Something I have thought about in terms of the CMA stuff it not just Ebay seller it is other couriers and as well in a what looks like cosy deal between RM & Evri and there is scope for other interest parties to get involved . To be honest I think Evri are just along for the ride as the biggest carrot is for with Royal mail.
My feeling are although Ebay will be charging the same fees using as RM and Evri charge on line there has be some financial advantage on this cosy closed agreement to the point that must be getting a degree of commission to make it a money spinner. Not sure if Ebay do this at present if you use Ebay to buy the label , which is actually a good clever service and does make it genuinely easier for buyers with forcing them to do anything.
A part from if there is such an agreement I think then that is something the CMA will be interested in . You also need to consider if you go to the Post Office you pay significantly more than RM on line rate.
However I think to gain any such agreement Ebay may not have been totally honest and if RM understood the real picture they might want to drop this immediately. Any figures and forecasts would have been made since Ebay removed selling fees and before the implementation of "Buyer Protection" . That period is going to inflate the amount of package being posted with any courier and make any deal attractive to RM if they thought they were going to get a near monopoly of packages that suit their business.
HOWEVER !!! If this market were to contract by significant volume , and I reckon Ebay could be looking at a drop of perhaps 80% of this part of their business , then given how much they have upset their user base , basically Ebay will actually deliver less business than promised and RM will lose revenue as a result.
Please note this is just my take , but its really difficult to work out the financial incentive otherwise , and too be honest Ebay are just hiding in the shadows .
I think it is definitely worth including RM in your complaints in this shabby deal especially on the real impact to them . I think any sub postmaster will be fuming as all seller who buy chose to buy at their local Post Office will be impacted in an unfair manner especially if Ebay are getting a financial reward. Given RM24 & 48 were a contentious issue they could easily go back to turning away Ebay purchased drop offs and who can blame them .
Evri probably stand to gain as being the cheaper provider they are more likely to be selected by buyers if they have the choice , especially as Ebay don't seem to identify the potential couriers . This will be get messy very quickly for reasons we all ready appreciate . I would only use Evri for out of size parcels and I have sent anything like that for years , as a buyer I have very few deliveries using Evri and I actually get more from Yodel .
The more effected parties that become involved the more pressure there will be on Ebay to do the RIGHT thing and stop destroying their business
A monumental cynical flaw with this crackpot plan is Ebay have the right to opt out if they can't handle your parcel but you don't have the same right if you don't think Ebay can do a proper job !!! I like to meet any Marketing expert who thinks that is a good approach .
