eBay Increases Seller Fees

What happened?

From May, you'll need to pay more to sell certain products on eBay. The site will take a five per cent cut from the final selling p rice of computers, electronics, cameras, phones and games consoles, up from three per cent. Sellers with a 'Top-rated' ranking will no longer save 20 percent on fees, but 10 percent.

However, it's not all bad news for sellers. Other changes include the option to offer same-day shipping on items, and add customs information for international buyers, making it easier for sellers to ship internationally.

Plus, buyers will no longer be able to leave feedback on unpaid items. Sellers will also be able to set up 'business policies' for shipping time, payment information and postage costs, rather than having to enter them for every listing.

How will it affect you?

If you're a frequent eBay seller, the changes will skim two per cent off your profits, while 'Top-rated' sellers will enjoy less of a discount. If you buy from eBay, you could see prices increase slightly as the more business-minded sellers look to make up the difference. However, the other changes will make it easier to sell on the site, especially the business policy settings, which will speed up the time it takes to set up listings for your items.

What do we think?

There's no need to panic, because the changes affect a limited product range. Unless you run an eBay store that specializes in those areas, the new fees won't put much of a dent in your profits. We're also pleased that eBay has given plenty of warning to its members. The changes to the feedback system will give more protection to sellers; these are welcome, as it’s all too easy for a bad review to damage the reputation of a good business.

Another positive change is a tweak that makes it easier to find items in popular categories such as Clothes, Shoes & Accessories, Consumer Electronics and Home & Garden. It's all part of the site's d rive to " improve the buyer experience", so it can compete better with Amazon, which has long since overtaken eBay as our first port of call when buying online.