Buyer Protection - would be better as a buyer option

[rob_deas]

As it's been introduced, this Buyer Protection is effectively just a selling fee.  Despite the protests that the buyer pays, it simply amounts to a price increase of 4-5% across the board, hidden from buyers unless they really dig deep, which will reduce sales forcing sellers to lower prices if they want to sell. So ultimately it is going to be the seller that pays.  Inevitably this is going to lead to an exodus of private sellers, which may well be eBay's intention.

I really don't like the way it's concealed from buyers, who won't even see that it's been added, just the higher prices.  List something for £19.99 and it just appears to be £21.51.

A far better and fairer system - if the aim is actually to offer Buyer Protection - would be to make it an option that the buyer can choose at checkout. Pay 4% extra for it and we'll protect the transaction, give you support, guarantee quality and delivery, hold on to your money in excrow until delivery is confirmed, etc. Then the buyer can decide if it's worth it.  If it's a low-value item or they look at the seller's reputation and see it's 100% good for years and years, they might decide it's not worth the cost.  If it's something fragile, or coming from overseas, or the seller looks dodgy, they might reckon it's a good investment.

But the universal price-rise that has been introduced is just a return of selling fees. Like many here, I've just put a load of items that were due to be listed into the Oxfam bag. It's not economical to sell them any more.

[*guinevere*]

There are a great many posts on Seller Central similar to yours, you may want to add your voice to those. They are not hard to fund, just scroll down the thread titles.

[magpiecorner1]

'this is going to lead to an exodus of private sellers, which may well be eBay's intention'

EBay were bragging a few weeks ago that the free selling for private buyers has been extended to the UK site because, when tested on the .de site, there was a marked increase in buyers.   And I don't doubt that was the case.

I think, though, that we will be seeing unintended consquences - buyers are the life-blood of eBay, and I've just spent 15 minutes trying to work out how much my son has just paid for a purchase.  Showing a including a £3.62 buyers fee, though actually he has also paid another 72p VAT, so has paid £4.32 to buy some wheels.

He has listed another set of wheels - first listing for over 18 months - and the buyers are seeing a buyer protection fee of £30.82.  

Doesn't matter the why's and the wherefores, buyers are now seeing that they have to pay over £30 to BUY SOMETHING on top of the purchase price.  Doesn't matter that he can sell the wheels cheaper because there are no seller fees - the buyer still has to pay an ebay protection fee.

And the really crazy thing?  Business sellers will be as affected as private sellers - if not more so - if customers decide to not visit the site.

There are times when one has to admit a total cack handed idiotic idea, and this is one of those times.

[lolobaby26jm]

They are following the same system as Vin**d.  Think they have lost so much business to them in certain areas.  At least with ebay the customer service seems to be good.  Let's hope it stays that way.  

[jonaho_4929]

It's disgusting to be honest, I only have a couple of items for sale but they were (at the time of listing) the cheapest available. But now thanks to this fee they no longer are. 

eBay is going to raking it in from these compulsory fees

[rob_deas]

I've never looked at Vinted before. I see this is indeed a copy of the system there - but on Vinted it's completely transparent. You see the price, and in a different colour underneath the total to pay including buyer protection. 

What I'm wondering is, now eBay will be taking in millions of pounds in Buyer Protection, what happens when items are posted in good faith and the buyer claims they never turned up, as has happened to me? If this was a genuine insurance scheme the seller would still get paid, and he buyer refunded. I bet it's the seller that bears the cost now, with the new system withholding funds until there's proof. 

So basically the new payment system means everything will noe need to be tracked and signed for if it's of any value at all. There's just too much risk to the seller otherwise. And that pushes prices up further reducing sales and people's business viability. 

[ashley_dawson]

Completely agree, it’s a seller fee in disguise. I’m going to sell from a different platform if this buyer protection situation isn’t sorted. So annoying.

[lucy_farmer]

'What happens when items are posted in good faith and the buyer claims they never turned up, as has happened to me?....'

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Nothing much different happens now.

In the past, the sale money went into your bank account more-or-less immediately.

If the item didn't arrive with the buyer, they buyer would open a non-delivery case with ebay.

Ebay would take the money *back* out of your accoun,t and give it back to the buyer.

The only difference with the 'payment holds' in the case of a non-delivery, is the money just misses it's short holiday in your bank account.

[ratecheap_comics]

I sell comics. lots of low value items, a lot of my own collection I sell to fund the hobby so don’t class as a business. With these fees my sales have just completely crashed through the floor to the point of is it worth it anymore. I mean that flat 75p plus a percentage on something that’s 2-3 quid is ridiculous. I think your idea of optional for the buyer is the way to go too. I may as well go back to car booting at this rate.

[rob_deas]

Yeah, I'm in a similar situation with records, selling unwanted ones from
my collection to buy more. I'm taking almost everything to my local record
shop now. Coincidentally last time I went in they said they'd just closed
their eBay shop as it was no longer worth the trouble.