eBay Marketing Program Terms 15 January 2025 - Time to jump the eBay ship ???

[bittyboy101]

Just received a message from eBay with a link to their new Marketing Program Terms which come into force on 15th January 2025.

Link below:-

https://pages.ebay.co.uk/promote-your-listings/terms/B2C/?mkevt=1&mkpid=2&emsid=e99011.m2.l1&mkcid=2... 

This seems way over to top to me as I'm only a small private seller with not much understanding of how this works and what hidden costs will rack up on my eBay seller account !

It looks to me like eBay are going to force yet another mandatory change on all of us and I honestly don't know if I have the ability to handle it.

This may be the end of me ever being able to sell anything on eBay ever again as this is now very complicated, costly and very frightening for a small simple private seller.

It really does now look that the person behind all these recent dreadful changes to eBay has now left no stone unturned with their mega changes campaign and are now changing everything that was original and unique to eBay with a mean vengeance !  😞 

Do post your thoughts on this - Good and Bad.

Many thanks !  🙂  

[valueaddedresource]

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@vintagewatchpart wrote:

As we've established that the frightening, scary and complicated T&C's that this thread was started about have existed for the past 6 years already, can't this discussion now end?

It seems to be going off on the same old tangents again. 

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@vintagewatchpart  - sorry but no, you have not established "that the frightening, scary and complicated T&C's that this thread was started about have existed for the past 6 years already."

What has been established is that URL has existed for at least 6 years and that some of the words on that page may be the same as they have been for a while - but also some of the words have changed.

That's how T&C updates usually work.  It's very rare that an entire policy needs to be completely scrapped and rewritten word for word, but very common that a company may wish  to amend a word or sentence here and there, remove old outdated sections and/or add in new information over time as needed.

When that happens, of course they aren't going to create a new URL each time - that would be silly.

Instead, they make whatever changes, removals or additions are needed on the existing policy page, leave things that did not need to be changed the same as they were before, change the "last updated" date or effective dates accordingly and then (in the case of most companies) do the bare minimum legally required to notify users the terms have been updated. 

Since eBay does not highlight or call attention to which words on that page have changed or been added in the most recent version, users have to figure it out for themselves - which is why discussions like this are important and not just rehashing "the same old tangents again."

If you believe nothing changed on that page in the last 6 years (or with the most recent update), you are just wrong about that, period.

If you believe the changes won't affect you or aren't cause for you to be concerned, that's your opinion and not for anyone else to really judge, but in that case, why not just scroll on past the discussion and ignore it rather than trying to shut it down?

[bittyboy101]

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@lens-sage wrote:

So once again, a complete lack of any proof to substantiate your premise?

You just keep proving my point.

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Blah Blah Blah.

AI Overview

"Blah blah blah" is a slang term used to describe meaningless or worthless chatter or idle gossip. For example, "The critics always say, 'There's no melody, the words are stupid, blah, blah, blah'"

[555njp]

I have to agree. There are important changes between the two sets of agreements for me at least worth noting.
Yes, it may well not have any effect to those not using marketing tools.

However, 6 years ago marketing tools were being trialled as an enhancement for sellers, now they seem at least to becoming mandatory in order to be seen at all?

As someone said higher up the thread, the amount of money eBay are spending on the whole PL thing is crazy and that’s because they need it generate revenue.

At least being aware of what eBay are up to is useful.

If it doesn’t affect some, then great, just ignore the topic and move on.

[vintagewatchpart]

My point is the conversation has moved onto a variety of tangents not relating to the original subject and people have been scared so much they've delisted all their items over T&Cs that were already in place without fully knowing what the changes or differences are.

[vintagewatchpart]

Ok, so AI has summarised for me the changes between the two sets of T&C's - one from March 2023 and the other from December 2024:

Here are the changes in detail between the two terms and conditions documents:

1. Header:

   • Archived: "Updated: March 2023"
   • Current: "Updated: December 2024"

2. Section 1: Eligibility

   • Archived: "This service is open to eBay UK business sellers who adhere to eBay’s policies."
   • Current: "This service is available to business sellers on eBay UK who meet the criteria outlined below."

3. Section 2:

   • Archived Title: "Campaign Rules"
   • Archived Text: "Campaigns must comply with eBay's advertising standards and can be set up through the Seller Hub."
   • Current Title: "Campaign Structure"
   • Current Text: "Campaigns can be created and managed through the Seller Hub. You may customize campaigns to promote specific listings."

4. Section 3: Fees and Payments

   • Archived: "Fees will be charged based on the sale price of promoted items. VAT may apply."
   • Current: "Fees are calculated based on the final sale price of promoted items and are subject to VAT."

5. Section 4:

   • Archived Title: "Termination Policy"
   • Archived Text: "Campaigns may be stopped by the seller at any time. eBay retains the right to end campaigns for policy breaches."
   • Current Title: "Cancellation and Termination"
   • Current Text: "Campaigns can be canceled at any time, but fees incurred will still apply. eBay reserves the right to terminate access for violations."

6. Section 5:

   • Archived Title: "Miscellaneous Provisions"
   • Archived Text: "eBay reserves the right to modify these terms without prior notice. Sellers are advised to review updates regularly."
   • Current Title: "General Provisions"
   • Current Text: "eBay may update these terms from time to time, and it is the seller's responsibility to stay informed of changes."

The changes here are absolutely minimal vs what was already in place 18 months ago. 

[bittyboy101]

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@vintagewatchpart wrote:

My point is the conversation has moved onto a variety of tangents not relating to the original subject and people have been scared so much they've delisted all their items over T&Cs that were already in place without fully knowing what the changes or differences are.

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...but when you gave a FALSE statement saying "eBay's Terms & Conditions has not changed and is still the same as it was 6 years ago" is incorrect.

The truth is eBay's Terms & Conditions have changed a number of times over those 6 years since 2018 - 2024 and they are now changing again one more time come 15th January 2025.

The eBay Terms & Conditions page may have been created in 2018 but it has been modified and revised a number of times since then.

[bittyboy101]

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@vintagewatchpart wrote:

Ok, so AI has summarised for me the changes between the two sets of T&C's - one from March 2023 and the other from December 2024:

Here are the changes in detail between the two terms and conditions documents:

1. Header:

   • Archived: "Updated: March 2023"
   • Current: "Updated: December 2024"

2. Section 1: Eligibility

   • Archived: "This service is open to eBay UK business sellers who adhere to eBay’s policies."
   • Current: "This service is available to business sellers on eBay UK who meet the criteria outlined below."

3. Section 2:

   • Archived Title: "Campaign Rules"
   • Archived Text: "Campaigns must comply with eBay's advertising standards and can be set up through the Seller Hub."
   • Current Title: "Campaign Structure"
   • Current Text: "Campaigns can be created and managed through the Seller Hub. You may customize campaigns to promote specific listings."

4. Section 3: Fees and Payments

   • Archived: "Fees will be charged based on the sale price of promoted items. VAT may apply."
   • Current: "Fees are calculated based on the final sale price of promoted items and are subject to VAT."

5. Section 4:

   • Archived Title: "Termination Policy"
   • Archived Text: "Campaigns may be stopped by the seller at any time. eBay retains the right to end campaigns for policy breaches."
   • Current Title: "Cancellation and Termination"
   • Current Text: "Campaigns can be canceled at any time, but fees incurred will still apply. eBay reserves the right to terminate access for violations."

6. Section 5:

   • Archived Title: "Miscellaneous Provisions"
   • Archived Text: "eBay reserves the right to modify these terms without prior notice. Sellers are advised to review updates regularly."
   • Current Title: "General Provisions"
   • Current Text: "eBay may update these terms from time to time, and it is the seller's responsibility to stay informed of changes."

The changes here are absolutely minimal vs what was already in place 18 months ago. 

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Still a change though. So it is not the same, not identical to the ORIGINAL 2018 document ?

I rest my case.

[vintagewatchpart]

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@bittyboy101 wrote:

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If you don't like or want to discuss this topic any further you can always UNSUBSCRIBE from this thread.  

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What I personally dislike seeing is a group of people continually jumping on every negative thing they can to create scaremongering topics about things that have not been fully looked into or researched. AI summarised the points for me in the post above, the changes are minimal.

I apologise profusely for attempting to highlight that perhaps there is an overreaction here and that yet another thread that goes off topic could be causing some individuals genuine stress and hardship unnecessarily. An example being taking the decision to remove all listings from Ebay. 

[valueaddedresource]

@vintagewatchpart  Highly recommend not just taking an AI summary's word for it. 😂  That does not come anywhere close to covering what actually changed and the possible implications for sellers.

If you want a full break down with context and nuance explaining what the changes actually mean, check out the link in post 57 of this thread.

https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-Central/eBay-Marketing-Program-Terms-15-January-2025-Time-to-...

At the very least, I would suggest using a difference checker to highlight what changed and read it for yourself rather than relying on AI to do the thinking for you.

This one is free and easy to use - just copy and paste the text from the previous version in the box on one side of the screen, copy and paste the text from the updated version in the other side and click "find difference."

https://www.diffchecker.com/ 

[vintagewatchpart]

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@bittyboy101 wrote:

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Still a change though. So it is not the same, not identical to the ORIGINAL 2018 document ?

I rest my case.

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Please tell me where I stated the T&Cs were identical?

I said that the T&C's have existed for the last 6 years already, your original thread indicated that this was a new thing and that "Ebay are forcing yet another mandatory change on us" - pray tell what this change is vs 18 months ago?

[bittyboy101]

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@vintagewatchpart wrote:

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@bittyboy101 wrote:

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If you don't like or want to discuss this topic any further you can always UNSUBSCRIBE from this thread.  

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What I personally dislike seeing is a group of people continually jumping on every negative thing they can to create scaremongering topics about things that have not been fully looked into or researched. AI summarised the points for me in the post above, the changes are minimal.

I apologise profusely for attempting to highlight that perhaps there is an overreaction here and that yet another thread that goes off topic could be causing some individuals genuine stress and hardship unnecessarily. An example being taking the decision to remove all listings from Ebay. 

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No need to apologize - You are only giving your own opinion which is cool.  🙂 😎 

[valueaddedresource]

@vintagewatchpart  I'll help you out and get you started with just one:

Old version:

You expressly agree that your listings will be promoted via Ads. Ads may include text, graphics, a listing title, a listing description or other features and functionality eBay may make available, associate with or incorporate into your listing (e.g. “add to Watchlist” icons).

New version:

You expressly agree that your listings will be promoted via Ads. Ads may include text, graphics, a listing title, a listing description or other features and functionality eBay may make available, associate with or incorporate into your listing (e.g. add to Watchlist, add to basket, quick view or other interactive functionality).

Just that sentence alone expands when eBay can count and charge you for a "click" if you use Promoted Listings Priority cost per click advertising or whether you pay an extra % if you use Promoted General cost per sale ads.

The actual financial impact of that will of course vary greatly from seller to seller depending on multiple factors, but I wouldn't call it exactly minor.

Again, I highly recommend going through all the changes yourself - the ones about how eBay can make changes to default settings, pricing (minimum ad rate % or per click bids), targeting methodologies, attribution models and more "from time to time" with no public or proactive notice to sellers are particularly interesting.

[bittyboy101]

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@vintagewatchpart wrote:

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@bittyboy101 wrote:

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Still a change though. So it is not the same, not identical to the ORIGINAL 2018 document ?

I rest my case.

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Please tell me where I stated the T&Cs were identical?

I said that the T&C's have existed for the last 6 years already, your original thread indicated that this was a new thing and that "Ebay are forcing yet another mandatory change on us" - pray tell what this change is vs 18 months ago?

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Actually that is also wrong, eBay's original terms and conditions have existed since 1995 when eBay first started. 

That page you're referring to is a heavily revised and modified version of eBay's original 1995 terms and conditions which was revamped when eBay's managed payments and the new seller hub were first introduced.

Over the last 6 years this page has existed but has been modified a number of times with new terms added to the existing terms of eBay's user agreement.

My point was this page is NOT identical to that original 2018 page but a revised version and eBay's new and even more revised terms are now very worrying and concerning for some users which might not understand or be happy with these new changes/rules.   

[valueaddedresource]

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@vintagewatchpart wrote:

My point is the conversation has moved onto a variety of tangents not relating to the original subject and people have been scared so much they've delisted all their items over T&Cs that were already in place without fully knowing what the changes or differences are.

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@vintagewatchpart  maybe it's just my American attitude about free speech showing here, but I kind of thought the whole point of community forum discussions was exactly so that people can actually, well....discuss things...and that might even occasionally include a variety of tangents that may naturally occur as part of that discussion.

But the beautiful thing about free speech is you also have the freedom to just ignore the discussion in whole or in part if you believe it doesn't apply to you or you find the variety of tangents annoying or disconcerting.

As to those who might be frightened and take drastic measures such as deleting all their listings without fully understanding either the new T&C or the issues being discussed here (tangential or otherwise)...again maybe it's just the American love of free markets talking but I tend to think it is their right to decide what to do with their businesses and/or items they own and have listed for sale, even if I might personally think the decision is foolish or ill-informed.

If I was concerned for people who I believed may be scared and acting foolishly in that regard, rather than trying to shut down conversation on the topic, I'd kindly suggest to those people to do more research, maybe even participate in the discussion and ask questions if there are things they don't understand before taking such drastic measures so that they can make the most well-informed, best choice for their particular situation.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

I may be wrong but i have not seen anyone on this thread say they have 'delisted all their items'.  It was said on the threads in reference to the change from 1000 to 300 items because e bay had not clarified how it was going to work, just that it was happening.   That is down to the person anyway if they do not understand something and panic and cancel.     This is a discussion forum and as normal in discussions they often do go off on tangents, i know we have moderators to keep the site polite but quite honestly i did not know we had people to dictate what direction something should go in!

[kath3735_wxmjn]

you may consider them as minimal changes but someone else may not.  To be honest they do not affect me as i am a private buyer who never uses any marketing options but i read threads that may interest me or if i think it may affect me in the future.   As has been said previous no one forces you to read these threads and it is not up to you to decide what is said on them.

[vintagewatchpart]

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@kath3735_wxmjn wrote:

I may be wrong but i have not seen anyone on this thread say they have 'delisted all their items'. 

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Third reply to this thread:

"After reading that I went off and shut my shop and ended all my listings. "

[bittyboy101]

That person read it and obviously was no longer happy with eBay's new 2025 terms and conditions.

Lots of people who don't post here will do exactly the same thing.

It is eBay who are now scaring people away with their over the top new terms and conditions which are too INTRUSIVE AND OVER DEMANDING.

Of course some would have just shut shop until after Christmas and New Year... before resuming sales as normal not knowing what's in store for them next !  

[kath3735_wxmjn]

From the way i read the response (which i must have missed originally) they read the T & Cs and then threw teddy out of the pram - not that the OP comment prompted them to do it.  That is down to them and nothing to do with anyone elses opinions or comments.   There was also probably more to it than that because someone in business like they have been since 2006 is not just going to act on an impulse and shut up shop immediately with all their stuff still on their hands.   However you were inferring that a lot of people were now panicking because of the OP comment which I doubt is even near the truth.

[valueaddedresource]

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@kath3735_wxmjn wrote:

From the way i read the response (which i must have missed originally) they read the T & Cs and then threw teddy out of the pram - not that the OP comment prompted them to do it.  That is down to them and nothing to do with anyone elses opinions or comments.   There was also probably more to it than that because someone in business like they have been since 2006 is not just going to act on an impulse and shut up shop immediately with all their stuff still on their hands.   However you were inferring that a lot of people were now panicking because of the OP comment which I doubt is even near the truth.

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@kath3735_wxmjn quite right.

In fact, if you look at post 10 in this thread and their other recent responses in other threads, it's quite clear that seller is feeling frustrated/overwhelmed from multiple angles and has indicated they are taking a break for a couple months to figure out what they want to do with their business - which seems to me a wise decision to make when in that state of mind and something we may all need on occasion.

Hopefully some time away will be helpful and they'll be able to come back to it in a few months with a fresh take to move forward with their business, whether that continues to be on eBay or not.

As you said, it certainly was not prompted by the OP, despite any other inferences to the contrary.