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? 

[vinylscot]

I have posted a graph on the thread you started, clearly showing that eBay's UK site was actually slightly busier in February than it had been in January (February is only 90% as long as January, yet had 95% as much traffic). Now it's possible that you have found a source which claims otherwise, but, if that was the case, I would have expected you to post some evidence, instead of once again making a bald statement which can be easily disproved.

As the saying goes  - "put up or shut up".

[georgie-dad]

Please forgive me if I am not reading your post correctly, but I am a little confused by this post reply, your graph is for searching in ebay but Yorkshire collectibles states sales are declining, the Protection Fee only came in on the 4th March 25, search figures don't show the real picture on sales. By the amount of posts relating to the PF, it seems a lot of sellers are concerned, and I have had comments from my buyers that they are not happy on this, and my sales have certainly dropped, I personally think it is not fair to buyers charge fees but realistic ones,  the buyer pays anyway, its the amount that is in question, to have multiple different sales (not multiples of the same item) I refer to, the buyer has to pay a individual PF for each one this is extortionate by any account. EBAY MUST BE GETTING WORRIED OF VINTED for sure, as this is exactly the same as they do. Small buyers play just as important part of ebay as the Business sellers, we offer a range which may not be within their range of  their sales. All sellers should stick together. This reply is not a criticism  to anyone (Other than eBay) but an observation to what I see on the posts relating to the Protection Fee 

[toontooni]

It’s extortion! I’ve stopped buying from eBay private sellers altogether!

[detekc_57]

There should be an option not to have this " protection" , a protection
you get under the law anyway

[papso22]

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@detekc_57 wrote:
There should be an option not to have this " protection" , a protection
you get under the law anyway

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No you don't.

[sml192]

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@detekc_57 wrote:
There should be an option not to have this " protection" , a protection
you get under the law anyway

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Buyers have very few statutory rights when purchasing from private sellers so, no, it isn't a protection you get under the law anyway. 

[b_bez]

Basically they've scrapped the private seller fees and dumped them onto the buyer.  So if I want to keep selling my old CD's, clothes and other no longer needed stuff, I'm virtually having to give it away or stuff just won't sell.  ebay possibly not wanting the grief of private sellers / buyers no longer.

I'll be just putting my stuff in the skip as it just isn't worth the hassle of packing and post office for a fiver.  Nothing lasts forever and ebay had its day as if I want to buy from a business seller, I'll just go on Amazon and get the same item, next day, guaranteed.  I'll even pay a few quid more just to get what I've bought next day so effectively, ebay is still losing out as I liked buying old Vinyl and CD's from private sellers but no longer.  Again, I can get CD's and Records on Discogs for same or less.

Hope ebay falls off the wall.  No good deed (getting rid of private seller fees) goes unpunished!

[edwardian-dreams]

Buyers were protected anyway

the new bpf offers “secure payments “ as if they weren’t available before ?

the only new thing is this 24/7 customer care

yes like that costs millions and who is on a wanna speak to a rep at 3am say

nothing wrong with the customer services as they are 

[lucy_farmer]

'nothing wrong with the customer services as they are '

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What?? CS are awful.

(I'm actually shocked that a Global company like ebay doesn't seem to care that their CS talk absolute cobblers a lot of the time.)

'the only new thing is this 24/7 customer care'

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Yeah well..... it's already been admitted that, outside of certain hours, it's a bot.   But that means it's probably just as good as the current human CS.... if less imaginative!

[edwardian-dreams]

In the past when I’ve clicked on help there was normally an option to chat to an agent within 1 or two minutes and it was always fine , for me

now you get the ridiculous robot to play with and if you’re lucky you get an agent 

thanks, didn’t know the out of hours would be the robot, so pay  a bpf to speak to a dumb piece of machine at an ungodly hour, if you feel the urgent need to  like getting up in middle of night for a wee I suppose, after all you’ve paid for the privileges lol, amazing 

[detekc_57]

yes it is the law does not differentiate between private sellers or a company you have consumer rights regardless of how you purchased , so stop lying 

[ett1954]

"yes it is the law does not differentiate between private sellers" - Rubbish.

Under the Consumer Rights Act, a private seller is only obliged to provide goods “as described”. So, unless the description was misleading, you don't have the right to ask for your money back if you are unhappy with what you have bought, or if there is a problem with the item.

[david_partridge]

It's illegal AFAICT.

[ett1954]

What's illegal?

[dont187]

I totally get your point about eBay being a large company and would have done the research into the legality.. but on the other hand we have seen in recent years. the Endowment Mortgage Scandal, PPI and now Car Finance mis-selling by banks who we assume would have done the legal due diligence. So questioning the legality is not as dumb as it may first appear.

[papso22]

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@dont187 wrote:

I totally get your point about eBay being a large company and would have done the research into the legality.. but on the other hand we have seen in recent years. the Endowment Mortgage Scandal, PPI and now Car Finance mis-selling by banks who we assume would have done the legal due diligence. So questioning the legality is not as dumb as it may first appear.

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But in Ebay's case no-one who makes the 'illegal claim' seems to be prepared to take it any further and put their money where their mouth is and take actual legal action. 

Questioning the legality on these boards,  and some of the backroom lawyer arguments put forward in support of illegality, achieves absolutely nothing and in some cases makes the poster look rather foolish.

We have seen these claims every time ebay does something people don't like, no-one does anything and it all gets rather boring. 

[sebastian4ever]

Good.
I hope they disappear up their own sphincter.

[specialk1937]

I don't know what person has labelled you as dumb. It is naive for anyone
to suggest that big business people always have got their facts right.
With some it's simply a try on to see if they can get away with it, with
the motivation being 'greed'