New buyer fees confused ?

[jactac7]

Please could someone explain in simple terms how this new buyer fee thing works.

I'm a private seller who lists the usual used clothes, plus the odd bits & bobs that are no longer required or needed.

When this new buyer fee thing was announced I read the info that ebay released, and after reading it my take was that, if I list something for say  £2 as a bid or buy it now, ebay would then add their fees to that amount and the buyer would see the increased amount on the listing, but all my listings are still showing the same amount that I listed them for ?

Theres no added fees showing on the amount, at least not that I can see ?

I've asked a friend to look at my listings to see if they can see something different but apparently they are seeing what I'm seeing, the original amounts with no added fees ?

They've even clicked on one of my items to buy but the total amount stayed the same ?

Am I looking at this all wrong or just not getting it.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks.

[papso22]

Checking the account status has not changed with the BPF.

The current winning bid (if any) as shown on the listing, has not changed with the BPF.

Deciding the max you want to pay has not changed with the BPF.

Making sure you bid what you want to pay, or the max you are prepared to pay  (excluding any postage), has not changed with BPF.

Winning with the highest bid has not changed with the BPF.

I don't think any additional mental arithmetic is required.  Although I agree that the information ebay provides is inconsistent in how the BPF is dealt with, this is a post auction issue and not a pre bid issue.  

[helva56]

The buyers fee affects offers too, lets make it simple, a seller has an item for a buy it now of £150, and has a best offer , and finally a starting bid of £85.

I decide to offer £125, how much of that does the seller get,?

[lucy_farmer]

"I decide to offer £125, how much of that does the seller get,?"

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About £119.00.   I think

£125 minus (4% +72p) = £119.28

And either the buyer pays for the postage, or when 'seller pays postage',  postage comes out of that £119 as well.

edit -fatfingers....again

[robmuir_78]

The Buyer Protection Fee is totally distorting price points and is putting buyers off. The quicker eBay revert back to Sellers Fees, the better!

[helva56]

100% correct, 

and contrary to a previous post, reducing your bid, or leaving you an option of mathematical calculation to work out what your "offer or bid" means in real terms to the seller.

[maujohwai]

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@robmuir_78 wrote:

The Buyer Protection Fee is totally distorting price points and is putting buyers off. The quicker eBay revert back to Sellers Fees, the better!

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I have by now adjusted most of my 495 individual listings, almost one by one, to more acceptable/attractive price points after BPF is added, and I would need to undo all that if ebay revert to seller fees, but I would happily do it in relief!

[helva56]

So  if I want the seller to consider my £125 offer, I now have to work out mathematically the percentage ebay reduce my offer by and add it back on, and in doing so increase the amount even more.

£125 +4%+75p  =  £130.75 is now the amount I need to bid to ensure the seller gets a true £125 offer. 

Buyers fee on top of £130.75 = £5.98  = £136.73 

astounding!

[lucy_farmer]

Ebay's reasoning is :  the buyer offers the maximum they want to pay for the item- uncaring if that goes to the seller or to ebay itself.

So the BPF comes off that offer (seller sees /gets a smaller figure)

But if the seller make an offer to the buyer, the reasoning is : the seller is offering the minimum they want to receive for that item.- they will receive no less than that amount.

So the BPF is added on to that offer, so the buyer sees/pays a larger  figure.

Yes it makes logical sense, but ebay users are human, and it hurts our instinctive ideas of transparency!

It makes things look like a rip-off, of some sort, even when they're not...☹️

[helva56]

"Ebay's reasoning is :  the buyer offers the maximum they want to pay for the item- uncaring if that goes to the seller or to ebay itself."

Oh I think it matters a great deal to ebay who gets the extra cash, as long as it's ebay.

and any way possible to increase their cut is ok by them, they don't care however who it comes from ,, the buyer or the seller.

[lucy_farmer]

'Oh I think it matters a great deal to ebay who gets the extra cash, as long as it's ebay.'

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Well, yes, of course!

But the point is, the buyer isn't supposed to care who their money is being split between, and how much by. 

They just pay their max. and that's that.

Same as in a shop; you don't care how much of the item price is the price of the goods, and how much goes to pay the staff wages or the rent..... you just pay it.

[helva56]

But the difference is,, and a crucial point here,, 

I don't have to work out how much their wages are, or negotiate their rent agreements, 

I want to know "exactly" the amount I'm offering the seller, I'm pretty sure that's important to them too.  without ebay dicking around with the figures however it suits them.

[lucy_farmer]

'I want to know "exactly" the amount I'm offering the seller,'

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Well you're obviously the kind of buyer sellers would like!

But I'll bet most buyers don't care. They just want their item.