Buyer Protection Fees UK 2025 + consumer rights

[tulipsorange12]

This appalling decision by eBay to charge buyers for sales from private sellers at a flat rate of 75p and 4% of the sale price means they are actually charging more than the fees that private sellers were paying -  a cynical greed driven motive.  They think people are stupid. Under UK consumer law is it legal to charge an insurance fee for buyer protection? And is it legal to charge that only for sales from private sellers. What do consumer watchdogs make of these plans. How do we complain to eBay? 

[buffster1963]

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@tulipsorange12 wrote:

eBay has to adhere to UK online consumer regulations so you are protected when buying from private sellers via the eBay platform I would have thought. To say there is no legal protection when buying from private sellers on eBay is misleading?

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Ebay is just a platform. They do not sell anything and nobody buys from them. They even state they take no responsibility for listings. 

[buffster1963]

Responsible sellers wouldnt but there are an awful lot of private sellers who will do anything to get out of refunding as they do not see it as their responsibility. Once they have the money they dont care. You only have to read these boards to know that. 

[vintique*violet]

Ebay is a selling / buying marketplace.. you are correct they state they take no responsibility for their listings, however they do have to abide by Consumer laws  for their " customers"... We are called members for a reason... Members can be charged to use a website, platform, club  etc.  Private sellers cannot misrepresent but they do not have to highlight any defects, which is why a full description and photos is encouraged ( and A.I. listings avoided by many)

They are pushing the boundaries  if you look into the BPF - what is it actually protecting? 

Not the product/item... this is with the MBG...

Only the delivery... if it isn't delivered...it results in refunds... well that was already in place anyhow.

A 24/7 chat/person communication. 

An encrypted secure transaction ... Is this not already in place, if not then I have concerns. 

AND that buyers are now aware that purchasing from private sellers, that their funds paid will be held by eBay until after the item is " considered successfully delivered"  which is between 2 to 14 days. ( 14  for untracked) or more if there is a case opened in that time. 

Edit... spelling. 

[tulipsorange12]

it may just be a platform but it is not above UK law - they must have to follow some form of consumer rights / law I would have thought?

[abrahamtoast]

These threads are getting rather silly; there are a couple of dozen running now. Most of the sensible comments can be found on these other threads, as most of the sensible posters are now pretty bored, having to repeat themselves endlessly.

Do you honestly think a company the size of eBay will not have fully researched this move, to ensure that it is actually legal? Given how many customers it affects it would be suicide to go ahead if it were not legal.

There is a tipping point, depending on what category private sellers are selling in, at around £6.00 - £7.00, where private sellers are still better off with these new charges than they were under the old fee structure. All they need to do is reduce their selling price to the point where the seller will see the original selling price (with the charges added in), and the buyer will still receive more than they did prior to October 2024.

Below that price point, sellers will need to accept their prices have risen, or reduce them, possibly to a level where it won't be worthwhile.

Don't waste your time whining about whether it's legal or not. Don't waste your time worrying about some of the obviously wrong info being posted all over the place.

I don't like the prospect of the changes coming up, but it's happening, and all you can really do is wait and see. Once it's bedded in, I'm sure we'll all find our own ways to deal with it.

Alternatively, you can flounce off in a huff, and nobody will miss you (certainly not eBay).

[vintique*violet]

Yes I have seen that, but unsatisfied buyers  can open a case with private or business sellers, using  the system and "battle"  it out... that is what it is there for.   

[lucy_farmer]

'What's the BPF - Protecting? '

I really don't know, it doesn't seem to be saying anything particularly new...

But it does seem to be trying to reassure nervous buyers that, 'yes these dodgy 'private' sellers won't get your money until your purchase has arrived, don't worry we won't let them rip you off' (which is slightly insulting to all honest private sellers🙄)

Well, basically that's just the MBG that all buyers get when buying from business or private anyway....

The thing about 24/7customer support : well, I'm suspicious of the bit that says 'or send a chat to get quick answers'.  That'll be the bit that's 24/7, I reckon, because it'll be AI bots doing it, not more paid humans.

And like you, the 'secure transactions' !! I hope it always has been!

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What they're not mentioning, is anything about the Simple delivery/14 day hold stuff from the sellers point of view ; which obviously they don't need to as the BPF Is from the buyers viewpoint.

But what I'm driving at is ; if buyers knew that 'item-not-arrived' refunds would be paid out of ebay's own coffers , and the seller got to keep their payment (albeit after a 14 day wait) would dodgy buyers feel happier about trying on scammy 'item-not-arrived' cases, as they think 'nobody' is losing out? (the way some people think that shoplifting from a big store is 'victimless crime' rather than everybody paying the price in price-rises...)

Or organised scammy sellers sending stuff to mates, who try to get refunds so they keep the items and their mate keeps the money.... ebay must have made some very powerful arrangments with RM, Evri and whoever to make sure tracking and delivery is so spot-on so as to make this very difficult to do. (or somebody in ebay has done the sums on this and worked out that paying off the occasional crim is cheaper than the present system.)

[vintique*violet]

Thank you for your helpful post... have you researched what happened to Poshmark? 

It is not just the getting around them... will the buyers want to pay it, especially in this economy. I buy more than I sell, I stopped purchasing here in early December and source elsewhere, as a private seller like many other private sellers who spend more ... and that is what eBay are counting on... as per the CEO. 

And it is not just the BPF it is the many other new " restrictions"... 

Legal and lawful are different... eBay may have found a loophole, however it does not mean they cannot be held accountable... just because they are Big business do not think for one minute that the people are lesser mortals...  Ebay run on people selling and buying to attract investors... not the other way round, there are other avenues for many - I do not need you to miss me, nor  eBay ( but they will when 1000;s close shop) and certainly there is no need for a flounce in a huff...just a  simple click of the keyboard is sufficient  😉 

[tulipsorange12]

You are ignoring the fact that many, many small private sellers only listed items using the FVF promos at the weekends so you've got your figures wrong in relation to those sellers.

[vintique*violet]

You've made some very valid points  about possible unscrupulous buyers and them seeing a new opportunity to defraud...  and agree eBay has let it known they are not trusting of Private Sellers - we are being held to ransom, BUT I think this move is to increase funds and to attract investors ( for their other endeavours) .. Simple delivery is mentioned briefly in the sellers section and our 'Getting Paid suggests it is better visibility ... whatever that means? but apparently it will help us to manage our funds better? Plus it is obvious that held funds could be much longer as they are stating if a buyer has a problem they will wait to release....  ...see below... 

While listing, you'll see that a Buyer Protection fee will be added to the listing price. You'll be able to review your listing price, the Buyer Protection fee, and the total item price the buyer will see before you complete your listing.

The Buyer Protection fee will be calculated as:

• A flat fee of £0.75 per item, and
• 4% of the item price up to £300, and
• 2% of any portion of the item price from £300 to £4,000

To get your funds faster, we recommend using Simple Delivery or other eBay postage labels, which include tracking, and sending your order as soon as possible after we've confirmed that the buyer has paid. Your funds will be sent to your eBay balance after the order is considered delivered.

Getting paid:

UK-based private sellers will have better visibility into when their funds are made available, to help manage their earnings. Funds will be made available, to spend on eBay or withdraw, after the order is considered delivered, which is determined based on the delivery method:

• For tracked deliveries, funds will usually be available 2 calendar days after we receive confirmation from the tracked shipping service that the delivery was successful. Where available, we recommend using eBay postage labels which include tracking, to ensure you receive your funds as soon as possible.
• For local pick-up, funds will be available when you exchange the 6 digit code or QR code with your buyer.
• If the item includes Authenticity Guarantee, funds will be available after the item is successfully authenticated.
• For items sent via the Global Shipping Programme, funds will be available after the item is delivered to the UK Shipping Centre.
• For untracked deliveries, or tracked deliveries with no delivery confirmation signal, funds will be available 14 days from the order date.

If the buyer requests a return or has a problem with the order, we'll wait until the issue is resolved before we release seller funds. Additional payment holds may apply.

[61stephenuk]

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@lucy_farmer wrote:

'What's the BPF - Protecting? '

I really don't know, it doesn't seem to be saying anything particularly new...

But it does seem to be trying to reassure nervous buyers that, 'yes these dodgy 'private' sellers won't get your money until your purchase has arrived, don't worry we won't let them rip you off' (which is slightly insulting to all honest private sellers🙄)

Well, basically that's just the MBG that all buyers get when buying from business or private anyway....

The thing about 24/7customer support : well, I'm suspicious of the bit that says 'or send a chat to get quick answers'.  That'll be the bit that's 24/7, I reckon, because it'll be AI bots doing it, not more paid humans.

And like you, the 'secure transactions' !! I hope it always has been!

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I have bolded the part i am replying to

You are correct that it will be 'Automated agents' for service outside of hours,so not 24/7 telephone support

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[theelench]

Don't be offended, it's a sort of tradition form of disparagement with some posters, any mention of leaving ebay or just the intention to stop listing is automatically 'flouncing off', just as trying to discuss the topic is referred to as 'whining'.  It's meant to make you feel like you're being hysterical or childish and shut-up. 

Just a couple of  my thoughts on the BPF.

It's really ebay giving with one hand and taking with the other.  Free to Sell = Fee to Buy so perhaps it would be better to call it the ERPF,  the Ebay Revenue Protection Fee.  I'd guess that ebay has calculated that loosing all fees from private sellers, considering it's been free to list + so many only list when they got a FVF Offer.  They might make more by charging all buyers a smaller fee but on every transaction?

It's called the BPF because it gives ebay the perfect excuse to hold seller's funds for up to 14 days unless Tracked Delivery can be proved earlier as part of the 'protection'.  Anything sent un-tracked ebay will get 14 days interest on the proceeds of many thousands of sales  --  more revenue protection.

[vintique*violet]

Hi, thank you @theelench  I am not offended - offence is taken and not given,  I have lived by this for many many years... 😉 

I absolutely agree it is more of a revenue protection -  it smacks of , I can't recall the term but remember all those  " heavy - handed " gangs particularly in London decades ago, going around local businesses , breaking in, robbing, attacking etc and then the " knights in shining armour"... which were  actually from the same gang, offering " protection" for a " fee"... or else! 

Problem...Reaction... Solution... Perceived problem created  to instil fear and a " hands tied behind your back"  reaction resulting with a hard-knock Solution wrapped up in " for your safety/protection" ... All devised  to "push" the unsuspecting into accepting a " forced" solution which was not originally necessary and only served/profited the " gang"... and robbed business owners blind!  

[parsley2003]

Copying Vinted they do this and yes it's just an excuse for greed. At least Vinted show in the listing exactly what the seller is charging for the item and the extras that go to them for the so called protection payment. With us it's just added on to make our items seem expensive. Just a fancy name like you say consumers already have buyer protection and what extra will Ebay give for this? "buyers will be able to speak to a real person 24/7 about a problem 

[parsley2003]

Ebay will add their protection money on to our price but the seller won't see the breakdown. My problem is 1 sell say 10 individual postcards at £2 each to  one person whereas i always combine postage Ebay will be adding nearly £10 on as every single item will have that 75p plus 4% added not just to the total order. It's a nightmare nobody is going to pay that, they should have made it less for items under £5 

[parsley2003]

Me too though i have 100 extra because i have a shop

[parsley2003]

Was just saying i sell individual postcards and if i sell 10 single ones to one person Ebay is going to add almost £10 on to that

[parsley2003]

They thanked me today for being with them for 20 years while i was dealing with a bad buyer which they did sort for me. I feel let down and disappointed to say the least

[parsley2003]

That's Royal Mails doing. Online postage is cheaper than stamps or post office i use it and then get my items collected 

[parsley2003]

Exactly a tiny item over 2.5cm deep has to be small parcel