.  Now I have no option but to use their dreadful Simple delivery. 
This means that if people buy several buy it now items (I sell model kits and some people buy 10 or 15 kits at a time) which weigh in at about 2-3 kilos, I get charged for 10 or 15 kilos shipping, with Ebay skimming some of the postage price off the top for their profits. 
If the items I sell are auction items and 
I used to be able to give refunds to take account of the postage discount.  Now those refunds will be a lot less unless I take the hit myself which will effectively make Ebay unprofitable for me from here on in.
Sadly the powers that be seem to be milking the sellers for every last penny they can, regardless of the damage they are doing to the platform. 
Rather than a petition, It might be worth arranging a boycott, where everyone removes all their items from Ebay for  the same week.  THAT would make them sit up and take notice in short order.
   

[robmuir_78]

Are you accusing me - A GENUINE PRIVATE SELLER - of actually being a
Business Seller. Well, I can confirm to you, YOU ARE WRONG. I suggest you
are the one who is diluted, making wild accusations you cannot support.
Your accusations should be directed towards ebay who are ripping the watsit
out of things at the present time.

[zoomingmouse]

Make SD Optional...

not everyone can work with this & it's a PITA to combine postage or fulfil buyer special requests

BPF – Revert to Seller Fees, but please be reasonable

[koolkittykat10]

Make SD Optional

BPF - Revert to Seller Fees

[maujohwai]

---

@robmuir_78 wrote:
Are you accusing me - A GENUINE PRIVATE SELLER - of actually being a
Business Seller. Well, I can confirm to you, YOU ARE WRONG. I suggest you
are the one who is diluted, making wild accusations you cannot support.
Your accusations should be directed towards ebay who are ripping the watsit
out of things at the present time.

---

I think you have mistaken who is replying to whom (all too easy with this forum format, especially if you read comments as reported to you in an email, where it is almost impossible to distinguish quoted text from an actual post).

The comment "You are clearly making things to sell, but are registered as a private seller" was not directed at you. It was only quoted, and not written, by johnwash1, at whom you have apparently directed this rebuttal. It was written by kidmore_kats and directed at sandylee0955, who lists almost exclusively brand new knitted items obviously made to sell.

[gnosemalf]

As I mentioned elsewhere on here, eBay UK has never replied to any TrustPilot reviews. You can apply various filters on reviews and if you select 'Reviews with a reply from a company', there are none. They obviously either don't read them or don't care.