I agree.
Firstly, buyers have always had protection through the eBay money back guarantee. I've not read through the terms but does the new buyer protection fee really change anything?
It's a BUYER protection fee. Surely the buyer should have the option of accepting the extra charge? The seller doesn't have a choice.
This fee hits sellers of low valued item terribly hard. An asking price of £5 becomes £5 + £1 buyer protection fee.
This must surely confuse many buyers? It's so negative for a buyer to see they need an additional layer of protection (on top of the eBay money back guarantee). How bad can the seller be. Must be untrustworthy.
The real crime here is constantly advertising that it is now free to sell on eBay. How on earth do they get away with that?
Obviously eBay need to charge fees (need? want to). They are a profitable enterprise.
Why not ask the buyer if they want protection before purchasing? If they select " yes " then charge the fee to the seller. The seller could state if they are prepared to accept this fee on their account settings.
I'm sure the way it is handled right now is nothing more than a simple gimmick. Just a way for eBay to proudly boast that selling is free.
The buyer protection fee is a seller fee. Neither party (seller or buyer) has a choice.
This is only my observation. I have not gone through the terms of buyer protection fees. Perhaps the buyer now gets free chocolates with every order? Otherwise it's exactly the same as the eBay money back guarantee?
