Ebay's new buyer protection scam

[wayne15071965]

So I have been a seller on and off her since June 2001, Over the years I have sent items recorded delivery that either never turn up , or arrive with no notification of delivery.  Now someone wants to charge a buyer a fee for safe delivery, when they would have been charged that in the P&P cost.  Frankly it sounds more like a scam than customer service and Ebay are also trying to force us to use their shipping option, So much for free enterprise, sound like trying to get the monopoly on delivery as well.  As for hanging on the sellers cash til 2 days after delivery, really so post office goes on strike and you don't get paid, Think I may start looking to leave. So much for eBay's loyalty to us .

[kath3735_wxmjn]

it really is amazing how this is bringing out the pseudo private sellers!   They must really be hurting, oh dear!

[martinwh1]

The eBay money back guarantee remains and is still free. The only extra thing the BPF provides is a 24/7 consumer helpline.

Sent from Outlook for Android<>

[newsgood2]

I have been a business seller for something like 20 years and have  a 100 % record from day 1, because the fees were cheaper than private membership. This was obviously before the eBay "let's level the playing field every 12 months" and wipe the slate clean that we have now. However, I mainly buy things on eBay. When they offered Private sellers zero fees I opened a personal account for obvious reasons. Ebay thought that allowing this would stimulate sales for business sellers.  Ebay do not know the difference between Knowledge and wisdom. They are greedy and devious. Instead of concentrating on running an auction platform well they continually try and milk the situation. Sellers have always had a poor deal as eBay will refund a buyer on scant or no evidence of a problem and seller's are shafted and eBay just help themselves to the money from your bank account. Every time that I ring up eBay I get the same tired thing said to me, "Thank you for being an eBay member for 21 years blah, blah, blah", but it does not mean anything. It's just sakes talk.

[cobwebcottage]

'Couldn't agree more;  my sales have fallen dramatically since the "new policy" which, to me, I feel is simply geared to get us to change to being a business seller or just disappearing.  Add to the absurd 'Buyer protection fee" the restrictions on postage, and we are really on a loser!   I have noted before the frustration of sellers who know an item has been delivered, but the tracking does not say so and hence they do not get paid until Ebay feels like it.  This has been happening to me and is becoming more prevalent, and ebay denies all responsibility and shifts it to Royal Mail, who have the gall to say that "not all tracked mail goes by the same route - hence some does not get tracked"  -  what a joke!!!  so, the tracking system is useless and Ebay can happily hang onto our money until they feel like giving it to us;  Oh, by the way, if you happen to send via Evri, then make sure you have money in your Ebay account as that is the only option for paying for it - otherwise Ebay will raid  your bank account.  Wonderful business practice, isn't it??!!'

While we are talking about business practices, lets talk about the impact that you have had trading on a private account when business sellers who specialise in greeting cards are paying fees on each sale.

You have had a good run since Ebay introduced no fees to sell and now your buyers are paying BPF. That is your doing. You could change this and correctly sell as a business seller, saving your customers paying extra money which they do not need to pay.

I'm waiting for the posts from buyers who will start asking Ebay to refund their BFP from sellers who are obviously not correctly registered and then lets see what Ebay do about that!

[achathamchild]

Thought protection rackets finished with Al Capone....seems not 

[ett1954]

"Ebay do not know the difference between Knowledge and wisdom" - neither do some business sellers it seems.

[sew1412]

Thank you for your message - it's comforting to know others feel the same as I do! I do get a little upset when some business sellers slate us for being 'private sellers' when they think we should be 'business', but as I have to buy mountains of expensive materials to make my special cards and charge as little as I possibly can for them, then to be a business seller would be ludicrous especially - dare I say it- as I am well past my 'sell by' date being nearly 90 years old and still going....... It's such a shame Ebay have to be so greedy - but the old saying that 'more wants more' has never been more true, has it? Much as I love to keep getting happy buyers, I fear Ebay are going to make it necessary to soon 'hang up my hat' and say a more than a little reluctant goodbye, as my crafting has been my solace and comfort during all the years my husband was ill, as well as being my passion but, as they say, all good things must come to an end sometime. Anyway, thank you again - I found your message very comforting and helpful.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

just because you are old does not make you exempt from being a business seller.  You are not a private seller even by your own admission that you buy expensive materials to make your cards to sell.  As for being greedy, e bay are a company and are out to make money, just like you obviously are.   After all that is why we all sell on the various platforms, not necessarily to make a profit but to get something back for our old tat rather than benefit some undeserving charities or landfill.  (i do donate to some charities but they are the small local ones)   Can you not get some relative or friend to sell them at a car boot or table top?   By the way if you are still okay to come on e bay and sell you are definitely 'not past your sell by date'.

[newsgood2]

A good, relevant and clear example in your reply.

[papso22]

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@newsgood2 wrote:

A good, relevant and clear example in your reply.

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The only 'good relevant and clear' bit is that they make things to sell, which means they have to have an ebay business account to trade legally.

[ett1954]

In this case the law does not discriminate.  Neither age, gender, disability, race, nor ignorance and compassion create an exception.  

[jckl1957]

And 'us OAPs' - I include myself here - are still liable to pay income tax.

I wonder if the seller I responded to has been asked for their NI number yet.  Ebay had mine last week.

My state pension goes up next next month - hurrah! - but I will pay more tax on my small private pension, reducing my gain to about £7 a week.

[ett1954]

Likewise.  Admittedly I am not ninety; but too close for comfort.

[jckl1957]

If you are like me, then there may be a clue in your username.

[newsgood2]

BPF is what please? 

[jckl1957]

Buyers protection fee.

Private sellers now have 4% of the selling price, +75p, added to each item they list.

[lucy_farmer]

'In this case the law does not discriminate.  Neither age, gender, disability, race, nor ignorance and compassion create an exception.  '

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All true.

But sew1412 is probably thinking about her 'hobby' business in the way she's thought of it all her long life.

i.e. you'd pay a fiver to hire a table in the craft tent at the village fete/ christmas craft fair/ church roof fundraising sale etc. And the only 'business' worry you'd have was whether or not you had enough change in your float!

Unfortunately for sew (and doubtless many like her), the world has changed immeasurably since then. The 'digital-ness' of money transactions means everybody is *potentially* under observation at any time....

I'm conviced that sellers like sew aren't deliberately trying to pull the wool, they're just seeing the world through the lens they've developed in the past (unlike many other blindingly obvious pseudo-privateers, who really do know what they're doing!).

I am aware that the majority of posters on these boards are, erm.... no longer spring chickens!😁 But a lot of those here have, for years,  been in the world of selling or selling laws or just kept up to date with the development of the digital world.

Some of us haven't and it's all been a bit of a shock!

[originsreborn]

There is lots of talk on here of folk trading as a business, needing an Ebay Business account (and rightly so). Has anyone got any examples of Ebay actually being 'bothered' about this as much as we are and prosecuting people? ..or do they just demand that people change their accounts and ban them if they don't?

[newsgood2]

Thank you. This seems daft as, when we used Paypal that would cover any problems and then eBay took the money in-house. So, why do buyers need protection please?

[jckl1957]

You could read the details from Ebay which were sent out to sellers when the changes were introduced, or ask Ebay.