Disillusioned With Selling And Buying

[rugbyguy1960]

THIS THREAD IS NOT JUST TO POST  COMMENTS  THAT ARE NOT FACT.

I hope that there are now plenty of fed up private sellers and buyers who despise these new changes.

Ebay used to be a fun place to buy and sell but recently thanks to the greed of the shareholders and Owners it's becoming intolerable.

Once my last 5 listings hopefully sell there won't be anymore listed until ebay changes and go back to happier times. I even now buy things from companies direct that I once brought on ebay which now looks over their peak and on the downward slippery slope.

Holding payments, charges, and various fees for buyers and sellers are just a few. I cannot now trust or believe what ebay say.

[rugbyguy1960]

I can't agree with you on that.

As a seller i have noticed a drop in interest and offers since the changes came into play. Also, as a buyer I confess to buying less since the changes. These points might not be noticeable for everyone but there are definitely a fair few that have said the same.

[podlingsmum2007]

You are incorrect. The pages are perfectly understandable to a buyer because I have viewed them while signed out. I am not getting views because ebay are somewhat hiding my listings from search. And there are less casual buyers.

[rugbyguy1960]

If the ridiculous fee had not been instigated in the first place issues like this wouldn't have started.

I decide to list a item at what I believe to be a fair price and do not expect to see a different start price when I look at my listings.

[podlingsmum2007]

Making the total a usual amount instead of a random odd figure is not confusing. I do not do auctions like yourself.

[rugbyguy1960]

It's even worse if I continued to list items with a starting price and a best offer price. I have had to up my minimum best offer price otherwise I would take the hit and loss on any item I sold at a best offer.

[podlingsmum2007]

The offers option is a confusing mess so I'm keeping well clear of it.

[1956glyn]

I was not referring to what your price is....i was referring to "Ebay will add their fee at checkout"  with no explanation of what the fee is for.

Yes correct i usually do not do BIN because often there is no proper comparable for the items i list.....eg the art deco signed bronze i just sold...or the jewellery box i have listed.

[rugbyguy1960]

It is more confusing now.

Before the changes if I listed something at 10 that is what a buyer would see. But now they see a starting price that isn't what I decided on.

Best offer option worked great but yet again due to the changes I have had to up my minimum best offer price otherwise I would make a loss every time.

As I'm NOT a business I'm happy if I get what a something initially cost me.

BPF should NOT be mandatory. Buyers should have the choice of if they want to take it up and pay the extra. But the bottom line just ends up leading to the word GREED.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

The buyer sees a price they have to pay and most are only interested in that and  not what share is yours and what is E bays.     Sorry if being on e bay only 7 years does not count as worthy of having an opinion - pretty arrogant comment actually!  

[rugbyguy1960]

It wasn't meant to be arrogant but some of your posts to people have not exactly been complimentary.

We obviously have a difference of opinion and if I could honestly give a positive to the changes I would. The best option is to agree to disagree and have our own opinion of things.

[papso22]

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@podlingsmum2007 wrote:

You are incorrect. The pages are perfectly understandable to a buyer because I have viewed them while signed out. I am not getting views because ebay are somewhat hiding my listings from search. And there are less casual buyers.

---

But you are looking at them from the position of knowing what you are trying to do so of course they are understandable to you.  However you are still wrong.

If I look at a listing of yours, and, for example,  your item is £4.50 and the postage is £3.50, I will pay a grand total of £8.00, no added fees because the fees are included in the £4.50.

So your description doesn't make sense.

[podlingsmum2007]

MY price is within the description and mention of the added fee. There is nothing confusing about it. It gets broken down at checkout. And I do not have any postage at £3.50

[rugbyguy1960]

Maybe no added fees for the buyer but it's the seller that takes the hit.

[cartermk]

I fully agree that the changes over the last 5 months have been a huge mistake on ebay UKs part - that includes the fee free selling for private sellers. However, I am quite prepared to pay ebay for the use of their platform and although 12% FVF (pre September) was quite steep that's the way it was and you could choose to list on other sightly cheaper platforms. But the latest changes confusing buyers and sellers is not the way to charge for use of the platform and the extra buyer protection is just stupid.

[rugbyguy1960]

I have never expected it to be free to use the platform and used to be happy paying the old listing fee system.

You are right about so much confusion being caused.

Buyers should have the choice as to weather they want to pay the BPF and it not be Mandatory.

They should never have got rid of a listing fee.

A sellers starting price should be what a buyer sees and not see the inflated start price because of BPF.

[*devils.advocate*]

Sellers will decide to list a item at what they believe to be a fair price - but that's maybe a price buyers' don't believe is a fair price.

A buyer will only buy something at the right price for them - not the seller.

And (private) sellers might be overthinking things - especially with all the conspiracy theories made up on here.

A buyer, like me, couldn't care less how the price is made up - what fees you have to pay, what hoops you have to jump through, so what - it's all down to the price you put on your item - and the price I must be shown is the price I'll have to pay.

Does anyone walk into any shop and ask them how the price of an item is made up - what cost is included for this, that or the next thing?

If not, why do sellers here think any buyer gives any thought to anything else other than end price?

Online buyers nowadays are used to (or getting used to) a "buyer's fee" - so why is so different here?

The buyer's fee is less that the 13.22% + 30p than sellers had to include before free fees and if sellers didn't reduce their prices at that point, well, that's their fault for having to add yet another fee unnecessarily on top.

I, as one of your potential customers, isn't disillusioned to continue buying - although the way many have acted recently, they won't be getting my custom.

Price rules - nothing else - and sellers just have to make the best of what they have (just like everyone else).

[rugbyguy1960]

Yes price rules.

My listings always are a auction with a best offer option in case a buyer didn't think that my starting price wasn't a fair price.

However, if I list something starting at 10 I expect that to be what a buyer sees. NOT a higher starting price because of the mandatory BPF.

Many sellers were ok with paying a listing fee. No confusion and sellers and buyers would know what it would cost them to sell and buy.

[*devils.advocate*]

But the buyer doesn’t know you started it at £10 - they just see a price.

They don’t see, or could care less, how that price is made up - that’s up to the seller to show how they want the price to be.

Many sellers were ok with paying a listing fee

But sellers still had to incorporate those fees into their price.

At £10, if sellers had reduced their prices by the previous fee levels, they would actually be making more (albeit by a small amount) and buyers would be paying less in fees.

Don’t believe me?

Do the sums.

[rugbyguy1960]

It's dependant on the words honesty and transparency.

I sell and buy so I see both sides. Not all sellers are out to make as much as possible, and not all buyers are out to grab a quick bargain.

Fairness on both sides matters.

If a buyer doesn't like what I think is a fair price then they can make a offer. If they aren't willing to offer up to my minimum offer price then they have the option to buy from another seller.

That isn't me being arrogant it's just a decision I make regarding what I think is fair.

[*devils.advocate*]

..... It's dependant on the words honesty and transparency ...... Fairness on both sides matters .....

Nothing matters other than price - buyers online can't see if you're honest or transparent or fair.

You sell and buy so you see both sides - but someone who only buys doesn't (and IMHO, there are more 'only buyers' than 'sellers/buyers') - no platform can survive otherwise.

And how many buyers, in the grand scheme of numbers, bother to waste time making an offer?