DROP IN SALES SINCE NEW BUYER PROTECTION 4TH FEB 2025

[lo.maggi]

Has anyone else noticed lack of sales since the buyer protection update 4th february 2025. I used to sell quite a lot and virtually sold nothing since 4th Feb. Can anyone else relate to this and what can we do?

[jma2815]

Cash on collection is no longer an option. 

[papso22]

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@ccccchhrriis wrote:

As far as im concerned ebay have *bleep* it,after 20+ years here i look at ebay as a parasite just like 2 tier stalinmers lot.

We knew where we stood with paying sellers fees etc and could understand it all.(the postage fees were the start of the decline).

I am not alone in ending listings that are not cash on collection only,5 of my selling mates have quit here now and have also stopped buying  here.

I eagerly await more of the ebay fanbois attempts at justification.

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Cash on collection is no longer permitted.  Your buyer will have to pay through checkout by one of the payment methods on your listing.  Anything else is fee avoidance. 

Putting cash in the description does not override the no cash rule.

[dimeco83]

Noticed all the items in my watch listed jumped up in price and promptly deleted the lot. Ergo no buyers no sales no marketplace. I went elsewhere and got them.

I have stopped selling and now stopped buying.

E Bay is finished its the new Bebo.

In a years time if they don't reverse this they will be like the dodo.

[cartermk]

What's your problem with private sellers selling moderate volumes - it's up to ebay  whether they start charging  selllers  who sell above a certain amount - it's up to the seller whether they are above board with HMRC - if its consumer protection you are worried about ebay are generally on the side of the buyer anyway?

[t_purdy]

Ok so I've done a bit more looking into this and it seems as though the confusion is real! But in some ways (depending on what you're selling and price) sellers are better off than before the "free to sell" IF you the seller absorb the cost into your listing price.

For example I mostly sell in the toys and games category and before the "free to sell" came about the final value fee was 10.67% and 0.35% "Regulatory operating fee". Which was paid by us the sellers.

Then we had a golden period where it was free to sell and the buyer didn't have to pay any extra.

Now as we all know the fee is a flat fee of 75p and 4% (up to £300) which has been passed on to the buyer.

So absorbing that cost as a seller will make us better off than we were before the "free to sell" (again depending on the value of the item you're selling) but not during the golden period.

HOWEVER, it does mean that technically it's not really "free to sell" if we, as sellers are having to absorb the costs again! AND it means the we have to faff about calculating it all to put the fees into our prices where it was done for use before the 'free to sell'. It would have just been better if eBay said the they are reducing the 'final value fee' from 10% to 4% and/or give us the option to pass that fee onto the buyer.

Also it's still a bit of a kick to the nuts for us UK users that we are essentially being singled out where the American (.com) and international users aren't charged at all. It also means that American buyers will get a better deal if us UK sellers have to reduce our prices for UK buyer protection fees not only that we still will get shafted with a 2.5% to 3% International Fee! But, if my calculations are correct still makes us a little better off than before the 'Free to sell'.

[fido-trotter]

Yes me too,
it was always going to happen..
buyers are savvy .. and likewise i will shop elsewhere for competive prices .. it won't stop ebay though, they have lost billions in projection .. of no seller fees

[cousin_itts]

Bloody Ridiculous move.

Completely unnecessary and confusing.

Tried to put an item on for £32.99, and had to faff about to actually get this selling price. Jumped to over £35 when listed.

If I wanted to list it over £35.00, I'd have listed it for that amount. 

Also, waited for a week to get a payment from an item I'd sold 7 days ago, and the Buyer paid the same day.

What Morons at Ebay think this *bleep* up? 

Need to reverse this *bleep* ASAP, like when everyone had to offer free P&P which does not exist anywhere on the planet

'Include it in your selling price, yeah, not gonna happen unless the item is expensive

Sales fell like a stone

Take a good platform and kill it. Morons

[t_purdy]

Exactly! I for one have passed on buying 2 quite expensive items in the last day or so due to the sellers putting the item up for what they wanted and not incorporating the buyer fees, which put the items out of my limit.

Well I guess like most people it's making my impulse buys far less impulsive lol.

[unityxx]

Completely agree. I was only selling 2 or 3 things a day, but this week Ive sold 2 things in total.

[valleyrc1]

I can honestly say I've never set out to buy stuff with a budget that doesn't have 4% margin...

If I was going to spend £100 then 104 isn't going make me turn away.

Again, if you're using your private account to compete with business sellers, then yeah, I guess it could be a problem.

But for selling miscellaneous second hand stuff? I can't see it.

You all know fully well the exact same item in the exact same condition can sell for £12 one week and £55 the next because there are variables at work far in excess of the buyer protection fee. How much someone decides to list for, or if it's an auction, how many interested people are around that week to bid on it etc etc

4% isn't going to make a bit of difference to the majority of genuine used goods.

[mex-models]

I was selling mostly £3 to £4 items and would get a sale most days.  It was hardly worth it,  but the little extra cash each week helped. Since the changes I have sold 2 items in 3 weeks.

I've decided to give up and throw the towel in.

[t_purdy]

As the sayings goes "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves".

So yes it does make a difference for me because I'm not at all a rich person so the extra £4 could and has made the difference in me buying or passing on an item. I mean how many times have you missed out on a item that's up for bid by a few £'s? Because that's happened to me countless times in my time here, hell I've won and lost items based on pennies. But maybe you are just that well off you can afford to buy things no matter the cost.

But also if a seller is putting an item up as a private seller and, lets say, the item was an unwanted Christmas gift that they can no longer return then yes most are going to want to at least break even with how much they paid for it or at least be competitive with a business to claw as much money back as they can because at the end of the day a loss is a loss no matter what way you look at it.

Same goes for the 2nd hand stuff in my opinion, why sell something, no matter how old or what it is, for £10 when the next nearest is selling theirs for £50? And others have sold for that price too.

I do agree that eBay prices as volatile as it is based on demand, rarity and other factors like you mention and that does factor in to my buying because once again, I'm not loaded, so if I see and item that up for £50 but I see from the sold listings that someone sold one for £25 a month or two before then there is a good chance I'll pass and wait in hope that another one will pop up for close to £25.

But I guess we are different people and our circumstances are also different.

[valleyrc1]

"But maybe you are just that well off you can afford to buy things no matter the cost."

Yes I'm just so outrageously rich, that I could afford to pay an additional 4% on an impulse purchase. This is just silly, now.

"a loss is a loss no matter what way you look at it."

"most are going to want to at least break even"

Sounds like business talk.

"Same goes for the 2nd hand stuff in my opinion, why sell something, no matter how old or what it is, for £10 when the next nearest is selling theirs for £50? And others have sold for that price too."

And what has this got to do with a 4% buyer protection fee? You're admitting prices naturally fluctuate wildly, but apparently no matter what the item is or how much it costs, the fact that the price you see now incorporates a buyer protect fee automatically makes it too expensive?

"if I see and item that up for £50 but I see from the sold listings that someone sold one for £25 a month or two before then there is a good chance I'll pass and wait in hope that another one will pop up for close to £25."

But presumably if it was £25 + 4% a month before, that would be too much and you'd give up?

[t_purdy]

"Sounds like business talk."

No, just common sense.

"And what has this got to do with a 4% buyer protection fee? You're admitting prices naturally fluctuate wildly, but apparently no matter what the item is or how much it costs, the fact that the price you see now incorporates a buyer protect fee automatically makes it too expensive?"

Everything, because the point was no matter the price with or without 4% can make or break a purchase for many.

"But presumably if it was £25 + 4% a month before, that would be too much and you'd give up?"

Maybe, depends on the money I have at the time and I can't see the future to know that stock levels will be low enough for the price to jump to £50 a month later. And as I have already said and once again my whole point 4% can make or break a purchase.

"None of what you say really makes any sense."

Clearly not to someone like yourself who feels the need to attack people who may not be able to afford 4% on an already expensive item or want to take a loss on something.

This whole post is about the loss of sales most likely due to the buyer protection fee but obviously you're here to troll because why comment if this doesn't affect you?

[valleyrc1]

"Everything, because the point was no matter the price with or without 4% can make or break a purchase for many."

So it's a shame that the variance between identical items can, in your own words, be over 100%, then. Sort of nullifies any point you're attempting to make.

"And as I have already said and once again my whole point 4% can make or break a purchase."

And as I said, if £4 on a £100 purchase is make or break for you, perhaps you should give up on the luxuries. Nothing to do with anyone else being rich, but your own claim of being in such dire straights financially.

Again, you know full well you don't wake up one day and think to yourself "I'm going to buy a vase but only if it's exactly x amount and not a single penny over" That just doesn't happen.

People go on ebay, look for the item they want, determine what seems to be the best combination of price and condition, and make the purchase.

If they AREN'T doing that, they are just browsing and buy stuff on a whim as it catches their eye. Obviously in that situation, they did not have a figure in mind, and no basis for determining that it's 4% too much.

A 4% price difference makes absolutely zero difference to the procedure, especially when prices already differ by much greater factors based on a myriad of other reasons.

People don't go to ebay armed with encyclopedic knowlegde of the going rate for every second hand item in existence, especially to make "impulse purchases" so the entire concept of 4% of any other percent making an item too expensive is just nonsense.

People go to ebay, decide the best value listing for the item they want, and buy it. That's how it's always happened and how it always will happen.

People aren't going to suddenly stop buying stuff because the price they see today incorporates a 4% buyer protection fee, because they aren't showing up with a precise figure in mind to begin with.

I'm sorry that to justify your negativity, you have to pretend that A: People showing up to impulse purchase items have an exact figure in mind and that B: That figure is so exact that 4% is out of tolerances and will render the whole endevour nonviable.

[colcoo-616]

Noticed drop in sales by approximately 50% since the changes and also drop in views, used to average 1 a day selling own declutter stuff, it’s disappointing but I’m a glass half full person and I’m sure will sort itself out after the changes. I have a few items on promoted listing but never seem to get views via this promotion! I will stick with eBay ( until simple delivery is forced on me, then it’s back to local second hand shops) though, it’s easy to use for me and I guess better the devil you know. 

[goth_gru-48]

Ok my last post was deleted and I'm sorry for some of what I said. Perhaps this one won't be. I only came here because I wanted to see how this works for the sellers but your comments wound me up as I too sometimes can't buy things because they are a few pounds over what I can afford. Anyway I agree with t_purdy, you claim they are being negative when in fact i'd say they are being a realist. People pay what they can afford and thats a fact! Go look in the buyers forum and insult the 1000s of people over the 100s of posts for not being willing to pay the 4% BPF. In fact why aren't you making your argument there? Which is where it should be. Or are you afraid that it'll prove everything you have said here is just wrong? I guess its just easier to pick on 1 person and there is a name for that but I had better not say in case this gets deleted again.

[*devils.advocate*]

….. People pay what they can afford and thats a fact! …..

We buyers used to pay 13.22% + 30p in fees - sellers included fees in their price (if they didn’t, they were idiots) - we’re talking private sellers only here.

Buyers paid the fees and sellers were merely the conduit of money going from the buyer to eBay.

Many of the saved private sellers I had are no longer saved sellers because they didn’t reduce their prices when “free to sell” came in.

I’m prepared to pay 4% + 75p instead of 13.22% + 30p - but not both - that’s why most of my previous saved sellers aren’t any more.

Price rules - and every individual buyer has a price in their mind of what any item is worth - and that will be different.

The new fee is irrelevant in itself - if the price isn’t right for you, you sensibly don’t buy it.

If you think it’s right, think about it - and research it - before you commit.

Fees don’t matter - fees exist anywhere, in one form or another.

The end price matters - you can either afford to buy it t that price or not.

[goth_gru-48]

Oops I made a mistake in my last post and can't edit again now. Anyway I said not being willing to pay the 4% BPF. When I should have said not being willing or able to pay the extra 4% BPF. I would have left it but going by past posts I fear it's something that would be latched onto.

[twbc123]

I don’t think Tesco’s would very long if they added 4% plus 75p per item when it’s customers got to the till. Which is why from now on eBay will find buyers spending large sums will just do private sales outside eBay and eBay will lose all its commission.

eBay should simply have halved their sellers commission to get new sales, then everyone would be happy