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 !!

[theelench]

In reply to yourself, vinylscot, bzmotman and kath3735.

OK, I'll continue to watch with interest to see if ebay announces any more changes in the near future that might persuade me to start listing again, but will probably reply rather less.

I don't think that ATM there's much point trying to give a private seller's point of view so I'll let business sellers (both sorts) argue the case amongst themselves.

Bye for now.

[andha-21]

@theelench 

You don't need to back down if you don't want to. 

I haven't been selling since the new update. Listed my first item since then a couple of days back but I've been watching my areas of interest the entire time and eBay have basically taken a sledge hammer to the Warhammer market with these "updates".

The biggest dealer in that sector used to list their auctions every Sunday. Hundreds to thousands at a time. Going by the last few weeks it looks like they may only be listing twice a month now and in nowhere near the same quantities.

I've been watching their auctions since this started as they are the real market guide. They always get more than other dealers for the same/similar models But even they are down in what they would have been getting a couple of months ago.

Could be why they aren't listing as much here now. In truth they probably don't need eBay, they are that big and they already have their own site and sell elsewhere too.

But if they start slowing down eBay lose the biggest draw in that market.

Apart from 2 other dealers that are the same kind of size, the rest of us are just tiny fish in the whales wake.

We only really get seen because people come to look at the big boys.

& that's what eBay don't seem to get. They aren't the big boys. They are just the remora that leeches off everything else.

[theelench]

I'm not sure if it was on this thread or one of the others that we briefly talked about what we were seeing in our areas of interest  -  less new listings, fewer BIN sales, lower auction prices?  I'm still watching my Saved glass searches, listings have gone up a bit, but sales haven't recovered from the latest sabotage by ebay.  

Unfortunately the biggest business sellers in vintage glass left years ago, although both are still in business (one on etsy, the other their own site).   Most of the sellers in the area are private, "private" or very small businesses.  As most of the current listings have the new silly prices, I'd guess that two thirds of the items are listed by the first two.

So there is no real "draw" in my area, my biggest Saved Search should have between 100-200 listings and is slowly shrinking as sellers drift away.  Before BPF probably averaged 160-180, today 159 and slower sales.  With less listings, fewer sales and longer to wait for the proceeds the drift away will only grow IMO.

No I don't have back down, but what is the point ?   Business sellers only see private sellers as buyers, many seem to have great difficulty with the concept that without sales we don't buy and don't need ebay.  Most of them applaud every restriction and dis-advantage that ebay puts on us  assuming it might get a few businesses to register properly but will not see that  the collateral damage is getting rid of more of the innocent than reforming the guilty. 

So let them get on with it, turning ebay into an even more businesses only site with even less buyers.

[andha-21]

@theelench 

Yes, we did have that discussion and I'm only speaking for myself right now but the reason I won't back down is because what eBay are doing is wrong.

As for the business sellers and their endless tiff, I had a proper debate with them on this and in all honesty what I gauged from it and other discussions is they pick on private sellers because they don't/can't pick on eBay.

Most of them know eBay is at fault for alot of things, but eBay are beyond their management capabilities so they pick on things they can handle instead.

They're trying to make things better, as they seem it, but to me it seems fundamentally flawed. 

They are curing a symptom, not the cause. & that is all kinds of pointless because they are never dealing with the real problem.

[bzmotman]

"As for the business sellers and their endless tiff, I had a proper debate with them on this and in all honesty what I gauged from it and other discussions is they pick on private sellers because they don't/can't pick on eBay."

Not sure what you mean by endless tiff. If you mean Business sellers calling out pseudo private sellers avoiding their legal obligations & avoiding Ebay fees so they can undercut Business sellers don't expect to change.

"..because they don't/can't pick on eBay." Its nothing to do with picking on. I have challenged Ebay in the past & no doubt will in the future. I choose my fights - there must be a prospect of winning, complaining about everything is pointless, & it must be something that matters to me/benefits to me. I won't be challenging BPF because in many ways I believe it benefits me. Please don't let me stop you phoning/emailing/chatting with Ebay to challenge BPF but don't expect someone else to do it for you.

[theelench]

Sorry but I just cannot resist!!

"Please don't let me stop you phoning/emailing/chatting with ebay to challenge BPF but don't expect someone else to do it for you."

And let me add   "with ebay..." '/or private sellers discussing your grievances on SC' "... to challenge...".

Wouldn't it be amazing if just occasionally they were allowed to do that without every discussion on any topic being interrupted by the inevitable "You're a business" followed by it being derailed into yet another thread on the same old subject.  Cutting to pieces and disrupting any discussion of anything BUT that topic by the same old crusaders, each repeating the same old points one after another to maximise the disruption to so many threads.  

There were many more private sellers active on here, but most have gone because there is little hope of having a sensible discussion about anything without interruption.  Perhaps genuine private sellers might have joined with business sellers and presented a more united opposition to "private" sellers if the business case had been put better to show how the rogues harm all honest sellers, not just businesses.

I don't want or need someone else to do anything for me, I'm quite capable of doing my own complaining about ebay and about "private" sellers.  Perhaps ebay  might have listened earlier if businesses and private sellers had presented a combined anti-"private" seller campaign.  But instead business sellers lost the sympathy of private sellers by constantly blurring the difference between the two and demanding restrictions on both rather than together demanding that ebay act against the guilty.   

Instead we now have a SC board which mostly reflects the views of 20 - 30 crusading businesses, nowhere for private sellers to air their views about anything and huge animosity and division between business and private sellers which is very useful to ebay.

[papso22]

If all the businesses that trade on private accounts had the sense to keep off the boards and away from public scrutiny then there would be no need for anyone to call anyone else out over anything.  All the threads would be sweetness and light with helpful suggestions for genuine private sellers over how to deal with ebay's changes.

But they don't do they?  Instead they are the main complainers about the changes that should not even apply to them, and more often than not, start the threads that degenerate into a bun fight.

I blame ebay for not doing enough to deal with these fake private sellers, but I blame the fake private sellers more, whether they are simply ignorant, or arrogant, ultimately they chose the account they use to sell, and ignored ebay's policies (and the law).

[*devils.advocate*]

..... nowhere for private sellers to air their views .....

As you know, there used to be - the separate Private Seller Board.

But it was much underused and, the "use it or lose it" adage - well, it was lost.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

sorry but that is a lot of rubbish, there are plenty of private sellers on here airing their views and i mean genuine ones (who are still selling!).  I am a private seller and have full sympathy for the business sellers, i also make a point now of checking who i am buying from, if i think they are pseudo private sellers then i do not buy.  A lot of the sellers who have disappeared from commenting are the ones who could give worse than they got actually and were pretty unpleasant.  Could name a few but then i would be moderated.  

[theelench]

No they don't and I've often wondered why.

But I've just as often wondered why businesses with a legitimate grievance then spoil their case by being so disruptive and offensive.  Having called out and drawn everyone's attention to a "private" seller it doesn't need a dozen others to do the same thing and totally disrupt the original topic .

That comes across as arrogant and having no interest in private sellers views, complaints or anything else that they might have to say.  All can be trampled over and shouted down just to get their point rehashed on every thread on the board.  

But here I go again, engaging in another pointless chat about business sellers arguing with other business sellers.

Neither side is interested in the views of a private seller even on their favourite subject.

[keeshyakat]

I am a genuine private seller,  been on here for several years & rated by eBay as an above average seller. Basically I've started totally clearing out my very extensive (totally fashionista) wardrobe of smaller sizes as I've finally accepted I'm now permanently a (much) larger size than I used to be  🙂 

I initially didn't want to comment on this using a rather lets wait & see approach, but after several weeks I have seen a big drop in not only sales but visits and saves.

My sales until recently had been several items per week, with literally an almost daily visit to the drop off point to dispatch, but that drop off is now not more than once or twice a week.  In conversation with the drop off point (who are also family friends) they confirmed they have now seen a large drop in the number of eBay dispatches (but a rise in Vinted!).

Likewise I would previously see daily visits with viewed items saved which I send offers to but now it goes days before any saves appear.  I now also see those making offers being of ridiculously low offers, i.e. 25% - 35% of the asking price, which is for very cheap items to start with so them making such a low offer I feel is an insult & makes it pointless for me to sell (probably get more at a bootsale & that's saying something).  It does make you wonder if it is buyers protest against the additional fees - or are they just taking the P

Since I am adding things all the time it is not a case of being left with the uninterested items, nor am I overpriced as I look on eBay for same or similar item sales to price mine competitively.  I stopped using auction a long time ago & list BIN with the make an offer option active. 

Post wise (to keep post costs down as well) I usually use only Evri or Royal Mail, both always with tracking & appropriate insurance (and signed for on delivery for more expensive items).  I generally haven't found a problem with the two day delayed payment.  However I recently decided to trial the new payment system & instead used Royal Mail without tracking on a very low priced item (£2) &, lo & behold, it is still marked as pending although it was delivered a week ago & received good feedback.  Now, having to wait 14 days to be paid £2 means nothing but as a trial it tells me that the new eBay payment system is only as good as the couriers (like we didn't know that already) and RM are generally pretty c**p (my own RM deliveries are dumped in full public view on the doorstep & they're gone before I can even reach the door) .

So people may or may not believe the system is a bad idea/at fault &, excluding the argument that business sellers have caused this by masquerading as private sellers (which I do agree is rife & eBay should have sorted it long ago),  given my past month & a half experience it is unfortunately definitely having an impact on the number of views & sales. 

Rant over 🙂  

[keeshyakat]

Incorrect to say that private sellers had it for free.  It was only last year (September I believe) that eBay removed the listing/selling fee on private sales which was taken from the sellers income (including on the post cost!) which tbh I was quite happy with.  In terms of usage & control that was far better than this new system that they have replaced it with.  

[kath3735_wxmjn]

in the years i have been selling and buying on e bay i have always used RM and i have not had one parcel not delivered either as buyer or seller.  The only problems i have ever had was when a seller says RM and then sends EVRI and it NEVER reaches us.   As i have said before out of 18 items sent through RM since this started only 1 has not been marked delivered and i DO NOT pay for tracking (small value items) but i do use the certificate of posting tracking number which also works.  I have also got paid on the day i was supposed to and the non marked delivery was on the 13th day.  That is my experience so although the system may not be what i would want it is actually working for me as they laid out.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

and yet so many people used to come on here and complain about the sellers fees!   The old adage, the grass is always greener...

[action_man]

In response to @theelench above you stated :  "but according to you you are not selling on here so how would you know what is actually happening to 'your' sales. Mine have been really good but i also understand that some types of sellers have not been so lucky. Then again most of the ones complaining are the pseudo business sellers anyway so quite honestly i do not care about them. It is also well known that the negatives in life spend more time being just that (and whining about it aloud and to anyone who will listen) than the positives who will try to find ways to improve their lot."

"Mine have been really good" - So I went to your sales history and had a look and found £300 sales in 3 months (approximately £3 per day). Presumably you have another account where the really good sales are being made?

[papso22]

Neither side is interested in the views of a private seller even on their favourite subject.

Not sure what you mean by 'sides' but I have seen a lot of useful information and advice given to genuine private sellers about the recent changes.   

To reiterate, when a fake private seller starts a thread about the impact of the BPF on them, their sales, and their customers, then it is impossible to stay 'on topic' as the topic is already corrupted by the fact that original poster is really a business.  

[cobwebcottage]

Gained from @kath3735_wxmjn previous posts, I would think they are very happy with their £300 sales over 3 months decluttering their unwanted items.

You have already stated you are no longer a seller on Ebay. So what is your point?

'I was only a private seller for one year, but I stopped in January as it was already unworkable and I didn't agree with the changes.'

[action_man]

I didn't have a point. I had a question. So, what was your point exactly?

[game_raid]

It is always nice to hear a genuine private seller is doing well sales wise, and although they are not happy with the changes they are more than willing to give it ago because it's costing them nothing and it is paying off for them or are they expected to complain of the injustice because a business dare make some money.

It is better having £300 in the pocket than the items being sent to landfill or dropped in a clothing recycling bin.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

absolutely correct!   For me as a genuine seller every sale is a bonus and just lately they have been good.  If i normally sold 10 items a day then it would be a different story, however my usual is a 2/3 a week on a good week!   Not made any since last week but it has always been either several or none.  It is mostly the pseudo business sellers that are moaning the most and being unpleasant  to anyone that disagrees with them.  I have yet to find anyone who likes the new system but a lot of us are going with it and seeing how it works out.