Today’s eBay UK Seller Release will impact almost every seller on the marketplace, although some will be impacted more than others.
Fees and Subscriptions
There are a raft of fee changes and changes to Anchor shop subscriptions. In particular take note of the surcharges for sellers who fall below standards. Sellers who qualify for eBay Premium Service may also need to adjust their postage rates to retain the 10% final value fee discounts associated with the badge. Returns policies are also being migrated to 30 or 60 days – 14 day return policies are on the way out.
HTTPS and the end of custom eBay shop design
There are more changes coming from eBay’s move to make the entire site HTTPS compliant and this time it includes eBay shops. Custom eBay shop designs are dead, or soon will be as eBay will migrate sellers to a native eBay shop design. We would go further and suggest that further investment in eBay listing design is also probably unwise as we forecast eBay will ban them at some future point too.
Shop by Product page tests
Something that will doubtless be controversial is the live test eBay are running for what they are calling a Shop by Product experience. Basically it means rolling up all similar listings onto a single product page with one featured listing. We have picked this new buying experience apart to show how alternative buying choices are presented and give some insights into what you need to do to get your item featured.
Insights and promotional tools
There are new Seller Hub Insights coming to help you run your business and in a move that will please users of eBay Promotion tools a ravamp comes with a much asked for Promotions API to enable 3rd party software providers to offer management within their multichannel management solutions.
Access to eBay Concierge
Larger retailers who subscribe to an Anchor shop will also be pleased to get access to eBay Concierge, although less pleased with the rise in subscription cost.
Finally eBay remind sellers about the importance of VAT registration and their ongoing work with HMRC.
Tamebay Take
There are many things in this Seller Release that will impact your business, but they are changes that we’ve been predicting for a long time.
Custom eBay shop and listing design worked when eBay sellers had to insert everything from images to shipping, returns and payment options within their listings. Today, eBay offer up to 12 images for free (yes, you used to have to pay 15p per picture!) as well as a raft of fields for business seller information, returns policies and shipping information. Best advice today is for your listing to be a simple product description and preferably text only to appeal to mobile and app users.
There is plenty in place to please larger retailers with access to eBay Concierge and API tools to manage promotional activities through 3rd party software. Sellers of all sizes are likely to appreciate changes to eBay Premium Service which will now favour those offering great service.
What I really appreciated when reading through this eBay UK Seller Release is for once the language is refreshingly plain and the advice clear. Rather than reading like a legal agreement, this Seller Release doesn’t hesitate to not only lay out the changes but also offer clear simple advice such as “we highly recommend that you do not invest in any custom HTML Shop experience, as this will not be supported after May” and “You can change your returns policy yourself, or we will update your policies later in the year“. Straight, to the point and unvarnished, nice one eBay!
104 Responses
So a Royal Mail large letter 24 is not “Eligible” for a Premium service but a Royal Mail parcel 24 is. How is that ?????
Well that will make every seller in our Cat (video games) under the premium service straight away…..and put one of the biggest doorbusters eBay have straight into Amazons hands.
One thing I would like clarification on, do sellers who post Large Letter still qualify for premium service if item is under £20? Tracking is not required if under £20 so would make sense
Once again, the Ebay message is “FEE HIKE !!!”
There is no justification in all this bullsh*t from Ebay for whacking up Anchor fees by more than £100 a month, following last year’s big hike.
This whole release is about Ebay taking more from sellers in every which way then can.
There’s a disturbing pattern now in Wenig’s Ebay: increase company value by taking more off sellers.
This is way easier than actually trying to increase sales, which would benefit both sellers and Ebay.
But Ebay’s new direction is Ebay First.
Have a look at the spring update for Ebay.ie
There appears to be NO fee change for Irish sellers.
All the other garbage is there, but not the fee hike.
UK sellers are being stung here.
I’m confused with the Royal Mail 24 thing. eBay delivery options on the listings just say “Royal Mail 24”. We don’t specify on the listing if it’s letter, large letter or parcel on the actual listing. Am I missing something.
I was thinking exactly same thing as hubert72 and nicholas’ comments?makes no sense at all,just rang Concierge and he couldn’t even find the spring seller announcement!lol. And then couldn’t answer my question either
Hi folks
Today I upgraded to an Anchor shop at about 10am GMT. All excited as it was the culmination of months of planning, new stock arrived yesterday to list on Ebay on what I called ‘The BIG push’.
Having become disillusioned as an Amazon seller, and not having to much trouble in the 18 months I have been on Ebay I decided to make a major switch to Ebay.
Imagine my surprise that around 5.30pm I get an email saying the price was going up in April to £488 aprox including tax.
Thank God that I was able to remove my new subscription for zero, as it was within 24 hours.
In 2017 an Anchor shop on Ebay was approx £217 then it went up to £269 then another hike just today. Less than 5 weeks notice given..
So thanks, I know one seller closed his business today with huge thanks to Ebay, having not been able to get get Universal Credit he can now claim as you have priced him out of business.
As for my other four mates with Anchor shops, who I researched having an Anchor shop with. Expect calls in the morning Ebay, three of them are calling it a day for good and the fourth is pondering downgrading.
So I have lots of lovely stock to list, but at least I can cancel the other orders placed at the NEC Spring Fair. I must have known caused I asked for March delivery!
Not listed a bean tonight. I now have time to play with the cat.
Best wishes
Elisha who escaped Ebay’s new prices hacks literally by a few hours
I wonder how much eBay paid Tamebay for the positive write up for the Spring update?!
Andy R – so if the hike in price is too much for your business then downgrade from anchor.
Or you can do what many businesses do when other bills increase (as they tend to do) is to pass on the increased costs to the buyers.
Somehow at this late stage I can’t see you changing the mind of ebay management.
I only sell items which fit into a large letter box, and send all my items within one day by Royal Mail first class post.
This has never been a problem until the new changes were announced.
Now (unless I want to alienate my customers by charging ridiculous shipping prices) I will lose my Premium Service status.
It would appear that whenever eBay implement new changes, it is the sellers that always bear the brunt.
Perhaps eBay might rethink this strategy in light of the many sellers who ship by Royal Mail first class large letter service.
im still confused by this ‘eBay delivery options on the listings just say “Royal Mail 24”. We don’t specify on the listing if it’s letter, large letter or parcel on the actual listing. Am I missing something.’
also what if you send a letter /large letter not tracked for low value items for your standard free post option then offer special delivery for the express options?would that still qualify?
any help appreciated please
Why are small sellers continuing to bother with eBay? There are now so many good alternative selling platforms out there with much lower fees.
Hasn’t anyone noticed there seem to be less buyers on eBay than there used to be? That’s because when they alienated the micro sellers, they forgot that those people were also buyers. They’ve all migrated to Facebook, Vinted, Depop, eCrater, Bonanza, eBid and so on.
How i love these seller updates…. All glossed up and made to look like they are doing us a favour….
‘We are introducing a requirement for valid tracking information to be uploaded for items over £20 as part of the change to eBay Premium Service. This is only for items with a value over £20, including auction-style listings and Best Offers. Valid tracking must be uploaded within the dispatch time.’
Now what this is really saying is…
‘We have a serious problem with our delivery guarantee and useless protection of sellers which is causing alot of fraud. Rather than actually deal with it, we have decided to make sellers jump through yet another hoop to get thier tiny discount, (which we hope to further decrease later in the year once you have all amended your listings YET AGAIN). Not only this but we have found a way to increase our revenue by increasing the costs to the seller. It’s a win win for us really. With margins getting tighter by the day, sellers will have to increase prices to cover the extra cost of tracking in many cases, not to mention all the extra work, and in doing so our final value fees will reap up yet more money to cover the fact that we are slipping down like an armadillo trying to go up a greased slide.
We hope you will see how this is a great opportunity for us to fleece you even more and appreciate our efforts to dress it up as anything but.
Ebay
Now that is what i read when i read the latest business seller news.
So stock costs up, postage costs up, staff costs up, electric costs up, packaging costs up, ebay requirements up…..Customers, well they want it cheaper and faster. China… we need you to take over…. oh you already have?!
p.s is it just me or does every one of ebays improvements that are at the request of buyer research, seem to always have a side effect of boosting ebay profits? Maybe it’s just me….!
@alanpaterson only in eBayland they would not understand they are changing everyone from DMO to Click and drop, and every large letter 24/48 will get delivery confirmation, it is not an excuse.
Not giving 24 LL hour premium is just an excuse to take away discount and more stealth fees . Then giving 2nd class parcel premium is just a plain “Misleading”. It is stupid and Bad management. There is actually grounds for a legal challenge as they are negatively impacting our business,
We will lose our TRS which we have had forever automatically no fault of our own ,
We will drop 24 and just send 48 hour, we will not be TRS so what is the point.
You want a game of us it will take 48 hours on eBay, if you buy on GAME/Amazon etc 24 hours.
Everything we sell is 24 large letter right now apart from a few bits.
We are going to keep all the other channels on 24 , their fees are better anyway.
We emailed Hattrell and actually asked if this was a “mistake” when we first seen it, I actually cannot believe how silly they are getting, and they have virtually just handed Amazon a ton of business.
@Alan Paterson. Have you let Rob Hattrell know?
If you take a look at Ebay.com, their spring release for 1 May 18 is far worse.
They’ve introduced an Enterprise shop level, where you get 100,000 “free” shop listings and 1,500 auctions.
The price – you’d better sit down – is $2,995 dollars a month.
The lunatics really are running the asylum on Ebay now.
Peter – how much extra does it cost to meet the premium requirements? Get your buyers to pay.
Or you pay if you really want to.
Denise – so many good sites out there? Could you name them for everyone else please.
Well this when read by any seller = more revenue for ebay with less/no benefit to sellers… Shouldn’t that be the headline for a trade title aimed at online retailers?
Lets see; when automatic returns are slipped in later in the year, this policy ruling on 24/48 shipping choices will cover those same auto returns but as ebay will authorise/automate the return without seller approval; its another guaranteed revenue stream ebay can add to their portfolio to hit their revenue for 2018/hit targets…
This smacks of the Exec team doing all they can to hit targets short term, they have an exit plan to skip their jobs before the true drop in buyers across ebay is revealed.. actual profitability of the platform is revealed… these clowns with have skipped town before this is presented to the shareholders…
The casualties in the meantime are sellers… it’s a race to the bottom… plus the squeeze on buyers funds nationwide!!
What business introduces this update to a long term business model designed to grow?? Their growth comes from charging the only regular customers they have a lot more; and that customer is SELLERS!
In all announcements made to sellers, all I read IS… here are some more costs… soak it up… no explanation of benefits or improvements being driven through a fault ridden platform…
Cue the paid for “ebay do loads for sellers” comments..
They know there is little choice to this platform for sellers; they are short on ideas so mimic Amazon.. this shipping policy is “prime on the cheap” (at sellers expense) and the returns, when introduced, will be auto refunded – no questions asked when tracking is uploaded.. I think scammer forums currently comment that anything under £12 is refunded without a need for returns!
This push for 2D or 3D/5D barcodes will drive this auto return/refund project ebay have put on the radar, auto tracking upload it will also hit your delivery times and thus reduce discounts…
My issue is, the scanning of barcodes by lazy postal staff.. the handhelds are being used in the back of the vehicle to do a bag full of deliveries; not on the doorstep to prove its delivered to the address you paid for it to be sent too…
My local depot manager told me this is the postie preferred method to new technology! That is when the hand held works… or they have enough to go around..
As sellers we really need to hope the new e-commerce platform coming to Europe from China will challenge ebay/amazon.. no one else can… for now the management are planning to keep hitting their revenue targets by screwing sellers.. they will jump ship and leave the mess…
For sellers, its no answer.. we need a business partner with a robust platform we can all make a profit from..
I wish…
Another thought on the silly large letter doesn’t qualify for premium but parcel does…
I can’t see any difference on the labels for RM large letter or parcel (using 24 and 48 under click and drop). It’s only the number you can put in to ebay, and most of that is your user ID, then a few alphanumerics after that. There doesn’t appear to be anything to say whether it is large letter or parcel and the tracking info should be exactly the same.
In which case, why tell ebay it is a large letter, when you could tell them it is a parcel?
When is the new e-commerce platform coming to Europe from China? I can’t wait!
Not to happy about being forced to accept 30 days return policy. Ebay say its what customers want and expect. So if sellers all start saying we want ebay to pay for all returns and expect them to pay will they at some point?
Customers want more and more, free postage, free returns, then if something goes wrong want the item for free. Then compensation for their time messaging you or sending it back.
Loads of sellers in the section I sell in, clearly run a business to make a profit as they have 100s of new or nearly new items yet no business information, most likely declare no tax. These are the ones who offer no returns.
As long as business are meeting the minimum requirements by law let business choose what policy they want. Thats how each competitors differentiates, one might have a lower price and 14 days returns and the next might charge a bit more but offer free and longer returns
As the “ebay against small business” spring update has now been updated and made clearer (cheap large letters under £20 WILL qualify for premium service, as they DO NOT require tracking afterall!!!!) I guess we can stop worrying about the loss of FVF discount on our cheap large letter stuff. Which is good of course, 1 less thing to worry about.
For us, it’s about a 50/50 split of large letters vs parcels. If we only have to upload the parcels tracking info, which will increase the number of (and I quote ebay directly here, from the late delivery rate report) so called “Transactions that weren’t dispatched on time” we might still scrape under the ridiculous status limits.
BTW, a bit of a wander off topic, but consider this: If ebay made your late delivery report public, so everyone could see the bit that says “Transactions that weren’t dispatched on time:” followed by whatever number that was, you could sue them for libel. You really could. Because it is not true and ebay don’t have the information. If they said “Transactions that weren’t received on time:” that would be a different matter.
Was paid £50 back in December to evaluate the wording of the Spring release in a Focus Group. Had to sign a confidentiality agreement but I can assure you that they did not listen although most of the concerns raised here were raised. I am surprised that they did not follow through on our major requirement to sweeten the pill which was from all present sellers the need for ebay to validate shipping addresses as a large number are wrong or not in the right format.
What clowns are at eBay.
Our sales are so far down on eBay we have dropped prices to the lowest we can possibly go. We then ship by the cheapest we can arrange as that’s the best we can get to compete with the big boys and the overseas fraudsters and the VAT evaders.
Now we are told fees are increasing and we will lose our discounts and ratings if we cannot meet what will actually add up to a 30% higher cost so our items will never sell at all now.
The 30 day return is the most ridiculous enforcement they can possibly do. But if you force eBay to deal with the purchase of the return label for the buyer they are fully and legally required for its safe and undamaged return and also the condition so if it arrives used and abused just use the small claims court process and they soon back down as they have a legal duty once they take full responsibility for the return.
BETTER STILL SWAP TO “ON BUY” let eBay see we all mean business our sales on that site are creeping up to 35% increase just 4% below eBay and 1% behind amazon while eBay sales are down 27% on last year and always dropping.
They are shooting themselves in the foot. Telling me how to post when to post and what to charge and what our return policy will be.
Or is eBay another name for ARGOS and TESCO plus other big companies taking over the design of metrics for the site.
Never heard of On Buy before.
No online reviews from sellers/users
Does it work for anyone else on here?
NOT ALL CUSTOMERS WANT TRACKING
but enough will do ,so as to make it worthwhile to offer tracking,
of course each business should have the right to trade as it sees fit on the open market
but ebay is not an open market, its ebays market
ebay need to really grasp that the buyers are NOT their customers! They are the sellers customers.. the buyers ARE the SELLERS CUSTOMERS
ebay sells nothing with the exception of sub service platform that it neither seeks to improve for its customers (the sellers) nor rectify on going IT issues on that are now years old.. issues that hamper sellers growing a business..
I’m very understanding of the views presented by Mark, when was the last time ebay sent out an update detailing the known site issues they have fixed for sellers or are next ones going to be fixed for sellers.. I’m sick of reading “were doing this for buyers”.. the sellers pay good fees monthly only to be affected by crap IT and poor site issues, lets not getting going on ebay squabbles with Google that mean we do not appear in Google shops..
That would be progress, a nice easy update to sellers, instead of trying to find ways to game the system as suggested (sorry, get a good return on the time invested)… this support of the ebays position is crazy… it like saying I’m going to concentrate on using this vehicle to get me to work.. I dont know how to work it, only sometimes does it function well and get me the results I need, but I am going to continue trying to master it – when its full of faults…
Learning to master it is not about learning how to fix the faults or learning workarounds… no one pays you for that; your paid for selling – being a seller – being an online retailer…
If the platform performed as it should there would be no beefs on here about it, if there were alternatives there would be no beefs on here about the platform.. sellers would be off and would be selling! They would be happy.. with happy customers
and I agree not all customers want tracking.. and dont forget.. I’M A CUSTOMER TOO .. and I buy online.. I’m not bothered about tracking … very very rarely do my customers ask for it!
So I dont accept the sales pitch for it..
This push for tracking has its origins in the forced automatic returns policy that will be forced on us before Xmas 2018.. this will of course allow ebay to offer no fuss or cost returns… the rub is.. the post will be provided by ebay, bought through Royal Mail 24/48; they will be buying loads of labels hourly, ebay will get a massive discount and sell it for a good mark up as a return post price to us sellers..
Best of all, its a good revenue generator and guaranteed one, and one ebay can and will increase revenue from at their will; as they direct buyers with any questions take up the FREE RETURNS without any recourse to the seller….
Stop thinking ebay is producing a platform for sellers to build a business on, ebay is running a platform that needs to produce income.. so its all about milking the sellers….
This is why an alternative is needed! Anyone seeing ebay as in it for the sellers….
Well they must work for ebay.. and provide fake news
20 years we have been full time sellers on ebay
its served us well,
we know the rules ,we know the deal ,we can decide to not use them anytime we wish ,
no one is forced to use their services.
if we were as upset or so anti ebay as some are
we would just simply walk away
Inspiring Facts : SHOCKING LESSON @all sellers HAPPY FACTS AMAZON will Kill Destroy EBAY and make them disappear …Tim it is TRUTH who spoke through you and Business Sellers are being scammed more all month on EBay by normal citizen go o YouTube see video how to get free stuff from eBay open a case not received …. Then the hold your money ….. To much you prove it takes ages to get the funds back ect…. and they do not care about it leave it to PayPal and all the EBay’s hands in your pocket can be seen as thiefs wearing a policeman uniform …. They say You shut up JUST pay the fees in advance plus NOW they add 20% vat in advance eBay fees for each transactions are net to pay in advance from 30% to 35% to pay in advance NOW “Amazon is cheaper vat included for years” they invoice you on fees for scammed sales do not remove unothorised fraudulent transactions fees plus if you Promote your listing they charge like by chance Advert fees on the total of each sales in the month becoming systematic if you refund the client still charge you advert fees to pay in advance return policy is 30 days!!!! on a sales refunded and apparently they forget but this become multi thousand extra GBP to pay to eBay and add free delivery plus you need to put your stock lower price than Amazon Using a giant calculator …. Better watch Netflix all day otherwise you end up in Debt …. Working for Royal Maill, EBay . your-supply and the scammers dancing at home ….. Sellers on eBay are Skinned like a Rabbit they find lots of ways the to do it …. Everyone should do the Maths ….. Freedom From Hell… Put the prices up ….. ABOVE ALL Imagine an EBay Business Seller on a raft lost at sea. A boat pulls alongside and for several minutes someone shouts encouraging words down to the drifter. Then, the boat deliberately sails away, leaving the lost Business Seller stunned and furious. This is exactly what a sick Ebay does to Every Business Seller It smiles, it promises — and sails away, leaving you alone. You must see this so clearly that you want above all else to discover the meaning of self-rescue… AMAZON will KILL EBAY because eBay don’t want to hear! Cross selling is the solid foundation of these market places as long as their practices continue and cost of shop fees plus the scams lots of eBay sellers will flock to Amazon will be able to sustain with fair prices and make a lot of money EBay will therefore not be able to compete with AMAZON on pricing ilimited listing for £25.00 all maker places translated by Amazon lower clear seller fees Vat included they send you Vat invoices do not take your money away from your account if a client ask a return request or never return goods or send 3 weeks later takes ages imagine if 100 return request…. It is the end of pure players they are finished , the futur is multi-channel and cross-channel EBay Vs Amazon Amazon is brand that create trust and then it create a market place , for smaller retailer to use , and now it makes products. Amazon is now a Brand . Customer service is crucial and accounting as well why Amazon is simple and don’t get ripped off in all the ways they know it plus the seller support is 5 stars quick with email feedback asking if operator resolved the issue or whatever the topic…. eBay no trace of phone call is like explaining to mule what is a diamond so you give up the all even loosing lots of money unjustified charges with proof I will offer a giant calculator to all eBay accountants and CEO .. The urgency is to design the future , to look where you are going without over-investment what matter is the right format the good communication the good positioning and especially the promise of the Brand=the market place . Amazon obviously and of course VP who managed to create addiction around his brand , to create pleasure and is very qualitative , it’s interesting , it shows that Maybe One Day EBAY can generate affective relationships, curiosity, addiction and and become unavoidable ….
All the best to all business sellers and Rise Above …. Best regards .
@ALAN PATERSON I simply see you as a very hostile person with a serious problem to solve.
You are harsh and unkind simply because you do not know any other way to behave and speak
“Because their natures are so utterly different, an eagle never consents to talking with a parrot.”
Avoid swearing words when replying to BABYLOU-007 stay away from me ok
@allan Patterson
These are FACTS and everyone here who wrote something relevant to everyday reality they are experiencing responding to Tamebay post Breaking News of eBay directions and The atmosphere toward business seller … All genuinely like eBay because they are sellers and buyers as well . Just get ready for the WAY OUT , always knows where is the way out before committing to any business investment .
Best regards
Babylou
@babylou-007 Don’t take Mr Paterson too seriously. He is always right…..in his own head. He is a professional eBay sycophant.
@Alan Paterson What exactly do you mean by “it is OUR platform”
@ Leader of the Banned – if i have to explain to you what i mean by “our platform” there is something very wrong lol. I am off to google “sycophant”…….
@ BABYLOU-007 – business not doing so well? (I am asking about your ebay business – not ebay)
It is a sad state of affairs when we all sell on ebay (our platform and symbiotic relationship) and certain sellers (most on here) do not realise that they are damaging their own business by coming on here and trashing the platform.
Let me check sales. FACT:
My sales are up on all my shops from last year with the exception of one – the shop i did not add inventory to. No surprise there then.
My clients sales are up on this time last year on all the categories they sell on. ebay sales are up too in these categories.
Ebay sales are up across the board on this time last year.
ALL FACTS
and also thank you for acknowledging that i always know what i am talking about. i do appreciate it. i sometimes feel like a voice in the wilderness on here. However, I am not ALWAYS right – just mostly, just mostly.
@ Katie, thank you for your support.
@Katie A
@Alan
I get very upset when you eBay cheerleaders suggest that sellers should swallow the BS because to complain is seen as destructively biting the hand that feeds you. How the hell do we get anything sorted by trolling people who speak out against the catalogue of ongoing problems? Are you suggesting we all keep shtum about it?
@Alan
You say…”ebay is my livelihood” That’s not too clever. If you are relying on eBay for a living then you are being extremely unwise. eBay is about as stable as a one legged donkey. And Calling eBay “OUR platform” in reply to someone who is clearly not English could be seen as a little bit racist.
If things are wrong they will stay wrong unless we scream about it. THE WAY EBAY IS BEING RUN IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE! There I’ve said it. I don’t care what the cheerleaders say.
@tyler
Oh dear god! I said it could be seen as a “little bit” racist. If you are that shallow minded that you think I must be a racist for pointing something slightly racist out, then you are just being a silly snowflake. Irony intended.
no good looking for excuses if you have an opinion your either a racist or a troll or a cheerleader ?
Seems like that doesn’t it. Snowflakes Racists Trolls & Cheerleaders. Ban the whale & save the bomb. Utter nitwits
@tyler
Go and buy yourself a parrot to argue with Tyler. You can teach it to eat chips off your shoulder.
Update on RMG 24 large letter: When we seen this seller update, this was the 1st thing that stood out, so we emailed Rob Hattrell.
We just had a phone call from a eBay Executive Escalations person regarding this.
They are basically wanting everything tracked on eBay first of all.
Now it has been taken onboard that if you are using this service 24 large letter with click and drop you are getting the exact same service as 24 parcel with same delivery confirmation.
Yet one service you get Premium the other you do not.
Then you class RMG 2nd class parcel as PREMIUM (not a premium service)
They have not changed it YET, but your man Rob has had this looked at we explained from our point of view this would be CRAZY to take this service away from Premium service.
So it is actually getting looked at, and he has forwarded this to the people who make these decisions and they will update on this before June. So hopefully common sense prevails.