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.

[jonat_broad]

Same search under £5. Mostly looks like replacement ribbons. Sales are in general up on last year.

So its not as if the market has shrunk then. But to be fair, its only been a few weeks since BPF came in. For clarity - its not clear if the BPF is included in the values shown in Research either.

[sid.123]

Ebay are advertising all the time, radio and multiple TV adverts. Although mainly advertising its free to sell.. No mention of a bpf which I notice is now mentioned on the new vented add. It clearly states all sales will included a bpf.

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[sammylou40]

Vin ted is a totally different market place 

it’s mainly clothing and household, with some  toiletries, jewellery etc 

far from eBay. 
and the prices are usually much lower 

people tend to not object quite so much to the BPF, although they still do, because of this. 
and when things go wrong, the BPF is not all it’s cracked up to be. 
in this regard, eBay is still a much better option 

[johnwash1]

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@sammylou40 wrote:

Vin ted is a totally different market place 

it’s mainly clothing and household, with some  toiletries, jewellery etc 

far from eBay. 
and the prices are usually much lower 

people tend to not object quite so much to the BPF, although they still do, because of this. 
and when things go wrong, the BPF is not all it’s cracked up to be. 
in this regard, eBay is still a much better option 

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So, to summarise, you're saying that ebay are misreading the market, thinking that Vinted's method of selling is contributing to ebay's diminishing sales, and trying to fight back by aping this, rather than bigging up their own differences and advantages?

Yes, I agree with you.  So I reckon you're probably deducing that ebay's marketing department are inferior to the stellar quality displayed by their customer service.  Or would I be overthinking this?

[andha-21]

@johnwash1 

"that ebay's marketing department are inferior to the stellar quality displayed by their customer service. Or would I be overthinking this?"

100%, definitely, absolutely, certainly, categorically 

[johnwash1]

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@lucy_farmer wrote:

'I just think e bay should actually promote this site a lot more for new users especially."

Now that I would love to see happen, doubt it ever will though.

If everyone knew what the amount of *bleep* the eBay CS agents spew some might begin to think it's a deliberate business practice. That misinformation is their model.'

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Now I'm not a fan of conspiracy theories  (it's usually c**k-up then cover-up rather than on purpose!) but just occasionally even I get suspicious.....

And I've always wondered why ebay hid this place. It used to be so visible and un-missable in the top-right of your 'summary' page right next to 'watch list' etc.

Don't they want us to know how to solve problems?

Don't they want us to help each other out?

Don't they realise that a new user, who has problems they can't solve, answers they can't find, and 'official' advice that turns out to be complete cobblers, is going to push off and not come back? (and tell everybody they know that ebay is rubbish....)

If ebay did any staff training in CS, surely the 'total cobblers' advice would be improving? But it's not. It appears to be getting worse.

(I phoned ebay for advice about 16 or 17 years ago, and the advice given then was a lie, so this has nothing to do with 'new rules' confusing the staff)

Taking the most charitable view of ebay's attitude to helping users solve problems, you'd conclude that ebay just don't care.

The least charitable view is that it's done on purpose.☹️

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There were times in the past when I would have strongly agreed with you.  I'd been using ebay for many years before I happened to discover the forums.  A remarkably well hidden resource.

These days ebay would be mad to promote these forums.  Read them for 5 minutes with a fresh eye and you'd cancel any listings you'd made and run to the nearest Marktplatz/eucalypttree/ebod/vuntred/... or do your clear out via Freegle or the local skip hire company.  Things are fairly dire right now and I was going to bail out if SD came in, but if that might stay optional I can live with the pain.  My latest prediction?  That in October ebay are going to have a new series of TV ads "Come buy on ebay, no buyer fees" and quietly intro a novel scheme of sellers fees: 13.2%+30p with 80% off every 2 weeks.

And identical fees for businesses, but higher fees for shops and other features.

[lucy_farmer]

'So I reckon you're probably deducing that ebay's marketing department are inferior to the stellar quality displayed by their customer service.'

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👍👍... what a brill way of putting it!....😂😂

[sammylou40]

think that eBay would like to push vinted out of the market entirely. 
and if by making their model similar, and familiar,  to vinted users, they are able to tempt them over then they will be more than happy to do so.  
but I don’t think that the introduction of the BPF was one of the main aims of this.  But I do think it was a consideration. 

[johnwash1]

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@sammylou40 wrote:

think that eBay would like to push vinted out of the market entirely. 
and if by making their model similar, and familiar,  to vinted users, they are able to tempt them over then they will be more than happy to do so.  
but I don’t think that the introduction of the BPF was one of the main aims of this.  But I do think it was a consideration. 

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I agree there may have been other aims as well.  But I find it hard to get into the mindset of an ebay CEO or the head of the marketing dept.  Even though it was planned months before (as @VAR... has ably revealed) it seems as well thought out as an 18-wheeler driver suddenly swerving to avoid a pheasant.

So what do you think WAS the main aim?

[jonat_broad]

So what do you think WAS the main aim?

ebay have a card processing fee to pay themselves on every transaction. Only issue is (and this applies to Vinted as well) they can't call it that.

[lucy_farmer]

'it seems as well thought out as an 18-wheeler driver suddenly swerving to avoid a pheasant.'

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Thank you for making me laugh today John!  (you've got an admirable knack for insults 😂)

[sammylou40]

It’s a remarkable money spinner firstly.   As the MBG will pay out ( sellers) when will the BPF be used?

buyers may think it will cover lost/damaged parcels but I’m pretty confident eBay will hold the companies liable when simple delivery is enforced and until then, sellers are responsible. They also claim it’s for 24/7 CS 😂😂😂😂.  That’s a human during office hours and a bot at other times   Which is a joke. And the same as it is now.  
they are also profiteering from the hold on seller funds, imagine the gains from interest from the thousands of payments held for up to 14 days. Not to be sniffed at. 

secondly, I think the business sellers posing as private sellers was a big factor. Although some disagree.  That it hasn’t happened in Germany has to be considered, given their more staunch approach to the rule breaking. 

and of course, aligning themselves to the competition 

but it’s only my opinion 

[johnwash1]

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@lucy_farmer wrote:

'it seems as well thought out as an 18-wheeler driver suddenly swerving to avoid a pheasant.'

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Thank you for making me laugh today John!  (you've got an admirable knack for insults 😂)

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🙂  Well, ebay seems to bring out the best (worst?) in me!

ps: I've been known to bring home roadkill  pheasant and casserole it.  But they're beautiful birds, I could never bring myself to shoot one.  Not sure I can say the same of some truck drivers!

[yorkscollectables]

The problem is,  eBay is not listening. 

It's not listening to Sellers saying "our sales are well down because of this absurd Buyer Protection Fee"

It's not listening to Buyers saying "we don't want to pay a Buyer Protection Fee"

[theelench]

I agree with all you say, except perhaps the part about "aligning themselves with the competition."

I thought competition was about making yourself stand out from the crowd by doing something better than them.

Not copying everyone else and reducing competition by offering more of same?

[andha-21]

@theelench 

Alas, modern high streets say differently. Why they are all filled with bloody nail salons, Barbers, hairdressers, cheap tat stores and cafes that all serve the same type of stuff.

The truly innovative are a very rare breed now, most can only copy what others do. Why market over saturation is such a big problem these days.

[lucy_farmer]

'Why they are all filled with bloody nail salons, Barbers, hairdressers, cheap tat stores and cafes that all serve the same type of stuff.'

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You forgot the bookies, the charity shops and the 'cash converters'........ 🙁

[theelench]

I blame it on I.T 😀

Everyone reading the same computer generated market reports,  tattooing is going down - the fast money is now on nail painting, so those who look no further than their screen rush to set-up a nail bar?

That 'ensh*ttification' word again.  The public gets what money gives them and they flock to whatever their 'focussed' ad. content tells them they need.

Society is being brainwashed by their devices, accepting, re-enforcing and monetising everything. 

[andha-21]

It's not actually a new thing, the few have always had to control the many. That story is as old as written history.

Just it's far easier for them to do things now in the age of the "Smartphone".

Why so many still look at people (meaning me) when they say, sorry, I don't use FB or twitter, never have.

It's like they can't fathom how worlds can function without it. 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

and the empty ones left looking seedy and neglected!