Who else here is planning to close all their listings before midnight on the 4th?

[daro2096]

From February 5th it won't be worth it to sell on eBay because of buyer's fees being introduced so on the 4th before midnight I am planning to close all and any items I have up.

Anyone else doing the same?

If eBay want private sellers here they are doing their best to get rid of us.

I will never sell here again(I know I said this before but this time I am out completely).

Well done eBay. RIP eBay, it was good while it lasted.

[adrian_in_the_uk]

I plan to keep my listings open but make clear on the description that my item is x amount and eBay have added on x amount for the buyers fee.

[buffster1963]

I have not bothered to list for a while and will hold off on future listings until i see what happens with simple delivery as that is the change that will stop me selling. The other changes i can easily live with. 

[papso22]

It certainly was good for you with all those fee free gold coins you sold!

[eastern-lights]

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@adrian_in_the_uk wrote:

I plan to keep my listings open but make clear on the description that my item is x amount and eBay have added on x amount for the buyers fee.

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Will that increase your sales or decrease your sales or have no effect on your sales under the new system, do you think?

My view, don't mention anything. Buyers will see the price. They will take it or leave it. Telling buyers how that price is arrived at will not affect their decision.

[1956glyn]

I have listed a few items to end before the 4th.    After that i will prob wait and see how things are panning out and read the boards more.

[jckl1957]

I won't be ending my listings.

I have not got a good memory, but I can remember all the way back to September 30th 2024 - less than 4 months ago.

Up until that date, sellers paid fees of over 13% + 30p per transaction.

Now Ebay are introducing a buyer's fee of 4% + 75p.

Looking at a £5 item (and ignoring the postage), in September, Final value Fees would have been about 95p.

Now, fees to the buyer will be 95p.  Exactly the same amount.  For a £5 item, in September, I would have got £4.05, now I will get £5.  How is that bad news?

On a £20 item, FVFs would have been about £2.90.  The new fee to the buyer will be £1.55.  Wait!  That is less! 

Private sellers could actually reduce their prices to absorb the buyer's fee and still end up with more money than they were getting in September.

[*devils.advocate*]

Before the recent “sell for free” period, private seller final value fees were roughly 13% - which were hidden from the buyer.

I wonder how many sellers reduced their asking price, by that fee amount, during this period?

If they had, would the Buyer’s Fee be a price problem now?

I still believe that eBay want rid of really low value items (hence the flat 75p) but not rid of genuine private sellers.

And this new fee pales against the looming Simple Delivery debacle.

[eastern-lights]

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@*devils.advocate* wrote:

And this new fee pales against the looming Simple Delivery debacle.

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Agree. Buyer fees doesn't worry me. Simple Delivery does.

[abrahamtoast]

I think ending your listings NOW is a little like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

You'd probably still get some sales if you left them running, although there may be an initial dip. But you'll get nothing if you end them.

As others have posted, it is possible, and perfectly practical, for you to reduce your prices so that the buyer still sees the same on Feb 5th as he did on Feb 3rd. For any sales over a fiver, you'll still be better off than you were before October last year.

Now, so-called "Simple" Delivery.... that's a different story, and there's a lot needing clarified/improved with that before it becomes mandatory.

[theelench]

I probably would but ended my listings in December, anticipating ebay demanding my NINO in January (that threat has now gone strangely quiet for some unknown reason) and giving me a sale so they could hang onto the proceeds until I handed it over.

Also, let's not forget that along with the buyers fee ebay is introducing Compulsory Payment Holds for private sellers.

IMO business sellers should beware, these changes may seem insignificant to them now but, once ebay's managed to get them working something like right, by using private sellers as guinea-pigs, they'll be rolled out for you as well.

I bet when that happens they'll become more of an issue.

[papso22]

Ebay are taking advantage of an 'easement' provided by HMRC that gives them an extra 12 months to gather data on sellers who were selling before the 1st January 2024.  

It's only accounts that were registered for selling after the 1st January 2024 that need to provide it before the Jan 2025 reporting deadline.

[lucy_farmer]

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@adrian_in_the_uk wrote:

I plan to keep my listings open but make clear on the description that my item is x amount and eBay have added on x amount for the buyers fee.

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I'm in the 'wait and see' camp.

But I'm not convinced that  putting anything in the description will make any difference (buyers do tend to be a little lacksadaisical about reading the entire description...!)

[kath3735_wxmjn]

I will be listing (actually i am increasing my listings at the moment) as normal, up to the buyer if they want to buy at whatever price i put on with e bays additions.  I also can afford to wait for payment, even for 14 days.  HOWEVER, everything will be coming off when SD arrives unless they change it massively.  No way am i going through e bay/buyers deciding how i will post my items.  Some will say cutting off my nose to spite my face but after all it is MY nose and MY face!!

[myretrostore-uk]

First eBay *bleep* off the business sellers by making zero fees for private sellers  which got out of control and abused by so many sellers. Now they *bleep* off private sellers with the 'buyer protection' racket.

Way to go eBay. Their execs are clearly smoking some strong stuff.

[jckl1957]

I decided it was immoral to continue adding an amount onto postage for sellers' fees. I dropped the price of RM 48 from £3.50 to £3.05 after October 2024.

It costs me £2.80 from the Post Office, so I do still make a small charge for a new padded envelope, bubble wrap etc.

I genuinely think that private sellers (who are clearing the house because their relatives don't want the stuff etc. etc.) and are not selling to make a profit, could stop complaining about 'greedy Ebay' and reduce their prices.

For me, if sales completely dry up, that will certainly be a viable option.

[vintique*violet]

If you list to sell or buy after the 4th, you are accepting their new terms and conditions and so nothing will be "changed".... 

It is decision time now in my opinion and for each to decide what is best for them. 

[vintique*violet]

The BPF offers nothing " beneficial" for the buyer,  unless you consider the " 24/7 customer service"...it only penalises the seller.  Why should the seller reduce their prices? Many have low value items or a 99pence start... If a private seller is offloading items from their home, good for them if they get a good price, nothing to do with anyone else, it is between them and the potential buyer.  When the " free to sell" came in, I had a number of messages saying " being as you don't pay fees.  I can offer you X...which turned out to be basically giving my items away... Now that buyers know our funds are held and that they have to pay an additional fee, expect some rather "uncool " transactions... 

It is a stealth tax, cleverly worded and manipulated with a load of " blurb" which means nothing other than to add to eBay's  bank account! 

As a private seller who has purchased far more, I will not be purchasing off eBay ever again. 

[jma2815]

As a casual seller on a fairly new account after a long break the delayed payment won’t make any difference to me as I’m usually subject to holds .

I’m in the Scottish Highlands and don’t drive (or own a printer) so its Simple Delivery that will finish me if I can’t use RM click and drop exclusively. I also don’t think I can deal with the messages and stupidly low offers buyers will be making to recover the fees and postage. Its already started,  two really low offers by message yesterday on items without ‘Best Offer’ turned on. In five years selling that’s not happened before so I don’t think its a coincidence that buyers fees were recently announced. 

[davebullock]

I will end about 500 low cost items due to the minimum / protection fees