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Home » Money Blog » Money Matters » Why eBay’s New Charges Have Finally Driven Me Away
Why eBay’s New Charges Have Finally Driven Me Away
By Nic Cicutti
Aug 21, 10:02 AM
It isn’t very often that I get to call myself an “early adopter”, but back in 2000 I was one of the first wave of eBay members signing up from the UK.
Although there were probably hundreds of thousands of us, it was still a tiny “community” when compared with the 15 million or so unique visitors from the UK who now flock to the website each year.
In the past eight years I gradually became an assiduous buyer and seller, mostly of rare and original parts and accessories for vintage Vespa and Lambretta scooters – the type made famous by Grace Kelly in Holiday in Rome, in case you were wondering.
For me, it’s been a great sideline to my hobby, offering the potential to auction off stuff I didn’t need for other parts I wanted. I even built up a 100% “positive feedback” on more than 1,000 transactions, a sign of reliability among eBay aficionados.
I mention all this because, regretfully, once my next round of auctions is done with I will not be selling any items on eBay again. Together with some techie friends I am exploring other ways of creating another marketplace for the kind of stuff we buy and sell. Basically, we are sick and tired of eBay ripping us off and taking us for granted.
Six months ago, eBay massively hiked up final value sale fees for small value items sold at auction. Yesterday, it decided to do so again, by an even greater amount. Selling stuff priced at £30 or less now costs me almost twice as much as it did barely a year ago.
For example, if I auction a set of original Lambretta brake levers, eBay will take anything up to £3 off me – and it doesn’t include a separate charge for using Paypal, which it also owns. That comes to another £2 or so.
What’s more, Paypal’s charges are not on a sliding scale. On the odd occasion when I have sold something for more than £100, its fees are massive. And I no longer have the choice of being able to insist on an alternative – and free – payment system to Paypal, such as a cheque.
The company claims to have offset this by reducing its listing fees. But saving 5p in listing fees and then paying £1.50 more in sales fees doesn’t feel like a saving to me.
When eBay started back in 1997, its aim was to create an auction system that allowed little people like me to buy and offer stuff for sale. Sellers paid a sliding fee, depending on the final price the item sold for. The higher the price achieved, the less you paid, proportionately. It wasn’t a cheap way of selling something, but by and large it was fair.
Then, about a year or two ago, eBay started to change. Instead of favouring small sellers like myself and others, the company decided to go for large volume sellers, the people who list hundreds, sometimes many thousands of items at once and were willing to sell for a fixed price.
In other words, it began to move away from the auction model and became instead more like a High Street, with different shops that people could browse in and buy from, depending on whether they like their stock.
To bring the big sellers in, it started to cut the fees they paid to list, offering them more and more privileges in terms of where their items were displayed and cutting final value sales charges, depending on the volume of sales. The emphasis switched to so-called buy it now sales.
But just as with a “normal” high street, the move towards the big storefronts has come at the expense of the small sellers like me.
In essence, eBay wants to be more like Amazon. It sees big time “traders”, not small auction buffs and bargain hunters like me as the best way forward in terms of maintaining its revenue stream.
That is its right, I suppose. Except that it will now have to do it without me and my friends.
User Comments
Patrick Turner 15 November 2008, 14:47
It’s not so much that eBay is a rip off, it’s just that higher fees mean higher prices for items so I guess no one wins in the end. People sensibly leave for sites like tazbar.com where no fees are charged and goods are consequently cheaper.
mandy 30 October 2008, 11:10
Hi. I have been trading within Ebay for 6 years and also had to close my store.
I have build my own website and would like to wish you all the best with yours. Mandy x www.magpies-miniatures.co.uk
Kingfisherbeads 28 August 2008, 17:02
I will also be closing my shop on eBay when the new fees are effective. Any profit will be eaten up in fees and I don’t want to increase my prices to reap back what greedy eBay will have taken.
I have 5 shops on eBid and have paid for a lifelong subscription which means I can list as many items as I want and list these for free and then only pay for final value fee when the items sell.
There are no fees for reserve prices, or automatic relisting. My prices have always been lower on eBid as it’s free to list.
There is a wide choice of payment methods, Google Checkout, PPPay.com, Nochex, PayPal and of course cheques and postal orders.
I would recommend eBid as the people on the forums are very helpful and friendly. eBid is brilliant, Give it a try.
uk.ebid.net/stores/KINGFISHER-BEADS
Wendy 28 August 2008, 09:17
Like so many others I am extremely concerned about the new eBay fees. I only opened my shop 2 months ago and was beginning to see good results but certainly not enough to cover the new fees. I am a member of eBid and CQout but I never seem to sell anything. Does anyone do well on either of these sites? I am trying to supplement my pension but it isn’t getting any easier.
D Barlass 27 August 2008, 20:43
Yep, time for me to go as well. I’ve had a (basic) shop on ebay for the last 2 years selling records & CD’s from my own personal collection. So that puts me squarely into the ‘hobby seller’ category. I don’t have a huge number of items up so I don’t sell a huge amount. It’s more a steady trickle but it’s a good outlet for my old music that I no longer have the desire to own + It’s nice to get some money back from all the thousands I’ve spent over the years.
But increasingly I’ve been asking myself if it is worth me keeping the shop going as ebay’s prices have increased. So this latest price hike has really sealed it for me. ebay have made the decission for me. It’s great news for big sellers that have multiple items to list. But it’s really bad news for small hobby sellers such as myself. I’d have to sell more than I am selling currently each month just to be able to pay the new fees! Time for me to give ebid a try I think.
Liam Kelly 27 August 2008, 17:36
You should never bite the hand that feeds you; EBays charges are now far too extortionate. Their methods in delaying paypal payments etc so that they earn more money in interest has now gone beyond a joke and their whole outlook is greedy and downright rude. They should wear a mask then at least you can register the fact more blatantly that you have been robbed. We should all SHUN EBay now and go elsewhere…………
Fed up of FeeBay 27 August 2008, 00:11
Kenny Thompson, you say you charge postage at cost and nothing more, so as well as paying for the eBay fees and the paypal fees, everything else you do for free?
Never your own electricity bills and printer ink etc etc etc, but your time in wrapping up the parcels, sellotape, bubble wrap, printed seller information is free. And how do you get to the post office? Is it next door? i have to drive for ten minutes to get there. How do you actually make ANY money???
Steve 26 August 2008, 19:07
I’d love to use eBid. But without any 3rd-party listing tools, such as the dozens available for eBay it’s impossible. A development interface (API) would be a start – I’d even write my own tool!
Come on eBid PLEASE say you’ll be supporting such things soon so I can dump eBay for good.
Sonia 25 August 2008, 10:58
Ebay had a huge fine from Louis Vuitton to pay didn’t they? Is this their way of paying it?
Make us pay???? Yeah Right! See you in hell ebay!
stampsulove 24 August 2008, 19:39
As with a lot of other comments on here I also left ebay and found my way to eBid. fed up with the ever increasing disregard to the small and medium size seller I finally had enough of ebay and am so glad I made the decision to leave. I enjoy the new found freedom of eBid, the low FVF, optional payment methods, real person responce to questions, friendly and helpfull forum, Sales increasing on a weekly basis and a better return on my time. You really should give it a go.
mandy marriott 24 August 2008, 18:59
i USED to sell on ebay and had a shop on there selling crafts ,now as all crafter’s know some items are as low as 30p so by the time ebay and paypall had taken there chunk there was nothing left !!! if you put up the prices to cover these fee’s the items becomes so pricey no one wants it as its then too expensive !. i got out 5 months ago and started selling on ebid where i have 5 shops and very low fee’s which means i can list my items at a proper price and i wish i had done it 2 years ago instead of handing over my hard earned money to ebay , its the best thing i ever did and i would never even consider going back , over the past couple of months ebid has grown bigger and better , the forums are full of helpfull people who are there to help as much as they can and its so light hearted and a great read , i now tell everyone i know and as a market trader thats a few people to have a look at ebid, what have you got to lose , i think it will be as big if not bigger than ebay one day after what i have read about ebay now im so glad i got out when i did
dan 24 August 2008, 13:59
Myself and my partner have been ripped off by ebay for hundreds of pounds and the seller has got away scot free every time. The fees are extortionate, the buyers have stopped paying for stuff, and ebay fully support them doing that and allow them to claim compensation so you lose your item, have to pay a fee, and compensate the person who stole your item!
The whole thing is a scam. Get out of ebay, get into EBID – A REAL AUCTION SITE!
GaZ 24 August 2008, 11:27
Basic shop fees have gone up by %150! How can this be justified?
Shop closed & Ebid has now replaced Ebay in “My Favourites” !!!!
I gave up on customer support around a year or so ago after receiving one to many robotic automated emails that totally missed the point. They just do not care – this WILL be the death of them!
E-Minus-bay !!
Salus Librorum 24 August 2008, 09:45
I’ve decamped to eBid.net too, my books are generally low value sales that, being heavy, cost a lot to post, and with the catch all PayPal fees removing a lot of the value of the postage payment it was very off putting to customers. In fact my last lot of listings on eBay ended in May with the sold items just about covering the fees for the unsold.
Sales on eBid.net have been slow, but have suddenly picked up in the last couple of months, and it’s getting busier all the time as sellers and buyers arrive from eBay. I think the future on eBid is looking very bright, I paid the seller+ lifetime membership so there are no listing fees, ever, and if I don’t use gallery there are no final value fees either (although I do use gallery on some, which gets an fvf of 2%), I don’t think it can go wrong – especially as I’ve already made my money back.
I think what eBay are forgetting, is that it used to be a TRADING site, that means sellers also buy. I used to buy. I’ve just made my last purchase on eBay, which was done in desperation because I couldn’t find sensibly priced packaging materials anywhere, so I went back to my favourite supplier who has a shop on eBay. I’ve just discovered that they have set up their own eCommerce enabled site, so that’s that then.
EBay may have just recorded a 22% hike in profits which is probably giving their shareholders a warm glow, but that’s just from screwing more money out of a decreasing pool of sellers and buyers. They appear to have more listings than ever, but there are rumours of listings padding, and what listings there are are expensive retail shop items that I can get cheaper elsewhere without the slight worry I’m going to get scammed.
When all the changes filter through there is going to be one almighty profits crash, because eBay is NOT Amazon. I also sell on Amazon. Amazon are superior in every way to eBay when it comes to buying and selling, for one thing they do not have the scammers that are allowed to get away with it on eBay, all their sellers and buyers are verified, only one ID allowed, they collect payments via credit cards that are checked, fees are high, but not hidden, and are taken off in one lump at the end, I could go on, but you get the idea. If eBay management think they are going to make a dent in Amazon sales, they are very very wrong.
chris 24 August 2008, 09:29
Feeback on ebay 1036 cost ££££
Feeback on ebid.net 56 cost free to list free to sell
think i will be listing on ebid from now on
Michelle Johnstone 24 August 2008, 00:14
Hi again folks, I have just spent some time reading through the ebay community as well and if they say what they mean – ALOT of users will be leaving ebay, especially the self employed shop keepers. Plus not only that – I have just done the ‘hypothethical’ financial calculation on an ordinary run of the mill seller (such as myself) and what I had left to sell to the people of the world is a total of 157 items (including table & chairs, computer desk, computer screen, clothes, makeup etc etc), anyway, I have seen a couple of statements made by some ebay users saying that ebay have ‘done the right thing’ – I’m thinking – how on earth can you come to that conclusion if you are not a high street store offering items that didn’t sell normally, or through the sales or someone had wrecked it while trying it on? Anyway, my point is; with the new pricing structure I have 157 items, all listed at the cheap rate of 40p which is £62.80 to start off with, plus if some sell, let’s say 25% and at the FVF. I don’t expect miracles so I’m envisioning not many people bidding so they would sell near the start price – and it’s still selling relatively cheap at under £5, so an approx guess of the FVF on 25% of the 157 items would be give or take £35.00, so up to £97.80, plus paypal on top of that and on items £5 and under the standard is approx 47p each, so that’s another £20 on paypal fees – remembering that I’m going on under £5 each, and what d’you know the fees for listing those items (and banking on 25% selling) comes to £117.80. It’s a HUGE gamble and one that I wouldn’t/couldn’t take as that represents my phone bill (have to find cheaper broadband) – whereas ebid offers the 5p listing = £7.85, an absolute BARGAIN, and the FVF they are offering is wWAY lower. I do hope Ebid takes off for the members of the public who would like to sell and buy off the members of the public. My user name is cybermums and my first purchase off Ebid is going to be rechargeable batteries.. in a couple of days time as I won’t be around sun/mon. For those members of the public that do have shops on there, the fees have in fact literally doubled. Might as well rent a shop somewhere in London. The other thing that annoyed me that nobody mentioned is the introduction of the new feedback system – sellers can’t leave negative so there are indeed more non-payers. Well, I’ve done the math and if someone thinks I may be mistaken please feel free to correct me
PENNY291****PENNYPINCHERS EBID.NET 23 August 2008, 23:49
I have been a member of EBID for a long time, as a buyer and small seller and I have seen it grow amazingly this last year, just wondered why it has taken so long for people to realise there is an alternative to getting ripped off and disillusioned. There has always been a great community spirit and fun, and I have learned so many things from the friendly people on the forums and the ever helpful admin. ebay are only interested in people like me as a buyer, as a seller who sells very low cost items they are not interested and their fees are just too high for me, as a lifetime+seller on Ebid I can leave items on auction for as long as I like and not incur any fee’s at all until item sells, then it is only 2%.
Craig 23 August 2008, 23:27
I opened a shop just recently on ebay and a couple days later i received an email about the increase.
I had just designed and filled my shop and paid all my fees.
I closed my shop a day later.
They could have had a link or something, letting people who are wanting to set up a shop about this increase, instead of letting them know after they had set it all up and paid their fees.
I have now gone to eBid who don’t rip you off.
FREE to list
FREE to join to buy, Seller account starting about £1.99 i think, Lifetime membership/Seller+ for £49.99 for sellers with no renewal fees. You even get to open up 5 Stores if you want, all in the price.
As a Seller+ your final value fee 2%
Can’t get better than that.
I won’t be selling on eBay again
Charyn Smith 23 August 2008, 19:23
If you join EBID.NET you too can really feel you are your own boss. No petty soul destroying rules just sensible ones to protect everyone not just the buyers as it is on ebay.
You also get the chance to find all those quirky items that ebay started with, but has since done everything it can to destroy.
The forums are friendly and very helpful.
Okay the traffic is not as high as ebay (yet) but is heading the right way ^^^.
All in all a very pleasant experience. Try it yourself for FREE.
Michelle Johnstone 23 August 2008, 18:01
Wow – there are so many leaving Ebay – I thought I was the only one! I’ve been selling and buying on ebay and just recently been accused and found guilty because apparently I had ‘copied’ a pictures from the high street label Lipsy – which I hadn’t and detested quite strongly, if I did I wouldn’t be complaining so much but I didn’t copy any pictures/photos, I took them all myself – I also had NO affiliations or logos on the items listed however Lipsy said it was a ‘closed case’. My daughter went onto her ebay account, that got taken off as it was connected with mine and now this morning I had an email saying that I had been banned from Ebay until the end of August 2009. Bit of a mess – considering that I haven’t done anything wrong, positive feedback etc etc, paid the fees on time etc etc. I have put something on Ebid today just to see how it goes, after all – times are tough with the looming prospect of ‘recession’ etc, I’m wondering if there is going to be a sudden surge for Ebid. As it stands as of yesterday for listing an item is 40p plus FVF anything that sells under £5, it is quite pricey for cheap as chips items and I hope Ebay falls on it’s bottom giving Ebid the sudden surge of business
Anne Sheppard 23 August 2008, 17:56
Like so many others I will be moving over to Ebid.
Can I suggest that if we all send an email to everyone in our address book saying “Check out Ebid before Ebay” then word would soon get around that there is another auction site worth looking at.
Klj 23 August 2008, 14:42
I understand that eBay thinks the online auction is dead – that people just want to go online, find what they are looking for, and buy it immediately. Seems to me however, that there is room for both auctions and buy it now sales online, and that is what more people seem to want – especially the collector and antique buyers. I’ve moved to eBid.net for that reason – both auctions and buy it now sales, and the same old fun eBay used to be, but much, much cheaper for sellers. Guess we aren’t quite ready to quit online auctions eBay. Think you may have lost out here.
Adam 23 August 2008, 12:10
“Tony Cucumber 23 August 2008, 09:55
Where else can you get world-wide visibility for pennies?
Ebay still offers fantastic value. Instead of moaning, try adapting.”
Do you have a shop on ebay, Cucumber?
The charges are getting stupid, the only represent good value if you are a larger trader.
Ebay get a grip, you are driving the genuine small time traders away, from already shark infested waters.
I’m off to close my account, and I urge more to follow.
Adam 23 August 2008, 12:09
“Tony Cucumber 23 August 2008, 09:55
Where else can you get world-wide visibility for pennies?
Ebay still offers fantastic value. Instead of moaning, try adapting.”
Do you have a shop on ebay, Cucumber?
The charges are getting stupid, the only represent good value if you are a larger trader.
Ebay get a grip, you are driving the genuine small time traders away, from already shrk infested waters.
I’m offto close my account, and I urge more to follow.
Tony Cucumber 23 August 2008, 09:55
Where else can you get world-wide visibility for pennies?
Ebay still offers fantastic value. Instead of moaning, try adapting.
Jude 23 August 2008, 09:34
I’ve been a Member of eBid since 2004, but up until May this year, used it for buying.
At the same time, as an ebay member since 2003, I was very happily using ebay for selling, with around 1000 transactions, and 100% positive feedback.
I sell secondhand stuff generated by my large family – NOT a business seller, and most of my items are under £5.
There is no longer any pleasure in doing this on eBay, as they have made it their mission to eliminate the ‘Hobby seller’ ( quaint term, that!) by ensuring that items under £5 cannot generate any profit, after listing fees, P & P, Final Value Fees, and the iniquitous PayPal fees, which obviously the buyers will prefer to use, as all they have to do is click a button to use!
Ok – so eBid is VERY slow in terms of generating sales – but to my mind offers the ‘small seller’ very good value for money – particularly if they take advantage of the ’49.99 Lifetime membership’ – which means just that!
I have paid £49.99 to list for free to the end of my days – I can list with no fees of any kind for ever! ( I actually opt to display a picture by my listings, so undertake to pay 2% of the final value fee – That’s right, ONLY 2%!!!!)
I’m very glad I ‘moved over’!!
redmerlin777 23 August 2008, 07:54
I Have closed my ebay Shops and Taken my trade to eBid…. One time payment of £49.99 for lifetime unlimited listing with only 2% Final Value fee…
That payment has been paid for already by a rising number of sales.
I wont waste my time complaining about eBay all the above posts have done that for me!!
I am a small seller with quirky, collectable, pracctical items… the sort of seller ebay started with.. But on EBID YOU GOT HUMANS RESONDING TO YOU!!!!
There is life after ebay…..other sites.. but Ebid is best and friendly.
T. Mela 22 August 2008, 23:46
After many years of selling on ebay more as a hobby I stopped at the beginning of June. If I wanted to continue to sell I had to sign up for paypal, no choice. As to Feedback. As a small seller I was at the mercy of Buyers. I started to list on Ebid – this reminds me of how Ebay used to be. Thousands of members, but still feels like a community and when you have a problem you can speak to someone that is helpful and polite and really does try and help. Ebay has had it’s day.
onlinegifts 22 August 2008, 23:24
EBAY is a rip off, Fee’s area joke.
JOIN EBID where all the ex EBAYEERS are heading.
No listing fees
FVF 2% not 9.9%
FREE shops 5 in TOTAL, not one at at least £14.99 a month (scary price)
Lots of sellers and lots of buyers
sales have rocketed in last 2 months, the site is busy, you may of tried EBID in the past, but give it a go as you will notice how busy it is nnow, its amazing.
A very long list of why EBID is better but have a look for yourself and find all your favourite Ex ebay sellers.
my shop on ebay is closed and their are no more listings from me going EBAYS way, its EBID full time for me.
Phil Walsh (Pique Perfumes) 22 August 2008, 22:03
I have given up on ebay, too costly, totally unfriendly and unhelpful. I have moved to ebid like many others and I really believe this is the place to be for those who want a cost effective place to buy and sell.
Marcus 22 August 2008, 22:00
I’m one of the many that’s defecting from ebay.(4000+ feedback @ 99.9%)
Come Sept. 24th it will no longer viable to run the shop, given the huge hike in fees.
I also find the new search engine horrible, and the forums full of nasty, arrogant, self-righteous people who hide behind posting i.d’s.
Recently set up on Ebid.net (a lot, lot cheaper feewise), and hopefully, will have the same level of sucess there.
Val 22 August 2008, 21:58
Over the years ebay has become a boring place to shop, page after page of duplicate ‘buy it now’ listing, often from China or Hong Kong.
Where have all the little independant sellers gone? www.ebid.net that’s where!
I’ve used ebid to buy and sell for over 2 years now and it’s getting bigger every day. with ebays crazy policies this year ebid UK has grown to over a million listings and almost half a million members, the other 14 or 15 ebid international sites have also grown considerably. ebid uploads qualifying listings to google products for free, plus allows sellers to intergrate google checkout into their listings (you can offer whatever payment method you like- isn’t that a sensible idea!) so more and more buyers are discovering ebid every day, and remembering that internet auctions can be fun :)Jac 22 August 2008, 20:48
I will also be closing my shop on eBay when the new fees are effective. Any profit will be eaten up in fees and I don’t want to increase my prices to reap back what greedy eBay will have taken.
I have 5 shops on eBid and have paid for a lifelong subscription which means I can list as many items as I want and list these for free and then only pay for final value fee when the items sell.
There are no fees for reserve prices, or automatic relisting. My prices have always been lower on eBid as it’s free to list.
There is a wide choice of payment methods, Google Checkout, PPPay.com, Nochex, PayPal and of course cheques and postal orders.
I would recommend eBid as the people on the forums are very helpful and friendly. eBid is brilliant, Give it a try.
brian clear 22 August 2008, 20:27
I am a seller on eBID now.Things are picking up with hundreds of new members every week.I can sell cheaper and not see a great slice of my money going to the company.I can list for free for as long as i like and have up to five free shops.I use gallery sales that means i only pay 2% when the item sales but if you dont use a photo the sale costs you no fee at all.Best of all the help from the Admin office is from a real person and is quick and problems are soon sorted.A bonus is the forums where you can chat to other members who are always ready to help and dont pull you to pieces when you say hello.So come and say hello.We dont bite.
Jane 22 August 2008, 20:09
I agree with most of the other posts. The new fee hike of 40p has really got me worried. In the email they sent out, they falsely implied that the fees would mostly be at the end of the sale (fvf), and that insertion fees were going down. What the didn’t say in that email was that in order to get the 1p listing fees, you had to pay over £300 a month. I’m a small business seller, and sell approx 80-100 items a month. Obviously i’m the type of seller they are trying to get rid of, because for the life of me, i have no idea how i’m going to survive on there anymore.
I also sell on WWW.EBID.NET and although it’s not the size of ebay, for UK sellers it’s the next biggest auction site, and as time is going on, it’s getting more & more sellers & buyers, plus it’s free to list, with small FVF fees. I have had quite a lot of sales on there since a started selling there in June. So for anyone looking for a auction site that gives a dam about it’s sellers, why not give it a go. Ebay might not want us, but Ebid.net does.
HTTP://uk.ebid.net/stores/starlady22-clothes-for-everyone
don'tneedebay 22 August 2008, 20:00
Some sellers are still at eBay-claiming that their sales are great, adapt or leave if you don’t like or agreed with the new changes that eBay continues to make.
Myself, as a buyer have chosen to leave-rather than adapt.
If eBay becomes an online marketplace-than I don’t need them, because anything they have to offer-I can find locally (usually cheaper-when you consider the cost of shipping, insurance and delivery confirmation).
I won’t have to wait to buy (Fixed Price/BIN), or pay and wait for shipping of the item
-taking the chance of it getting damaged, lost or not as described,
plus if I am not satisfied with the item for whatever reason-I can return the item (this usually is not an option with special order items), for a full refund
-I don’t have to worry about return shipping costs, insurance and delivery confirmation with no guarantee that I going to get a refund/when for my purchase price, let alone my initial shipping cost.
The only reason for me to shop eBay before was for that unique antique/vintage collectible item that I couldn’t find locally.
Since eBay has made the new changes (since 01/08), they did me a favor-because I never looked at other places to buy. I now browse and have bought items through craigslist. I also browse the other auction/marketplaces that are out there and if I need to buy something online it will be with one of them, NOT EBAY.
I see eBay and PayPal for what they really are.
sidthelamp 22 August 2008, 19:48
i stopped selling on ebay back in april due to fee hikes and new FB rules and of course ebay MAKING us offer paypal, and now round two of fee hikes!,in less than 6 months ! i for one and by the sound of it many others, have decided enough is enough, i my self have set up a store on ebid, a great friendly site much cheaper for the small business,diverse,seller to operate whitch means its more cost effective to buy there, Sid
Bobbi 22 August 2008, 18:48
Three times eBay has fooled with the finances this year. I got out the second time. I am enjoying Bonanzle.com. It’s fun, fair, & free right now. It also has live chat for when you go into someone’s booth, open communication, wonderful ownership. Best part, it’s not based in San Jose, CA….lol
It even has special seller events….tomorrow I am having what is called a Bonanza & for 3 hours buyers get 23% off on the 23rd…………….selling is fun again.
knitandpurl 22 August 2008, 18:26
I did try selling my knitwear on ebay, on a small scale but ended up losing money after all the fees were paid. I still buy from craft items from the site occasionally but have found that the postage for most items are way over the top. I have moved to EBID.NET, and became a lifetime seller, I can open 5 stores and the listings are free, I would recommend this site to any unhappy feebayers.
Ian R 22 August 2008, 18:18
Feebay as it is now will crumble with higher fees, small volume sellers will not make profits enough for them to continue, would not be worth it. Prices would have to go up for them to recoup money, buyers would not want to pay more. Less and less will use Feebay. been with them for 5yrs now . will not sell again on ebay.
charlie 22 August 2008, 17:33
Ebay was a great site 5 years ago when i joined, even if it was a little expensive then. the last 12 months has just got too much and i can’t afford to list on the site.
Have since joined EBID.NET as it’s free to list there, and i have done quite well since on there.
Plagto 22 August 2008, 17:04
eBay forgot who made them and abandoned us all long ago. This is news to you? Where have you been? I use www.alsoshop.com and do quite well, and have not stopped to look back at the feebay beast ever since.
Jay 22 August 2008, 15:04
I to think it is a total rip off.It all sounds good,1st photo free,5p each other photo.Then you have the lising fee,the percentage when sold,VAT,then paypal’s fee,it costs a fortune.If you only list one item for a few pence you are charged the sellers fee for the whole month.The buyer gets a bargin.ebay make a tidy litte profit out of it,the poor sellers hardly left a bean.They say get fid of unwanted items on ebay.I tell you what ,you are better off just taking them to a charity shop and giving them away.
Graham 22 August 2008, 15:04
WWW.ebid.net …..is a real alternative to ebay
Free to list.
2%…… final value fee.
Friendly helpful forums.
Genuine support from ebid staff
Seller+ account type holders can start up to 5 eBid Stores for Free with no monthly charge
Jo 22 August 2008, 14:33
A friend of mine sold a car last year for £5,000 on ebay. Unfortunately, the buyer paid for the car through Paypal, but on a stolen/cloned card. The car was collected, then a week later Paypal withdrew the £5,000 from my friends account (which he had already withdrew), thus leaving him £5,000 in the red.
Paypal washed their hands of the whole thing, refused to offer any help. The Police and soliciters were involved, and all told Paypal to pay back the money, but they refused and sent baliffs round!
It’s all very well putting up charges, but they aren’t there to back you up – only themselves. They offer an appalling service and I shut my account in protest at what they did. They say they’re safe and reliable; what a joke!
Sue 22 August 2008, 14:17
The main problem for me is the issue of visibility. Instead of allowing free trade between countries, certain countries are allowed free access to the world-wide market whereas other countries have to pay extra for ‘visibility’ to the U.S. and North American market. In my opinion, this is one of the most horrible changes they have implemented so far.
Plus, I’ve sold and bought on eBay for years now and the constant policy changes and robot-emails when dealing with sellers can be very off-putting.
eBid is an alternative that does not impose restrictions on visibility and allows free and open trade across international borders. It’s a fantastic alternative to eBay as on the basic seller level, it’s free to list and only 3% Final Value fee if your item sells. I can’t understand why more people aren’t moving over to eBid – maybe it seems too good to be true, but it IS true!
Sue 22 August 2008, 14:08
The main problem for me is the issue of visibility. Instead of allowing free trade between countries, certain countries are allowed free access to the world-wide market whereas other countries have to pay extra for the privelege of ‘visibility’ to the U.S. and North American market. In my opinion, this is one of the most horrible changes they have implemented so far.
Plus, I’ve sold and bought on eBay for years now and the constant policy changes and robot-emails when dealing with sellers can be very off-putting.
eBid is an alternative that does not impose restrictions on visibility and allows free and open trade across international borders. It’s a fantastic alternative to eBay as on the basic seller level, it’s free to list and only 3% Final Value fee if your item sells. I can’t understand why more people aren’t moving over to eBid – maybe it seems too good to be true, but it IS true!
catherine 22 August 2008, 13:37
I’ve had it with ebay. I’m only a small seller and the fee increase will wipe out any profit for me.
when my current auctions finish I’m off to ebid and by the sound of it so are thousands of others.
bee! 22 August 2008, 13:17
Ebay do not want small time sellers.
I was a powerseller for many years on ebay and paid a vast amount not only in ebay fee but also paypal fees
The powersellers have been the ones who have called the shots, every change is made with them in mind and for their benefit.
The powersellers on ebay are the ones bringing in the big revenue not the small time “hobby” sellers, and boy you should see the contempt buyers are treated with on the powersellers forum , it was an eye opener
Ebay want an amazon style shopping venue and this is what they will have, the same stuff at overinflated prices with ridiciously high p&p ,most of this stuff can be bought by joe public from any high street shop or directly from an online wholesale supplier.
IMO people very rarely use ebay to buy run of the mill products,many people are looking for unique one off items , collectables and bargains ,none of which you will find in a powersellers shop where everything is B.I.N
Luckily I did not rely on ebay to bring in a wage ,after I worked out how much of my profit went to this “venue” , I swiftly changed camps and went to EBID.
Less buyers at the present time , but everybody on there is dedicated to providing a good service at a great price.
plus the forums are friendly, no trolls whose only goal in life is to make the other people feel as inferior as them
and at 2% fvf surely its worth a go, we need to stop lining ebays pockets
Jamie 22 August 2008, 12:56
WOW! There was I planning to sell off all my own unwanted stuff on Ebay and clear the considerable clutter from my home, until I read all the comments. I am so very glad that I did before making the mistake of trusting Ebay. Thanks to all for the information and recommendations, which I plan to follow.
ex. Motorbike Parts Spare & Accessories 22 August 2008, 12:52
I CLOSED MY SHOP LAST WEEK, SOLD OVER 500 ITEMS A MONTH, LISTED OVER 1,000 A MONTH AND PAID OUT MANY THOUSANDS OF POUNDS IN FEES IN THE PAST YEAR.
EBAY ARE NOT ETHICAL, THEY PENALISE PEOPLE WIHTOUT JUST CAUSE AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED.
THANK YOU TO THE ARTICEL WRITER I APPRECIATE THE CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE MY TINY VOICE HEARD IN THIS SEA OF ANGER AND DISCONTENT.
FOR ANYONE CONSIDERING EBAY AS A TOOL TO SELL PLEASE CONSIDER IT THOROUGHLY, THEY ARE A PUBLIC DISGRACE AND SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO TRADE.
EX. 2,500 POSITIVE FEEDBACK, MEMBER FOR OVER 5 YEARS, EX-BUSINESS SELLER ESTABLIHED TRADE ENTIRELY ON EBAY AND LET DOWN REPEATEDLY, LIED TO AND PENALISED WITHOUT JUSTIFIABLE REASON OR CAUSE.
Ron 22 August 2008, 10:00
E-bay have ripped me off enough. They never even sort out there problems when you contact them and it seems people are now allowed to just make up rubbish when there item did not get what it wants and thats ok to do. Only last week I got a car and won the bid but the seller e-mailed me and said it had been in a crash and it will be re listed in a few weeks. How unfair and e-bay (god bless them) said I would have to take it up with the seller……WHAT A JOKE THIS COMPANY HAVE BECOME.
Please make a new fair site that we can use and stop these stupid sellers who use it as a business spamming loads of rubbish that is never worth the money.
Dave P 22 August 2008, 10:00
Joined ebid 6 months ago due to the increasing ebay fees.
Had quite good sales there and it’s great to see zero fees when you sell an item on EBID.net.
what the hell are paypal & ebay playing at by increasing their fees yet again, they might make more money in the short term, but they’re just driving more and more customers away with their greed. goodbye ebay!
jennie 22 August 2008, 09:35
i, too, have been an e-bayer for a few years, buying and selling. it was a great place to be but not now. like A RYDER, we had a problem with someone bidding for a phone we had for sale, paying through paypal with a stolen card and paypal/e-bay offered no protection for us and we not only lost £80 for the phone but also all the fees we still had to pay! i hope they do fold, it will serve them right. i used to like to look on there for cheap games for my consoles but so many now are from hong kong and the like, i cannot be bothered to look, which is a shame if you are a seller who wants to sell some old games for a little bit of money, you get stiched up all ways :-( i think if there are alternative sites to go to, go quickly lol!
Kimbo 22 August 2008, 07:07
eBay has made it clear that they want to “become Amazon”. So why would I hang around waiting for that to happen, when I can use the real Amazon now? Now eBay has doubled my shop fees and trebled my listing fees in one go, I shall be closing my eBay shop. I’ve upgraded my Amazon membership, and will be feeding more stock into my eBid stores. My ebid life membership cost me the same amount as one month of eBay featured shop. And both eBid and Amazon will only take money per item from me if I actually sell something. And when they do bill me, they don’t treat me as if I’m too stupid to notice I’m paying them! I still can’t believe that eBay sent me a notice telling me I would soon be able to list at a penny a go… and left it for me to drill down through layers of further links and pages to discover that was only if I took out a top level store at over 300 a month! Perhaps when they start treating their customers as if they have a brain, people will think about sticking around.
Lorri 22 August 2008, 06:54
I used to be a power seller with ebay. I sold childrens clothes at a fraction of the price you could find at the high street shops. The last couple months of my shop being open I was paying ebay hundreds of pounds a month in listing fees and shop fees. I had to leave as I was paying them almost what I was making.
But I used to buy too! I used to love it. But see all the fake articles you get when they are advertised real, authentic..a joke!
With their new policies that a seller can only leave positive feedback..it is terrible I was getting emails from buyers saying I want my money back or I will leave negative feedback happened 3 times reported ebay said they would look inti it..whatever..I am out of it now and will never be back to such a rip off marketing place.
cj 22 August 2008, 06:49
I sold an item that had been tested had a cert to say it had just been serviced and was in full working order! 3 weeks later i got an email to say item was faulty and buyer wanted a refund i agreed to it on return of item, only they had paid via paypal so they got a refund thru paypal and i am over £100 out of pocket because guess what !!!item has never been returned and they wont reply to emails paypal and ebay not in the least bit intrested, the seller pays the fees so where is the sellers protection?????
Krystal 22 August 2008, 05:06
Most of the items listed by the sorts of large sellers that ebay want on their site,
can be bought cheaper elsewhere online anyway.
It’s the sellers of interesting, unusual, hard to find &/or collectables that eBay are driving away, add that to the almost impossible to use search facility & soon the site won’t be worth using as a buyer either.
I use eBid.net now, it’s a British based site, but does also have sites in 13 other countries. It has many more listings than any other UK Auction site, & recently won the Webuser Magazine Gold Award, as the best ebay alternative.
Azaduhi Toure 22 August 2008, 04:55
hi, totally agree with the other sellers.
ebay is digging deep into sellers pockets, yet they are unable to provide customer support (only automated emails) . fee increases, no seller security, silly feedbacksystem etc. has driven me out.
You should look into other auction sites, I use ebid and tazbar , they are still small compared to ebay but growing daily. With a bit of self promotion on the net you could be successfull here. Oh listing fees =0% FVF = from 0%. YOUR PROFIT STAYS YOUR PROFIT.
Also setting up an own website is a good way of avoiding fees completely
My website: grabthatbargain.co.uk is been up and running for a while now and i have more that 4500 consumer products instock (now think how much i would pay EBAY for listing all that.)
Ken H 22 August 2008, 03:13
Let eBit take the pessure off
If all the pressure is at ebay with there pricing and feedback problems,
With free to sell free to buy free to enjoy eBid nothing to lose
May be slightly slower at the moment, but thats changeing by the day.
ebay feedback is so much trouble then what is the feedback realy worth.
eBid with more choice of payments at lower rates,
who’s running ebay is paypal?
Sarah Jones 22 August 2008, 02:16
Go and list & buy on eBid.net says raindropsies2 It is a real alternative. It’s the best move I made.
Low fvf’s from zero to 3% on eBid.net
No buynow extra fee on eBid.net
No reserve fee on eBid.net
No international visability fee on eBid .net
A real choice of payment methods, these include, Google checkout, Pppay, Paypal, Nochex, Money bookers, eggpay, cheques, postal orders, money orders, cash shock horror, and any payment method you want to offer. on eBid.net
Real human replies from admin & support on eBid.net
Friendly forums. on eBid.net
mrs h anderson 22 August 2008, 00:44
i quit agree ebay is getting a total rip you get charged the earth to put stuff on and now alot of listings you have to put paypal down as payment you dont have a choice i have just sold my 10 year old sons xbox for 335.00 and out of that ebay charged me 4.00 to list and a final valueation fee of 13.00 and then paypal fees of 16.00 that is what you call a total rip the only people cashing in on it is ebay something should be done
mark cole 21 August 2008, 23:27
Hi, I’ve recently noticed that when you list an item, your current balance for ebay fee’s seems to jump up by 1 or 2 pence for no apparnet reason. This is after you have listed an item and it has already updated your listing fees.
I wonder if anyone else has noticed this.
Imagine if this is happening to everyone, how much those extra pennies add up to.
sam 21 August 2008, 23:19
have just read about the ebay,i am new to selling and buying so i dont always understand whats going on .i got ripped off and ebay did not do a thing about it. i left feedback saying” this ebayer was a rip off” they removed it but did not remove hers from mine.
unless you have been selling on ebay for a long time they dont help new people.
i got a lot of info from the seller i was buying from.
but now i will not use ebay.i am not sure how to close my account.but i will
i have brought on gumtree.co.uk.which is good .the price is there and no bidding
i will see other sites i did go on preloved.
sam gill 21 August 2008, 22:38
we sell quite alot on eBay and heard about ebid and tried that but that is about as bad because it takes its fees but nobody has heard about that site we only tried the site because eBay was costing us close to £80 per week which is fine if you sell all your stuff but with this credit crunch at the moment people are not buying!!!!!!
i agree its a rip off the charge 3 fees, listing, final value and then paypal its just not fair
stevo 21 August 2008, 22:36
Can someone please explain why eBay claims to take feedback seriously, yet a seller cannot leave appropriate feedback for a non paying buyer! Why can sellers not leave the negatives for non payers?
I think eBay is well on the slippery slope and I will be looking at the the other auction sites mentioned – they will be getting a lot of knock on trade from everyone leaving eBay and will become more popular. eBay may still be the number one auction site in the UK at present….but the times they are a changin’
m dodd 21 August 2008, 22:13
Great! You now get ripped off selling goods, aswell as the rubbish you recieve when buying. I was recently ripped off after buying a jacket, which turned out to be fake, i sent an email to paypal from the manufacturer stating thr jacket was a fake and why, paypal refused to accept this as proof, I have never experienced so many hurdles to get my money back which i never got. ebay has become the easiest place for crims to offload their dodgy gear, why go down the sunday car boot when you can use ebay in the comfort of their home?
Catherine 21 August 2008, 22:01
It’s so refreshing reading all of this and realising how many others feel the same as I do. We have recently set up an EBay shop after selling for a while. The fees are extortionate and to make matters worse EBay/Paypal have started holding onto the funds from sellers with less than 100 feedbacks for 21 days. Imagine how much they are making in interest on top of everything else!! Woe betide anyone who complains, they either delete your listings or comments or strike you off!
Thank you for the other sites mentioned – I’ll be checking them out tomorrow.
S Oakley 21 August 2008, 21:38
There is another site besides Ebid called Tazbar although probably as small but if all sellers got in the same frame of mind and went over they would be as big as Ebay. If Ebay have no sellers the buyers would follow also.
Ebay try to blind us with costs the give with one hand and take back with the other.
Sellers do all the work and Ebay reap the profits.
Kaz 21 August 2008, 21:13
Sorry to burst your bubble but have you actually looked and compared the new fees?
I l have 300-500 items listed at any time BIN Auction and SIF.
My fees if I upgrade from a basic shop to a featured will actually drop.
Use the fee calculator and compare them properly please before posting all this doom and gloom.
Cookie 21 August 2008, 21:09
I really hope this is the beginning of the end of Ebay!
I find it amazing how they can continue to increase charges in this economic climate and expect to get away with it.
Car Boot sales in the coming weeks are going to be interesting!!
mark fayle 21 August 2008, 21:02
Hi, mark here i will soon be leaving EBAY, over it fees policy and the utterly ghastly Paypal, iam in the process of looking for a part-time job.As i cannot survive on their anymore as my sole income. I do have a website though www.thecatwithnotail.co.uk, so hopefully i will see a surge in sales sonn.
D 21 August 2008, 20:53
I agree 100 percent, FEEBAY! they treat all small scale sellers with total contempt,
I sold with them for 5 years but have stopped selling due to high fees, plus the paypal monoply they are getting away with.
After signing up with (forced to!) paypal I had two mysterious £100 bank withdraws into the paypal bank? There explanation was a family member must have done it? Yeah Right there staff were trying to rip me off for £200!!!
My advise to anyone wanting to sell on auction sites, Use Ebid, Preloved, or CQout they are all top sites with fare fees.
Best Wishes
Daz
Al McCavery 21 August 2008, 20:49
Ebay is expensive to sell on,though thankfully I now have my own website where I offer a 10% discount using the discount code 10 at checkout historydvd.co.uk
spunky 21 August 2008, 20:46
yes ebay total rip off i sold a car for £165 and they charged me £16 pound in fees work that one out its not like i made thousands i will avoid from now on and that does not include paypal fees just a waste of time.
??? ?????? 21 August 2008, 20:38
I’m only 12 years-old and I’ve noticed e-bay ripping everyone off. You may think that I’m just some kid having a rant, but I’m not. I used my parents account to make my own buisness already. I sold around 200 items. I started about 9 months ago, and then the prices wen up. I was making half the money after, and then the prices went up AGAIN and now, I’m losing money, so instead of a 12 year-old making money and not getting into trouble with the police, I don’t have anything to do now, and that means I have no money, so I just hang around the streets (which I regret, but I’ll be bored otherwise). Admittidly, I AM young to be dealing, but you can’t say I’m the only one.
Ebay think there making money out of this, although it’s not much extra, there going to lose thousands, maybe millions of customers.
s.hope 21 August 2008, 20:26
lost £380 in a scam as well as 100s of others on ebay…they offer £500 protection but i only got £100 back (a scam in itself). I along with all the others alerted ebay and the police (ongoing) and guess what. Ebay allowed him to continue trading… he`s still racking up the negative feedback. Be careful when in the renting travel section…i won`t use them anymore VERY EXPENSIVE LESSON
Gazza 21 August 2008, 20:18
Lol i have never used ebay but i was going on to do it NOW and i seen this section on my homepage after reading the comments i dont think i’ll bother, gonna try one of the other sites. thanks for letting me know about them ripping off people.
kenny thompson 21 August 2008, 20:13
I noticed the comment about Postal Prices being HIKED-UP to pay for extra e-bBy FESS. WHY ??. It appears that I am ONE OF A FEW e-Bayers that charge POSTAGE AT COST & I am also HONEST ENOUGH to tell any prospective buyer that Packing is FREE as I RECYCLE old envelopes. There must be a heck of a lot of people out there WITHOUT a CONCIENCE !!…I would NEVER dream of ripping off ANY fellow e-Bayer with INFLATED Postage Charges. Is’nt it time for Royal Mail to have a say about e-Bayers that do this ?…My wife signed up to e-Bay about a month ago & does exactly the same as me, so that is 2 honest e-bayers, ANY MORE OUT THERE ?
I was interested in a book last week & asked the Seller if his Postage Price of £8 (YES EIGHT POUNDS STERLING !) was a misprint ? (It JUST had to be) , The item finished WITHOUT any bids ( I wonder why ?) & I never received a reply !
Power Seller 21 August 2008, 20:11
Anyone selling small items needs to either think big wholesale listings or get out of e-bay.
It’s ok if you can change your business model twice in one year. As this is the second time this year that e-bay have increased their fees.
E-bay has rasied the selling bar. This is only the start, e-bay will keep on raising the bar untill only the big players are left.
Luckly most sellers have own their own websites. If a e-bay buyer asks me if I can sell them just one—-I’ll just direct them to my own website, where my items are so much more cheaper than I can list them on e-bay.
So e-bay’s loss will be my gain.
l.dufton 21 August 2008, 20:04
I feel ebay do nothing to help sellers who are taken advantage of by bidders who have no intention of paying for an item. i recently had a bid of £400 on an item worth no where near that just seconds before the auction ended so i could take no action, next thing i know i get a message saying the buyer is no longer registered as a user…..how can they let people get away with this???? all the time i spent answering questions about the item and uploading pictures etc. all i got off them was a message saying the buyer can no longer be contacted!!! needless to say i didnt get paid or any compensation for the actions of this person. its enough to think why do you bother………….i hate the site now and have vowed never to use it again. normal buisiness’ would not operate in this manor……….
Andy 21 August 2008, 19:58
Wow! This has really opened my eyes!
I’ve been on Ebay for over 5 years and have a 100% feedback rating on over 350 transactions.
After reading all these comments I checked my seller fees and couldn’t believe it! I’ve been ripped off for years!!
As the Dragons would say….“I’M OUT!”
Dean Oram 21 August 2008, 19:58
Hi. I just received an email from ebay to tell me that they are not charging anymore for the listing and you get a free photo all the time. So where did you get this information from. I am also disguted with ebay as they seem to charge you and also Paypla also seem to charge extra for no aparent reason.
Woolfie3Paws 21 August 2008, 19:24
Troubled Times Ahead for E-Bay, if we all Band together. This is NOT the E-Bay I knew and loved.
Donna 21 August 2008, 19:09
I sell on ebay and will continue to do so
I also sell on Amazon, ebid and pgbids.co.uk a new uk site run by other sellers
Lisa 21 August 2008, 19:01
Like Nic I was one of the Early ebayers joining in 2001 and Ebay was a much better place then.
I would say i’m a small seller selling 40-50 items a month and this price hike will see me forking out over £200 in Ebay fees and thats without paypal or the taxman!.
Someone should tackle this price hike as rising shop fees from £6 per month to £14.99 surely can’t be aloud?
I say we abandon Ebay and see what they do then.
faye 21 August 2008, 18:57
if there going to put prices up, they should support us more i was ripped of the first time i used ebay i bought 2fake tops, they did nothing to help me they cost me nearly 40pound the seller gave me nasty messages and bad feed back, and then the other week i sold a pair of childs trainers for 99p gave me run around for weeks then said he had posted cash, who does that i dont no left me negative feedback ebay would not remove mine but removed the feedback i left for him, they are not helpfull at all. i wont bother with it no more its one big joke now
A RYDER 21 August 2008, 18:47
just a small point i to have been ripped off by paypal having sold and dispatched goods and 3 weeks later had money taken from my bank account, as someone used a stolen credit card to open a paypal account, be aware PAYPAL DOES NOT CARRY OUT CHECKS AS IT IS NOT A BANK and therefore does not have to follow any banking codes. All it is is an account to recieve money and pay money out anyone could set one up and maybe call it payfriend.???
Samantha winder 21 August 2008, 18:40
I have been with eBay a year buying and selling I recently was a victim of fraud I sold an Item worth £250 the buyer paid for Item but once he knew I had posted it he claimed an unauthorised payment pay-pal Investigated it and decided to send the buyer his payment back knowing fine well he had my Item and had not paid for it both eBay&paypal have not supported me in anyway and that Fraudster is still on eBay can you believe it. In the end I reported it to the police they are investigating it even If I just get the Item back it is better than losing £250 It has totally put me off eBay not just the fraud but the way I was not helped in anyway obviously not Important enough.
F Lane 21 August 2008, 18:28
I have only recently become a small time seller, just trying to clear the house of unwanted items. As these things only sell for a small amount I had not realized how much the charges were to use ebay & PayPal. Will now be looking at the other sites recommended in this forum.
nomad 21 August 2008, 18:07
already closed my account, every dog has its day, all thats left now is more price hikes until the ship goes under. lets hope its soon
vscltd2008 21 August 2008, 17:56
HEY DOES THIS LOOK FAMILAR!!!
AFTER they STRIKE YOU OFF FOR 12 MONTHS THEY HAVE A BLOODY CHEEK TO SEND YOU THIS AS A REMINDER TO YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS:
Dear vscltd2008,
We would like to remind you that you still have two days to complete the customer satisfaction survey sent to you on 13/08/2008. As eBay is committed to improving its service, we would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to complete this survey.
WHAT MORE RUBBISH DO THEY HAVE TO OFFER!!!!!!!!!!
HOW ABOUT BRINGING IN WATCHDOG TO REVIEW WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING THERE AT EBAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brian 21 August 2008, 17:48
I agree with all comments, apart from the first who said it was cheap, and that he is going to sell even more items… Who’s he? their MD probably! Greedbay is no cheaper now and have become like the government – like when they put up diesel prices overnight cos you get a few more miles out of a gallon over petrol. There all barstars with a double D. *…* ——-
s trinder 21 August 2008, 17:37
No one has mentioned the new search being atrocious yet! Lots of ramdoms item in a search you are not at all interested in. I find as a buyer there is no fun anymore. I cannot check out the other bidders on an item. See what else they are bidding on and find a bargain as we have similar taste. To many buy it nows. I recently bid on a bag and was outbid. new bidder started with a and finished with an 8 so i had a quick look at sold items from seller. All had been won by same bidder they won 69 quite different items in the last 2 weeks. reported to ebay “ Thanks for your report “seller is still listing and guess who is still bidding?.
Rosh 21 August 2008, 17:36
Ebay is a great place to do real business and buy and sell, and straight to your door with a protected paypal system, i agree the fees should be lowered for sellers to make more profts, we also need some serious challenger to ebay, such as overstock.com or even google auction, it will be very popular.
We must also remember, thanks t ebay, people are able to earn an extra income, which put bread on their table.
I am a supporter of ebay, and alos would love another auction house to come into the game.
Steven Hill 21 August 2008, 17:35
eBay sellers get on Quidco.com to get 50% cashback of all sellers fees for purchases on eBay.
paul 21 August 2008, 17:19
The reality is that its cheap to sell on EBAY.
People are moaning since they expect it to be cheap for ever. Try selling at a car boot sale, dodging the showers or at a local auction (fees 15%+VAT tyically plus lotting fees).
EBAY needs to make a profit… 10% FVF is not outrageous.. nor are listings fees of 40p or 20p, or 5p or even a penny if you have enough to sell.
A system that makes it cheap to list makes far more sense than the old model…
You dont get nothing for nowt… its about time people started to realise that!
PS: I sell in excess of 2000 things a week… and will be listing over 10000 tems once the changes go through!
Zoe 21 August 2008, 17:07
I totally agree with all the comments I was charged a mamouth £37 when selling a pushchair on ebay lat week despite having a start price of 99p and no reserve. It is reduculous in addition i had funds held through paypal despite the buyer being a confirmed/verified buyer and had left me feedback to say she was delighted with the item when, I challanged their decision they said it was because the buyer did not have any funds in their bank account so i was the one who lost out on £20 and not paypal who are supposed to honour the payment. it is a rip off and I will be thinking about selling elsewhere it’s just knowing where to sell pre owned baby items etc thats the problem!
Michelle Dodd 21 August 2008, 17:05
I have been a good ebayer for the last 3 years. I decieded to sell a 2003 scooter and my Landrover 2002 to see if they would sell. I listed them as advertised elsewhere so have the right to sell. Luckly I sold them both off ebay but to ebay customers. When I came to remove the item the only way I could do it was to leave feedback for the customer so that he would leave it for me. At the time of advertising I looked and the charge was for £8.00 each. When my invoice came through it is for £38.00. Why is that? It didnt go through paypal so why have I been charged that amount when it should of been £16.00………………….
Another angry ebayer
Boo 21 August 2008, 17:00
Ebay has become a total sham, i have been a member for over four years and had a very high feedback rating as a seller, due to changes made in recent months i have given up my power seller status and my ebay shop and walked away and set up my own website. My site costs me £50 a month to run,compared to the hundreds of pounds i was paying ebay in fees. I still use pay pal as customers like the facility but i am not forced to accept it as i would be on ebay.
I read the Q&A boards on the ebay site and its clear that the membership is leaving the site in vast numbers and joining other online auction sites such as Ebid.The forums are full of people who are seriously annoyed at ebays attitude to its customers but ebay couldnt care less for the small time sellers, They are actively trying to remove the smaller sellers by banning them from the site using performance measures that are unfair to smaller sellers.
The feedback system that is in place allows buyers to give a seller a bad rating based on their opinion of the sale(but the opinion does not need to be factual or honest) which ebay use to give a seller the boot from the site.
Lesley (Chelmsford) 21 August 2008, 16:49
Completely agree with all the comments. I have a small shop on ebay and offer good and fair prices and provide a good service. Only been trading since February, but getting ripped off. Welcome an alternative site! even though you are the big boys at the moment, watch out Ebay your time may have come
Slavica Milakovic 21 August 2008, 16:33
i used to sell items and buy items on ebay all the time and enjoyed doing it. I have not used ebay to sell for nearly a year. I had a big shock when i went to list items to sell as the prices were through the roof! Why have the sellers got to suffer for ebays greed? I will definatly not be selling with them again – i’m going to CQout.com as its a lot better service then ebay.com! Ebay is going down hill and it is only a matter of time before it goes bump – i can only suggest to small sellers to abandon Ebay asap.
Mike (Newcastle) 21 August 2008, 16:31
Has got far too complecated to use.The fees are a joke,so there’s very few ‘bargains’ to be found, and it’s a waste of time buying anything from an e-bay store! A simple search for the same item through google or similar will often find the same seller, selling the same item, cheaper with multiple payment options through their own store.
Sarah, Bradford 21 August 2008, 16:18
I’m afraid at the moment ebay for me is not a hobby, I’m having to sell things I own to get by.
Prices rises are they last thing I need. I am a busy and very pennyless mum who needs to be able to use something that I can do quickly and understand fully.
I cannot believe you now have to offer Paypal as a way of payment & didn’t realise ebay own it!! I’m disgusted. I don’t have the cash to pay for postage until I have sold something, so receiving a postal order was the easiest way to pay for it. Take parcel to PO with postal order which would pay for the postage. Now i have to wait until I have enough cash for postage before thinking of selling anything.
I’m going to look for alternatives myself. Thanks for all the suggestions above. I might look at Ad Trader.co.uk too and advertise bigger things in supermarket notice boards. I have recently looked at GUMTREE.co.uk or .com and that looks like a good way to sell too.
Mr C E Freeman 21 August 2008, 16:05
I have purchased more than i have sold since signing up, but over the past few weeks i have been selling. My van and bits and bobs to raise some cash Excessive charges spoiling the fun of the auction. I will now be looking for alternative sites, and leave ebay to the big sellers and there shops.
Chris (Burton) 21 August 2008, 16:01
It’s the small sellers that attract the hits, which in turn attracts the company sellers. If the small sellers go elsewhere so will the hits that they attract, ebay has to understand what makes their business successful and it is not the large scale sellers.
brian500k 21 August 2008, 15:23
Can anyone remember Yahoo Auctions UK? well i do and that was great. Back then GreedBay was still a milky spot on a teenagers face NOW its just like the monster in Cloverfield ugly and its motto is “ me, myself & I “ its time we collectively said good by to GreedBay and take OUR MONEY elsewhere …….. i think it has to be realised NOW that the CONSUMER is and will always be a powerful force and they know full well that is a fact because BUT DO WE?. if we stop using their service (don’t laugh) they don’t exist and that is a fact …………… ACT NOW IF YOUR SERIOUS.
khainestar 21 August 2008, 15:18
Ebay fell out of favour with me after the last round of price hikes. I have been ripped off by paypal, ripped off by ebay and they even attempted to make it sound like I was wrong for wanting an item I had paid for to be delivered to me. It is about time the buyers voted with their feet and left ebay in droves. It used to have a fancy market feel about the site. Now it is just professional sellers offering things for the same price I can get them from in the highstreet.
Lets hope people leave and it is a wake up call to ebay or a nail in their coffin.
vscltd2008 21 August 2008, 15:04
I think E Bay has got so BAD with its online Community that now when you even go to appeal for anything they strike you OFF FOR 12 MONTHS… I think EBAY is not worth it any more and i think bigger and better companies can do alot better…
I HATE EBAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also they dont even take CUSTOMERS serious enough!!!!! They are JOKERS!!!!!
Carol 21 August 2008, 15:03
Thanks to above people who have suggested alternative sites, I never knew existed, I have just checked out : CQout claiming to be UKs 2nd largest online auction site, and Tazbar, claiming to be the UKs first online auction site and finally etsy, all three sites look really good, I would recommend everybody check them out for themselves.
Kizzy 21 August 2008, 14:48
Ebay is only for the big buyers nowadays, its hardly worth bothering to list an item anymore, better off trying another site or going to a car boot sale if your just selling small items now and again. Paypal is a rip off too, they always favour on the side of the buyer regardless of anything and charge you to protect them! Ebay will feel the pinch soon enough as more and more people move away from ebay and its their own fault for being greedy. Other sites will cash in on their failure and I will be happy to see ebay slide and will happily help any other site to compete against ebay. Enough is enough with their rediculous rules and fees. Feebay is right! Insisting on paypal as a “have to have” payment options on listings now is just one step too far in blatantly taking yet another cut of a small mans earnings. Disgraceful.
andy 21 August 2008, 14:35
Ebay should now be called thiefbay, as this is what they have become
Emma 21 August 2008, 14:09
I listed a few items some time ago only for them to be removed due to myself stating that i was open to sensible offers. I am the owner and the seller, so i have every right to do so and wanted a quick sale. By stating it, it enabled members to know in advance also. Besides, i paid to list the auction!!
But Ebay removed the listing/s and still took my money despite the auction being less than 3 minutes live. I attempted again, bear in mind i thought it was me that made the error, not posted it as i thought perhaps, but it happened again, and again and again. It wasnt until i read my e-mail a while later that i was shocked to see that ebay had removed the listing/s due to it containing the following: “Open to sensible offers”. So i thought why should i pay for an auction that was removed less than 3 minutes into it and for the further ones i re entered that were removed instantly. I logged out and washed my hands there and then. Only to recieve a nasty letter several months later requesting a payment of £30 something pounds. Failure to pay of course would lead to the bailiffs popping round. I’m not paying them it’s as simple as that. I am not paying for something that was not carried out correctly. In my honest oppinion, due to experience over the years as a seller, buyer etc they have well and truly ruined what was a very good site. It’s all boils down to greed at the end of the day. Take… Take… Take… Money… Money… Money… Members and i mean in thier hundreds and thousands have pleeded with them in regards to the changes etc but were ignored and instead ebay focused on the big sellers. All i can do is suggest that you have a jolly good read through the forums via ebay.uk and ebay.com. It’s all there, your stories, complaints, reviews all piled up and disregarded or rapidly removed ;)
Jo Thomas 21 August 2008, 13:56
I sold 2 things on a so called 5p listing day, got billed £8!!! WTF, refused to pay it but then they threatened me with legal action so had to pay, never again will i use ebay to sell an item!! Got totally ripped off.
Dianne McCallum 21 August 2008, 13:52
I’m another one who has recently closed my ebay and paypal account. I wonder when they will get the message. It seems to be when they changed their ‘leader’ the big changes began, not changes for the better I may add. I too have noticed that there are more and more dealers selling what I have found often to be inferior goods.
My husband has also recently had problems using paypal when buying items for an engine rebuild on his car. Companies he has ordered from, not ebay, have taken ages to supply the items ordered when they have been using paypal as paypal take so long to authorise the payment. He now will not deal with any company who use paypal, he does contact the companies to let them know why and he has closed his paypal account as well,
Sara 21 August 2008, 13:43
I agree with most of these comments. How is the small seller meant to become a big seller. If the the big guys are only looking after the big guys!!!
I will be going to cqout they have no listing fees, just the final value fee and now the UK’s second largest marketplace.
It’s time to jump ship!
Ross George 21 August 2008, 13:32
I completely agree that e-bay and paypal charges are on the up and up, I myself buy and sell fishing reels to add to my collection and discard the ones that are duplicated or not in mint condition for my collection. between me and my wife we have over 275 sales if you work out the charges of sales thats over £380 in 12 months and this is a hobby for gods sake, when are they going to realise that they are killing a good system through greed !!! . Its not rocket science that sooner or later they are going to lose the people who have been with them for years. I dont understand them at all. everybody could have a slice of the pie as it is reported that over 17.5 million transactions take place every year on ebay.If somebody could let me know of an alternative to ebay please feel free to contact me at r.george44@yahoo.com i will welcolm all suggestions
ian 21 August 2008, 13:29
i agree with you all. Ebay is a complete joke now, i used to love using the site but now everything just seems to be buy it now and not auctions. The fees are way too expensive from what they used to be and having to offer paypal is outrageous. goodbye ebay!
Harish Karia ( Harrow) 21 August 2008, 13:28
I have been a buyer on E bay. I sold few things sometimes ago >> when U work out the time spend taking the photo and listing and all the fees U have to pay, regardless of weather u sell the item or not I dont think it is worth it. Now I find, most of the sellers, to save on fees hike up the P & P e.g. a pen knife 0.99 P & P
£5.50 how can U justify £5.50 P & P? so i very rarely buy anything now>>>
Brian G 21 August 2008, 13:26
Absolute outrage, I too, will cease using ebay after this latest nonsense with charges.
As others have said, it’s 100% geared towards the buyers these days.
And you do not have a choice but to take paypal.
Bye bye ebay, it used to be fun.
I really hope you go out of business.
Robin Hunter 21 August 2008, 13:19
Today ebay is so hiked towards the buyer, the seller has so few rights. Why don’t they charge a buyers premium as well as a sellers premium just like evry other auctioneer up and down the country, this will tie in the buyer to honouring their bids. instead of 5% sellers premuim they should charge say 2.5% each way.
Stephen Thomas 21 August 2008, 13:06
EBAY IS NOW A TOTAL RIP-OFF. Not like the good old days.
Sara 21 August 2008, 13:05
I totally agree with most of the comments made. How is the small seller able to become a big seller, when as usaul the rich are looking after the rich. I will be going to
www.cqout.com as they have NO listing fees just a final value fee. Its time to jump ship.
martin heard 21 August 2008, 12:59
i believe ebid is free to list tho im guessing there will be some charge to pay at some point,i have perused the site and there is not the same choice or level of people selling on there,if everyone is getting fed up of ebay im sure it will soon start to pick up,maybe its time we all gave it a try and left ebay behind,we all just want a bargain and as people are forced to increase there p+p and starting bids to cover ebay charges getting one will become far less likely
anthony (birmingham) 21 August 2008, 12:50
i myself sell on ebay since the early days when they used to give sellers at shows free gifts to promote them when they were small, and it has become a joke, the non payers have gone up since the feedback system the fees are high, (not including people do think about postage when buying too), i have found a altenative which is the-salesroom.com real auction auctions live online website i have started to put things into auction houses that are live online and prices my items are selling for have fetched upto 3x the ebay price i would have expected, ok have to send items to auction rooms but when i have to do no packing its so much easier and auction houses will lower there fees if you strike deals with them to give guaranteed lots each week etc,
Gaz 21 August 2008, 12:45
Has anybody tried tazbar.com? I think its propably the best contender against ebay. Its British, has a great community feel, and if you have any questions, the forums is the best place to get a very fast response, often from someone at tazbar! Sellers are not charged if the item(s) do not sell, and tazbar actively eliminates auction sniping, which is good for buyers, and to sell your item, all the details are filled out on 1 page, easy. Before you ask, no i dont work for them, i just think its a great alternative to feebay! What have you got to lose? Nothing, because you dont pay if it dont sell!
FRANCESCA JONES 21 August 2008, 12:44
If anyone wants to sell anything Handmade or vintage you should try etsy ,They charge 20p to list something for 3 months .
And then a small fee after item is sold .
from sesga xx
Sarah 21 August 2008, 12:44
Most of the sellers on eBay (that are really p****d off with the fees and paypal) are, I am led to believe jumping ship and defecting to eBid – worth a try???
DEREK SMITH 21 August 2008, 12:27
DEREK SMITH 21/08/2008.
I have read all the comments,you are quite right its all a rip-off.it used to be a enjoyable pastime,not anymore.
martin houghton 21 August 2008, 12:26
I totally agree with all comments,Ebay will loose a lot of custom including mine as all us small sellers must make up a large proportion of ebays income, as usual its greed at the cost of the small people who make theese companys so big,
Brings to mind the phrase Bite The Hand That Feeds You.
Mr T Blunden 21 August 2008, 12:21
I totally agree that we do need a new aucton site, as many people say the fees are going thru the roof, and to withdraw less than £50 from your paypal account, they charge 25p in the pound, toally OTT.
Ian Smith 21 August 2008, 11:54
Yes it would be good to see a british based online auction site with a return to the orignal small seller support instead of this over priced, complaicant leviathon that ebay has become.
I for one would support and use such a site
Ken 21 August 2008, 11:51
I’ve been a long time buyer and the changes haven’t really affected me, by and large. However, I recently attempted to sell a few items on it – why not I thought? I was confident of the site and with how it worked.
I was surprised by how convoluted the charges were – I just dont understand why it cant just be a percentage of the final selling price? I mean, you list something, it doesnt sell, you still pay for it? Apart from which I think you need a degree in mathematics to comprehend what your final charges will be. I dont like needing to offer Paypal either, as it does add to the total cost. All things added up, its not a bargain to sell there and I dont think I’d do it again. I may still buy there but what good is having a bunch of buyers but no sellers? No good at all, certainly not for the stuff I generally buy (Rugby League collectables, watercolour art, electronic/electrical stuff etc)
It seem they’ve got us, whether we like it or not. Whichever way you look at it, its costs are such that it can no longer be considered a bargain and I for one will be exploring another site, ebid, which I uderstand to be, unfortunately, much smaller. Does anyone else now of other auction sites?
Stuart Mcintyre 21 August 2008, 11:47
Hi, Does any one out there know of any alternative site to sell on .
Please let us all know if you have had success else were on the net and then perhaps most of us could move our sales their.
If we all move site instead of just excepting E-Bays price hikes ,we might all make a fair profit and buy a bargain instead of lining E-Bays pockets.
Reverend Harvey Miller 21 August 2008, 11:46
I sold a collection of stamps on Ebay and despite sending them recorded delivery and having the parcel signed for, the buyer stated that he never received them.
I was reported to ebay who without hesitation suspended my account for improper dealing. This was despite having proof from the post office that the item had been received and signed for. I lost hundreds of pounds in sales and had to wait 30 days before i could access my account.
recorded delivery isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on because ebay do not accept it as proof.
serkan sahin 21 August 2008, 11:41
I think ebay has done the right thing, why would ebay give a discount to small sellers theyre not the ones that sell 100’s in a week, the big sellers do, in this game the only person you need to keep happy is the customers that buy from ebay and to keep them happy is to give high volume sellers more discount so they can offer a better service and better price, high volume sellers try to make living from ebay not the small sellers.
thank you
Stephen 21 August 2008, 11:39
Clearly, eBay is the dominant player in the online auction market. As such, they can charge whatever they like, simply because there is no credible alternative competing for their business. Isn’t that just the sort of thing that the Monopolies Commision was set up to prevent?
Stan 21 August 2008, 11:37
give us a new market place and we will follow Nic, ebay has had its day. They take no responsibility for rip-offs and fake sellers and charge through the roof. Exchange and Mart should build something similar, its far more respectable
Tessa (Blackpool) 21 August 2008, 10:50
I 100% agree with Mr. Cicutti.
I’ve been an Ebay member now since nearly the begining as a buyer and a small-time seller.
There are no bargains to be had on Ebay now as even if you do find something cheap, the seller has charged a stupid price for P&P. When you ask the seller why the P&P is so, so high, you get a nasty response but it normally ends the same… “It’s to cover my Ebay fees too!”.
Come on Ebay! Get a grip! Charge so-called “power sellers” more to sell things and not us normal guest just looking for a bargain!
J. Roylance 21 August 2008, 10:45
I completely agree ebay is a rip-off. The fees are extortionate, and now you HAVE to offer Paypal as a payment option (in some case the ONLY option), so they get you there as well. It’s just not worth using it to sell anymore.
My big problem is that they claim to be fair, yet when I recently got ripped off by a seller, they washed their hands of the whole affair, and told me to sort it myself! Utterly disgrasful, and I for one will be closing my account.
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