New Buyer Fee, CATEGORIES Thread - Please Add any updates

[filey.2wheels]

Hi, because of the numerous threads on here about the new Buyer Fees for private Sellers, I thought it would be a good idea to have one main thread to post the notifications of when the Buyer Fee is introduced in the different categories, now that Ebay have decided to roll it out gradually.

I will try and update the first post every day or two with any changes that people find so they are all in one place.

*Any tips on the best place to find these pending notifications from Ebay would be appreciated, thanks.

[carrotdrusus2]

It would appear the Buyers tax only applies to Buyers in the UK, not orders from abroad!!

Just to make us feel special I suppose.

[chris.n7]

International sales are still subject to final value fees, that's why.

[carrotdrusus2]

Sorry I meant orders sold abroad, they are not subject to the buyers fee.Since I sell a good 30% abroad at least that wont be touched. Its just the UK buyers that will disappear.

[filey.2wheels]

Thank you to the following people for the latest Category or Sub-Category updates:

@leveller2010 for Stamps Category
@second_chance_saloon for Clothing Category
@second_chance_saloon for Toys Category (personally gutted at this one)
@asleepingdragon for Teddy Bears Category
@carrotdrusus2 for Postcards Category
@safershopping for Beauty Category
@1956glyn, @parsley2003 for Ornaments Category
@vinylmad2023 for Jewellery Category
@chris.n7 for Collectable/Trading Cards Category

[filey.2wheels]

*PLEASE NOTE THAT MOST CATEGORIES HAVE SUB-SECTIONS - I have added some that have been mentioned on this thread but there are too many to check out individually.

Where a CATEGORY has been mentioned, it is best to check out any SUB-CATEGORIES too.

FURTHER CATEGORIES NOW WITH NEW BUYER FEES:

Crafts
Music
Comics/Magazines/Books
Home & Garden
Business, Office & Industrial
Sporting Goods
CD's and DVD's
Films & TV
Home & Garden (including Garden & Patio/Plants, Seeds & Bulbs/Plants & Seedlings)
Electronics (including Computers/Tablets & Networking/Video Games & Consoles)
Vehicle Parts & Accessories (including Motorcycle & Scooter Parts & Accessories)
Stamps Category
Clothing Category
Toys Category (personally gutted at this one)
Teddy Bears Category
Postcards Category
Beauty Category
Ornaments Category
Jewellery Category
Collectable/Trading Cards Category

***I DOUBT THERE ARE MANY CATEGORIES LEFT THAT HAVE NOT GOT THE NEW BUYER FEE ADDED NOW

I found the best way to check if my items had the Buyer Fee, was to bookmark my listing page, and look at the prices WHEN LOGGED OUT.

Good luck to everyone who has still got any Categories currently unchanged - I don't think these will last much longer now though 😞

I appreciate and thank everyone on here who has taken the time to post their findings so I could update it 🙂

Updated: WEDNESDAY 19th FEB, 11pm

[parsley2003]

I think it's on everything now, at least we know where we are for a change-until the next change

[tikashop-2007]

Buyer fee added to a clothing listing yesterday 19 Feb for the first time. I am doubtful that my inexpensive items (typically under £5, and others under £10) will sell with buyer fees added and the need for tracked delivery, which buyers now expect. The fact that ebay offers unrealistic arrival times to buyers does not help in this regard. I do not understand why ebay are pushing Evri so enthusiastically.

[tressygirl]

This announcement may help you if you are selling items for under a £10 value,  you'll see that it's not necessary to add tracking.

We’ve also heard your feedback and understand that shipping costs are particularly top of mind for low price items. When you’re selling a single item for £10 or less, and it’s sent untracked, funds will now be available 24 hours after you receive positive buyer feedback. This will be live by the end of February.

Yep,  I know,  most buyers do not leave feedback, and I would never usually recommend this,  but sending the buyer a polite message,  asking if they would kindly leave some feedback, explaining with eBay's new rules, payouts from sales are not released until a buyer leaves feedback.

I would recommend asking only the once,  any more and it may look like harassment.

Politely explaining the situation,  I think most buyers then would leave some.

@tikashop-2007 

[goldenwolfman]

Simple - they get a ££££ kick back off Evri purchase.

Thats why ‘Simple’ delivery is coming soon, you buy the labels of obey and they make even more £££. 

They charge the customer the Buyer Fees - for safer trading (ROFL) and then they expect the seller to buy recorded delivery for proof of delivery - and extra buyer insurance (LOL again) and then they come back to seller should items not arrive or be substandard - SIMPLE once more, or at least they think we’re ‘simple’.

…and just to add one more insult they hang onto your money for up to 14 days to make a few more ££££.

I pulled all my listings and can’t see me coming back this time - and on principal will make every effort to never buy here again! How to destroy the very customer base that helped create this platform in the first place.
Meanwhile bitter businesses who are struggling blinkedly bicker about private sellers who sell unwanted collections etc, to earn money they may spend with them! The money pot that circulates obey will get smaller.  Yes, before you say it I realise there are a lot of businesses masquerading as private - but it is pretty obvious and should have been sorted long ago!!!

[jazz_monkey]

I'm sure ebay are raking it in adding 75p to every postcard sale. Trebles all round to the suits that thought of that one.

[goodibags]

"it is pretty obvious and should have been sorted long ago!!"

What's obvious is that Ebay appears to have no interest in nudging high volume business sellers on private seller accounts to upgrade - despite the mantra repeatedly parroted in these discussions.

So long as the buyer fees are paid, activity reported and the businesses can get beyond their early cashflow problems, who needs to do anything?

Private sellers with low sales volumes are another matter of course. I know someone who received an urgent reminder to 'upgrade', with 5 items listed for sale and having made THREE sales last month. It looks like those algos genuinely haven't a clue.

[tikashop-2007]

Thank you. There are so many issues involved here. For example, Royal Mail large letter postage labels bought through ebay give a tracking number - but items are not actually tracked! Buyers see a tracking number and expect to see tracking. If you are lucky Royal Mail does report delivery, but this is unreliable and does not always happen - which then delays payout. Buyers unable to see tracking are sending queries about delivery because there is no actual tracking associated with tracking number.

Because of the way ebay pays out it is almost impossible to follow what is happening. It seems that 'Funds available in eBay balance' as reported under 'orders' are not actually being made available because ebay has deducted postage payments for other more recent orders. This creates confusion and makes it difficult to track payouts. The fact that ebay suggest unrealistic delivery times to buyers adds to the problem - my settings are such that I post within 3 working days but ebay suggested delivery times take no account of this. 

As for the reliance on Evri if you choose simple delivery, are ebay really so unaware of the problems associated with unreliable Evri couriers? In Salford for example one driver was observed throwing parcels over a random fence instead of delivering them, in Shropshire a heap of Evri parcels were found in a pond or lake. These are just two random examples from my small circle of friends. Obviously most couriers are reliable or Evri would not survive but I am dubious about what will happen with the increase in business associated with simple delivery (you only have to look at what happened when Vinted started using Inpost to see the sort of problems that arise). 

[goldenwolfman]

You’re not wrong in either of your observations - yes ignorance is bliss, AND yes there are issues where the definitions of who is who are clearly well wide of the mark. that’s where a good customer service and clear reporting should be able to deal with the matter AND further more give the option to raise the complaint to a higher lever - preferably one that was not in the Far East or some other outlying outpost!

I do find common sense something that is missing in the world we live in today like building ‘houses on sand pits and wondering why they are being washed away’? …sorry off topic!

BUT regardless of all our comments, obey are allowing the infighting between private and business to cloud the real issues, ‘Buyer Fees’ for safer trading will do nothing positive for anyone on either side …and that includes obey. However their carefully designed and calculated alogarithms will have been instigated they will find it will end in tears… and don’t be fooled by all the obey profitability forecasts - things are not always what they seem in Roseville! 

[theelench]

I just said more or less the same on the "Fed up with whinging private sellers" thread.

Doesn't cost ebay as much to hit random low volume private sellers and it makes them more cash to hit the innocent rather than the guilty.

[theelench]

Ha, ha, yes, Focus Categories and the "Vertical Strategy", getting rid of 'low value buyers' and their low value suppliers, were meant to reverse the decline, but so far as I can see never made up for the losses that were sustained when yet more 'low value' private sellers stopped using ebay.

The Sponsored Listing Fees hardly grew in last quarter's results, perhaps sellers are beginning to see through that scam. 

So now ebay's trying "Free to Sell" which really isn't if sellers still need to pay sponsorship to be seen and sell anything.

Ebay wants private sellers to take a cut in pay to round-down the price increases for 'Buyer Protection' AND wait for payment of the even more meager proceeds.

More smoke, mirrors and half-truths kicking the can down the road for another quarter or two.

[carrotdrusus2]

For some obscure reason buyers in Sweden pay the Ebay tax. The only country to do so I have discovered so far.

It really is free to sell/buy, as long as you dont buy/sell anything in the UK or Sweden!!

[goodibags]

Yes, it may make good business sense to compensate for a reduction in sale transactions by increasing the number of monthly direct debit subscriptions.

Eventually, we'll all be paying to watch, though I'm not entirely sure what we'll be watching? 

[vinylmad2023]

I've received funds for items I sent RM Tracked 48hrs, 2days after delivery was confirmed by tracking - as should be the case/as advertised.

HOWEVER, for items I've sent RM 2nd Class Large Letter, purchased through ebay with the generic tracking number uploaded (which only confirms delivery if the postie scans it on arrival)...I have three items that have been scanned on delivery and marked on ebay/my orders page as 'delivered' and x1 'Funds available in ebay balance 15th Feb' and other x2 with same message for 16th Feb...but neither have appeared in my funds to withdraw and its well over the x2 days since marked as delivered, with my balance still showing as £0.00, but I can see funds 'still pending' in my account! So either the 2-day post tracked delivery 'funds released' rule only applies to TRACKED services (RM24/48 etc) and not other forms of tracking delivery, or the system isn't working.

I now withdraw all my £ when its immediately available rather than allow ebay to hold it for longer than necessary and accrue even more interest for themselves!

This means I'm no longer buying items on ebay as a result (from either business or private sellers) and doubt I'll continue selling my unwanted items once my remaining items sell and once funds eventually become available I'll withdraw them, all due to this neverending fiasco. 

[goldenwolfman]

Yes Dave, ulterior motives and manipulative focus on the wrong issues pay a VERY big part in the world we live in. Obey may indeed be what we are discussing here, but the reality is it's happening on all platforms from the 'Biased Broadcasting Company' down - we only get told which route they wish to steer you down. Enjoy the trip, but I'm not going, as for profitability - people want to look for the bigger picture. They are reliant on shareholders to keep their mammoth enterprise going - no profits to pay dividends, no shareholders renewing, just selling and soon the whole enterprise is teetering. That happens very quickly - bit like houses built on sand - LOL (but sad for those that are in it - not the hole I hope!).

I read early on the other topic how someone blamed greedy (private) sellers for trying to inflate prices on worthless stamps - bit like private sellers will get as much for their houses as they can when they sell - ask for more than you want, these days people are daft enough to pay it and then wonder why they can't afford the mortgage - worlds gone mad, meanwhile pensioners get the blame - ROFL !

[1956glyn]

So far as mortgages are concerned blame the lenders.....some of whom will lend 5 times salary !!