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 

[valueaddedresource]

Also @dch2112011 the section about Simple Delivery in the User Agreement has not changed from that previous version to the new one that will be effective 4 February.

As I've suggested in other threads, I highly recommend for users looking to understand policy updates to use a Difference Checker to compare text from different versions to highlight what has actually changed.

https://www.diffchecker.com/ is an easy to use, free tool where you can copy and paste text and have it highlight differences for you.

We can see when using that tool nothing is highlighted for the section about Simple Delivery because it's the exact same text both in the old and new versions.

Just briefly scanning through, the only real changes I'm seeing all refer to the buyer fees, which would make sense given that this page was updated the same day the announcement was made about those fees.

For example:

So yeah, you are incorrect about the dates and this User Agreement update doesn't have anything to do with Simple Delivery - but I do encourage everyone to run it through a difference checker for themselves if you are curious about what actually did change.

Also interesting note for those paying attention - they're saying for buyer fees, they can change at any time and don't have to give 30 day notice. 👀

[dch2112011]

Good Shout -  that makes sense ! 

[amazonharvey]

I received the email from eBay about the new buyer protection system and as
a buyer this was not good .and I read up on the internet as well . and read
the small print .the only winner is eBay and the interest they will make
out of there buyers if they go to a private seller . So Tell me why
should buyers have to pay for protection against dodgy sellers that’s
eBay’s responsibility is it not. Good sellers go out of there way to look
after there buyers be fare and honest what we sell and post in fashion
every buyer deserves . many of us small private sellers feel we are not
given enough credit for making eBay a safer place . and my buyers come back
no matter where in the world they live time after time . Honesty and being
truthful is what makes a good seller .or I ask them to make an appointment
with spec-savers . The fee’s that will be added to my listings 4% on the
4th of Feb and then the buyers will be paying 4% of there total purchases
.this is not protection in any form .most of us buyers who have been
members for many years know who what then and avoid. as for simple delivery
that is a later concern but handing buyers to do my label and choosing
there courier and telling me this is the way forward is well out of order.
.then to top it all off keeping are monies until a confirmed delivery.
will make them millions in interest .there is nothing free on eBay .they
say nice things as a sweetener and then play tricks like this I have
been on eBay as a buyer from day one and a buyer seller for over 17 yrs
but I have never ever known them to treat the buyers like this and the
small private sellers that gave them there bread and butter for many years.
back then eBay was great fun but now they have forgotten how to laugh or
there history as a giant car boot

[dch2112011]

I cannot agree more when honest caring sellers are caught up in the one size fits all policies - unfortunately not all sellers are responsible honest sellers or grasp the importance of the customer - could it be that these sellers are the ones that ebay are aiming at -  and of course ebay income is a consideration.

[amazonharvey]

A few years ago some sellers were selling items for 99p and £990 pounds in
post to avoid fee’s what did eBay do they knew who these sellers were .but
choose instead to add every private sellers sale and postage together then
take are fee’s from the total . Leaving us to put the shortfall they took
from our postage out of are own pockets .they had no right to touch my
buyers postage it was not mine or eBay’s .but they never changed there
mind . Evay will not run on business sellers alone . All we all ask is
treat the good ones well and dismiss the dodgy ones they know who they are
.I guess if you moan to often it’s like it or leave .I have seen some
brilliant sellers leave but eBay did not ask why

[dch2112011]

If only - the more good sellers the more confidence buyers have in ebay - you really would think they would prioritise cleaning house - they might just be surprised how much they earn and how little they pay out !

[71camshaft]

Raise prices is what you will do

[theelench]

---

@amazonharvey wrote:
I received the email from eBay about the new buyer protection system and as
a buyer this was not good .and I read up on the internet as well . and read
the small print .the only winner is eBay and the interest they will make
out of there buyers if they go to a private seller .

So Tell me why should buyers have to pay for protection against dodgy sellers that’s
eBay’s responsibility is it not. Good sellers go out of there way to look
after there buyers be fare and honest what we sell and post in fashion
every buyer deserves . many of us small private sellers feel we are not
given enough credit for making eBay a safer place . and my buyers come back
no matter where in the world they live time after time .

Honesty and being truthful is what makes a good seller .or I ask them to make an appointment
with spec-savers . The fee’s that will be added to my listings 4% on the
4th of Feb and then the buyers will be paying 4% of there total purchases.

this is not protection in any form .most of us buyers who have been
members for many years know who what then and avoid. as for simple delivery
that is a later concern but handing buyers to do my label and choosing
there courier and telling me this is the way forward is well out of order.


.then to top it all off keeping are monies until a confirmed delivery.
will make them millions in interest .there is nothing free on eBay .they
say nice things as a sweetener and then play tricks like this

I have been on eBay as a buyer from day one and a buyer seller for over 17 yrs
but I have never ever known them to treat the buyers like this and the
small private sellers that gave them there bread and butter for many years.

back then eBay was great fun but now they have forgotten how to laugh or
there history as a giant car boot

---

I liked what you say but put a few gaps to enable me to read it without getting a headache and hopefully others will now be able to read it in full.

It sums up just some of the reasons I've stopped selling on ebay and doubt that I'll ever start selling again.

Or buying. 

[favefilm]

Good post. 

I haven’t read all the posts in this thread, but the early posts seemed to think the buyer tax aka “Buyer Protection” would affect business sellers. It’s clear now that it won’t (well only businesses selling Via Private Seller accounts.)

Like you I have worked hard to deliver excellent buyer satisfaction over many years.  This tax is going to ruin selling lower value items - so selling off a collection of First Day Covers for example becomes untenable. Overnight on 4/2/25 items I priced at £1.50 + 85p postage ie £2.35 incl postage will become £2.34 + 85p postage (£1.50 + 75p + (£2.35*0.04))…. £3.19 total to the buyer. 

I doubt that they have made an oversight here …. the 75p part is a deliberate tactic to further monetise small value sales or even drive them out all together. 

To be fair in 2024 I virtually paid no fees at at all by listing only in the ‘80% off variable fees’ periods or free fees periods. If lots private sellers did the same you can see why eBay are making changes, but think a lot of sellers listing behaviours are going to change and the number of lower value items will be much reduced. 

But also, if sellers keep selling, this additional cost just shifts to the buyer and is price inflation dressed up as Protection. Buyers don’t need protecting from good sellers such as ourselves. 

[amazonharvey]

I quite agree with you buyers should not have to worry about protecting
themselves from sellers who are unhanded .thats eBay’s job . by charging
buyers every time they buy from a private seller its not fair we should not
be treated this way. EBay knows who the dodgy sellers are and as a buyer I
have reported many over the years of being a member on eBay but they have
done nothing. .as a seller eBay has said you can not say do that but let
others get away with the same. and as a seller I truly feel for all us
little private buyers .we only make a few pounds some more as I do selling
my collectables .but with 4% being added to every one of my listings .eBay
will make money and try to pull the wool over our eyes saying it’s the
buyers who will be paying this for there own protection what b—- s—— any
body would think us little sellers are the Mafia. .I treat everyone of my
buyers with respect and grateful for there purchases .I take my time and I
have many buyers all over the world that are now friends .I go that extra
mile . .because if you give a little you get a lot back . Maybe eBay should
take a leaf out of my book . My buyers do not need protection against me
.and that 4% will be a big piece out of some of them that would love my
item but that extra makes it out of reach . Being on eBay as a buyer is
like swimming in shark infested waters with some sellers .I forget how many
I have said I will make them a appointment at spec savers .but that’s eBay
if you know the sharks stay away .but leave us little sellers and our
lovely buyers alone .and let eBay do the job they make enough money from
everyone as it is .

[knittedinkintyre]

Check your messages!

[r0ger007]

Looks like Ebay are aspiring to be the next Amazon. Just a business sellers market place with a small volume of private sales. Probably more lucrative.

Perfect opportunity for a new Vinted style private sellers platform to emerge....

[theelench]

Haven't smaller private sellers platforms been around for years?  I get the impression that they are mostly more specialist sites dedicated to providing a service to sellers of whatever they're specialising in  --  stamps, antiques, vinyl records, post cards etc.  Rather than the corporate mega-sites that dominate third party e-commerce and try to cover a wider range of goods?

Ebay has been trying to be amazon for years, now it's trying to be vinted.  IMO it shouldn't have bothered, by turning its back on its USP, its near monopoly of collectables driven by mainly private sellers, it gave etsy, discogs, a stamp sellers site that I don't remember the name of and even ebid enough sellers and buyers for them to remain viable to this day.

Perhaps e-commerce would be better off with more of them and less dominated by vast corporations?

[lucy_farmer]

'Perhaps e-commerce would be better off with more of them and less dominated by vast corporations?'

I'm sure it would be.  It'd be lovely to have choice of sites for different markets.

But unfortunately capitalism works by big companies eating up their smaller rivals until they're the only fish in the pond. Then, with no challengers, they can do what they want.

(farcebook ate all it's smaller rivals, basically as soon as they became in any way threatening.

And uber is taking a different route by undercutting all rival taxi firms etc until they're out of business; then uber will put it's prices up when the customers have no choices left.)

[wara_rat]

We call it '*bleep*ification' around my area. Its when something so useful it's essential, gradually becomes worse and worse. Uber being the best worst example. Used to be a no brainer now with surge pricing if you want a car when you want it's ridiculously expensive. Heck you even have to pay more if a car has all 4 wheels 😆. Back to ebay unfortunately it's just turning into Amazon without Prime and free delivery. How often do you actually bid on things now.

[game_raid]

eBay would not survive and certainly wouldn't be the company they are today if they relied on buyers and sellers who are collectors in a closed community, It may be hard to swallow but this is how it is, eBay can't be a niche marketplace to keep one section of users happy.

eBay need sellers that are active 365 days a year and a majority of the genuine private sellers are not, they are often occasional only sellers maybe selling items 2 or 3 times a year to raise some money or have items that sit around listed for months and months before a sale, can a company grow by just targeting this section of users, does this keep shareholders happy? Because that is what it all comes down to.

I can't remember the last time I put holiday mode on because I read it can affect your sales when this is activated and turned off when you return.

It is also a generational thing, the 20 somethings are not interested in glass, stamps or whatever else, and as the years pass less and less people will show an interest. Maybe they will inherit someone's collection and either throw it away or sell it for next to nothing on Facebook because they don't know what they have got or no one wants that old stamp collection anymore.

Things have changed and will continue to change, fees will increase, tax will increase, there will be more restrictions imposed by governments.

I can see ecommerce being flipped on its head at some point and the high street making a come back, it will come to a point when it's no longer viable to sell online.

[lucy_farmer]

'It is also a generational thing, the 20 somethings are not interested in glass, stamps or whatever else, and as the years pass less and less people will show an interest. Maybe they will inherit someone's collection and either throw it away or sell it for next to nothing on Facebook because they don't know what they have got or no one wants that old stamp collection anymore.'

Darn right on the stamps thing! 

I'm trying to convice my husband (age 67) that all the stuff he was so proud of owning (stamps, coins, various bits and bobs...)  is now pretty much pointless to put on ebay.

Last time I had any of his stamps (inc. some he thought were very collectable) on a listing they got 1 (yes *one*) look, no watchers and obviously no sale...

Going to try a specialist b+m auction house in Tunbridge Wells now.

'Things have changed and will continue to change, fees will increase, tax will increase, there will be more restrictions imposed by governments.'

Yep, as the world goes more and more online, so will the govts, agencies, tax collections, and everything else used to keep an eye on citizens. (Which is why we need to keep cash as a method of payment; when computer-says-no, because of some spurious or mistaken reason that's impossible  to correct, people still need to be able to eat....)

Anyway, I've just gone off topically old-woman-shouting-at-clouds again 😂.

You're right; the world has changed and ebay has had to change with it .... however much old stick-in-the-muds like me, hate it ☹️

[bilboles]

100% agree, Ebay are going to suffer from this move, I will no longer sell
on it

[theelench]

I agree with what you said in your previous post but haven't got time to reply.

Re. your O.H's stamps.  If they didn't get any interest on ebay, why not try a specialist stamp site?  IMO most "buyers" on ebay now are just re-sellers, many of which know next to nothing about anything except when it comes to prices on ebay.

I can tell you for sure that stamps still sell every day on ebid.  I don't know anything about which types of stamps sell but that site has a following among stamp and postcard collectors and some of their sellers have 5 figure FB.  So someone is still buying there, how about searching Sold listings on ebay?  I bet what some people say the number sold in the last 90 days might surprise you.

EDit.  Just searched "stamps" on ebay  for sale 11 million +.  Sold  1.3Million (Last 90 days??)

[lucy_farmer]

I think I'll have a look at ebid... thank you elench 🙂