EBay it’s the end for private sellers.

[baddie74]

Well finally after changing the format of their selling platform it seems every couple of weeks you have come up with the ultimate level of stupidity with this latest total ridiculous set of changes. Nobody is going to wait what could be weeks to be paid for a item they have sold who ever dreamt up this idea much be so far from reality as needing to push every part time seller off the site. I knew when they came up with the idea of free selling it wouldn’t be long before the idiots that run eBay came up with totally and ridiculous idea to claw back the money they have lost the whole senior management team at EBay must seat round a table all wearing clown costumes saying what is the most stupid idea we can come with to really get rid of half of our customers and the biggest clown wins with this idea and all the other yes people follow. Well I had started selling a few bits again but never again and will not be using EBay again to sell anything it has become a total joke of a company I hope your poor and flawed decisions finally catch up with this once great place to buy and sell has become a total joke.

[theelench]

"An auction site" ?

When was that last true ?

It  hosts auctions, mainly for private sellers who know no better and follow ebay's advice to list with a low start price like ebay's  "Recommended" at a "low start" of 99p.

More often than not that's all they get .

A more accurate description would be "Ebay is a private seller exploitation site"

[barterburton]

eBay Is Failing Its Sellers – We Deserve Better

eBay feels like a dying platform, and what’s most frustrating is how sellers are being treated—especially when it comes to getting paid.

We pay to use the platform, we pay final value fees, we handle the logistics—and yet eBay delays our payouts because the buyer chose the cheapest, slowest shipping option. Why are sellers forced to absorb this "wait and see" approach?

When I walk into a shop and make a purchase, the seller doesn’t wait a week to get paid. But on eBay, it can now take 2 to 6 days before funds are released, just because the tracking hasn’t updated or the buyer hasn’t marked the item as received. That’s unacceptable.

Let’s be clear: this isn’t about security—it’s about float and passive income.

eBay is holding millions in seller funds across countless transactions. Even short delays generate accumulative interest in eBay’s accounts. That money sits in their system earning income—income that sellers never see—while we wait, unpaid, after fulfilling our end of the deal.

We’ve done our job. We’ve shipped the item. We’ve paid eBay’s 15% (or more) in fees. You’ve taken your cut—now release the funds.

The so-called "seller protections" are thin. The market traffic is down, visibility is terrible, and the overall experience for sellers has declined sharply. You can't keep charging premium fees while reducing service and throttling cash flow.

eBay, it’s time to stop treating your sellers like a free credit facility. If you're going to hold our money, be transparent about how long and why—and more importantly, who’s earning what from the delay.

[awol1968]

EBay is becoming more & more a complete waste of time. Things that I could find years ago are now gone. Most things I look for now are just endless results of the same rubbish from Chinese/UK warehouses. All the same listings of the same items from people sitting in offices elsewhere in the world. If one option is out of stock from one seller, it'll be out of stock from all as it's the same warehouse!!!! I never sell much anyway but I can't blame you lot jumping ship. I used to make engineering mallets until I realised just how much of my money went to eBay!!!!

[jennycattifer]

I decided to give this platform one last hurrah and having replaced a few old things, decided to try to sell them all. Wasn't sure if anyone could possibly be interested so pitched them at lower prices than I would have before the changes here....they all sold within a week and while in competition with other identical items priced a little higher.  I conclude that it is merely now a place to move things on you would just rather not throw away and some may consider the effort not worth the reward.  I'm still thinking about that considering over 3 items I made about £40 in total.  But I still cant get my head around the postage protocol now...simple delivery seems to me to be anything but, I make it clear in my listings I only use RM48, but even though my settings are set accordingly in my listing it rarely reflects that and the postage charged at point of sale is not enough...but I still only use RM and just accept the extra cost. I would like sellers to be unambiguous about postage because Evri, the darlings refuse to deliver to me.  I wanted to buy some really nice shoes from a lady but when I asked if she would send RM she said she couldn't because she didn't know how to change her settings that stated either Evri or RM. I decided to not take the chance. Shame.

I conclude that I might occasionally sell things I dont expect to make much from but otherwise I am still keeping my account..  This escrow lark is the thing that bugs me most. Just feels wholly wrong somehow.

[leon9503]

Plus on my saved searches, which is another waste of time, I just get the same overpriced items regurgitated for months on end, who actually sells anything on EB? 😉

[sonofgod68]

totally agree on this one!    there whole system from buying to selling is so damn annoying as you say having to wait for payment when the buyer gets the goods!!!!!   ebay just sits on the sellers damn money getting interest etc!!!!!!!!    absolute joke !   the whole stupid set up is a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[jckl1957]

The last reply to this thread was on 1st August and there have been changes.

Sellers who meet certain not particularly demanding criteria now get paid promptly - with funds being available to withdraw within 24 hours of the buyer paying.

 

Criteria to receive funds faster

Private sellers with a strong sales history will receive their funds in their eBay balance typically within 24 hours of the buyer's payment, unless subject to a hold. To qualify for this payment experience, you’ll need the following:

• At least 10 completed sales with a combined total of £150 or more within the last 5 years
  • We’ll only count sales that didn’t have a refund, return, chargeback, cancellation, or case
  • We’ll look at all sales 5 years from the current date. For example, if it’s 6 August 2025, we’ll look at sales since 6 August 2020
  • We'll add up the subtotal for each sale (item price + postage costs) to work out the combined total
    • For orders using Simple Delivery, we'll only include the item price
    • We won't include any additional fees or taxes that the buyer was required to pay at checkout
    • No more than 2 open requests, cases, or transaction defects in the last 12 months
      • An open request or case is when a buyer reports an issue with their order that hasn't been resolved yet
      • We count a transaction defect when either of these things happen:
        • The seller cancelled the order unexpectedly (e.g. because it was out of stock, or because they sold it to someone else)
        • eBay reviewed a case and found the seller responsible

[theelench]

OH WOW !!!!!!!!!!!

Truly, the generosity of ebay knows no bounds !!!

Not so long ago the CEO stated that the average private seller on ebay makes about £/$ 50 a year.  So forget it if you're an occasional seller,selling 2/3 items a year at less than a tenner each as can every other other private seller who doesn't meet ebays conditions. 

Just ask yourself why ebay hit on the numbers it's decided to bend its latest set of rules for  --  Because  it knows MOST  private sellers WON'T scramble over the hurdle and WILL NOT qualify for ebay's  'generosity'.

Let's not try to talk private sellers into forgetting that 5 years plus ago, before ebay dumped paypal so it could trouser all those Billions of $ in processing fees EVERY seller would be paid out for EVERY sale MINUTES after the the buyer paid.

This is NOT generosity, it's ebay being forced (reluctantly) to make a miserly concession because it's being HURT by private sellers dumping ebay in droves.

Trying to dress it up as anything more, when NOTHING that ebay does comes near to paypal's record, is disingenuous to say the least.

You know, as well as I do, that ebay is taking private sellers for fools these days and trying to defend their actions just makes you look as bad as ebay.

[jere-nott]

I am fed up with private buyers whinging on eBay. No listing fees for them, no commission for them. So eBay charge a couple of quid buyers protection - whoopee.

I have to pay 36p listing fee on every item I list and minimum 15% commission fee on everything I sell.

Take a look at some private sellers chancing their arm at listing *bleep* at crazy inflated prices just because they do not pay fees.  Postage stamps is a typical example, valueless stamps being listed as "rare" or a "must have" insults collectors/dealers intelligence.

Give it a rest whinging private sellers. If you don't like eBay go elsewhere.

Just me letting off steam - feel better now.

[theelench]

If you're addressing me, every penny of you're fees are deductible against tax.

ebay is doing its best to force private sellers into sponsoring their listings, no tax credits allowed for them.

And if they are not to appear to be over-pricing their items, they then have to reduce their prices even more and bare to the cost of the BPF instead of the buyer.

Then there's the £1000 p.a trading allowance we can't get.

And whatever discount you can get from your delivery company for bulk deliveries.

And as you're trading in collectables are you mis-representing yourself as a private buyer when re-stocking by buying on a private account ?  In contravention of the law and trading standards?

Apart from all ebays greed and graft, one of the reasons I stopped selling here is the sanctimonious holier than thou attitude of some of the business 'community' and all their whining and moaning

[jere-nott]

What tosh! You haven't got a clue what you are talking about.

[suelel1968]

Hi @jere-nott  Can't we just have one big group hug as just "UK sellers" who are all reaching the end of our tethers?

"Them and us", "us and them", it's all "tosh"! We are all in the same storm, just different boats.