Buyer Protection

[newsandels]

Just noticed all my items listed this week Ebay have increased  my starting price by 75p+ 4% this will impact on my sales as some items are listed low to sell. If Ebay want to get Buyer Protection from the Buyer they should add it at checkout so not to make it look like the Seller is on the make.

Is this legal to alter the sellers listing price? I think this could be the end of Ebay for Private sellers. I have been a seller for 20 years this is the worst I have seen it   

[crn303 · Accepted solution]

Whilst eBay are seeking to claw back lost revenue they have gone about it  in very strange and negative way. The buyer is being penalised for purchasing an item.   If a seller had a problem with non-delivery in the past, eBay would always take their side in recovering their cash.      Buyer protection has always been there.     
Surely the seller is the one to pay fees.  I would prefer it that way.

There has been such a negative response to this eBay change.     Surely they are aware of this and I have yet to read of any response from them.   I personally think they will have to make an amendment, please please don’t take long as their creditably must be at an all time low.

To think this time last year was fun …. but no more

[nuffinbutanumber]

I have found this as well silly amounts offered with the buyer protection fee added to listings and sales on lower priced items are virtually none existent since this was added

[downsizingxs]

I agree - I'd rather go back to Seller fees and pay this increase. Not that it is justified as a duplicated 'protection'. It just doesn't work.

Also, I now never offer Free Postage to keep the cost down for the buyer.

[strawballs]

I couldn't agree more. Selling my items on eBay is now becoming uneconomic as the increase in cost is putting my prospective buyers off.

[parsley2003]

I've moved, 5 days days no sales in fact hardly anything since that fee went on never known anything like it so i've took it all off here. Doubt things will get any better probably worse will leave in unsold for a while before i delete

[kath3735_wxmjn]

so have you actually gone on to another site?  If so how are the sales going on there??

[audigeazer]

EBay has totally lost the plot of late but I don't think they care.  They never take any notice of member comments and continue to make stupid complicated alterations to the way we buy & sell resulting in most buyers (and sellers) being really confused, unsure of what they are paying for and very frustrated. They need to be very careful or be prepared to face the inevitable long term consequences.

[wintersdawn1]

Ebay's greed is off the leash and they are making changes knowing it will confuse/anger buyers and sellers, but don't care, their greed is paramount and influences everything they do and they will only react to falling numbers of listings/decreasing turnover.

[crn303]

Totally agreed with your comments

[chaza87]

Legislation already exists to buyers and if you sue a credit card the banks will look into this. This has roved no benefit to me and sales have collapsed

[lees_sales21]

Be careful as they only have a limited time in unsold (maybe 90 days?), then they are all deleted and cannot be recovered.

I found that out when about 200 unsold listings totally went. 

Had to photograph and relist all over again. 

[snowylilliput-2]

Ebay are not adding the protection fee on any postage charged by the seller . So it costing the buyer more doing free postage . 

[parsley2003]

I have put most in sets and did sell some, taken it all off again and closed the shop. SD confirmed as will be mandatory so all hope is now lost of any return to normality. 

[lees_sales21]

Sorry to hear that. ☹

SD being self delivery?

Forgive my ignorance, but does that mean you are unable to scroll down and select Royal Mail 2nd class, or Royal Mail tracked?

If so, that is the final straw for me too as I will not use couriers, given the experience I have had with them.

eBay really needs to reverse the Buyer Protection and Self Delivery nonsense or they are going to lose a LOT of private sellers.

Which in turn will lead to a LOT of private buyers too. If I cannot sell my stuff, I won't be buying anything more, that is for certain. 

Lose sellers and buyers and eBay is done.

All down to short term greed.

[parsley2003]

Long term greed really they got rid of staff last year 1,000 in Us it's not going well all the competition  and they have copied them alienating sellers of low value items and collectables. It's Simple Delivery (ridiculous word for the total mess that it is )

SD means the buyer pays Ebay choice of just 2 carriers RM and Evri you can opt out of one but if you do they will charge more to the buyer in case adding £1 to a parcel (so they won't buy from you). No 2nd class, no letter, tracked from £2.70 nothing less

At present people can still use custom postage if you can find it but we have been waiting to see if opting out is permanent and it is not, now confirmed

Kat the expert who has constantly ignored the please for the truth has finally admitted that SD will be mandatory to Private Sellers. When? the 2nd Q of the year they said which starts April 1st. So it could be then perfect day for it . I cancelled my shop before they grabbed the fee as not selling anything anyway.

[lees_sales21]

I won't use Evri. Had so many problems with them. If £2.70 is the minimum then I am done. Most of my items were listed at £2.99 before this add on fee.

I tried to keep my prices as low as I could.

£1.55 for postage and eBay's fee took it to around £2. So, I probably got about 80p to £1 per comic, not including an envelope and tape etc. 

Anything less than that wouldn't be worth my time tbh, as it was a dash catching the post from work already.

They definitely seem to want to end private sellers and probably make them pay a monthly fee. No way could I justify that.

I have bought a lot over the years on eBay, but if this is their greedy attitude I won't anymore.

They either reverse there stupid measures, or they lose private sellers, which in turn are the buyers, then business sellers too.

They need to remember who started the business, private sellers.

There is a huge market there, just stop being so greedy, because short term greed won't help when customers have left.

Charge the seller a decent final valuation fee of say 10% and resolve issues people raise with the app due to software bugs etc and have good customer service, instead of bots and standard replies and they will continue to make decent money.

Good luck to you! 

[parsley2003]

I'm trying Ebid it's quiet but how this once was, no buyer fee, 2-5% seller fee, post as you wish, no controlling at all . Delcampe is good for collectables but they use Mangopay (and paypal but people don't seem to like that) I can't take the money out of mangopay only buy because i have no photo id passport or driving licence and they have just brought in the buyer fee. All sheep following each other around the field 🐑

[lees_sales21]

Thanks!

I have hundreds of comics (once read) to sell.

Probably books and odds and ends too.

So, I do need a platform to sell them on.

Royal Mail 2nd class or tracked (depending on item cost) works for me.

And around about 10% seller fee would be fine. Easy to calculate too. 

Buyer paying a fee just makes zero sense.

And as evidenced is very messy.

Dictating how we post is also a step too far.

Some private sellers have been on here for 20 years or so, with 100% feedback.

Crazy to push them away.

Literally business suicide.

[pastperfectjewellery]

I'm giving it one last try, then I'm closing my account.   

Can't see how this will work in auction format, as the more an item costs, the higher the buyer protection fee.   

Does this mean that buyers won't know the extent of the fee payable , until bidding is over?

Tried offering free postage to off-set the fee, and lowering my price, but that means that I am losing out. 

Unhappy sellers and unhappy buyers will be bad for eBay.

Unless they are trying to rid themselves of private sellers and cater for businesses only?