20 free listings every month for eBay UK private sellers

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Commencing on the 13th May, eBay UK will be dramatically simplifying the fee structures for private sellers.

In the first instance, every private seller will now qualify for 20 free listings each month. Excluding Motors, these listings can be auction or fixed price with any start price. Once sellers have exhausted their supply of 0 freebies, the current system of insertion fees will be swept away. All listings will cost 35p.

eBay will also be offering private sellers the opportunity to schedule 0 items for free each month. Final value fees will remain unchanged. There is more detail on the eBay site.

Also, according to the FAQs, eBay says it will continue to run regular pricing promos alongside this new deal.

This major step for private sellers makes an awful lot of sense and is the latest step in simplifying eBay’s previously byzantine fee structures that were both bewildering and off-putting, especially for the uninitiated.

26 Responses

  1. It’s the changes to the way in which basic shop fees are dealt with which interests me. As a private seller I had grown quite accustomed to my 200 free listings and then 20p per listing thereafter. And with 10p for media items it was a bargain. I’m looking at spending £140 a month in listing fees as opposed to just £45. This is seriously going to affect my status as an eBay seller.

  2. They are describing it as a ‘nice surprise’ for private sellers – I can’t see what’s nice about it as they’re removing the 100 free listings under £1.00 and replacing it with 20 free listings at any amount. I cannot afford 35p per listing as a private seller

  3. Good morning,

    In Germany this listing upgrade was introduced quite a while ago and it is a positive thing for private sellers (not very positive for striggling small business sellers though). Private sellers can list for free not only 20 items. eBay still runs additional free listing weekends as often as it is used to be. I am confident here in the UK it is going to be the same. But I have to say that in Germany there are not so many “private” sellers who openly list loads of items again and again. It is very different, because no business seller (regardless of the size of his/her business) would tolerate unfair competition. What we have in the UK?! Apalling situation. There are “private” sellers who list 100-150 items on a systematic basis. There are also business sellers out there who parallely list privately their “defect” or excess stock. All this behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated in Germany. There are hundreds of so-called “Abmahnanwalt”‘s, lawyers who specialise in all sorts of unfair competition or online fraud cases. If you are spotted by them, you will need to be paying very high price for only a small profit you think you made while “cheating” the system.

    Regards, El_Ba

  4. I may be being a bit thick. However I get the impression from the posting that it is going to cost 35p to list a 99p item. That is not a surprise thats a savage kick in the teeth for a large number of Private Sellers.

    In fact even over £1 sales value 35p is a savage kick in the teeth unless of course you are going to only sell very expensive(over say £20 items) as a Private Seller. In other words the Private Seller can almost be expected to disappear over night on the 13th May…..perhaps thats the intention???

  5. wonderful
    your either a private seller or a business seller

    if your listing regularly for profit its a business
    so stop whinging do your fiddling or pay your dues and register as a business

  6. If you are a private seller selling why is 35p to list not affordable?

    It is more affordable than 50p or 80p or whatever the former listing fees were.

  7. I don’t sell much privately but I’m in favour of the changes. Rather than wait for a free listing day realistic prices can set set whenever you want them to be listed.

  8. I can’t work out if you get 20 x free listings PLUS 20 x free scheduled listings = so 40 x free listings … or 20 x free listings which can be schdueled if you wish … Anyone?

  9. Would agree that for those genuine private sellers of unwanted household items the new fee structure is positive.

    Hobby sellers of large collections up until now have been milking the system with their small value, but large in number, penny sales (or none sales more likely). If a hobby seller is genuinely selling a collection then simply plonk the whole collection on ebay once as a BIN for ££££ or whatever you think the whole collection is worth. You can list it forever at no cost until it sells. Surely this is far better use of time? We only live once after all!

  10. I am coming to the view that ebay are working very hard to get rid of sellers below a certain cash generated for them level. Almost everything that has happened or is about to happen seems to point at this by winding both business and private sellers up.

  11. I don’t think ebay are working hard to get rid of sellers below a certain cash value. They are encouraging sellers to work smarter with this move which is a win-win both for sellers and ebay.

    And job lotting may well make ebay a more interesting place as there will be less duplication of the same old 99p items appearing and more unique job lots to view which should benefit the ebay search algorithm. And anything that improves ebay search is good for everybody!

  12. Gary has made some comments about Private Sellers who have large collections which they sell off for only a few pennies each. I am not certain what collections he is talking about. I collect Model Buses and Model Ships. Over the last few years I have regularly bought a few of each off ebay. These regularly sell for a few pounds not a few pennies.

    Let us imagine that a collector has say 20 model buses to sell and he is stupid enough to take any notice at all of Gary. He puts in a Lot of 20 model buses for a starting price of say £100. Well I would look at the collection but it is unlikely that I would bid £100. Although if they were individually listed at say £5 each it is possible that I may bid for one or two of them that I was interested in.

    The lot would probably not sell, not every lot now sells. It is relisted again and probably again. In the past Gary has been very critical of Private Sellers putting very high prices on their goods. In this case the opening price may be reasonable but collectors like myself might not want the complete collection. So why should we bid for 20 items in one lot if we only are really interested in 2 or 3 of them.

    Essentially the current systerm is very good. The Collector selling off his collection lists them one at a time because he knows(even if Gary does not have a clue) that collectors make up their own minds as to what they are interested in and bid accordingly.

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