eBay are continuing to differentiate the experience for Business Sellers compared to Private Sellers on their marketplace in the UK, with the latest announcement concerning payment terms.
TLDR: The changes only really impact private sellers, nothing for business sellers to worry about!
eBay’s announcement note says “We’re revising the Payments Terms of Use to better describe the payment services we provide to you. As part of this revision, we have clarified which payment options are typically made available to buyers on the eBay website. Further, the terms related to settlement and availability of funds have been revised for sellers residing in regions outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.“. The important part is the settlement and availability of funds section, but before we get to that it’s worth noting how eBay are differentiating the experience between professional sellers and casual sellers.
While many were unhappy that they still have to pay fees while private sellers can sell for free, we’re starting to see a picture that goes beyond selling fees and starts to really differentiate the selling experiences:
You’ll find these changes hidden away in Section VI. 3, which applies to ECUK (eBay Commerce UK Ltd).
In the new eBay Payments Terms of Use, effective immediately for new sellers and effective from the 4th of February 2025 for existing sellers, it states that “Proceeds from the sales of private or non-professional sellers become available for disbursement after the item is deemed delivered to its shipping destination.”
For Business Sellers, the new eBay Payments Terms of Use says “If you are a business seller, as defined in our business seller policy, proceeds from your sales on eBay typically become available for disbursement within 1 business day of confirming the buyer’s payment.”
Reading between the lines, what this means is that as a business there’ll be no real change for you as eBay recognise that businesses need cash flow and that Business Sellers are (probably in the main) much more reliable and fast to ship than Private Sellers and (again probably) are more reliable in shipping products exactly as described. To ensure Private Sellers keep their customers happy, they won’t have access to funds from their sales until the item is in the hands of their buyer.
eBay are starting to increasingly differentiate the experiences between selling as a private individual and selling as a business seller. We expect this to continue in 2025 so watch this space for further announcements.
Sharing and hoping it will post with the links as there is important information which may help clarify some issuesfrom chanelxworld dot com...eBay news
