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 .

[wintersdawn1]

Their greed is definitely nothing new as a few years ago they implemented on all sellers listings 'best offer' against our will, reminds me a bit of BPF.

On the surface this previous change may not be thought of as linked to their greed but their plan was to get things sold cheaper/quicker so they'd get the selling fees sooner, rather than the item be listed on ebay for a long time.  It was obvious that they were not on the seller's side as they didn't care if the seller accepted a lower offer, such was their greed to get the selling fee's.

In more recent times, re-listing an item on the app would automatically activate 'best offer', again for the same reason.

[edwardian-dreams]

Their greed was evidence  in when they took fees off postage *bleep*ers 

[wood296]

I sell a few hand made bits and other low cost items the price of postage is already off putting to buyers when its a low cost item, basically this fee will finish me as a seller. Been in eBay since 2001. I feel ready to delete ny account in principal.

[wood296]

This is true. Basically it is sellers like me who sell a few low cost items that will end up leaving because we have already been crippled by high postage costs and now eBay bumping up our prices will mean even fewer sales. So looks like I'm done.

[wood296]

Yes me too. On principle I'll close my eBay account and shop on Amazon it's already comparable in price and as a Prime member I get free postage and often next day delivery at no cost.

[bogush75]

People - buyers -  prefer rounded numbers and this is well known fact.

Prices on ebay look strange (complicated)  26.19, 12.53 , 36.11,  51.87 etc.  To round them out will take your time and effort.

This is getting even more and more ridiculous!

[vinylmad2023]

Just to update - my pending funds have now cleared (delivered and logged on ebay as delivered 15th and 16th Feb respectively), so after the expected 2-day post delivery wait for funds to appear, it actually took 4 and 3 days longer than ebay advertised. I've already withdrawn the funds immediately and deleted my watchlist of the items I'd been planning to buy. I'm sticking to my principles and no longer buying on ebay, I feel its the only way to try and impact ebays recent decision making to influence them to reconsider  and re-evaluate. If they don't that's up to them, but I wish all sellers and buyers good luck moving forward, as I for one will no longer buy on here as it is no longer a platform I have any trust in.

I hope others who were waiting for their funds have had similar success now too.

[snavenairb]

Same scam VINTED pull, selling a protection that is not required as all delivery  companies provide this. All this will do is reduce the number of private sellers, I'm making my last few private sale and giving up. Funds release is dependant on the speed of the delivery, plus 2 Days. At this time PARCEFORCE deliveries are not updating on ebay, they will not admit this though and are doing manual update when the remember.

[snavenairb]

What people are saying on here is that sellers will have to factor the 'buyers tax' in to their original asking price to improve chance of a sale, so it come out of the sellers profit in the end.

[andha-21]

& with offers it definitely does. The offer system they have rolled out with this is singularly the most unprofessional thing I have ever seen from big corp.

Try and make a deal with a buyer and see how complicated/impossible it is to actually facilitate. You can both say the word/number £10. Actually accomplishing that is an entirely different prospect though.

[wool-n-stuff]

.... As for Vinted, they are just as bad. I bought NEW ankle boots at the beginning of Feb, they turned up very marked and used. I had to request permission to return them, send lots of photos and wait for their CS to reply every time, taking at least a day waiting each time. The seller didn't want to accept a refund even though the listing had been false. Eventually I got the go ahead to return them at MY cost even though they were not as described. I was supposed to get refunded 2 days after delivery, that was on 17th. I am still waiting for the refund which Vinted say might not be until 25th now. If it doesn't appear I then have to send them photos of my bank account...... Yeah right!!! Ebay will probably go this way too.

[dogrobinsnest]

Well said Vinylmad its the only way to make them listen, for too long Ebay have treated us all as a giant cash cows. I said exactly the same many post back, saying it will hurt Business as well as small sellers. I was told I was making wild assumptions by a business seller. I repeat myself small sellers have been buyers on Ebay as well if they are not visiting the site then sales will suffer. I will buy on Amazon, free next day delivery on many items at a good price.

[andha-21]

If that's the way Vinted play just bypass their system and use your payment provider for a charge back. Paypal are obvious, Curve the extra sneaky option as you can link PayPal to them and then you have 2 sets of protection even Amazon won't mess with.

[exaboy]

I feel ebay has made a change and not considered the new private seller. I fully intend to at some point become a business over the next 2 years. Ebay will get everything they deserve in due course but I'm just not there yet. I'm growing, and doing well. I am the sort of new seller they want.

These changes have basically halted my plan. I hate the idea of inflating prices on a platform that has massive inflation. I had no idea of the fee being added because I don't see them in my listings. I had to check my items in incognito, why is this not clear when we create listings?

Holding back payment until after delivery is crippling liquidity. Why is this being applied to a seller with a flawless record? Far out eBay, pull yourselves together! 

Connect with your seller base, discuss your challenges and scale your solutions proportionately 

[goodibags]

"You can both say the word/number £10. Actually accomplishing that is an entirely different prospect though."

Yes, it's impossible in practice because Ebay must have its cut. 

If a buyer offers £10 the fees are deducted from the amount the seller receives.

If a seller offers £10 then the fees will be added on top. Er, I think.

But the amount on one side of the deal will inevitably look ridiculous, which itself means it'll take a lot of getting used to. Possibly enough to put anyone off even trying?

On the plus side, it does share the pain of trying to get a sensible amount to appear with a wider user base. And enables Ebay to 'advertise' its new fee structure. 😀

[leighbayuk]

The spare keyboard keycaps I used to sell for £2.50 + £1.55 2nd Class, are now £2.50 + £0.82 BPF + £2.70 Tracked 48. I've put a note on the listing explaining why.

I expect buyers (if I get any) will be overjoyed with the "enhanced shopping experience" they now receive for the extra £1.97 cost. 

[martinwh1]

You don't have to send tracked 48. You can opt out of simple delivery. I just buy ordinary 2nd class from eBay which still gives proof of delivery.

[leighbayuk]

Trouble is, items are often not scanned with this service. So it cannot be relied on.

I have an item in my order history from mid January which is still stuck on Dispatched.

[martinwh1]

There have been several comments that the same issue occurs with Track 48. 

[leighbayuk]

I've not experienced that, but I guess it is possible with any service. Standard 2nd class seems particularly bad in my experience. Which is more of a problem now that eBay will withhold payment.