Yet another buyer protection fee thread

[johnjaybikebits]

I'm sure I'm not alone in having not quite got my head around this yet. I have an item for sale at the moment... It's up for £275, which with the buyer protection fee comes to £286.72. Someone has made me an offer on it: my seller dashboard tells me the offer is £270 including buyer protection fee; in other words, the offer is £258.92. Does that mean that the buyer has offered that very precise amount, or that I'm paying the buyer protection fee on a £270 offer? I can't quite wrap my head around those figures. All advice gratefully received.

[ananta108]

I think the BPF should be optional 

[jonatjonatjonat]

But it covers eBay’s costs associated with the transaction (plus what they deem a reasonable profit)

if it was optional it would COST eBay money for the transaction.

[xyz307xyz]

Found it! (I think.)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/fees-private-sellers-activated-managed-pay...

International Fee 3% of £52.06 is £1.5618.

VAT 20% of £1.5618 is £0.31236

add together is the missing £1.87

(item price including BPF) * 0.036

[queen_dolly]

I asked ebay and they have said it is an 'international fee' whatever *bleep* that is. They failed to respond to my query about why when i send an offer i get what i send, but yet when a buyer sends me an offer i get the fee taken off! an absolute joke is what it is. We all need to quit this *bleep*.

[lucy_farmer]

Hello Dolly.... 😊

The thing about offers :  ebay's thought processes went something like this......

When the seller makes an offer , they are offering the minimum that they will accept for the item.

(so the BPF has to be added on, which is why the buyer sees a higher number than the seller has offered. The seller then receives the amount they actually offered.)

When the buyer makes an offer to the seller, they are offering the maximum that they want to pay for the item. 

(so the BPF is taken out of that amount. So the seller sees and receives a lower amount than the buyer actually offered....)

There is a certain logic to this idea, but ebay's (lack of) explaination of how it's supposed to work was utterly awful. No wonder so many users were completely stumped.....

[goidor]

to date any offers ive had since BPF  are from buyers who have no idea about BPF 

i decline the offer and message them that i only accept offers with less than BPF taken off

also point them to an explaination about BPF

[xyz307xyz]

International fee is "explained" in my second message #23

[papso22]

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@goidor wrote:

to date any offers ive had since BPF  are from buyers who have no idea about BPF 

i decline the offer and message them that i only accept offers with less than BPF taken off

also point them to an explaination about BPF

---

How do you know they have no idea about the BPF?

Why don't you just counter offer with an amount acceptable to you?

[larryg1508]

The worst of this is that ebay when they calculate this fee don't even consider any charity donation so they are also taking out a tiny fragment of say 20% that was originally on its way to charity.  It us a falsehood to call it protection because we, the seller , get no insurance from it arriving or not.   It is a selling fee.  They say the buyer pays it but on offers it's really not making sense to buyer or seller. Call it by it's name....FEE

[larryg1508]

Why don't you just counter offer with an amount acceptable to you? 

Because they say they offered that amount already ie the offer with ebay cut in buyer protection 

[smarts-gaming]

The seller always pays the buyer protection fee. Ebay and some users here try to pull the wool over peoples eyes as if we are stupid. 

If an items value is £25, and a customer is willing to pay no more than £25 for it, then you must list at around £23. Thus you have already paid the fee for them. 

If they pay 25+delivery, and you receive £23, who is paying a fee? Its a sellers fee, badly dressed up as a buyers fee. 

So now we have a "buyer" protection fee, listing fee, and a final fee if more than 10% if on business account. 

No idea how they plan on this being competitive, I think they are panicking. Trying to claw money desperately now. 

[goidor]

How do you know they have no idea about the BPF?

when a offer is made it opens up a way to message the potential buyer in the message i put the amount i would accept then make them aware that ebay will add bpf, they mostly message back they wernt aware of it but thought the strange prices was odd

Why don't you just counter offer with an amount acceptable to you?

because i would have to pay the bpf amount so i would discount the item and pay bpf

[papso22]

You will obviously continue to do what you think best, but I think you are overcomplicating the offer process.

The buyer offers what they are prepared to pay in total (plus any postage), and the seller offers what they want to receive.

Ebay then allows for the BPF, deducting it from the buyer's payment when an offer is accepted. .

[larryg1508]

I just think it's a poorly conceived idea and we should ring and complain
about it. They might do nothing but they might.

[micbr_8101]

Process before BPF was:

I sell.  Buyer pays.  Item is lost.  Buyer claims refund.  I refund buyer.

Subsequent to BPF, process is:

I sell.  Buyer pays including BPF fee.  Item is lost.  Buyer claims refund of price + delivery.  I refund buyer.

 Ebay keeps BPF fee.

Question:  I am responsible for fulfilling the Ebay refund policy, why do I not get, and keep, the BPF?

[1902elder]

Last week I received an offer of £23.80 for an item listed for auction at £20. I accepted the offer, and expected to receive £23.80 minus the buyer protection charge. However, Ebay charged the buyer the protection fee on his offer, and I will receive the full £23.80. There does not seem to be any consistency.

[jonatjonatjonat]

Question: I am responsible for fulfilling the Ebay refund policy, why do I not get, and keep, the BPF?

ebay don't keep the BPF - they refund it to the customer...who paid it.

[micbr_8101]

Really?

Not according to one recent customer (one of very few!!!!).  

If they refund it when the "guarantee" is invoked, and only then, there doesn't seem much point in charging it.  It merely proves that it is Ebay making money for nothing by charging an unnecessary fee.

[jonatjonatjonat]

Well what did the customer say? It might be there is a delay in refunding it (ie it won't be instant at the point you perform your part of the refund).

But how is it pointless? All it is, is a fee that has replaced the old FVF for private sellers. its a fee to covers ebays costs associated with the transaction. Mainly, the card processing charges to folks like Visa or PayPal. How is that unnecessary?

[sml192]

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@micbr_8101 wrote:

Really?

Not according to one recent customer (one of very few!!!!).  

If they refund it when the "guarantee" is invoked, and only then, there doesn't seem much point in charging it.  It merely proves that it is Ebay making money for nothing by charging an unnecessary fee.

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Provided the refund relates to a cancellation, return, or item that hasn't arrived then the Buyer Protection Fee should be refunded, either in full or pro rata:

'Refunds

When you receive a full refund for a cancellation, a return, or for an item that didn't arrive, the Buyer Protection fee will also be refunded in full.

If you receive a partial refund, your refund will include a prorated refund of the Buyer Protection fee. For example, if you receive a refund from the seller of 50% of the item price, you'll be refunded 50% of the Buyer Protection fee that you paid.

If you return an item and the seller deducts from your refund based on the item condition, the full Buyer Protection fee will be refunded.'