eBay UK has announced the abolition of selling fees for private sellers across all categories except cars, as part of its ongoing efforts to streamline and improve the marketplace experience.
Private sellers no longer have to pay the final value or legal operating costs, making it easier and more profitable to sell on the platform.
This move follows eBay UK’s previous introduction of free selling in fashion and introduces several new features to improve the seller experience. These include simplified listing tools with AI-generated descriptions and photo enhancement, competitive shipping with a tracked delivery service, prepaid by the buyer, and increased visibility for local sales through eBay Local, which offers secure in-person pickup.
eBay UK is also introducing eBay Balance, a new feature launching in mid-October that will allow sellers to use their earnings to make purchases, promote listings or buy delivery labels, all from the platform.
“The elimination of sales charges across categories is intended to give buyers access to a greater breadth and depth of inventory, while creating a simplified and streamlined experience for sellers,” said Kirsty Keoghan, GM of eBay UK.
The elimination of the fee comes after a successful trial in eBay Germany, where C2C (consumer-to-consumer) volumes returned to positive growth, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in incremental GMV (gross merchandise value). eBay UK has already seen similarly positive results, with fashion prices seeing double-digit increases since the introduction of free fashion sales earlier this year.
In addition to support for private sellers, eBay continues to improve services for its business sellers through customized tools, seller protection programs and personalized support. The company estimates that UK households are sitting on £9 billion worth of unused items, with eBay’s free sales and new features helping to unlock this potential.
With 56% of people selling to make money and almost half seeing it as a more sustainable alternative to throwing away items, the abolition of fees is expected to lead to a further increase in listings and transactions in the UK .