THE EBAY OF 2025 - WHAT TO EXPECT AS A SMALL PRIVATE SELLER - SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO ?

[bittyboy101]

Just as the title says...

Apparently a few disturbing/concerning changes to eBay coming in January & February 2025... 

1) eBay Managed Shipping.

2) Payment Holds until delivery of a sold item has been confirmed.

So I'm a bit confused about number 1 - eBay's managed shipping... Not sure how this is going to work ? and whether it will be something like Packlink (only made compulsory instead of optional) ... or will it be like an "eBay Global Shipping program" type of setup where we send our sold items to eBay's 3rd party distributor and they then forward the item to the buyer by their default postal service ??... something tells me this could be Evri  (Hermes ! )  - Not happy or comfortable with this !  knowing Evri aren't always great !  😞

Moving on to number 2 - payment holds/delays until a sold items has been confirmed delivered (or 14 days have passed since buyer purchased the item and the buyer hasn't opened any cases during that time)... This can now be time consuming to get paid... Like eBay's new managed payments wasn't already slow enough !... now it's getting even slower !... not ideal if you've  got little money in the bank that week and have to 'find money upfront' to pay for posting sold items (this can get pretty expensive if 2 or 3 heavy items which cost £20 to post sell on eBay at the same time to different buyers)... Oh wait a moment... Conveniently eBay now does managed shipping and  they'll let you have an advance on your buyer's payment to cover shipping costs PROVIDING YOU BUY IT AT AN INFLATED RATE FROM EBAY ONLY !... How nice !  😞 

Now the debate of whether I should stay ? or go ?

I have always loved buying and selling on eBay for many years... Would it be worth carrying on with these new changes which are very worrying... or would it be better to do what the old saying says and QUIT WHILST YOU'RE AHEAD ???

All comments welcome - The good, the bad and the ugly - Let's know what you all think !

would a small private seller be skinned alive by the new 2025 eBay ? I wonder ! 🤔 🙄 😁   

[valueaddedresource]

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@podlingsmum2007 wrote:

The buyers will be paying the postage but it will cost more than current prices because surely ebay will want to add a bit on for their cut. 

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@podlingsmum2007 that isn't necessarily true.

Here in the US, the postal service has what are called Negotiated Service Agreements which are contracts large shippers can get that offer them very steep discounts on postage rates due to the fact they are doing a large volume of business with the carrier.

The terms of these NSAs are not public record, so there is really no way for sellers to know how much profit eBay (or any other marketplace or shipping label provider who has one) is making on individual labels purchased through the platform.

Purely hypothetical numbers just for illustration - when you go to purchase the label, eBay might show you that the retail rate (what you would pay if you purchased the label directly from USPS) is $7, but purchasing through eBay you only pay $5.60 - a 20% discount eBay has graciously passed on to you.

And if you think that is the full amount of the discount eBay has negotiated in that NSA and they aren't making any profit on the deal well...I can't prove it of course since the terms are not public, but let's just say I am highly skeptical. 😂

Of course they have similar agreements with the private carriers here in the US as well and I would imagine they do the same with UK carriers - in which case, it's entirely possible eBay could have negotiated volume discounts low enough to where they can still charge buyers rates which are competitive with other venues for the same shipping options and make their profit on the difference in what they actually pay to the carrier.

[lucy_farmer]

@valueaddedresource 

Thank you for spending your time translating all the 'business speak' stuff,  and the 'ebay speak' into something us worried laymen can understand....!

I think a lot of long standing genuine private sellers on here, are akin to the frogs in the 'boiled frog' theory. (yes I know that has been discredited now, but it's still a great way to describe how stuff can creep up on you!)

When we started out (in my case in 2005) ebay was sold to us as a simple and easy way to flog off your collectables, and second hand stuff etc.

And it *was* pretty simple and it seemed to work.

But then changes happened, then more changes, then more changes.... (water's getting hotter, frog's still sitting there....)

Until we reach now ;  when we realise there's been so many changes that the water is nearly boiling and it's time to finally hop out!

If we don't hop out, we will need to be as clued up on 'business-speak'  as people running actual businesses here are...... or get laughed at for not knowing what B2C means, for instance. (I signed-up for ebay to flog some 2nd hand bits etc; not to take a BTec in business studies...)

So many thanks for your patience in sifting through the verbiage and picking out the important bits!  😁

[johnwash1]

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@valueaddedresource wrote:

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@podlingsmum2007 wrote:

The buyers will be paying the postage but it will cost more than current prices because surely ebay will want to add a bit on for their cut. 

---

@podlingsmum2007 that isn't necessarily true.

Here in the US, the postal service has what are called Negotiated Service Agreements which are contracts large shippers can get that offer them very steep discounts on postage rates due to the fact they are doing a large volume of business with the carrier.

..

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I'm certain that's true in the UK as well.  You only have to look at the lowest prices on ebay for CDs and books, volume sellers such as MusicMagpie and WorldOfBooks to see that the full price  of such items is far lower than I can buy just postage for. 

[theelench]

"We'll take into account the buyer's location, blah, blah, blah, amongst a number of other factors."

That reads pretty much the same as the vague nonsense and gibberish that ebay uses when 'explaining' how its 'dynamic' Fantasy Delivery Dates are arrived at.

Both claim to take account of the un-quantifiable and in reality is just technical sounding verbiage that enables ebay to come up with whatever answer it wants to.  If anyone disagrees, all ebay has to say, as it has done a thousand times in relation to FDDs is that "It's working as intended" or the even more condescending  "It's working perfectly", although no-one from ebay is willing to show how it works.

[theelench]

I agree with you, in addition to all the business-speak we'll have to learn how to pick our way through the several different versions of Sponsoring our listings if we're to stand a hope in hell of getting our ads. seen, just like a business seller.   

Also, just in case we do manage to sell a few things, we'd better start keeping business-level books, with receipts, of everything we sold, to show to HMRC if they decide to raise doubts about whether our selling some old collectables is a cover for tax evasion or money laundering.  (I confess, it's a fair cop gov.  that £40 I earned on ebay last year was money laundering for a S. American drug gang  🤔  Or was it evaded tax on its way to my Swiss bank account? )

[theelench]

To add to #144.

If I'm correct about the "technical sounding verbiage" and Simple Delivery is just another smoke-screen to enable ebay to get its own way.   In the same way that somehow FDDs seem to be pushing sellers towards next day delivery and tracked services, even when the seller has stipulated RM 2nd class untracked delivery, with the threat of Delivery Defects.

Then what will Simple Delivery morph into once ebay takes control of the options offered to buyers by providing "convenient" or "appropriate" options for them??

Whichever service rakes in the most for ebay because ebay got a bigger discount?  The least reliable service when it comes to accurate tracking?  Giving ebay the excuse to extend the Hold on seller's funds because there is no proof of delivery?  Ebay is nothing if not inventive when it comes to squeezing the last penny out of its declining sales.

I've no doubt that "Simple" delivery will soon become festooned with penalties, extra charges, 'small fees' for 'extras' and anything else ebay can think of.

[cabletie555]

Go where? All these other platforms are nothing like as popular as eBay, and mostly just cater for few niche products sold new by business sellers, there's not much used worth buying on any of them. I went through all of them and their web traffic figures recently and they are all complete rubbish in comparison, selling a meagre selection of items at inflated prices. Actually eBay UK for used items now seems to be probably better supported than any other platform worldwide, including other eBay instances overseas, unless they are somehow hiding their contents from people outside their borders. If people are disappearing from eBay they are more likely giving up online selling entirely, the novelty of the internet in general is wearing off for many I suppose.  I almost always book shipping through the Royal Mail website because the eBay shipping doesn't work as well even for buying the same service at the same price, you can easily select the label size and collection criteria, and add a new collection to an existing one after the deadline has passed if you get another sale later on, rather than having to arrange a new collection, having to use the eBay shipping options would be a step backwards in service unless they can improve it to the same level. The other problem with the eBay shipping options is that on more than one occasion I've booked postage through it choosing Royal Mail but then only after payment have I been told that I have to drop off the item rather than have it collected for free, so I've had to cancel it and wait 2 weeks for a refund - there's no warning of this, you just go through the procedure and then arrive at the end having already paid with no collection option having been offered.

[millcottage]

At the moment I buy postage online via Royal Mail web page.

Postman collects my parcel(s) and brings pre-printed labels that I stick on parcel and hand over.

I don’t have a printer at home at the moment (last one packed up and no need to replace it).

If eBay change this plus the holding of funds until Royal Mail say delivered, then I will probably call it a day after being with eBay since October 2000. Shame …buy hey ho life goes on.

[honeyvintagecurios]

I could see this coming lol. They are so underhand, copying vinted procedures. It was obvious they weren't giving private sellers no fees for nothing. Ebay want you all to move to business accounts for fees and THEN you can get your dosh immediately.  Offered us all free fees and then HIT you with oh and by the way we'll keep your money for a bit longer lol

[rowenaldos]

One thing I always found frustrating using Royal Mail was that EBay’s prices were nowhere near what was charged by RM, since becoming a private seller my only real annoyance/issues have occurred when eBay have got involved and they already have so many idiotic policies that never help sellers and now adding all this has really made me consider whether I can be bothered continuing. I mean I’ll either have to buy a printer or I guess it’ll all be QR codes in the branch. I mean if Gumtree added simple postage mechanics it could rise from the dead here.

Ebay have always swung towards the buyer with their policies, even when it’s idiotic, such as a non received request being updated as delivered in tracking on eBay system yet they can’t get involved for 3 days unless buyer does it.  You cannot put too much trust in buyers to remember to mark things as received especially if it’s new for them!

The one thing I found interesting was having protection during transit, if that’s real financial protection that’s an improvement as trying to claim through RM only to end up with stamps is sole destroying,

I hate waiting for payments however I can see how this is logical and sensible, there’s been a huge rise in “pre sale” or “pre order” on items yet charging prices far higher than they’ll be because sadly people buying aren’t sensible. For funko pops it’s especially noticeable, pre order charging 3-5x if not more the amount, people pay because they think it won’t be ok general sale, plus there’s rarely ever dates, so seller pockets big money, can be months till it’s out and will be bought at RRP and posted. So for them I’m glad.

this will force people who need paying into more expensive postage with tracking. Although having used RM for years, atleast 33% of them don’t get marked as delivered so even with that, buyers can claim it wasn’t received. 

what a mess.

[rowenaldos]

What a great point! I’d forgotten about selected delivery which I’ve literally not paid one bit of attention to, if eBay have to compensate, sending a laptop on second clsss will be fun. Although between Rm, Evri and eBay it’s 3 greedy lazy services.

[rowenaldos]

The only possible fix there is if sellers have QR codes and pick up drivers have portable label printed which I guess is a distinct possibility 

[rowenaldos]

I guess maybe the option could be communicating and offering part refund on postage later form the menu.

[wargamers_vault]

Just curious, your collection of locks you have for sale, were they acquired with the intention of selling on?

Because if they were, it would suggest that in fact you're not really a small private seller at all, but a business seller trading illegally and depriving your buyers of their rights?

[podlingsmum2007]

An email just received details the buyer fees from 4th February. An added percentage at up to 4% plus 75p on all private sellers listings 

[peddlingpedals]

What a joke, and an obvious ploy to get more money after scrapping fees.

Buyers don't want to be forced into paying more. 

It's going to be harder to find bargains and harder to sell stuff now. Whoever made this decision is an idiot.

[lucy_farmer]

Blimey..... And this is after finding out (through deep business-speak digging by valueadded) that ebay decided that private sellers who also buy are the most "valuable" of the ebay users!

Hence the 'coupon' offer thingy-  that can only be used by using your balance, which you would only have if you sold something- to try and hold them here........

So ebay have taken away fees for private sellers, then given them money off to buy stuff (with balance) then taken money 'away' from them again by making it probably necessary to reduce their prices to take into account the new 'buyers fee'.....

Add this to the 'simple' delivery ballcocks coming in and my head is spinning....

And all this is being driven by the need to make ebay's share price look better over the next year.

Not even to make the business work better, and certainly not to make life better for it's customers and hence get more of them....

[rowenaldos]

My other confusion is tracking, are all items issued with tracking or is it an extra? Because if it’s an extra it can only be a seller expense I guess? The protection is a big plus, I’m not sure about the rest because like you , feels like I’m drowning in information lol.

[mitchiemasha]

Reading your post made me even more doomsday'd over these coming changes. Everything about this is drastic!!!

[myoldpaperclutter]

Well there we go, yet another money making tactic for ebay.  I can't see this going down well with buyers or sellers. I'll give this 3 months before another change, particularly  when they see how sells drop off.  It's the end of small low cost items on ebay - the buyers simply won't pay 4% plus 75p, and then a whole lot more for tracked postage!  UNBELEIVEABLE!!!!!!