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?

[mydeafdog]

So, because my car would not sell, I decided to sell it for parts.

As this was one car, this does not make me a business seller, but it DOES mean I am selling the same items as business sellers!

[*devils.advocate*]

..... so naturally didn’t see a need to reduce their prices and like me advertise what they think an item is worth rather that increase it to make a profit .....

Any item is only worth what it sells for - it doesn't matter what the seller thinks it worth.

And profit?

From a private seller's viewpoint, "profit" shouldn't apply.

[valleyrc1]

"People want to go on eBay, find what they want at the cheapest price, buy and be done"

And absolutely nothing has changed in that process.

[valleyrc1]

Exactly my point.

All the sort of stuff where a prospective buyer doesn't have a precise figure in mind, if they had one at all, especially impulse purchases. On what basis would they decide the item is 4% too expensive?

It's like going into a jumble sale, seeing a puzzle with a £3 price tag, and for some reason you decide it's 4% too expensive? Based on what? Compared to what?

But again, if it IS such a issue (because you're running a business on a private account) private sellers have 13% leeway to play with these days.

[valleyrc1]

I sell steadily for years on my business account then then things stop sometimes.....I guess that is not a coincidence, either.....

Correlation does not equal causation.

There could be 1000 users all seeing slow sales right now, and it would still be meaningless when there are millions of registered users.

You cannot go 24 hours without someone starting a thread about slow or dead sales, it happens on here continually, all year, every year, over and over and over. It is by far the most common topic in these forums.

The only difference this week is that there was something people could try and attribute it to.

[*devils.advocate*]

..... but it DOES mean I am selling the same items as business sellers! .....

Yes, exactly.

Every seller, and I mean every seller, no matter whether they are (or purport to be) a private seller or are a proper business seller, are in direct competition with each other - whether anyone likes it or not.

[rabwendy]

Apart from 4% plus £0.75 

[*devils.advocate*]

No, they want it at the right price - nothing else.

Think as a buyer, not as a seller.

[t_purdy]

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@lucy_farmer wrote:

'It now means that private sellers are more expensive for the same items than business sellers.'

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Yeah but... private sellers shouldn't be selling the same items as business sellers!

Business sellers should be selling loads of brand new stuff.

Private sellers are *supposedly* selling  the unwanted stuff out of their wardrobes, lofts, garages, garden sheds, toolboxes, sewing kits etc... which tends to be second hand. Or sometimes 'new', but certainly not new multiples of...

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I apologise in advance if I've misunderstood what you are saying here but why can't private sellers sell what business sellers are? And why can't business sellers only sell loads of new stuff?

Personal sellers have every right to sell something new, I have, as an example I brought my nephew so new models over Christmas that my mum had already brought him. I was to busy to return them and also lost the receipt so wasn't allowed to return them so the only option to me was to sell on ebay and try to get my money back that way. I've also brought a bundle of new items on ebay because there was one item I really wanted in that bundle (I'm a collector) so I sold the rest as new because they were still sealed and there was multiples of the same model in that bundle. Does that mean to you I should register as a business instead?

Same for Businesses, some business specialise in selling antiques and other old collectable items not to mention people who do house clearances. Do they have to register as private because the items they sell are old and used?

Again not having a go just trying to understand what you are saying.

[lucy_farmer]

'So, because my car would not sell, I decided to sell it for parts'

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OK ,I hate to have to quote myself but : 'business sellers should be selling loads of brand new stuff'.

If that's your old car it aint *new* parts. 

You're either selling it as one item, which is perfectly well allowed as a private sale. Exactly the same as a working car.

Or you're breaking it and selling it as bits. (And yes, there's loads of car parts breakers out there, business selling....)

But you?   breaking and selling your old car in bits ? Well, you're unlikely to have multiple second hand alternators, fuel pumps or fuse boxes , if it's just 'your old car'.

[the_book_seekers]

There's nothing to stop private sellers selling something new. 

 I've also brought a bundle of new items on ebay because there was one item I really wanted in that bundle (I'm a collector) so I sold the rest as new because they were still sealed and there was multiples of the same model in that bundle. Does that mean to you I should register as a business instead?

Regarding the above. Something to keep in mind is we are now in a world where our on line selling details are given to HMRC. HMRC advises that for an item to be considered personal it needs to possessed by the seller for 6 months before being put up for sale. 

[goodibags]

"business sellers should be selling loads of brand new stuff."

I'm sorry but we keep recycling the same nonsense, which bears no relation to the real world.

I'm a private seller AND I have lots of NEW stuff. It happens all the time.

For example, I have multiple sheets of postage stamps originally intended for use. But the universe changed (well Ebay and RM did) so now I will be selling them on. Possibly even on Ebay?

Likewise, it's not impossible to pick up collections including items you do not want (spares) as well as those you did - Ebay has always made it very easy to do so. Many collections inevitably contain multiples of the same thing. You don't need to start a business to sell them on.

People have always bought multiples of the same thing, like commemorative crown coins, to keep or give away. Yes, even as an 'investment'! You could be selling them on after inheriting a small pile. Of course that doesn't make you a 'business'.

I think we should move beyond the instant pigeon-holing and try to remember that every single user and their personal circumstances are different.

[goodibags]

Apologies if that came over as a bit grouchy - but I'm annoyed that sales have been SLOOOOWWW!

Instead of actively DISCOURAGING sales I still think Ebay should start doing the complete OPPOSITE.

[ruby*ryan]

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@lucy_farmer wrote:

'It now means that private sellers are more expensive for the same items than business sellers.'

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yeah but... private sellers shouldn't be selling the same items as business sellers!

Business sellers should be selling loads of brand new stuff.

Private sellers are *supposedly* selling  the unwanted stuff out of their wardrobes, lofts, garages, garden sheds, toolboxes, sewing kits etc... which tends to be second hand. Or sometimes 'new', but certainly not new multiples of...

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Er, there are business sellers selling secondhand items too. I used to be one of them until a few years back.

I (private seller) have a few things listed at the moment, all things we no longer want, and I think you could find all of them available from private AND business sellers.

[mle_supplies]

There is absolutely zero evidence that a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of vocal users having slow sales is in any way caused by the buyer protection fee.

Did eBay pay you to talk such rubbish.

I have sales history going back 10 years, and this is on track to be the worst February of them all. Like for like is also down take that as your proof

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[mydeafdog]

Confused?

Are you agreeing with me or trying to contradict me?

ONE car = LOTS of DIFFERENT parts, not multiples of the same part.

ONE car / lots of parts from the same car = private sales.

Scrappers selling LOTS of parts from DIFFERENT cars = business seller

[kath3735_wxmjn]

My 'sales' have dropped this week but last week was good,  not surprised because as i have said many times on these threads it always happens like that for me,  one good week and then one or two no sales at all.  Must be that algorithm thingy we always blame....   I just accept it for what it is and enjoy the good week!

[valleyrc1]

So because my experience is different to yours, and gives you cognitivie dissonance, instead of even entertaining the fact that the 0.0000001% of ebay users currently experiencing slow sales at the same time as BPF came in might just be a coincidence (because the vast majority of sellers are not here complaining) you accuse me of being paid by ebay?

Again, this is the same kind of pitiful response those flat earth and anti vaccine people give to anyone who dares to question their views.

"I have sales history going back 10 years, and this is on track to be the worst February of them all. Like for like is also down take that as your proof"

And again, for the millionth time, correlation does not equal causation.

EVERY DAY on these boards, someone starts a new topic saying their sales have never been so low.

There are literally thousands of threads on the subject. Are all the other 0000s of posts about "worst month ever" also down to the BPF, even though they all appeared before BPF even existed?

At any given time, there are hundreds of sellers complaining about slow sales and desperately trying to pin it to something.

This time last week there were posts about slow sales, last month, the month before and so on as far back as these boards go.

[mydeafdog]

Are you still droning on ..... 🤣

[valleyrc1]

Last January was my worst ever and Feb not much better but then March was my best ever month at the time.

This January was really good but tailed off at the end. This Feb has been a little slow but not as bad as last Jan or Feb.

No matter what, there are millions of sellers on ebay, and they can't all have perfect sales 100% of the time.

It's inevitable that at any given time, some of the people experiencing poor sales will flock to the boards to post about it, and try and find some tangible reason.

People need to at least entertain the fact that there is a bigger picture, and that the amount of posts about slow sales is no greater than it was last month or the month before etc.