Ebay new users Agreement .......... Well what's the verdict??? Comments please.
Summary: In the discussion about eBay's new user agreement, participants are expressing various concerns and perspectives on the potential changes. mamacassidy points out that there's a need to see how the changes are rolled out, sharing experiences from a UK seller who initially disliked but later appreciated the changes due to eliminated selling fees and increased profits. meme6253 suggests that the changes are driven by eBay's shareholders' desire for increased profits. A video mentioned by valueaddedresource reveals that the changes are currently being tested with select sellers in certain U.S. states for items under $200. Participants seem to agree that while there might be initial resistance and a learning curve, the changes might not affect most sellers immediately when they take effect.
Ebay new users Agreement .......... Well what's the verdict??? Comments please.
fm2000
·4 months agoPoshmark (and eBay, and other non-Amazon platforms) allow people to buy vintage and used items. Generally, with the exception of media, Amazon now bans anything vintage or used. If you need a replacement part for an old vacuum cleaner, a vintage toy from your childhood, or a nice piece vintage clothing in a style not made anymore, you can't buy it on Amazon, free shipping or not.
As for the agreement update, it sounds like eBay is floating the idea of having a negotiated rate contract like Poshmark. With the completely out of control increases from the post office, they really need to do something, clothing is proven to work (their clothing competition has done this with success)) and would be the first logical step in that direction.
That ounce rate elimination is what I would be (and frankly am) panicking about. It won't apply to "negotiated " rates, so this may apply to eBay already or possibly in the future... but is still very concerning.
valueaddedresource
·4 months ago@casachic has posted a video with more details about the shipping changes that she was able to glean from speaking to her contacts at eBay.
Basically it sounds like currently it's a test with select sellers in NY, NJ, CT, and PA for clothing, shoes, and jewelry items under $200.
https://youtube.com/shorts/fxklc8ZZ60M?si=8pqm93bjm-ycJG2h
https://www.instagram.com/p/DY8ORnNvbJX/
My thoughts: when I first read the user agreement update, my takeaway was this sounds like what eBay has done in other markets where they've introduced "fee-free" C2C selling and in those markets it only applies to qualifying items from private/non-business sellers, not all sellers - and that it will likely be part of expanding something similar to the US.
While Julie's information doesn't say it directly, it's worth noting that eBay has recently been running "fee-free" promos for select sellers in those same categories/locations, so it's not surprising to me that the Managed Shipping test has similar criteria.
TLDR: this is not something that is going to affect most sellers when it goes into effect in June, so don't panic just yet. 🙂
tsme35
·4 months agoI was just about to post the video but just got hammered with 3" of rain in less then an hour.
HIGHLY SUGGESTED TO WATCH THE VIDEO, could be whats to come
linenandlaceltd
·4 months agoMore bad news from USPS in relation to the eBay user agreement update and the shipping.
USPS has announced a recommended shipping adjustment starting Sunday, July 12th. They'll be doing away with the shipping by ounces and everything under a pound will be charged at the highest sub-1lb tier.
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2026/0409-usps-recommends-new-prices-for-july.htm
If we think people are unhappy with the shipping costs now...
atlasesattic
·4 months agoIf that happens, I will only use pirate ship and continue to use ground advantage
darn_yankee
·4 months agoIf it's true that eBay is taking control over shipping, then there needs to be a change on who gets the shipping-related feedback: It should be on eBay's nose instead of the seller.
I realize this is a bit of wishful thinking on my part.
sreu3058
·4 months agoOne of the reasons I continue to keep independent with my shipping on both platforms I sell on, is I do like the control. When I am in charge of my shipping, it is less stressful.
I have never had to try and contact corporate, chase refunds for incorrect mistakes, and when there is an issue, it is me who figures it out and helps my customer with it.
luckythewinner
·4 months agoThe verdict is .... if you sell here, you will be bound by the new user agreement.
12345jamesstamps
·4 months agoCan I assume this is for those who do eBay shipping labels only?
I use no eBay labels so I assume they can't control that me on shipping.
Using the USPS stamps I guess is the way to go now?
And opt-out of EIS I did that already.
christworks
·4 months agoI think there is a lot of unnecessary panic. Those of us who sell on Mercari and Poshmark, are already used to managed shipping. I persoanlly do not like how Mercari does it, becuase I don't like entering in weights and measurements, so I offer free shipping and raise the cost of my labels. I then buy the label through PiriateShip, which offers pretty much the same rates that eBay has. It's not that hard. No need to panic.
If eBay goes the way of Mercari, I'll just change to free shipping on eBay. If they go the way of Poshmark, I will throw a party because I think that is exactly what is needed and it will benefit buyers and sellers alike.
If you add the cost of supplies to your shipping cost, it isn't that difficult to move that cost over to your cost of the item. It's really not something to get bent out of shape about. If some analysis is correct and eBay would be doing away with fees, then do you really need to charge extra for your supplies? Savings on fees should cover most of your supplies.
perfumenmore
·4 months agoWhat about if you don't offer free shipping? Who pays the difference it the seller chooses a more expensive method of shipping?
az93
·4 months agoJune is too soon. I have many questions. This is not good news.
meme6253
·4 months agoOnly the sellers really know their products & how to package them, There are so many variables with packaging, Take two sellers selling the same exact thing , But each seller packages them differently, One uses a slightly bigger box & more packing material to insure a safer delivery,What happens with those variables, will they just use an average?, Too many questions about this whole process & I don't think I will like the answers, I agree with illusions1137 some of us sellers try to get back some of our cost in shipping supplies with shipping cost, No matter how I look at this it just doesn't look good for sellers, Why do they want to do this?????????????
grann-4629
·4 months ago@meme6253 it's all about the money ... eBay shareholders just want more of it.
jsvintageplace
·4 months agoI wish they would be more specific regarding the new shipping terms. I have business policies, and most of my items are flat-rate based on their weight. I hardly ever put weight and dimensions in my listings on those items. So it would be good to know if I need to update all of them. Most of the time, if something goes over what I had anticipated in regards to weight, I'm usually ok because of the discount we get, but it seems we will no longer be entitled to that; eBay will be getting the extra money. They also mention eligible listings that they choose. I'd like to know the specifics about that as well. As far as I can tell, they will be using USPS, and that's about the only good thing that I can say about it, considering I'm 20 miles away from the nearest UPS and FedEx, I would hate if they forced me to start using them. I just wonder if they'll be charging customers the full retail rates? It may turn some customers away because some sellers pass on their discount or give partial discounts to their buyers. I also have questions about combined shipping. There are times that I can't fit everything safely in one box because I sell a lot of glassware, and according to the new rules, we're not allowed to send multiple packages on an order. I think I may start looking for an alternative because it seems this may be a mess. I hope that's not the case, but I don't care for the generalities. I would like specific details.
jbbowers12012
·4 months agoHi jsvintagepalce, We also list our shipping terms thru. "Business Policies." All are a flat rate of the same price. Our items are always 10ozs. or less & we do ok this way. We offer only USPS Ground Advantage & it has been good to us. Cant' imagine using any other way.
bill.purvis2012
·4 months agoI echo your concerns.
This is what that new User Agreement {that takes place in June} says, "eBay may add certain delivery options to your listings to help improve both the seller and the buyer experience for selecting a delivery label. For listings that are eligible, you may see a simplified listing flow where eBay will require you to (i) list with eBay shipping as the delivery method and (ii) ship your item using the shipping label eBay provided to you. In such instances, your buyer may be able to choose whether to have a standard or express delivery service, or whether to collect at one of the carrier's locations. Once your item has sold, the delivery costs paid by your buyer at checkout will be paid to eBay for the shipping label provided to you. If you have chosen to offer free delivery, you agree that the delivery costs owed to eBay will be deducted from your account and paid to eBay as set forth in eBay's Payments Terms of Use. You agree that no further delivery costs are owed to you by your buyer for the shipping label provided to you."
To me, that means the seller loses control on how they want to ship, it's in the Buyer's control. Ebay will charge the Buyer for their choice and then charge the ACTUAL cost that to the seller. If you use calculated shipping thinking you're getting the discount, you're wrong. The buyer will pay actual cost to Ebay. No more discounts to seller.
If you offer Free shipping because you know about what the cost of the shipping will be, you can lose because the buyer may say they want Priority Mail, etc. when you figured it to be USPS Advantage. Ebay will charge the seller?
This is something for us all to consider. We may need to do a lot of editing, up our prices and hang on.
mamacassidy
·4 months agoDid I get a different email/ new user agreement than you guys did? I don't see any of this stuff in the message I got or the link I clicked.
bill.purvis2012
·4 months agoA few things I made note of:
The shipping is confusing to me. No more seller getting discounts on shipping. Buyer controls. If I have free shipping on a 2oz piece of jewelry because I can ship it Ground Advantage for $5.50 and took that into consideration when pricing, what if buyer wants it Priority as many do for $12.50 , am I to eat it? On listings where I charge postage what if I have the weight listed lower or higher than it weighs upon boxed?
Lots of questions. If you list with calculated shipping, you're going to lose $$.
mamacassidy
·4 months ago@bill.purvis2012
Thank you. I have been looking into it, and you bring up some good points. However, I think we need to wait and see how it is rolled out.
I watched a video on youtube yesterday from a seller in the UK and they were describing their shipping policy. And he said that he was still able to decide certain shippers and tiers of service, so every option wasn't available for buyers to choose from. He also said he hated it at first, but once he got the hang of it, it was actually much easier. Also, since the selling fees are eliminated, he was actually pocketing more money than he was before.
I definitely think IF these changes are made there will be a seller pushback and learning curve, but I think we don't need to freak out too much. The post directly above yours has a video that ValueAddedResource uploaded, and I think those changes would benefit a lot of people in certain catagories.
tobaccocardyahoo
·4 months agoI see a lot of changes to provide Ebay with cover for practices which are already in effect.
I see nothing that indicates any change is happening to how sellers will ship.
I can see some changes which would make possible some changes to how some sellers might ship, but nothing which changes anything yet.
Those terms could be a basis for a no fee service type with limited shipping choices, like in the UK, but I doubt that would be anything Ebay would try to slip in. They would announce it with great fanfare.
jbbowers12012
·4 months agoWhen does all of this begin? Will we get a warning. Everything that we sell is under 10oz. USPS GA is the only way to ship for us that makes any sense for us. Will TRS sellers still receive their shipping discount. Oh-Boy - a lot of ????'s
kibble-net
·4 months agoIs there a source behind any of this, or are these just predictions/theories?
sreu3058
·4 months agoI hope they give us a decent amount of time between explaining the exact changes and deadline to start-
Might be a lot of fire sales in that timeframe…
krazzykats
·4 months agoCats are illiterate, but they excel at judging books by their covers—especially if the cover makes a good napping spot....
ᓚᘏᗢ
grann-4629
·4 months agoYou just haven't been around them long enough. I have conversations with my cat all the time 😎
chubbycatcollectibles
·4 months agoI totally agree
linenandlaceltd
·4 months agoMy problem with it, from my understanding of some of the discussion I've seen, is since eBay wants to take control over the shipping, is that they'd allowed buyers to select whatever shipping they want. I'm unable to drop packages off somewhere a few miles away multiple times a week for a UPS or FedEx package, so this would cause a lot of stress for me personally if my buyers were to select one of these services. I know there are a lot of people that don't live anywhere close to a reliable place that takes UPS/FedEx. I also never want to ship with FedEx due to how often they claim you underpaid for shipping.
Then there's the issue where it sounds like if a buyer has a return, they can select any shipping service they wish (such as Express) and the seller has to pay for that?
Overall it sounds like sellers are going to have a lot less control, which was one of the very few benefits eBay has had over other platforms.
Poshmark in my opinion is going to have the best shipping after this. One flat rate, affordable shipping cost up to 5lbs through USPS.
gloryglorygifts
·4 months agoYeah, that doesn't work for me either. There is a reason why I ONLY use USPS and have for all my years in business. FedEx does not pick up from my location and neither does UPS. I do not drive and I'm not going to pay for an Uber to go 1 mile to the post office. Aside from that, both FedEx and UPS are ridiculously expensive for the items I sell, which are generally ounces and not pounds. Let me decide what is right for my customers and business, not my landlord.
I don't like that change from ebay one bit!
grann-4629
·4 months agoPoshmark in my opinion is going to have the best shipping after this. One flat rate, affordable shipping cost up to 5lbs through USPS.
Amazon Prime = free shipping. How does Poshmark beat this?
christworks
·4 months agoAmazon Prime is not free. You are paying for shipping with a higher cost of goods and the prime membership. If you order enough Prime eligible items, certainly the membership pays for itself and then some. But there are plenty of people who have Prime and are paying for it, but don't reap the benefits. Those buyers help to subsidize the costs of those who buy a lot of Prime products. Also, the fees sellers pay to have Amazon handle all of the logistics for their items helps to pay for all those "free deliveries." Do you think the sellers are eating those costs? The smart ones don't. They increase the costs of goods.
Free shipping is always a marketing gimmick. Always. It is never free. Never.
grann-4629
·4 months agoSo, how does Poshmark provide the best shipping for people like me ... I have saved hundreds of dollars using Amazon's free shipping ... more than enough to cover the cost of membership. I also watch Prime free movies about once a week, enjoy their free music three times a week at the gym, and have downloaded hundreds of free ebooks over the years.
This year, my partner started the Prime thing ... we are going to check spent/saved $ at the end of the subscription year to see if it's worth it now that I don't buy stuff there anymore.
We do love the free shipping, even on those small dollar items. The forge we bought from Amazon would have cost over $100 to ship if we didn't have Prime. Beat that Poshmark, whatever that is 😎😎
ETA: I must have spent at least 10 Grand during the years I purchased stuff from Amazon ... hundreds of orders and I never paid more for anything I bought. I always do my due diligence before deciding where to buy.
chapeau-noir
·4 months agoAmazon and Poshmark are two completely different operations - you do see that, right?
grann-4629
·4 months agoAmazon and Poshmark are two completely different operations - you do see that, right?
I don't even know what 'Poshmark' is, but I do know it can't beat Prime's free shipping.
mamacassidy
·4 months ago@grann-4629 said: "I don't even know what 'Poshmark' is, but I do know it can't beat Prime's free shipping."
In other words, you don't even know what you're talking about but you're going to keep talking about it. HAHAHAHA
chapeau-noir
·4 months agoThat's all I need to know.
linenandlaceltd
·4 months agoI can't sell the items I sell on Amazon, so to me, it's not an option.
For a lot of resellers and what they sell, they can't sell their items on Amazon either. So it's a different kind of platform for the average reseller than eBay/Poshmark/Mercari/Depop/Whatnot/Vinted etc are. And from my understanding over the past few years, those who do sell on Amazon have been seriously restricted or items they used to sell are not longer allowed, so more and more people are giving that up and are going to other marketplaces.
For a clothing seller like myself, Poshmark and Depop have the best shipping right now. Poshmark in that they have the flat rate affordable shipping for up to 5lbs through USPS. They even have a program so you can order free Ground Advantage shipping supplies. Depop right now has free or very cheap shipping through USPS, though I believe that's promotional and not permanent. You can sell other items on these platforms too besides clothing, like cards, comics, toys, accessories, electronics, perfumes, etc though they're more restrictive on some categories than eBay. Amazon wouldn't allow most things to be sold there.
Mercari has always been the most frustrating shipping, because any item over 1lb costs $11.99 USPS which forces me to list my heavier items through UPS. Mercari though has such poor traffic that I don't often sell something there, much less at that weight, so I can work out a trip to drop off a UPS package.
chapeau-noir
·4 months ago@linenandlaceltd I sell on Mercari and just use my own shipping for most things (the shoes and parts/repair small appliances I sell there I use Mercari's non-USPS shipping). Agree with the high 1 lb and over charge - it's frustrating.
linenandlaceltd
·4 months agoI might look into Pirate Ship or Shippo to use for my labels there and see if it'd be more affordable for USPS shipping. I've had issues with Mercari and didn't want to make things more complicated and open for more issues with them using my own shipping, but with everything going on I may just make the jump anyway. Especially if eBay doesn't do anything about the shipping here, people are going to be looking elsewhere for cheaper options.
chapeau-noir
·4 months agoYou can always do what I do and ship some stuff with Mercari shipping and some with your own. Heavier items are a better deal with Mercari, lighter items not so much. My Mercari shop, though, is all clearance items from my eBay and Poshmark stores plus, as I said, parts/repair small appliances and shoes that can use cheap slow non-USPS shipping.
slippinjimmy
·4 months agoThe verdict is that it is becoming clear that eBay MAY introduce a "no fee" system similar to what the UK has and was recent added to eBay in Australia.
Similar to those, it would only apply to low volume sellers who would get low or no fees but give up control of things like shipping or return policies and BUYERS pay a fee over and above the price of the item+shipping.
illusions1137
·4 months agoIt sounds like ebay wants to take over the shipping and receive all of the money that's collected from "shipping." When I list my shipping cost, I always include the cost of the box, tape & tissue paper that I would need to pack it for shipping. So, under this rule, ebay would get the money from this -- which would hurt the seller - again!
Also, I don't want to be forced to allow returns. I never allow returns because there are too many scammers out there who purchase stuff, use it and then return it.
grann-4629
·4 months ago... and BUYERS pay a fee over and above the price of the item+shipping.
Once again proving that eBay caters more to buyers than sellers ... wait ... what?