EBay plan to add fees for buyers - hurts businesses even further

[vintagefunk01]

From the sky news article here which is obviously a press release https://news.sky.com/story/ebay-selling-fees-are-scrapped-to-boost-to-reselling-13225638

It seems clear ebay is following in the footsteps of other selling marketplaces by adding fees for buyers in the early new year,  but since fees remain in place for business sellers adding another fee on top of this is another hit to our bottom line.

We will now be expected to absorb the buyers fee and our own business selling fee (and shop fees etc).

This seems crazy to me - although eBay say it'll be 'small' , if it's 8% like elsewhere that's a massive hit for us to take.  Yes it's for the buyers but we all know prices will drop because of it - for example a 350 item will now cost 379 to the buyer with an 8% fee that is currently used by another platform, so ofc sellers will drop the initial price so that the item actually sells and to offset this.

Fine for private sellers who have no fees to compensate, but insane for business sellers with hefty fvf and shop fees already 

[leon9503]

I understood what you were saying and they are indeed clear but we were just saying, broke is broke, no matter what changes and they are making it more broke.

It's obvious where they are headed, they want to 'Automate' the whole system to the detriment of its users and even with all their money they still can't get it right and never will.

[dch2112011]

AI is the way e commerce is heading - you are quite right Automation would be the utopian aim in ebay's eyes - I can hear them drooling at the thought of the increase in profit they perceive it will bring !

Sorry forgot the huge benifits this will bring to ebay members - instant response, problems solved at your fingertips, intuitive help, oh and the other one dynamic systems that keep you up to the minute as circumstances change 

[bojangled]

Can see both sides of this discussion.

What I think is really important is that eBay make a clear concise statement about the forthcoming changes, sooner rather than later. Speculation creates disinformation, Chinese whispers and does more harm than good. 

Jo

[kath3735_wxmjn]

I have to agree with you once again.  I started e baying when i retired (selling that is, i already bought through it) and i really enjoyed it as a hobby and my family contributes to my hobby!   Now i have so much stuff but e bay have over the last year or two made it more like a chore and to be honest if they bring in this simple delivery i think i may actually be relieved to stop doing it.  I will miss it and will have to find something else to fill the hours i spend on here (including this discussion forum!)

[insidethe93]

Someone I knew used to sell on eBay. She said the last thing she wanted to do after dealing with sales was to stay on site and buy!

[leon9503]

Let's not forget the absolute useless descriptions....😉

[play.cd.dvd]

Ebay is absolute hell for business. Goal posts constantly widen , and mats often pulled from beneath your feet. If I wasn’t in as deep as I was i would avoid it like the plague. I hate it with a passion. 

[will_kwan999]

Check your email, this has been announced today, this is what I received

We recently changed our fee structure, so it's now free for private sellers to sell, and there are no barriers for you to list the items buyers will love. As part of this change, we're launching Buyer Protection to give buyers more confidence and security when shopping.

We wanted to share what this means for you and your buyers. From 4 Feb, a fee will be included in the item price when purchasing from private sellers, but buyers will only ever pay what they see, so there are no surprises at checkout.

What's great about Buyer Protection
We've added benefits to give buyers more peace of mind when shopping:

•

24/7 customer support: Buyers can connect with a real person by phone at any time of day, or start a chat to get quick answers.

•

Seller paid after delivery: When buying from private sellers, funds will only be sent once their item has been delivered.

We've also still got buyers covered with other great free services like eBay Money Back Guarantee and Authenticity Guarantee.*

How the Buyer Protection fee works
•

The fee will be included in the item price from private sellers, so there are no surprises at checkout.

•

Buyers will pay up to 4% of the item price, plus £0.75.** For example, when they see an item for £20, the fee of £1.49 will already be part of the price.

•

The fee is lower on higher-priced items over £300, and there's a cap on the total amount they'll pay.

•

For items from business sellers, they'll get the Buyer Protection benefits at no extra cost.

Learn more about the Buyer Protection fee

How we're improving things for private sellers
As part of our ongoing mission to be the best marketplace for buyers and sellers, we recently announced:

•

It's free to sell (excl. Vehicles) so you can bring buyers more of the things they love.

•

It's simpler to list so you can get your items out faster.

•

It's easier to get your items to buyers with the launch of Simple Delivery.

Now, to give your buyers even more confidence when shopping, UK-based private sellers will be paid after item delivery, from 4 Feb. Your funds will be available in your eBay balance two days after delivery confirmation.*** We know it's important to get your money fast, so we recommend using a tracked delivery service either through Simple Delivery, or arranging for local collection.

---

Basically, if I read it correctly, they've turned it upside down now, so buying items from business sellers will not incur this extra cost but buyers will still get the Buyer Protection benefits at no extra cost.

Instead private sellers will basically have to pay for these fees by lowering their price, or buyers buying from private seller will take consideration into the extra cost.

[myriad*seller]

I WILL be complaining to CS if I buy an item from an obvious business seller who is not correctly registered and am charged a buyer tax

Someone will have a good case to take it to legislators if an obvious business seller results in buyers paying an additional fee for "consumer protection" that is not warranted as it already exists in law for consumers

This might work in the US, but the British won't put up with this! 

[will_kwan999]

But why would an obvious business seller now sell as a private seller on eBay after this rule change in February? Does this not encourage people to become a business seller (and pay tax)?

[kath3735_wxmjn]

why would it?  As long as they are prepared to wait for their money and buy the postage through e bay then there is really no difference i can see for them to go business and pay fees.  Unless i am missing something of course.

[will_kwan999]

For private sellers, their buyers will have to pay an additional fee when buying, so private sellers may have to lower their price, or their items won't sell. The waiting is fine, it is what other platforms do already (eg. Vinted)

[themartian82]

As an occasional private seller, I used to include the ebay fee in my listing price, as the ebay fees were not negligible. To me, ebay adding the fee to buyers essentially does the same thing. BUT because the ebay fees will still be high, I used to sell nothing and after ebay abolished the fees, I reduced my prices and a few items sold which was great. And now with the upcoming buyer fees, nothing will sell. And it just best to bin rather than store to sell, more waste to the environment.

Ebay has fallen victim of its own greed. All my xmas purchases were via Amazon because a) it was cheaper b) I get next day Prime delivery...compete with that ebay.

Now as a buyer, all ebay prices will go up...making ebay less competitive if at all. There's a price where you might as well spend a bit more and buy new.

[jond1492]

As a buyer,  I accept that delays can/do happen.  No one - business or private seller - is infallible.

As a seller, I accept that my deliveries are at the mercy of whichever courier/postal delivery system I use, and I have no way to get thoses services to deliver stuff quicker, or more timely, or show me proof that actually counts as valid proof (e.g. a photo of my item being delivered to the correct address).

However, having received the eBay e-mail this morning, all I can see is that this is going to be a win for scammers and con-artists.  Any private seller is now going to have to:

- make sure they have enough funds to send their items off, before they sell it,

- may potentially only be able to send it via eBay approved couriers/postal delivery services, some of which the seller may disagree with, and

- they now have to wait to see if a buyer is honest, and doesn't just get their purchase, complain of items not being received, or courier failed to deliver it to the correct address (yes, I'm looking at you Evri/Hermes, you piles of ****), and then the seller loses both the item and their money, and the cost of sending the item too.  Oh, and we then may get negative feedback on top, just to really add insult to injury, putting us at the mercy of being unreliable sellers, and being booted from eBay in full.

For me, this is a just a total lose-lose situation for small private sellers like me who sell one or two items every couple of months, as we are now wholly at the mercy of eBay, and we have no way to prove we DID send the item out, and even if we do prove we did everything we were meant to do, buyers can now screw us all over by simply denying they've never received their goods, and there'll be jack we can do about it.  We lose in every way.

So how on earth can eBay say this is fairer?  It isn't!  It absolutely isn't at all!  It simply means we take all the risks, and have no protections, as a courier can simply tell eBay "here's a photo proving delivery", and eBay go "Yes, thanks for that" and tell the seller your case is now lost, and goodbye.

Absolutely nonsense!

[will_kwan999]

Yes I agree with you, adding the fee to the buyer is essentially the same thing as BEFORE (when they had the seller fees), it's just passed onto private seller in a different way (by having to reduce their price).

However, is 4% better than before?

[reassuringly.crazy]

I enjoyed reading the early comments.

What buyer fees? eBay is not bringing in buyer fees

There are no fees to buy on eBay Don't believe all you read in the papers

In my email from ebay today it said:

"we're launching Buyer Protection to give buyers more confidence and security when shopping."

I thought buyers already had protection?

And then...
From 4 Feb, a fee will be included in the item price when purchasing from private sellers,

So what that means is, private sellers will now be penalised compared to business sellers.

Buyers will pay up to 4% of the item price, plus £0.75

I'm assuming from the wording 'buyers will only ever pay what they see' that if you list something for £10, buyers will see a price of £11.15 (£10 + 0.75 + 0.40, at 4%)

Another sneaky ebay money making tactic.

Seller paid after delivery: When buying from private sellers, funds will only be sent once their item has been delivered.

So ebay keeps your money longer. Although it might help with ebay sellers despatching items more quickly.

Ebay tries to spin it as good for private sellers.

It's free to sell (it has been for a few months, very clever, get people hooked on selling then hit them with the stinger)

It's simpler to list (how exactly?)

It's easier to get your items to buyers with the launch of Simple Delivery. (I'm curious to discover how it can be any simpler than it is now)

[themartian82]

It was 12.8% + 30pence if I recall correctly before, a huge fee. So in a way 4% + 75p is better than before. But its just like what the current Government has done, no direct increase to VAT/NI to 'working people', then stick it to Employers...which then comes back to bite employees...

How will Cash on Collection work for private sellers? 

Ebay have tried a number of fee mechanism now, remember 20p listing fee on top of a clearance fee, then it was the 12.8% +30p  final clearance fee, and now the hidden fee in the listing price....Ebay claim that 'buyers pay for it'....but Private Sellers will ultimately need to look at the final inflated price and consider whether to reduce the sale price to be competitive (thus making less), so private sellers ultimate take the hit, or chose to stand ground and sell nothing.

We'll have to see what happens. No sale no fee ebay...Create the conditions to grind everything to a halt like the UK has had ZERO growth lately, speaks for itself.

[leon9503]

Was just about to say something similar so thanks for saving me having to do that, the only thing is, legally delivery has to be in the hand and a photo of an item on a doorstep isn't legally delivered and as doorstep thefts are on the increase, as you say, will be a scammers dream.

As a private seller I'll stop using EB in Feb, it is indeed nonsense.

[davelinajolie]

I did the same. I reduced my prices when they cut out the fees and saw a fairly steady stream of sales since. 

I was hoping to sell off my music collection over the next year at this pace but now, given the rising costs, prices for items being driven down, and the likelihood of sales slowing up again, I'm of a mind to just stop.

[padmeister101]

I suspect this could hit business sellers too. I didn’t sell much privately on eBay previously because they took too much in fees.  I do buy though.  I’ve recently started to sell some bits again due to the lack of fees but this now seems too complicated and full of opportunities to lose money.

I’m thinking I’ll sell a few more bits and bobs then just delete the app and go elsewhere for my selling and my buying.