I think that this is bad news and will hopefully make people close ebay selling accounts AS I HAVE DONE to take business else where "EBID IS WELL WORTH A LOOK".
Also your advice about not offering free insurance in the folorn hope that the customer will pay extra for a more expensive delivery won't happen in the real world!
I just simply see this stunt that ebay have pulled for what it really is!
A way for Ebay to net a lot more money in final value fees.
The Reality is it will make many items totally uneconomic to list.
I have listed many items myself with bidding starting at 99p plus postage of £1.99 with free personnal collection allowing local buyers to avoid postage costs altogether. this meant I could avoid paying extra listing fees and could cover my bare costs for should it go for only 99p which often such items would go for, now what will happen is if I list I will have to gamble a non refundable much increased listing fee for starting my bidding at say £3.50 in order to break even if anyone bids.
Gone! are my chances of local collection and getting paid cash to dodge Paypal fees.
Gone! is a whole lot more money in ebay LISTING fees for an unsold item!!!
OR IF I START IT AT 99p AND ONLY GET ONE BID! I GET SOMEWHERE AROUND 45p after paypal and ebay fees,
THEN I'M FORCED TO POST IT FOR FREE! THAT WOULD COST ME FOR A TORCH £1.75 IN P&P.
SO TO SUM UP!!!
+£0.45 after paypal & ebay fees with a 99p sale
-£1.75 postage and packing costs
-£0.99 the cost of the torch
-£2.29 THE LOSS I HAVE TO STAND WITH A 99 PENCE SALE AFTER FORCED EXTRA EXPENSES!
Now that ebay will be taking a combined rake of over 15% of the gross selling price after your payment has been received through Paypal (wholly owned by ebay!)Plus increased listing fees to cover yourself against taking a huge loss on an item that you may have pocketed about 30p on previously.
It makes what was items being sold such as led torches not worth listing, as you will know since the introduction of small packet and large letter post, a small torch that used to cost about 40p to post no costs over £1.40 to post within the UK. So add ebays rake on top of your postage cost and your cost of a padded envelope, that means postage that did cost you in stamps and packaging about £1.75 will now cost over £2 after ebay extra fees!!!!!!!