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?

[kath3735_wxmjn]

from what i have seen the biggest complainers about the BPF are the pseudo sellers.  (yes, yes, i know stamp collectors, postcard sellers etc etc).   I was looking at a skirt the other day and the private seller had over a thousand items,,,,

[buffster1963]

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@kath3735_wxmjn wrote:

from what i have seen the biggest complainers about the BPF are the pseudo sellers.  (yes, yes, i know stamp collectors, postcard sellers etc etc).   I was looking at a skirt the other day and the private seller had over a thousand items,,,,

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They certainly are and more turn up everyday. 

[specialk1937]

I like the way you trivialise things by say that Private Sellers just sell
their unwanted goods as if we are merely using the platform as a Car Boot.
I would like to say that as a a private seller who has been selling on ebay
for 21 years now, that yes, some of my sales have been ordinary but many
have been specialist in nature. I am nearly 88 years of age now and having
been an avid record collector and jazz fan for more than 60 years during
which time I have accumulated many items that have become rare, so I can
lay claim to having had many sales that have been far from mundane!
Despite this, I would not regard myself as a being a Business Seller simply
because I don't run a business, but as a private seller, what I have always
offered are quality products that I no longer want, that are never less
than in first class 'like new' condition, against a background of always
having a 100% feedback record! I resent therefore any suggestion, that I
am a second class seller trading in tat that does not deserve, or qualify
to be on this platform!

[lyndylooops]

Well said specialk1937. So many of us are doing just that.  The point of this is to highlight ebay's incompetence and appalling conduct... yet so many jump on it to have an arrogant rant.  This will  knock on to ALL sellers so the wise thing to do is to unite to try to create a positive change rather than turn in on fellow sellers and use it as an excuse to spoil for a fight and claim supremacy.   What is wrong with people?!!!!!!!!

[specialk1937]

Amen to that! A waste of energy to turn on one another we should ALL vent
our spleen on ebay!

[buffster1963]

I was in no way suggesting that private sellers are second rate sellers or selling tat. I am a private seller myself and occasionly sell of parts of years old collections from within my family. Like your items they are personal possessions no longer wanted. 
i was in fact replying to a “private” seller who was obviously not private as they were selling all new items and even selling samples. That was why i said private sellers ( genuine ones) sell their unwanted possessions. I am sorry if any part of my post offended you but it was not aimed at you ( or any other genuine seller) and was not my intention. 

[bra-516896]

Yes but we know that’s not the case there are a lot of so called private sellers who are competing with full time sellers .

[specialk1937]

Point taken, and at the risk of being over sensitive its because I am
beginning to feel that perhaps there is sort of divide on this issue where
Business Sellers don't want to know, and look down their nose on Private
Sellers . In other words it's 'Everyone for themselves and I'm alright
Jack! whereas injustices should be fought together, otherwise it becomes
divide and conquer!

[jckl1957]

Surely the point, regarding this topic anyway, is that the changes do not apply to properly registered business sellers.  The divide is inevitable when it only affects those registered as private sellers.

Business sellers are not subject to the Buyers Protection Fee, or payment holds or (will it become mandatory?) Simple Delivery.

I have pointed out two two members today who are absolutely beyond any shadow of a doubt trading, and should have business accounts, that they have no cause to complain about BPF, payment holds etc. and that the solution is in their hands - they just need to be trading legally on business accounts.

[buffster1963]

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@bra-516896 wrote:

Yes but we know that’s not the case there are a lot of so called private sellers who are competing with full time sellers .

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Yes there are and they shouldnt be unless they are correctly registered on a business account. Because others do it does not make it right for you to do it too. 

[buffster1963]

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@specialk1937 wrote:
Point taken, and at the risk of being over sensitive its because I am
beginning to feel that perhaps there is sort of divide on this issue where
Business Sellers don't want to know, and look down their nose on Private
Sellers . In other words it's 'Everyone for themselves and I'm alright
Jack! whereas injustices should be fought together, otherwise it becomes
divide and conquer!

---

There are a few business sellers like that but most of the ones that come on this board just dont like the fake private sellers who undercut their business while not paying any fees. Those fake sellers are the ones who complain the most about the new changes when their buyers should not even be paying a fee to buy from them, plus the fact they are breaking consumer laws and avoiding paying fees. I think it is these that most comments are aimed at, not the genuine private sellers like yourself. 

[the_book_seekers]

Surely the point, regarding this topic anyway, is that the changes do not apply to properly registered business sellers.  The divide is inevitable when it only affects those registered as private sellers.

Business sellers are not subject to the Buyers Protection Fee, or payment holds or (will it become mandatory?) Simple Delivery.

While BPF isn't applied to business seller's listing the fall out from the changes effects everyone. The assumption seems to be that buyers will use business sellers instead which may not be the case. To me payment holds on private sellers means they will be less likely to spend their proceeds on ebay when they do eventually get their cash. 

[bra-516896]

But this is EBAYs way of levelling the playing field for their business sellers who still pay the 12 per cent plus fees , it’s them they really care about , private sellers are just casualties who may stay or leave as they wish and I guess eBay have calculated that it won’t affect their bottom line much , hence our need to take it on the chin or go .

[lucy_farmer]

'so that looks like the link between account here and eBay could be broken?

Definitely for them, but possibly others?

Do you think it's worth flagging?'

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@andha-21 

Just got another one.....

Thread (with no answers yet) called 'Starting a new business from new tax year April 25 ADVICE'

Had a look at what the seller was doing now and it went to the same error page as the one for bluesquarebazar did.

*This* seller is called mw_music1 .

Go to his error page, click on 'items for sale' and, again, it's '0 listings' from mawe_8750.

??

Either there's some coincidentally peculiar/hiding sellers or there's a broken link somewhere.....

[buffster1963]

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@bra-516896 wrote:

But this is EBAYs way of levelling the playing field for their business sellers who still pay the 12 per cent plus fees , it’s them they really care about , private sellers are just casualties who may stay or leave as they wish and I guess eBay have calculated that it won’t affect their bottom line much , hence our need to take it on the chin or go .

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But you are not a private seller, or at least you shouldnt be. 

[andha-21]

Yep, just checked it and exactly the same my side.

I wonder how much is actually broken?

marco@ebay 

We've found a couple of accounts where links appear to be broken/malfunctioning 

I'll add links in a minute 

@mw_music1

@bluesquarebazar

[technthread]

I may be missing the point but isn’t this just what happens for a while when an account changes their eBay username?

[lucy_farmer]

'..... isn’t this just what happens for a while when an account changes their eBay username?'

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Is it?  I didn't know that. That may be the answer then....

(I've never seen it before and it's just happened twice in the same afternoon!)

[technthread]

The search still has a lot of problems. I am searching barcoded items and private sellers are getting the ‘great price’ badge on new items when their prices are higher than business sellers’ price.

This buyer protection fee is having a knock on effect where you can’t trust a search by lowest price at the moment… I’m not sure what’s going on here at the moment but there are so many site glitches not being rectified why aren’t eBay in a rush to fix them. 

[technthread]

I think so, I noticed it when I changed my username before. It took upwards of a week to forget the old username on a search if I remember correctly.