Ebay simple delivery opt out

[cartermk]

So ebay have decided to force private sellers to use simple delivery for all listings.

Previously you could select advanced options in postage and select your preferred postage method  as before.

Did ebay announce this to private sellers - did they ....

I searched around a while and eventually got this from the chat bot:

"Eligible listings will show Simple Delivery as an option when you're creating a listing. Starting 15 April, 2025, Simple Delivery will be the only delivery method available for private sellers when listing eligible items."

The recent changes like BPF and simple delivery have been extremely irritating but not terminal. I think this is terminal for me.

I cannot express on this forum without getting deleted my extreme annoyance with ebay.

[gill_adam]

Thank you for taking the time to reply, yes it was the socks, so eBay must
have altered it and the buyer was ok with that?? I think I,m perturbed more
because I,m not in control of the postage amount charged, plus on older
listings I’m not sure how much is being asked. It seems to be fine as long
as the parcel fits the profile. What happens when I want to lower the
postage amount and pay some myself as an inducement to buy?
I do like the idea that eBay will sort out lost or damaged items
instead of me wrestling with Royal Mail, who by the way, didn’t collect the
socks today as paid and arranged for. ( I can’t get to the post office and
Evri collections are just a joke - they don’t! )
Lastly it would be nice to be able to find the Custom Postage again too.
Thanks again,regards Gill Adamson.

[xyz307xyz]

"buyer was ok with that?" 

No real way of knowing for sure, but I would guess "yes" with 98% certainty. Ebay have never charged me, as a buyer, more than I am shown when I go to pay. i.e. If suddenly I was shown a total more than I expected- I could (stop and) ask the seller about it.

"I’m not sure how much is being asked."

On a PC etc. right click on "View Listings" next to your name here, then Open Link in Incognito/Private mode. You will see all your current listings and postage prices.

"What happens when I want to lower the postage amount and pay some myself"

You can't pay some. You do have the option to pay it all.

When you can use Custom Postage is explained here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/posting-items/setting-postage-options/simple-delivery?id=5575#se...

[papso22]

Business sellers that buy to sell must have ebay business accounts.  Business accounts are not subject to simple delivery or the buyer protection fee. 

Private accounts are only for selling unwanted personal possessions. 

[jon-e-boy]

Selling privately does not necessarily mean the item is unwanted - the seller might not want to sell but they no longer have room for the item or they simply need the money.

Regardless, private accounts  should still have the option to control how they post and what they charge for their time and materials required to pack the item securely.

[papso22]

OK, so 'unwanted' can be interpreted in different ways and is somewhat subjective.  The key point is that the items are 'personal possessions', i.e not business assets bought to sell.

Ebay has decided that private accounts will have to use simple delivery,  with a few exceptions.   To implement this they have entered into what must be binding, and lucrative,  contracts with a  number of couriers.

This is the reality now on ebay for private accounts regardless of what people think the reality should be.

[jon-e-boy]

We all know the reality - that is what we are discussing because we believe what Ebay is doing is wrong. 

[foredeckunion]

Sellers used to have free choice about who they use to post. Not any more (except small items as under ‘custom postage’).

Sellers used to be able to choose how much they charged for postage (including partial charging). Not any more.

eBay has reduced choice and we all know why - to increase revenue. It’s dressed up as ‘simple’ but it’s stupid; I’ve used eBay for 20 years and never before this year had any issues with its services. 

Now it’s customer last and profit first. It’s monopolistic behaviour.

[monster_hugs]

Ah but sellers are no longer customers... That's why we don't get charged fees anymore... Buyer protection fee and all that nonsense - eBay has sanitized and homogenized the whole lot, and grabbed the steering wheel for itself, to give a better "buying experience". 

[its_a_cats_life]

I have said this before and will say it again the simple solution to Stupid Delivery which would make everyone happy is to make it optional for everything.

How simple is that, then those who want to use can and those who don't won't.

I still want to know how combined postage works with Stupid Delivery as I offer it on most of my items and really don't know what to do if someone buys more than 1 item.

How do you combine the postage? It could be you could post the items for the same cost as one or you might have to use a larger size parcel which would cost more than posting one but less than posting two.

Any answers would help, thank you.

[its_a_cats_life]

Also they could make Buyer Protection refundable. When the item has been delivered and good feedback is received the amount could be refunded.

Although it would mean the buyer giving feedback, which they don't always.

[jonatjonatjonat]

From that statement you don’t understand what the buyer protection fee is.

[its_a_cats_life]

Maybe I don't, I assumed it was to protect them from the item not being as described.

Apologies if I am wrong, it's not part of this conversation either, it's for another post.

[lucy_farmer]

'I assumed it was to protect them from the item not being as described.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nope, sorry.  It's just a very badly named replacement for the old private-seller's sellers fees.  (Which ebay had to junk in order to advertise themselves as 'free to sell' , to compete with Vint*d. )

The seller's fees were to cover the costs of actually running the site;  and these costs are never going to go away!

Ebay's marketing dept thought it'd be a good idea to make the buyer think they were getting something they were not getting before  ( i.e. 'protection' from some indefinable danger...) to keep them from getting miffed that *they*were having to pay fees now instead of the seller. 

All good psychological advertising, which has nothing whatsoever to do with honesty....

[ktl_model_shop]

Did you want to share your understanding or keep that to yourself?

[jckl1957]

It isn't hard to find what the BPF is for.

Use 'Help & contact' top left of your Ebay page and put in 'buyer protection'.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/paying-items/buyer-protection-fee?id=5594&st=3&pos=2&query=Buyer%...

What does Buyer Protection include?

With Buyer Protection, you benefit from:

• 24/7 customer service: Get support around the clock if you need help.
• Risk monitoring and fraud detection: We actively monitor marketplace activity to identify risk and potential fraud and take action to keep you protected.
• Secure transactions: All payments are encrypted end-to-end and handled by our trusted payments partners.

[ktl_model_shop]

I know. I was just making the point, in a roundabout way, that if you’re going to tell someone they have misunderstood something then it’s constructive to include, or signpost the correct information.

[jckl1957]

So, you could have helpfully  done so in your post.

[ktl_model_shop]

Technically true but in practice I think eBay hedges its bets. For instance, even with private accounts you can promote items; come higher in the listings if you include a returns policy; ditto if you have a faster turnaround timeframe; and so on. Attributes that are generally irrelevant if you’re selling an unwanted sofa or kettle for spares or repair. And they share info with HMRC once you exceed a certain number of sales or revenue. I think it’s probably more the case that there are two selling streams, one with fees and structures that probably work better for higher revenue businesses and another, with BPF and SD for the “side hustle” and private sellers

[jonatjonatjonat]

Even if you helpfully point it out, all that ends up happening is you get ‘you mean eBay’s payment system wasn’t secure before?’ as a means to get that eBay are somehow scamming buyers now.

[xyz307xyz]

"which would make everyone happy is to make it optional for everything."

ebay believe they will make some profit from Simple Delivery.

Royal Mail, Evri, DHL also either believe they will profit from Simple Delivery or stand to lose out significantly if they aren't included.

So none of them would be happy, in my view.