Introduction:
eBay has introduced a new “Buyer Protection Fee” for customers purchasing from Private Sellers. This fee is added at checkout — and is not applied to Business Seller listings. This creates unfair competition, misleads customers (see below), and hurts everyday people just trying to sell items without running a full-time business (and even still, have to comply to HMRC with e-commerce now reporting sales by law).

We call on eBay to remove this fee, level the playing field, and restore trust in the platform for Private Sellers and customers alike.

The Problem:
eBay previously ran, and still is, campaigning the “free selling for Private Sellers” promo. But recently, they introduced a new Buyer Protection Fee that only affects sales from Private Seller accounts. This fee is added to the buyer’s total at checkout and does not apply to Business Sellers, whose fees are instead reclaimed through tax relief.

This means Private Sellers now face unfair competition. For example:

A buyer searches for a new item (like a hairbrush)
Both a Private and Business Seller list it for the same price
At checkout, only the Private Seller’s listing adds a protection fee
The buyer chooses the cheaper Business Seller’s listing, even if both products are identical
This not only drives buyers away from Private Sellers, but also penalises casual sellers and sole traders — many of whom cannot claim business tax relief.

eBay's BPF System is Inconsistent:
Private Sellers are shown a higher fee estimate during the listing process than the buyer actually pays at checkout. We’ve submitted a complaint to eBay about this — and they acknowledged the discrepancy and confirmed a fault exists. But over a week since the complaint, nothing has been fixed. The resulting higher listing value (than shown at checkout because the fee reduces with no prior warning or advertising) is likely costing sellers missed revenue. Consumers generally look for the best price! How are they to know the BPF reduces at checkout, if not advertised correctly? The answer: They don't! So will likely keep looking for the best value.

If the fault is corrected, then sellers can ensure their listings are accurately priced and the customer sees the correct Buyer Protection Fee, even if the fee is not removed, consistency should be upheld!

We have:

4 screenshots showing the checkout process and fee changes for someone who is NOT logged in to an eBay account (guest view).

Step 1: View The Listing

Step 2: Add To Basket

Step 3: Basket Summary.

Step 4:  Checkout. The Buyer Protection fee has reduced, and is less than what the seller sees when creating the listing.

I also have a transcript of our complaint, with eBay’s own response confirming the issue
This inconsistency misleads both the buyer and the seller. Sellers set prices according to one fee, but the buyers see another — making it even harder to compete.

The "Protection" Claim is Misleading:
eBay argues this fee gives “extra protection” to buyers. But buyers already have protection via their payment provider or bank. If something goes wrong, they can open a dispute and request a chargeback — with or without this added fee.

So who benefits from the fee? Not the buyer. Not the seller. Only eBay.

Lack of Transparency:
The “Buyer Protection Fee” is not visible during most of the shopping process. It only appears at the final payment screen, often unnoticed by the buyer — and unknown to the seller that it’s even changing.

This is not just bad practice — it’s a lack of transparency on a major sales platform.

We Are Calling for Change:
We urge eBay to:

• Remove the Buyer Protection Fee from Private Seller listings.
• Ensure fair competition between Private and Business Sellers.
• Make all fees clear and visible to buyers at every stage.
• Support casual sellers and sole traders, not penalise them.

Join us in demanding fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity for Private Sellers on eBay.