PSA eBay now free for private sellers

I know there have been a lot of complaints about eBay’s high fees, well from today it’s free! You can still pay for upgrades to listings but basic selling is free. It doesn’t include “vehicles”, not sure where bikes fit into that.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/fees-private-sellers-activated-managed-payments?id=4822

I had to Google it as that’s a biggie – but yep, no final seller fee’s

Free selling for UK-based private sellers
It’s now free for UK-based private sellers to sell on eBay (excluding motors: Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles listings). You won’t pay final value fees or regulatory operating fees when your items sell.

Fees will apply if you list more than 300 items in a month, if you add optional upgrades to your listing, or if you deliver to an overseas address. See our FAQs – opens in new window or tab for additional details.

Wow that’s a massive change! Welcome but massive.

Can’t help but be suspicious. I can’t see eBay choosing to make less money. Any idea how they’re making money off this?

It’s welcome, but I bet it means that anything over and above a simple reserve-less auction listing that starts the minute it’s created, with a few pictures, will be an optional upgrade.

My wife noticed this this morning and was trying to work out the angle. They have a lot of business sellers and I presume the no fees on clothes has given them something even if it is just clawing back market share.

She had some drafts ready to go awaiting an 80% offer so they have gone live now.

Definitely market share will be part of the reason. eBay already introduced free selling for clothes due to Vinted etc.

I think they make most money from commercial sellers. Maybe they want to move over more private sellers who are actually commercial, maybe it’s just to drive more traffic to the site. There is a huge benefit to being the biggest marketplace

Can’t help but be suspicious. I can’t see eBay choosing to make less money. Any idea how they’re making money off this?

Probably more a case of reducing the fall in traffic they are losing to other sites which do list for free.

Wouldn’t be surprised if payouts will become much slower and non automated..

Encouraging people to buy postage or use their balance to buy other stuff..

I wonder if there’s a “green” angle to this.  Private sellers are essentially recycling, thus eBay can claim to be a bit greener?

That’s quite a bit change, if I understand it correctly.
I just sold some door handles on ebay that have sat unused in my garage for years. Stuck them on for £9 just to get rid & had one bidder. Total fees for the transaction was £1.90, which is over 20%.
If I’d have known this was coming in, I’d have waited a week.

Crap – this just after they’ve charged me over £200 in final value fees for 2 biggish items I just sold…☹️

most people i know have stopped selling on ebay due to the fees so they must have seen private sales dropping off a cliff as they move to the other free platforms out there.

Crap – this just after they’ve charged me over £200 in final value fees for 2 biggish items I just sold…☹️

Yep they obviously thought “joshvegas seems to be slowing down selling all his old shit. Now is the time”

You’ll have to pay to promote your listing, otherwise it will just be sunk into the abyss of similar items, unless you’re selling something truly unique, in which case, ebay is probably the wrong place.

The upgrades seem to be more expensive and you pay for international listing now.

Ok so no automatic withdrawal. At the top of the app listing page;

Bastards have cost me a fortune in fees over the past year or so. Was still the biggest platforms though, so had to suck it up if stuff didn’t sell other places like here.

I’m pleased they’ve changed tack now though, as I will definitely have more stuff to offload in the future.

This is good news. I completely stopped selling with them when they stopped letting me use the 80% or 70% off final value fees vouchers.  Loads of people on the monthly Hot UK Deals threads were moaning about it as well so I guess it finally hit them hard enough.

Back in the day it used to be free, then ebay got shit ie idiots wasting your time/scams and they put ridiculous fees on so I personally stopped using it, and so did loads of people.

I now sell anything I want to sell on Facebook market place which is completely free

I guess this is them trying to get some market share back.

Isnt Facebook and ebay one and the same thing though?

Are they going to make you use Paypal etc, or have a withdrawl fee or something ie ‘free’ to sell, but skank you when you want to get your money ?

Thanks, was wondering why I hadn’t had an 80% off fees offer recently

You’ll have to pay to promote your listing, otherwise it will just be sunk into the abyss of similar items, unless you’re selling something truly unique, in which case, ebay is probably the wrong place.

This.

For a year or two the eBay algorithm has buried listings that don’t fork out for “promoted item” status, I expect that will get even worse.

Ok so no automatic withdrawal

I prefer that. I used to like having “PayPal money” that meant I could have free bike parts using man maths.

Thanks, was wondering why I hadn’t had an 80% off fees offer recently

+1, I’d not had an 80% offer since the start of September and wondered why.

So, for items already live/listed – do we think we’ll still be charged fees for those or would it be best to end and relist to take advantage of the free fees?

Good news!

Yeah there are so many trade sellers on there now – I buy new things from “shops” on ebay more than Amazon, so I don’t think they’ll be losing that much. Nice not to get stung in future when selling small items.

So, for items already live/listed – do we think we’ll still be charged fees for those or would it be best to end and relist to take advantage of the free fees?

Not according to HotUKDeals. Someone on there posted that they’d sold something this morning on an old listing and got all the money

Yes, hopefully the stuff* I listed at the weekend will be free.

Isnt Facebook and ebay one and the same thing though?

No, completely different companies

Facebook/WhatsApp/Instagram are all owned by Meta, if that’s what you’re thinking of

I prefer that. I used to like having “PayPal money” that meant I could have free bike parts using man maths.

Agreed, nothing better than buy “free” parts.

Daughter #1 works for eBay and she didn’t tell me about this so the NDA is working!!

Yep there’s a LOT of businesses using eBay (she manages some ).

What’s the betting that they’ll suck up the costs for while before introducing some sort of ‘buyer protection’ fee that adds 10% onto the price of everything you buy.

Then there’ll be some sort of withdrawal fee to actually get your money off the site so it’ll still ending up costing to sell, just in a different way.

I’m so cynical sometimes I even annoy myself.

I haven’t sold a anything on ebay since they changed the rules and made you give up your bank details.

No fees makes it better but I’m not sure it’s enough to tempt me back.

 It doesn’t include “vehicles”

Don’t hold your breath (from daughter!!)

+1, I’d not had an 80% offer since the start of September and wondered why.

I haven’t had one for about 2 years!

Isnt Facebook and ebay one and the same thing though?

That’s Gumtree you’re thinking of.

Well chuffed, I’ll be putting a whole load of stuff up now. Vinted must have put the wind up them.

Time to clear out all the stuff I’ve been waiting on an 80% off listing for.

most people i know have stopped selling on ebay due to the fees so they must have seen private sales dropping off a cliff as they move to the other free platforms out there.

This – I have completely stopped using Ebay because of the fees. I now either Freegle low value stuff or stick stuff on Facebook Marketplace.

Well chuffed

So is my daughter – they’ve had free breakfast and pizza vans at the offices today to celebrate!
(eBay are very good for staff perks like that…. always something going on!)

back to the gold old days, hopefully site traffic will pick up.

item views and watchers have been really low in recent years, maybe a peak around covid and then down due to inflation etc.

i’d say im on vinted more time than i spend on ebay

Result, I got £100 off my bike on Saturday as we agreed to do bank transfer rather than through eBay.