Selling fees on eBay scrapped but buyers to face ‘small’ charge
Bosses at eBay have scrapped fees for private sellers across most categories.
The online marketplace, which had already removed such fees for fashion earlier this year amid increasing competition from rival sites such as Depop and Vinted, said the move should boost reselling and the customer experience at the same time.
It means sellers no longer have to pay final value or regulatory operating fees on items except for cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles on the platform.
Money latest:
Tipping rule changes now in effect – what’s changed?
However, buyers are set to face a charge. How it will be applied is yet to be determined though it will take effect early next year, the company said.
Its UK boss told Sky News the fee would be “small”.
The site, which trails only Amazon in terms of customer visits in the UK, was under pressure to introduce the change as Facebook Marketplace and Vinted are among competitors which don’t charge people to sell.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
eBay said the removal of seller fees for fashion in April had already led to a double-digit increase in listings for popular items such as jeans, shirts, and dresses, while keeping items out of landfill.
It said the removal of fees across its German website last year had led to a doubling in new seller numbers.
A survey for the company, carried out in August, found that 56% of people in the UK sell items they no longer use to make money, with 23% selling products to fund new items.
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
Read more from Sky News:
Post Office scandal report sparks call for ‘fast action’
How the end of coal and steelworks closure in UK are linked
The poll suggested an estimated 294 million unused items across the UK could generate £9bn in resale income.
Kirsty Keoghan, eBay’s UK general manager, said: “eBay is constantly improving the marketplace experience in order to deliver on what our customers want.
“Removing selling fees across categories is designed to give buyers access to greater breadth and depth of inventory, while creating a simplified and streamlined experience for sellers.”