Ebay's new Buyers' protection fee from the 4th Feb

[rsbrickshop]

I'm a private seller. Items I sell are between £2.90 - £10. Is It just me or will ebay's new Buyers' protection fee from the 4th Feb make it near impossible to sell competitively. A few months ago Ebay got rid of Sellers' fees for private sellers, which was a welcome move. But this new change and getting rid of multi-buy discount for private sellers will make it worse than it was with the original fees.

[sammylou40]

It will be more.  There’s a 4% charge and a minimum 75p BPF on top of that 

so your 99p item will be £1.79. 
the absolute killer will be when we have to use Simple Delivery and you’re obliged to post through the eBay postal system at a cost of around £2.79 on top of that 

currently it’s voluntary but they will withhold your money from you for around 14 days. 

[hillaryholmes]

I am new to selling on Ebay and decided to sell as a private seller.

The items I sell are made by myself and are of fairly low value and the extra cost added on by ebay to the buyer works out at £2.15. I only sell these items in 5's which I have now sold 10 from 2 listings since December last year.

So in anger after slow sales (obviously caused by the new policy) I promoted my items to all the people who were watching and discounted by 5% with a note explaining that I didn't agree with the new policy and I was offering to pay the bulk of the extra charge myself.

Guess what? It worked.

This goes to prove that ebay are damaging some private sales by this policy.

[buffster1963]

Technically, you should be registered on a business account and your buyers should not be paying a fee on your items. Its not really a choice. 

[sammylou40]

Few things. 
1. you’re not a private seller.  If you’re making things to sell, however low the value and however small the quantity, you’re a business seller and should have a business account 

2.  You’re not new to eBay.  You’ve had your account since 2003.  So you will have known how things work. 
3.  You must have opened a second private account to sell what you’re making if what you are saying is true. 

4.    What you are doing is one of the reasons eBay has done this. 

[nocentisbarclays]

I do not agree that someone that has a side kick on EBay should go through the palaver of having to register as a business when he stated that from December he might have made £25 if so. 
The idea of EBay is for you to sell hobbies, unwanted items that still have value etc otherwise if you want to go that BIG open a proper company and build your own website!!

There’s poor people in here that like and want to buy bargains 

[sid.123]

Ebay is going the way car boot sales have gone.
Years ago a car boot sale was just that... families and couples selling there old stuff to make a few quid on a Sunday from the boot of there car. Now when you walk round it's mainly trade stands, small businesses and very few genuine boot sellers.

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[nocentisbarclays]

What you are saying and doing it’s absolutely distasteful, doubting another Ebay user of his honesty by what he is saying.

Its not because of small sellers that Ebay is doing that it’s because of competition such as Vinted and other venues that have a more attractive approach of 0% fees for sellers, EBay couldn’t care less about £30 profit on some handmade items they care about loosing market dominance and we are talking about millions just do some research and be respectful.

1.

2.

3. Is patronising 

[papso22]

It's nothing to do with honesty it's to do with the law.

[vintique*violet]

Technically , small hobby sellers can declare any income under self assessment with HMRC... they are not running a business as such...it comes under miscellaneous income...  their earnings/ profit  are probably very small... eBays policy for " business accounts" are beyond the pale for costs/fees incurred.  When differentiating between legitimate business ( selling 20 to 100's such as cosmetics or supplements or floristry items as an example per day) to those who sell few and far between are not comparable nor are ebay  " business accounts" compatible for small " hobby" sellers... Unfortunately eBay policy stipulates private or business.... there should be an in-between or a different tier " fee" structure , to distinguish between the two and not push those who clearly are not businesses to register as such. 

[ricwat-3243]

Maybe just get rid of the two categories and just have sellers, as it started out, and leave whether someone is a business or not for them and HMRC to sort out. That would would save eBay a fortune in pointless admin like these changes.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

I have had the money from my items in the times specified, 2 days after marked as delivered (and it was not paid tracking, just the certificate of posting number.  One item which was never updated was paid out in actually 13 days.   So it is not always the full 14 days as you seem to be implying.

[sammylou40]

It doesn’t matter if you agree or not. 
it’s just how eBay rules are.  If you are making things to sell, then you’re not a private seller.  It’s just how it is. 
everything I’ve said is factual. 
there must be a second account if the poster is selling things they have made as they are neither listed, ended or completed. 
and yes, we are entitled to look. 
and like it or not, this is a very big part of why eBay have done this to the private seller accounts 

[sammylou40]

That would be much fairer.  Of course it would. 
but we all know eBay don’t play fair

[kath3735_wxmjn]

it is irrelevant whether you agree with it or not, people are just stating the position.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

so true, i just flit past them and stop at what are clearly genuine car booters, they usually have the most interesting stuff.  So many there are now selling mass produced cr.ap they have bought in bulk off line or at one of those auction places that get rid of tat.

[sammylou40]

I didn’t say that 

ebay said that 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

just because you think something is distasteful does not make what is being said untrue!

[*devils.advocate*]

..... Maybe just get rid of the two categories and just have sellers .....

Can't imagine genuine private sellers wanting to publish, for example, email account details or home address on their listings as Business Sellers must do?

[23sandlane]

@sammylou40

Points 1 to 3 fair enough

But as to 4 - must disagree - there is actually only one reason for eBay
doing this and that is profit - to take the place of the money they were
losing by making it free to sell - any increase in price can only
discourage buyers.

[vintique*violet]

eBay could look at how the " accounts" are set up absolutely, for a fairer more user friendly platform for the " little people" so to speak...We are individuals and yet being cornered in to a " one size fits all" or " either /or" scenario just does equate nor does it have longevity in my opinion and , I think, only time will tell... The introduction of business accounts saw an opening for eBay to make "profit"... after all they are a business , same with all the overseas registered accounts... its to make money so turning a blind eye for many years, but they still have to comply with the new online selling legislation and laws etc etc so they will never go back to how it " used to be"... 

This is what happens when Gov/ big business intertwines... unfortunately and arguably.