New Rule - eBay to hold sellers funds for 14 days

[charliethethird]

Effective February 2025, ebay will hold private sellers funds for 14 days if the order is posted with an un-tracked delivery service (such as Royal Mail 2nd Class).

I think it's a brilliant idea if they want private sellers to leave the platform in their masses.

More info here:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/getting-paid/getting-paid-items-youve-sold?id=4814

[jma2815]

I think signed for is usually an expensive and pointless add-on.  Like all other post tracking doesn’t always update due to technical failure and the buyer can say ‘that’s not my signature’ as easily as ‘that’s not my doorstep’ and get away with it just as easily. 

[lucy_farmer]

jma2815

Conversationalist

(18 feedbacks ) View listings

In response to campbell.mcc

‎10-02-2025 10:46 AM - edited ‎10-02-2025 10:48 AM

I think signed for is usually an expensive and pointless add-on.  Like all other post tracking doesn’t always update due to technical failure and the buyer can say ‘that’s not my signature’ as easily as ‘that’s not my doorstep’ and get away with it just as easily. 

True..... but it did do a reasonable job of scaring off dodgy buyers who would avoid tracked services in general.

[greyt2007]

A joke really - definitely need an alternative!

[madkatshop]

Especially that they now added an insurance that buyer must pay - I have listed/refreshed some items today and definitely on books, but not on clothing. 
I think many of us think the same way

[greyt2007]

I have an Etsy 'shop' and don't sell jack s..t on there.....I don't do
FB....where should we go?
ᐧ

[madkatshop]

There are couple of websites I found and you can create your own website too. Defo cheaper than on here

[bennybolt]

eBay have been struggling to compete with other platforms, hence the 300 per month free listings for private sellers introduced last year.  But there had to be a catch and here is the back lash of that.  With holding sellers money for up to 14 days after posting for untracked sales.  Effectively forcing seller to send everything tracked at additional cost to get paid with 2 days of the item being delivered.  This will cause issues with buyers complaining about high postage costs.  It could also have implications where buyers raise immediate issues under the buyers protection terms meaning will the seller get paid even after the goods are delivered.  I am sure this will impact eBay when overall sales revenue drops and this time may not recover unless eBay amends these rules introduced 4th February

[roachbreamcarp]

I could not agree more.

[madkatshop]

The thing is their subscription and fees a lot higher than on other websites. And yes, it’s a bit of a shame to build your store and leave it and go somewhere else, but I enjoy what I do so don’t wanna quit. Just gonna do it somewhere else. A lot of websites will transfer your feedback as well

[jonno586]

Does anyone think eBay is listening ?  Tap, tap, anyone there?  If a seller has a good track record then surely there are enough measures in place, already, to ensure buyer protection.

This is a cynical, money-grabbing measure brought in just after eBay removed the seller fees!

DISGUSTING way to treat people.  If the bank held onto my cash (it is mine!!) like this, they would have people challenging them in the courts.

I challenge eBay to respond to us.  Do you think they're afraid of their own customers?  Would we be able to start a petition if there isn't one already?

[goodibags]

If you're a private seller you're no longer a 'customer' but an Ebay 'supplier'. It's Ebay doing the selling and they've introduced a 'protection service' for their customers (i.e. buyers) to show that they've  taken over that part of the C2C relationship.

Likewise, they've decided to retain any money destined to their suppliers (i.e. private sellers) up until such time as their customers are happy and we can be paid.

And very soon Ebay will be managing the postage too, so that sellers will practically become 'employees' working on their behalf.

They do this because they can and want to. As we're frequently reminded, if users don't like it we're welcome to leave.

[thus6436]

"I think it's a brilliant idea if they want private sellers to leave the platform in their masses."

It's unfair to penalise sellers who select the cheapest postage options for buyer ease. If it happens to be royal mail untracked this leaves the seller in a no-win situation!

[parsley2003]

Be careful in the new rules out today it says we are breaking the law if we transfer listings and feedback to another site

[papso22]

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@parsley2003 wrote:

Be careful in the new rules out today it says we are breaking the law if we transfer listings and feedback to another site

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No they don't.  Ebay policy is not the law and they are talking about transferring accounts to someone else, not another site.

[goodibags]

On the contrary, Ebay is offering all sellers a new 'Listing Protection' service that will do it for you. At only £15 per item.

[tweakunique]

It’s a bloody nightmare. My account don’t add up since my last payout. The completed funds are late they are not being paid out on the estimated date given. 

Most of my tracked items have been delivered and still pending payment. 

I can’t take much more of this nonsense.

[roachbreamcarp]

Yes you are not the only one, it is as if they don't want to pay you. It is
disgraceful, I am sure that it will lose them a huge amount of sellers.

[goodibags]

There's another 'issue' we hadn't thought of:-

If Ebay is retaining seller payments then the revenue from sales in March may not be available to sellers until April.

How will that be reflected in the monthly/yearly reporting?

[madkatshop]

Depends how you are doing your books: if you are doing it as an accrual basis, the sales will show anyway. But if you calculating your return as cash basis, the sales won’t show until you actually get paid for it. 

It is a nightmare. I think they do read our messages as I went from selling 6 items per day after Christmas, to 3 items in 4 days’ period. They don’t like us criticising them, but won’t do anything to make things better.

The buyer protection isn’t added to all categories, but still is being added and if you reduce your prices to account for it, you either won’t make any profit, or you won’t be able to purchase tracking postage (if you don’t charge for shipping). Also, it might put the buyer off as they will have to pay extra.  

[lucy_farmer]

'Depends how you are doing your books: if you are doing it as an accrual basis, the sales will show anyway. But if you calculating your return as cash basis, the sales won’t show until you actually get paid for it. '

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I think ebay assume you're not doing any books. Therefore don't really care about monthly/yearly reporting etc.

Ebay are assuming if you're doing books you're a business. And business sellers don't have to deal with these new rules.