Upcoming ‘Buyer Protection Fees’

[lady4838]

I’m a member for 14 years - I have today complained fiercely to EBay with regards to 4% + 75p charge on each item purchased as we all know this is a Back Door way of recovering the Seller Fees which were scrapped recently - Buyers already have adequate protection - as to payment 2 days after delivery - we’re at the mercy of Royal Mail to scan all  items when collected (not guaranteed) 😡

 Fellow  members I urge you to let your disproval known - SHAME ON YOU Ebay😡😡

[blue_eagle_247]

That sounds right, the buyer will now be paying more for you low value item.

As I read is, your item is, say, £1 + postage. Under the new regime, the buyer will actually pay £1.79 +postage. (Item value £1 + standard 75p fee + 4% of value).

I does look like over the last 6-9 months a corporate decision to try and move away from small private sellers (me doing occasional bits and bobs 🙂 ) which overall are not that profitable/loss making for eBay to host. Moving toward a more business centric model is where I see it heading. The biggest effect is potentially those who run effectively run a business but on a private seller account using right up to the limit on values and/or listing numbers per month.

[rikk-003]

ebay will save me money i ill buy a lot less 
i am 50 percent of ebay now 
ebay done me a favour with these rules 
i sometimes buy expesive stuff in not payin 4percent for nothing i use paypal so i have protection

[ajclearout89]

Vinted only charge the % buyer protection not additional .75p per item !!!! 

[rikk-003]

i realy am out

[rikk-003]

yep im not pying 4 percent for nothing on something that costs hundreds 
or having small items bumped up

[blue_eagle_247]

I just took a look and it appears vinted do include a flat fee element, not sure how it's actually calculated within those ranges though. This copied from their help pages:

For orders (including bundles) priced less than £500, the formula is:

• A fixed amount: a range of £0.3 to £0.8 and;
• A variable amount: a range of 3% to 8% of the purchase price agreed between you and the seller, regardless of postage costs
  

For orders (including bundles) priced £500 or more, the formula is:

• 3% of the item's price (including the value-added tax (VAT) applied to the item’s price)

You will see the total Buyer Protection fee amount, calculated to the final price of your item at the checkout page.

[rikk-003]

now i know im paying 5 percent for nothing i use paypal so dont need protection

[davidp9609]

I have sent the following email to ebay, I doubt it will have any affect, but feel free to copy, adapt and paste and send it if it helps you. Sadly this is the end of the road for me once the 4th of February arrives I will end selling on ebay. As a disabled person who is only able to work from home this is devastating as it served as a purpose to get up in the morning. 

Subject: Urgent: Unacceptable "Paid After Delivery" Policy for Private Sellers

Dear eBay Support,

I am writing to express my deep frustration and strong objection to the upcoming "paid after delivery" policy for private sellers, effective 4th February. This change is unworkable for my business and effectively forces me off your platform, leaving me with £1,000 worth of stock and no viable means to sell it.

I currently sell greeting cards at £2.95 with £0.99 postage, totaling £3.94. Under your new policy, the following costs would apply:

• Buyer Protection fee: £0.75 + 4% of the total (£3.94 x 4% = £0.16) = £0.91
• Tracked postage: £2.70
• Manufacturing cost: £0.70

This brings my total expenses to £4.31, exceeding the sale price. If I attempt to adjust my pricing to £5.70 to cover these costs, buyers will simply go elsewhere, as similar greeting cards are available in retail stores for £3.00.

Your policy to pay sellers only after delivery is also fundamentally unethical. As a business, I am expected to provide goods before receiving payment, assuming all the financial risk in the transaction. No credible business operates this way. My local supermarket, for instance, would never allow me to take similar goods home without paying for them upfront. This policy undermines the basic principles of fairness and trust in commerce, leaving sellers vulnerable to potential fraud, disputes, and loss.

Requiring tracked delivery further exacerbates the problem. The cost of tracking for low-value items like mine is prohibitively high and significantly reduces profitability. Without proof of delivery, I have no protection against fraudulent claims, creating an untenable situation for sellers.

The "paid after delivery" policy also creates significant cash flow problems, particularly for small sellers who rely on prompt payments to sustain their operations. eBay is placing all the financial burden on sellers while prioritizing buyer convenience and eBay’s profits.

I respectfully request that this matter be escalated to a senior manager, as this policy has severe implications for small sellers. I urge you to reconsider or amend the policy for low-cost items. Practical solutions could include:

1. Allowing upfront payments for items below a certain value.
2. Exempting private sellers from the tracked delivery requirement for low-cost goods.
3. Providing alternative measures to confirm delivery without the added expense of tracking.

If eBay cannot support small businesses like mine, you leave me no choice but to abandon your platform. Your policy does not reflect a marketplace that values its sellers, and it risks driving countless small businesses away.

I look forward to a prompt response and a resolution to this issue. I trust that a senior manager will address my concerns with the seriousness they deserve.

Sincerely

[luvvintagecharms]

My son had the same problem! The delivery driver was actually caught opening his parcel on camera and was reported.

[crg_music]

They do, its between 30-80p per sale depending on item cost + 3-8%.

Buying from a pro seller is a bit more and the seller gets some of the fee but is liable for claims.

[akemp1]

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@rikk-003 wrote:

ebay will save me money i ill buy a lot less 

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Same here. In recent years I have regularly spent more than I have sold on ebay but for 2025 my golden rule will be to only ever spend from my ebay balance which I guess will accumulate slower if the buyers don't want to buy from me due to the protection fee or if the protection fee makes items too expensive for me to want to buy them . Spending from the balance is less efficient than using a cashback credit card but it will help me budget better. I'm going to spend this weekend clearing out more of my house and getting stuff listed. hoping to sell more before the fee starts.

[crafty_cat_lover]

I haven't read the whole thread so apologies if it's already been answered, but as these new charges are only when buying from private sellers how do they affect small businesses like yours?

[buffster1963]

Probably not a good idea to out yourself as a business in that email. These fees are just for private sellers. The only notice ebay may take of your email is to force you to change your account to business. 

[luvvintagecharms]

This really is just another 'hidden' cost to the seller. As sellers will now have to reduce their 'buy it now' prices just to accommodate these new 'buyers' fees, or probably won't get as many sales. They increased International final value fees and stopped final value fee reduction promotions at the same time as they introduced 'free' UK listings so now makes selling Internationally a waste of time as they already charged so much in fees and taxes.  A lot of the time I only knew when buyers received my items when I received feedback because Royal Mail delivery status was not updated so now we have to wait days or weeks until we get paid and have to chase up the delivery status ourselves. No longer worth the effort. 

[akemp1]

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@luvvintagecharms wrote:

This really is just another 'hidden' cost to the seller.

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It's much worse than that - it's a visible deterrent to discourage the buyer from completing checkout.

Much better that seller fees are hidden inside the price they see not itemised as an extra sales tax. 

[hollyh321]

From what I’ve read, if you send untracked, as the majority of sellers of low cost items do, you have to wait for 14 days to get YOUR money. As fast as I can see, no matter of chasing up or verifying delivery with the buyer will make any difference, you just have to wait for a fortnight?!

I’ve asked before, but not spotted any comment, but to me it seems ILLEGAL to keep my money for 2 weeks when the buyer has already given me feedback on day 3?

[kath3735_wxmjn]

most of my stuff is low value but i am waiting to see how this works out.  My line in the sand will be the mandatory simple delivery when it comes in.  Of course if they had any sense they would rethink that one but they will not.   Their loss as far as my stuff is concerned, not that they are bothered about little old me!   Wonder how many 'little old me's' there will be after each of these changes though?   Then you have the ones who will not give their NI when it is eventually required,  you would think e bay would have more sense than to throw so many changes in to the mix, they will be upsetting so many people all at once, not a brilliant way to conduct a business.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

I will be leaving my prices as they are, most are pretty low anyway and i do not sell much.  It will be better selling on car boot if i have to lower them!

[kath3735_wxmjn]

same with me, car boots, charity shops and proper shops will now be my go to!  Not often i really need specific items but i can always find them on Amazon.  E bay will be a non starter - just on principle!

[myriad*seller]

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@colin_colyton wrote:

Correct me if I am wrong.

I can continue to send low value items by Royal Mail Second class untracked. I just have to wait 14 days before I receive payment. Any non-deliveries I can continue to claim back from Royal mail providing I have a certificate of postage. Nothing has changed other than the buyer has to pay a surcharge for buyer protection?

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Apparently eBay will pay buyers for undelivered items! You won't need to claim, eBay will be refunding them, but I will wait to see if this is actually true and how this pans out!