Ebay scraps sellers fees across almost all categories

Ebay has scrapped fees for private sellers across almost all of its categories after introducing free fashion selling earlier in the year.

The move comes amid increasing competition from rival sites such as Depop and Vinted, and means sellers no longer have to pay final value or regulatory operating fees on items except for cars, motorcycles and other vehicles.

Ebay said the removal of sellers fees for fashion in April had already led to a double-digit increase in listings for popular items such as jeans, shirts, and dresses, while keeping items out of landfill.

A survey for the site suggested an estimated 294 million unused items across the UK could generate £9 billion in resale income, with half of households (50%) valuing their unused items at between £50 and £300.

Nearly a quarter of UK households (24%) are sitting on items worth over £500, with the most commonly unused items including adult clothing (44%), DVDs and CDs (33%) and technology items (27%), the poll found.

The majority of people (56%) sell items they no longer use to make money, with almost half (47%) finding it more sustainable than throwing them away, 55% wanting to clear space in their home and 23% selling items to fund new items.

The site said the further dropping of fees was an effort to provide users with a “more streamlined and safe” platform.

Ebay UK general manager Kirsty Keoghan said: “eBay is constantly improving the marketplace experience in order to deliver on what our customers want.

“Removing selling fees across categories is designed to give buyers access to greater breadth and depth of inventory, while creating a simplified and streamlined experience for sellers.”

Ebay’s Germany site dropped selling fees last year, leading to the company attracting twice as many new sellers as before while also luring back inactive sellers, it said.

Growth occurred in almost all categories, but especially in electronics and collectibles.

Opinium surveyed 2,000 UK adults in August.