Free P&P on eBay won't be good for sellers
The latest trick from eBay is that from 15th June sellers will be required to offer free P&P as their first domestic postage option. This applies to certain categories, for example video games, phones, consumer electronics and computing. You can offer a second choice of P&P at with a charge though.
Yeah right, so who in their right mind is going to go for that recorded delivery option when they can get the item sent to them for free? Also, you might want to consider this scenario. If your item sells for 2 and it's going to cost you 3 to send it to the buyer, the seller will loose out (1 down in fact), so what's the point in trying to sell your stuff on eBay in the first place? The obvious answer is that eBay appear to be trying to discourage the occasional punter and concentrate on those who have 'eBay Stores'. In other words, they want to compete in the same league as Amazon and to hell with the ordinary punters who actually made eBay a success in the first place!
Excessive P&P cited as the reason buyers are spending less on eBay...
Back to that P&P thing though. On their pagess eBay have said that excessive P&P costs are cited as the major reason for buyers spending less on eBay. Hang on a minute though. Have they not considered that the reason people bump up the postage and packing might have something to do with the excessive fees and charges. That 10% on final value fees for example is a bit steep in my opinion, so no wonder people try to claw a bit of money back on the postage.
Unfortunately this self perpetuating greed (on eBay's part that is) has practically destroyed what was once a thriving market place. Whoever owns eBay now has apparently abandoned all connections with the grass-roots community, and that has seriously pee'd off millions of people like myself.
By: Ian Dickson
Comments from visitors
I just won an item on Ebay taking into account the free P&P listed when I made my bid. I then got an email from the seller telling me it was a mistake, it should have said £3.95 postage and can I send that by Paypal to her. After reading these posts I think it's a scam by the seller and look forward to Ebay sorting it out.
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Ebay is a bunch of computer nerds with no business sense, in a lot of instances I would have lost money but for the postage, if Ebay were to offer some sort of well thought out interim compensation to those sellers who are prepared to offer free postage it might ultimatly work If the buying public warm to the idea. But I am afraid it is just the result of some nerd employees meeting arround a table & trying to please the god boss with half baked ideas to maximise the God Bosses profits.
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I sell on ebay and the only reason for ebay to want sellers to prefer free postage is they only get the 10% fee on the product not the postage so by adding the postage into the price they get more in fees
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I found this with trying to seel CDs on ebay. The maximum price for p+p for cds is 99p. I guess Th eonly way around it is to sell teh cd without the plastic casing, thus maknig it light enough to send for less. But tell me? What are other relaible cosher bidding sites?
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The free postage and packaging is a bit of a joke. Do Ebay think you magic up the packaging from nothing? Plus, your time spent wrapping goods, travel to the Post Office, fuel, parking fees where necessary.
What is the point in selling items deemed free postage? You are selling at a loss from the very start.
What is the point in selling items deemed free postage? You are selling at a loss from the very start.
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This is an easy one, if you put up your listing amount, they get a higher listing fee and final value fee, then they get more from paypot, which is apparently not connected in any kind of way.
This is also a way of sickening people into stopping selling second hand books and cd's/dvds/blurays, if you cant buy a book second hand if you are a student then its time for a trip to a big river website to buy a brand new book for £50 instead of £10 secondhand, and the old books lie about and end up in the paper recycling skip, the big companies also get to sell another new dvd or cd if the secondhand one does not become available. add to that a % as a thankyou fee from postal companies for pushing sales of services...
This is also a way of sickening people into stopping selling second hand books and cd's/dvds/blurays, if you cant buy a book second hand if you are a student then its time for a trip to a big river website to buy a brand new book for £50 instead of £10 secondhand, and the old books lie about and end up in the paper recycling skip, the big companies also get to sell another new dvd or cd if the secondhand one does not become available. add to that a % as a thankyou fee from postal companies for pushing sales of services...
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I agree with all the comments below. I'm a casual seller and having just listed 9 items on ebay, 6 of which sold, they'll be the last I bother with. Second class for a single CD is 76p. Add in the various ebay and paypal fees and that escalates so that for a £1.99 sale there is probably only about 50p retained. I'd rather give them away to my local charity shop than increase greedy ebay's profits. It's reselling on amazon marketplace for me from here on in.
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Thanks for the article. It explains it. I've been trying to sell a rather rare very heave book - after putting the initial price 0.99 I have received the message telling me that P&P must be free. Initially I thought it might be some script problem. After three attempts it became clear to me that there is really something wrong with the ebay. I am not a charity, that's for sure.
Concerning the too high P&P - I always include the cost of my bus ticket to the post office (I can't drive due to health conditions), why shouldn't I?
Well, I guess, after eight years with ebay and coping with THEIR greed,it's high time to move to Amazon. It is only fake Chenese usb sticks sellers can afford to send their "product" free - that's explains why the ebay have been ignoring the pleas to sort those fakers out for so many years. Anyway the ebay now looks very poor and not inviting comparing to the older times.
Feeling peed upon by ebay...
Concerning the too high P&P - I always include the cost of my bus ticket to the post office (I can't drive due to health conditions), why shouldn't I?
Well, I guess, after eight years with ebay and coping with THEIR greed,it's high time to move to Amazon. It is only fake Chenese usb sticks sellers can afford to send their "product" free - that's explains why the ebay have been ignoring the pleas to sort those fakers out for so many years. Anyway the ebay now looks very poor and not inviting comparing to the older times.
Feeling peed upon by ebay...
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Goodbye from Alex - 4-Feb-10 20:32
sold a game on ebay recently £13 the postage was free in this category I sent the item by royal mail first class after a week passed the buyer claimed that he didnt recieve the item and escalated to claim ebay gave him full refund and charged me without contacting me I emailed them and told them that I have proof of postage they said that iI did not provide tracking information they expect sellers to send by signed for delivery and that there decision was final and could not be changed so basicly gave the game for free and paid for the postage and the ebay listing and final value fees how unfair is that will never sell on ebay
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Sounds like greed on both eBays part, (fees) and that of some sellers. Just be honest and add in your desired minimum profit margin to the start price.I'm sick of looking at listings stated as free p&p only to find out down the line that it is a lie and a caveat in the listing asking for extra money, it's as annoying as companies that ask for surcharges when you buy with a credit card to bump up their profit.
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world_of_greed - 20-Dec-09 18:51
oh actually, I just realised the problem with this after reading the comments below. I'm not a seller myself - I didn't realise that Ebay only charges for the listing fee, not the P&P. Please ignore my post below!
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what's wrong with this? I mean, it just means that if I charge 5pounds for an item and 2 pounds for postage, then obviously for the new system, ill charge 7 pounds for the item. And my competitor will have to do the same or they'll lose out. It's not going to affect the buyer, cause all the buyer does is compare prices among different sellers - there is no "absolute" price for something.
All it does is do away with some sellers trying to hoodwink the buyers by having really low listing prices and ridiculously high P&P charges. Which is just annoying really and timewasting
All it does is do away with some sellers trying to hoodwink the buyers by having really low listing prices and ridiculously high P&P charges. Which is just annoying really and timewasting
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Free P/P on ebay is a money making scam. It is time that all non shop, traders, etc came together and told tthe public the otherside of Ebay UK. Who are in their Ivory Tower and constantly reply to Questions with nonplus emails totally useless.
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I agree entirely! Having now extended the 'Free P&P' policy to books, ebay has made listing them for the casual/amateur seller a waste of time. In fact, if you go down the auction route - low starting price and free P&P - you can actually end up losing money.
And on the other side, if you buy several books from the same shop, there's no post reduction - you end up paying twice what they're worth and the seller makes a bit more out of postage. The very thing thing that ebay claims to prohibit! Meanwhile, of course, ebay is creaming a bit more off in every direction. Start the bidding at a fair price and you pay more to list - they win even if the item doesn't sell and if it does they charge the Final Value Fee on the postage costs.
It's a typically cynical corporate move to justify profiteering by claiming to 'improve the experience for buyers'. And I mistakening thought they were better than that...
And on the other side, if you buy several books from the same shop, there's no post reduction - you end up paying twice what they're worth and the seller makes a bit more out of postage. The very thing thing that ebay claims to prohibit! Meanwhile, of course, ebay is creaming a bit more off in every direction. Start the bidding at a fair price and you pay more to list - they win even if the item doesn't sell and if it does they charge the Final Value Fee on the postage costs.
It's a typically cynical corporate move to justify profiteering by claiming to 'improve the experience for buyers'. And I mistakening thought they were better than that...
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TinPot Wisdom - 1-Dec-09 14:55
RON KEITH - PARTY MUSIC / GOTTA GO BY WHAT YOU TELL ME I did not know what this was worth so put on at 99P + 2.50 p+p it sold for £15 so I then look at what it may be woth RON KEITH - PARTY MUSIC / GOTTA GO BY WHAT YOU TELL ME on popslike start £25 end price £167 End date:2009-06-20 I would never have know this woth anything like this so my buyer got a bargin I sent it totle £17.50 this well not happen agian as well not listed at 99 P well need to know what everthing is worh from now on making listing slower for me and buyer well not get the bargins that may ebay fun in the past befor thay got up there own bottoms
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The Government ki11ed ebay! red tape and charges! You will buy everything you need through taxable government friendly corporations! Wake up people/sheeple.
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Ebay seem to want to encourage more business sellers than individuals I have already started selling the stuff that demands free P+P elsewhere (which is nearly everything I sell)
Online shopping offers free P+P because thery are big companys that can absorb it not people wanting to clear their lofts out
I started selling on ebay about several years ago and have noticed over the last 18 months or so that sellers are being treated poorly
Small sellers made ebay what it is and this is how we are thanked
Online shopping offers free P+P because thery are big companys that can absorb it not people wanting to clear their lofts out
I started selling on ebay about several years ago and have noticed over the last 18 months or so that sellers are being treated poorly
Small sellers made ebay what it is and this is how we are thanked
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Just check out other alternatives such as ebid and cqout, dont just wait for them to replace ebay, help them out by selling and buying stuff on there,
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Well, what a can of worms this free P&P thing is turning into!
I have just encountered it first hand having tried to list a laptop bag unsuccessfully, couldn't work out why so dug around a bit & got quite a when I saw what they are doing. Then I looked some more & found a HUGE number of people up in arms about it.
As a small but pretty regular seller I have been concerned for a while about the way things seemed to be going on ebay, but this looks like being the final straw. What an opportunity for ebays competitors! (are ebay blind?)
It's the small seller's who have quirky, interesting, usually secondhand items, who are honest, & actually CARE about making the whole thing a pleasant experience, that made ebay enjoyable & profitable. Once they get rid of us it won't have any real appeal, no fun, no bargains - customers will soon notice that goods are cheaper from online shops - & the customer base will just evaporate. Which is no more than ebay deserves the way it's carrying on.
I really hope some other auction site can step in to fill the gap & give ebay refugees a new home. Very soon there will be no point in using ebay & consequently a mass exodus, me included.
I have just encountered it first hand having tried to list a laptop bag unsuccessfully, couldn't work out why so dug around a bit & got quite a when I saw what they are doing. Then I looked some more & found a HUGE number of people up in arms about it.
As a small but pretty regular seller I have been concerned for a while about the way things seemed to be going on ebay, but this looks like being the final straw. What an opportunity for ebays competitors! (are ebay blind?)
It's the small seller's who have quirky, interesting, usually secondhand items, who are honest, & actually CARE about making the whole thing a pleasant experience, that made ebay enjoyable & profitable. Once they get rid of us it won't have any real appeal, no fun, no bargains - customers will soon notice that goods are cheaper from online shops - & the customer base will just evaporate. Which is no more than ebay deserves the way it's carrying on.
I really hope some other auction site can step in to fill the gap & give ebay refugees a new home. Very soon there will be no point in using ebay & consequently a mass exodus, me included.
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