R.I.P eBay (UK) ------>> 19th Feb 2025

[yorkscollectables]

The introduction of the eBay Buyer Protection fee of 75p plus 4% of the value of goods,  effective from 19th February 2025 has effectively killed off eBay (UK).

Buyers have walked away and Private Sellers are now forced to drastically reduce their prices to try to compete with 'Business Sellers', who are not subject to the eBay Buyer Protection fees.

It's a great shame, and unless eBay's management team in San Jose, California see the error of their ways, and quickly, there will be nothing left to salvage from the wreckage !!

[radmart]

I've just removed my items from sale as nothing was moving and the weird pricing appearance was putting off buyers.

Would much prefer if they brought back selling fees than this nonsense.

What ebay fail to understand is the perception of a "buyer protection fee" to a prospective buyer. It reads as though it is something the seller has added to try and get some extra money off the buyer. Not a mandatory fee ebay have added. Especially to someone who doesn't buy regularly on ebay.

We get it ebay - you don't want private sellers selling off their old collectibles or unwanted household goods on your platform anymore, just business ones.

[andha-21]

@radmart 

We get it ebay - you don't want private sellers selling off their old collectibles or unwanted household goods on your platform anymore, just business ones.

I've seen similar posts loads of times and I honestly can't see any money grabbing parasitic corporation deliberately trying to get rid of a food source.

In my opinion what's infinitely more likely is that they thought enough of us would just suck it up/grin and bear it/sheep following the shepherd type deal and just carry on regardless.

Death and taxes we can't avoid, so most reluctantly accept that there are some ways we can't avoid being shafted. 

But eBay isn't the same. It's actually quite easy to avoid it.

[andha-21]

@theelench 

I don't know your market at all but I recognise the comparisons you are using.

There are actually 2 really rare models that I've always wanted finishing soon. Normally I'd be expecting to pay around £180 for both. Looking at how the auctions have been moving so far £120 looks very realistic right now, possibly even £100 if I'm really lucky.

Feel bad for the sellers, but they could have done what I did. Step back, observe and learn. 

[jonatjonatjonat]

Its just the fact its a statement - 'massive drop in visitor numbers' of itself means nothing

Compared to what? last month? last year? 5 years ago? do ebay care about visitor numbers? It could be more visitors were coming from google ads, which ebay has to pay for - so if they can get more coming organically, its better for them. All sorts of things could be at play.

I'd say the only thing that really matters to ebay is this. Is revenue going up?

If anyone had the time - look at the Research tool within ebay (formerly Terapeak). Are sales down for keywords related to what you sell?

[vinylscot]

I get all that - there is much more involved than the simple number which that poster's source showed, and his/her totally erroneous claim regarding it.

However, reason makes no difference to that particular poster. I thought it would have more force (and fun) to point out that his/her own line of attack was seriously flawed, by using that source to invalidate the claim

If he/she's not bright enough to realise that these figures show an increase in site traffic, I doubt very much whether that particular poster would be able to cope with anything more nuanced.

[susapric-68]

Just checked and I'm up 15.3% since they brought this in but then i sell low cost items that business sellers on private accounts are finding hard to undercut now. So I'm happy

[valleyrc1]

Well your ended listings show you sold at least 11 things on the 4th....

Also, if you've only been doing this for 7 months, not even a full year, then you haven't really got a feel for what top expect over the course of a year.

February is traditionally a slow month for ecommerce in general.

There are sellers with thousands of items who still get slow patches and even days with no sales.

You seem to have a very healthy sales rate for someone barely halfway through their first year. There are people on here who would probably kill for your current level of sales.

There are people who have been doing this for decades and still experiencing new extremes of busy and quiet patches.

Some people have very consistent sales, some people find it more of a "feast or famine" type of deal.

But honestly, after just 7 months, you really don't have much means of comparison, every month until next August is your first experience of that month, for starters.

I wouldn't start panicking just yet.

[theelench]

I think ebay's attitude has been that private sellers of collectables / second hand goods are a good but secondary source of income that comes after businesses selling mostly new goods.  It's changed the site to facilitate the more profitable new goods sales and the attitude has been that private sellers can sink or swim, lump it or leave.  Safe in the knowledge that business sellers will put up with whatever ebay throws at them because they rely on ebay for their income.

Each change has seen private sellers leaving but enough stay, newbies come to try their luck for ebay to ignore those leaving, confident that there will still be enough left for ebay to continue along its chosen path.

I do think the spectacular growth of Vinted frightened ebay, seeing a bigger than usual exodus of private sellers.

As a private seller that won't sponsor my listings, ebay has virtually stopped my sales and now expects me to suck up the latest restrictions.  Why should I?

The other site I sell on has a better search.  It has a better version of GTC that doesn't mean I have to regularly 'refresh' my ads. to keep them visible.  The other site doesn't require that and google shows a wider audience items I listed years ago where ebay only wants to show new / fresh listings.  I would guess that part of the attraction of Vinted is that it is easy to use, unlike ebay.

I have no idea about traffic reports, but what is the point of listing on a site that has millions of visitors if they can't find or see my stuff?  These latest restrictions are IMO too much and too quick but I doubt that ebay will see that.  It will just carry on hoping that business sellers will once again prop up its profits and a new wave of private sellers will continue buying from them filling ebay's pockets.

Ebay has probably worked out how many private sellers it needs to keep its business sellers viable and how many businesses it will loose as the number declines.  One thing is for sure an infinite number of businesses can't survive for long when their customer base is continually eroding.

[deezpersonisedgifts]

they should have left alone..my business is dead

[andha-21]

Is the other site the bid place I couldn't log into?

Stupid register/login loop that you can't get past.

[sellingmystuff642]

I can live with the Buyer Protection Fee - I usually put things up for a little more than I expect them to sell for so I can take a bit of a reduction, but ebay holding on to funds until delivery or for 14 days is a real killer. Many of  us need the funds for postage and unless you are getting a regular flow of funds it's just not going to work. It really does destroy the incentive to list items. If forced simple delivery comes in that will be the final straw.

[deezpersonisedgifts]

very concerned about posting..i am homebound and royal mail collect..i can not buy post through ebay

[jonatjonatjonat]

You can upgrade to a business account and you won't need to worry about simple delivery.

[valleyrc1]

Just like I thought.

99% of the time someone feels the need to put the word FACT into the post, you can be sure it's exactly the opposite.

Thanks for providing the link that shows an uplift in traffic for February, though.

[valleyrc1]

You haven't had anything listed for sale for a long, long time.

[valleyrc1]

You can use royal mail collection through ebay.

Even with simple delivery, you can turn off carriers who don't collect, which at the moment leaves you with just Royal Mail

[buffster1963]

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@deezpersonisedgifts wrote:

they should have left alone..my business is dead

---

Your business is on the wrong account. If you were properly registered you would not have these changes. 

[theelench]

Yes.

Did you try emailing Support?

[andha-21]

Not yet, no.

At the time it just put me off.

[yorkscollectables]

This absurd Buyers Protection Fee has  undoubtedly killed eBay (UK). Buyers dont want to pay a Buyers Protection Fee and nobody from eBay has actually come clean and said exactly what  the Buyers Protection Fee is, and exactly what Buyers are paying for and getting with the BPF.