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]

so true!  Look at all the insurances you take out, how many read all the T & Cs and then complain when they go on holiday, something happens and they moan like hell because their claim is not in accordance with what they signed!   Must admit that i do check most insurances but have never bothered with E Bays Terms...... 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

There again Lucy has a right to voice her opinions, as do all of us and if you find them unhelpful (actually i agree with her) that comes under the heading of too bad.  WE all have agreed to the terms and if we do not like them we can leave, which is what i will be doing when SD arrives.   I have always posted my items as soon as E Bay have notified that they have received the money from the buyer, funnily enough the money has always gone in to my account within a day or two!    If i have to wait a bit longer now then that is how it will be.   As for the buyers fee, i was paying fees until October and someone has to pay, E Bay is a business after all!.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

well from one oldie to another I agree with you!   Somethings can be changed and others not, it is knowing which battles are worth fighting that is important.   The only way any business is going to listen to the little man is when the profit results appear.   

[kath3735_wxmjn]

Trust me, i will not be sending by whatever means E Bay or the buyer decide, that is my line in the sand and i will be departing this site.  

[*maetrix*]

Complaining may not make a difference...but voting with our wallets may...?

I probably make & spend around £50 - 300 a month on here...I've now sold / spent absolutely nothing on ebay over the last week.

[lucy_farmer]

'Complaining may not make a difference...but voting with our wallets may...?'

I hope it does ; I'm on a bit of a buying 'strike' myself!

But I think ebay are relying on attracting more new buyers from Vinted (as 'it's just like vinted!' now....) and more new private sellers, as it's 'free to sell!' (free, providing you abase yourself to the new rules...)

[papso22]

---

@skyedone wrote:

You said "it is correct that you agree to all of the terms in the User Agreement simply by using the site." But you left out the main point of this community post: the fact that they have just changed their terms (or how they are implemented), and I do not accept and will no longer use ebay as a result.

I hope this makes sense, and I wish you well with what I think are terrible changes to private selling. I see you don't see it that way, and that is up to you.

---

There was nothing incorrect in that post. 

As soon as a member buys or lists an item for sale after the date when a change in the terms and conditions comes into effect they have agreed to those new terms.  It's known as agreement by performance.

Obviously if you are simply posting on these boards and not buying or selling then you have not agreed to them.

[andha-21]

It's probably come up before but the thing I don't get is why eBay think we need their Buyer Protection Plan. I use PayPal and Curve attached to PayPal for all my purchases. If I'm really unhappy I speak to them and they sort it. Why do I or anyone else need eBay's lesser version at a cost?

[german-history]

The buyer, 99% always gets away with, long time before that scam protection! It's just another way of cashing moreover in! Besides of that, if you dont use their "promoting" option, whatever you sell is hardlvisible anymore! Another cash cow for Ebay and BLACKROCK! As a seller, one is loosing.

Especially,  when posting standard.

EBay is asking for tracking! Otherwise,  as a private seller one has to wait 2 weeks for the money! That's DISGUSTING indeed! Of course, one can buy THEIR postage labels with... Another cash cow!

[german-history]

You are wrong again! They use "promoted " listings, to cash in! And, I can tell you out of my own ecp, the make more money this way, as over half of sellers "promote" their listings now! Fees can easily go up to 17% of sales price, including any postage! That "protection " fee is just another way to cash even more in, and force sellers to buy their postage labels ( another cash cow)! Buyers always had that protection,  before!

[german-history]

100% agree! 

[german-history]

No. They literally charge the buyer more! Means, whatever you listed, is now price increased! That fee is a scam, as there has always been a buyer protection!

[german-history]

Absolutely! Not the first time, that items "hanging" around! Guess, we won't get our money then! At least not until 16 days after postage!

[german-history]

Maybe, you haven't realised: No listing fees: Correct. However  no fees on SALES made... That's the point! Again, HOWEVER: If you want to sell, and don't want to wait a year to sell, one can "promote" that item. And THATS now the CASH COW, for Ebay! Can cost you more, than with fees before! 12%-17% of everything.  Including posting costs!

[german-history]

💯 x 💯 Absolutely correct!

[medealady]

I see electronics have had the buyers protection added now. The price is shown but no breakdown re the fees. Are these shown when the buyer gets to checkout? For anyone subject to tax is the fee included in their sales income? Do enough sellers know they should no longer offer free P&P? A computer for £505.38 free P&P would save the buyer lol. Just checked an auction for a computer on private 99p start no buyer fee showing on any bids. Still over a day to go. I was expecting ebay to add 'inc buyer protection fee' under the prices.

[valueaddedresource]

---

@medealady wrote:

I see electronics have had the buyers protection added now. The price is shown but no breakdown re the fees. Are these shown when the buyer gets to checkout? For anyone subject to tax is the fee included in their sales income? Do enough sellers know they should no longer offer free P&P? A computer for £505.38 free P&P would save the buyer lol. Just checked an auction for a computer on private 99p start no buyer fee showing on any bids. Still over a day to go. I was expecting ebay to add 'inc buyer protection fee' under the prices.

---

@medealady  yes, eBay shows the fee breakdown in check out.

[tygerboi]

Hi,

The way I understand it, the buyer protection fee (BPF) is added to the sale price of an item during listing creation.  Therefore, private sellers can still list items competitively, but they just have to reduce their initially-planned price when creating a listing to allow for the BPF.  When a price is typed into the 'Price' field and then the Enter key is tapped or the field is clicked/tapped away from,  the price including the BPF is shown, so sellers can simply adjust the price, click/tap away, then repeat until they're happy with the overall listing price.  It really makes very little difference to anything apart from the time taken to create listings.  Please correct me if I'm wrong here, but it would seem that eBay is not making any money from this, only the sellers are.  So no "eBay scam" or anything else underhand, it's just an extra layer of protection for buyers.

To clarify, I do not work for and have no affiliation with eBay, other than being a private seller and buyer. 😀

[lucy_farmer]

''its just an extra layer of protection for buyers.'

An extra layer of protection from what?

Ebay are not offering buyers anything they don't already have.

the 24/7 'help' chat line has already been admitted to be AI machinery out of office hours.

Ebay's MBG already exists.

And money is *already* dealt with securely (at least I hope it is!)

Ebay are just telling buyers that private sellers are un-trustworthy and dishonest.

Which is an enormous insult to those of us who have been here for 20 years and have no criminal tendencies whatsoever.....

[martinwh1]

The seller doesn't get the BPF,  eBay does  - thet's where eBay get's it's money from private sellers by charging buyers for something which they already have!