Buyer fees 2025

[tulipsorange12]

If I sell something for £1 is it true that the seller is charged a 75p flat fee? That is so  off putting as a buyer and seller. 

If I send an item via Royal Mail's untracked service when will I get paid - will it be 48 hours after the estimated delivery date. 

These changes are rubbish for everyone.  Surely they will impact sales adversely.

[wara_rat]

Nothing on my watch list appears to have shot up so this is how I'm reading it. I guess I will need to sell a real cheap item for it to stand out. Your realy going to take a hit if you underestimate the postage.

[wara_rat]

There is a difference, you are not a buisness if you're selling your own stuff. There was an ebay help page that put it this way.

If you sell your old possessions online as a one-off activity, you are unlikely to have to pay tax. This is because you will rarely get more money than you paid for them. In other words, you don’t make a profit. As an example, if you cleared out your attic and sold your old possessions on eBay, you don’t have to tell the taxman. There’s one exception to this – when you sell an item worth more than £6,000.

I think the main issue with this is confusion. Ebay certainly don't lead with 'register as a buisness and be prepared to self access your tax'

[aml14705]

Hi, could you somebody possibly advise the situation regarding selling items abroad, like Australia, where even if you use Royal Mail International Signed For service, it never updates, both on Royal Mail and the Australian postal side. I've sent parcels there but it never updates the delivery. Yet the buyers are returning customers. I presume they get their items. If I ask the buyers about this, I'm sure it'll open up a can of worms, this now allows them to claim for item not received and the money just sits with ebay. Will ebay be dealing or looking into this?

In past when tracking doesn't update, to places like Canada as well, I've filled in the form for a refund from Royal Mail, only to wait weeks and the response is after their investigation they have found the item was delivered, but the online showing delivered cannot be updated. Also by this time, ebay has refunded the seller. The seller has simply lost out.

[rupert606]

If that's correct, I can see the same thing happening here. 

Lots of Brits are really savvy buyers.  

[goidor]

From April 1st eBay are charging 5p to post on these forums
It will go quiet then🤔


Sent from my iPhone

[*devils.advocate*]

Thanks for the smile.

And will it not be 5p per post rather than 5p to post?

[goidor]

i guess the question is to post or not to post 

[wara_rat]

Maybe they are fed up with criticism?

[parsley2003]

Not 75p @ 4% ?

[oxrachael2012]

I agree totally.  I only sell low priced items and these will become impossible to sell if tracked.  I sold my first item under this new system last week.  Buyer kindly left feedback and then a confirmation message, because the item was showing as not delivered, even though it had been (I send as large letter to reduce postage costs and these sometimes aren't scanned by Royal Mail).  Have been in touch with ebay.  Will have to wait as they won't accept feedback AND message as confirmation.  I asked the rep to pass on my feedback - this is a much worse system than seller fees - gone from 30p to 75p.  However much they dress it up, the cost will be borne by the seller.  Items now look more expensive on listings to the buyer, so I see something as £5 on my listing but to others it shows as nearly £6.   

[oxrachael2012]

I messaged ebay about a problem and asked their rep to send on my concerns.  The more people complain, the more they are likely to listen.  They removed seller fees for a few weeks to soften the blow before DOUBLING THEM!  ( this 'buyer protection fee' is a smokescreen - ultimately the seller will lose out because they will have to reduce prices)

[wara_rat]

They are losing out by holding the money as well. I mainly sell to buy other stuff. I've let 2 auction go already, because my payments are pending rather than accessible.

[jesso1]

It had not previously occurred to me until it just happened but an item I would sell with a top price of £5.50 now has a 94p fee slapped on. My listings previous to Feb 4 now have a fee. Very offputting for potential buyers.

[rupert606]

Very off putting indeed.  

Buyer fees are an insult to both buyers and sellers.

For sellers - because they understand exactly how to price their own items!   In 90% of cases, they're selling things that they're familiar with and also very knowledgeable about.  For eBay to mess up every private seller's pricing shows how little real experience eBay has of trading.  There's a world of difference between selling an item at £2.99 or trying to sell it at £3.87!!!!   Or selling at £4.99 compared to £5.94 - any half decent trader soon learns simple stuff like this.  But not eBay it would seem!!  Price points are VERY important. 

For buyers - I'm one of thousands that loves eBay because if used smartly you can still find a multitude of bargains on the site.   Most frequently from private sellers it has to be said.  And now?   

[oxrachael2012]

Yes.  To the buyer it just looks as if the seller is charging more.  Unless you are a seller on ebay, I'm not sure you would even be aware of this.  The seller will definitely bear the cost - we will have to reduce prices.  I wish they just reinstated seller fees and be honest about it.

[tuttlexx]

Yes marketplace laughable, I have attempted to buy items and not once seen it through, sellers never replied! Vinted not much better, all in all very disappointing. 

[tuttlexx]

Looks like the small cost items, that I buy quite a lot, will go, plus ever rising costs of postage, looks like this way of selling/buying will vanish for many of us. I noticed one of my saved sellers specialising in ephemera has gone already, many of their items under a fiver, it was excellent for me as a collector. 

[sos7784]

Hope not I don`t have printer so that'll be me finished

[kebal_55]

These new fees are a complete joke. Firstly, sellers don't seem to realise their items are being listed at a higher price than they actually listed. Secondly, if the seller has an 'or best offer' option  and have set an offer limit, for example, at £150. You submit an offer for the £150 but it gets rejected. You then contact the seller asking a price they would accept and they tell you £150. So, why isn't the offer accepted? It's because Ebay subtract the 'buyers protection fee' from the offer price you have submitted. You then have to go in and out of the offer breakdown, changing all the amounts until you finally come up with the offer the seller will actually receive, in this case, £150. Is that clear? Probably not. How have ebay managed to turn such a simple system into something so complicated? Let's be clear, this is a system that was adopted in Germany and it made a fortune. For someone to be winning, someone has to be losing. Ebay have been pushing 'no selling fees' yet how come the 'buyers protection fee' isn't advertised the same? How can it ever be reasonable to pay to buy something, yet the seller pays nothing? I've spent the best part of 4 hours trying to buy 2 items in the last 2 days. To say I'm frustrated. Come on ebay, sort this out and stop being so greedy. 

[kebal_55]

I called ebay had a rant for about 30 minutes. I've tried too.