A looming fee for buyers on eBay has sparked a backlash – with some sellers expressing concerns that it will deter customers. The company claims the move aims to alleviate some financial burdens on sellers and potentially benefit shoppers by expanding the platform and increasing product offerings.
But critics don’t agree. eBay describes the fees as “small”, but the exact details remain unclear.
However, discontent among eBay sellers is evident, with fears that they may have to absorb the fees themselves. One seller voiced their concerns on an eBay forum, stating: “We will now be expected to absorb the buyer’s fee and our own business selling fee (and shop fees etc).
“This seems crazy to me – although eBay say it’ll be ‘small’ , if it’s 8% like elsewhere that’s a massive hit for us to take. Yes it’s for the buyers but we all know prices will drop because of it – for example a 350 item will now cost 379 to the buyer with an 8% fee that is currently used by another platform, so of course sellers will drop the initial price so that the item actually sells and to offset this.”
“Fine for private sellers who have no fees to compensate, but insane for business sellers with hefty final value fee and shop fees already,” reports the Express. The exact date of the change is yet to be confirmed.
This follows the company’s recent policy update in September, which saw private sellers exempted from fees on used clothing across most categories. In an internal message, eBay CEO Jamie Iannone shed light on these impending changes: “We are also planning to introduce a buyer-facing fee in the UK in early 2025 alongside a set of buyer enhancements that provide additional value.”
On the same platform, one seller expressed their dissatisfaction with the plans, questioning: “Why are we being treated like this? What did we do? ” Another vented: “Are they for real? Business sellers will be absolutely destroyed if they charge buyers in the new year. It’s almost like they want to be this friendly fun marketplace for the general public and hope the business sellers will cover the costs.”
A further commenter warned that it could deter buyers from the site, stating: ” In terms of sales, even a small fee would put a lot of buyers off, especially in terms of low value items.” The move mirrors strategies employed by other digital retailers such as Depop and Vinted.
The latter offers free listing and selling but imposes a buyer protection fee ranging between 3% and 8%, plus a fixed amount of 30p to 80p. Depop has similarly scrapped its 10% fee on new listings this year, opting instead for a marketplace fee aimed at UK buyers.
The fee is capped at 5% with extra costs up to £1, but sellers will still face a payment processing charge. This strategy isn’t entirely new.
eBay Germany did away with seller fees last year, leading to an impressive sales boom well into the hundreds of millions. eBay reported that an influx of products drew in over 250,000 fresh customers.
As a result, seasoned eBay shoppers reportedly doubled down on their buying habits, with purchases doubling, according to the company. In Britain, ditching fees for fashion items saw a rise in listings for sought-after goods like jeans, shirts and dresses.
Kirsty Keoghan, eBay UK’s general manager, commented: “eBay is constantly improving the marketplace experience in order to deliver on what our customers want. Removing selling fees across categories is designed to give buyers access to greater breadth and depth of inventory, while creating a simplified and streamlined experience for sellers.”