The best place to buy and sell

Is selling still free for UK-based private sellers?

Yes! UK-based private sellers pay no transaction fees for all categories, except Vehicles, and receive 300 free listings per month, so there are no hidden fees. The Buyer Protection fee is paid by the buyer to eBay.

I’m a private seller. What does this mean for me?

While listing, you’ll see that a Buyer Protection fee will be added to the listing price. You’ll be able to review your listing price, the Buyer Protection fee, and the total item price the buyer will see before completing your listing.

The Buyer Protection fee will be calculated as: 

• A flat fee of up to £0.75 per item, and
• 4% of the item price up to £300, and
• 2% of any portion of the item price from £300 to £4,000

To get your funds faster, we recommend using Simple Delivery or other eBay postage labels, which include tracking, and sending your order as soon as possible after the buyer pays. Your funds will be sent to your eBay balance after the order is considered delivered.

As always, your pending funds can still be used to buy postage labels and give refunds to your buyers.

Getting paid:

UK-based private sellers will have better visibility into when their funds are made available, to help manage their earnings. Funds will be made available, to spend on eBay or withdraw, after the order is considered delivered, which is determined based on the delivery method:

Deliveries:

• Tracked^1,2: Funds are available 2 days after delivery confirmation. Funds will be made available immediately if the buyer provides positive feedback for qualifying orders³.
• Untracked^1,2: Funds are available 14 days from order date. Funds will be made available immediately if the buyer provides positive feedback for qualifying orders³.
• eBay services: If the item qualifies for Authenticity Guarantee or our Global Shipping Programme, funds are available 24 hours after authentication or arrival to the shipping centre, respectively.

Local collection: Funds are available within 24 hours after item collection.

Note: If the buyer requests a return or has a problem with the order, we’ll wait until the issue is resolved before we release seller funds. Payment holds may apply. Please go here for more details.

*eBay internal data from 2023, percentage decrease between INR rate for tracked transactions compared to untracked transactions.

¹ Delivery confirmation is sent to eBay by the carrier and applies to any address type (e.g., house, flat, locker, etc.). 

² If an item is dispatched within 3 days using Simple Delivery, funds will be available 8 days from the order date

³ Applies to single-item, single-quantity orders priced £25 or less.

What happens if the item cannot be delivered to the buyer?

Carrier has made multiple delivery attempts
In some cases, the carrier will need to make multiple attempts to deliver the item to your buyer. If the carrier is unable to deliver the item after the third attempt, the item will be returned to the seller and the seller’s funds will be released 14 days from the order date.

Item is lost in delivery
In some cases, the item may be lost in delivery at no fault of you or the buyer. If the buyer hasn’t received their item and the estimated delivery date has passed, they will likely open an “Item not received” request. Once a request is opened, you have 3 business days to resolve the issue. After that time, either you or the buyer can ask eBay to step in and help find a resolution. If the buyer does not open an “Item not received” request, you’ll receive your funds 14 days from the order date. Learn more.

Who pays the Buyer Protection fee?

The Buyer Protection fee is paid by the buyer to eBay on UK-based private seller listings. We recently changed our fee structure, so it’s free for private sellers to sell, meaning there are no barriers for these sellers to list the items buyers love. For our business sellers, this fee is included as part of the transaction fees the seller pays with each item that sells.

How is the Buyer Protection fee added to my item price?

When setting the item price, UK-based private sellers will see the Buyer Protection fee amount added to the total item price that buyers will see on the listing. Sellers will be able to see the fee amount before completing the listing. It may take some time to see the Buyer Protection fee reflected in your listing. Typically this delay is only a few minutes but may take up to 24 hours. UK buyers will always see the total item price.

Where do I see the Buyer Protection fee in my listings?

When listing your item, you will see the Buyer Protection fee amount added to your listing price. You can also view the fee amount from your Active listings. It may take some time to see the Buyer Protection fee reflected in your listing. Typically this delay is only a few minutes but may take up to 24 hours. UK buyers will always see the total item price.

What will happen to my existing listings?

For UK-based private sellers, the Buyer Protection fee will immediately be added to all existing Buy-It-Now listings (excluding Vehicles, Classified Ads, and Property). The fee will be added to Auction and Buy-It-Now listings created on or after 4 February, 2025, including relisted listings.

How is this fee calculated for Auctions when the final selling price is unknown?

When you enter a starting bid, the Buyer Protection fee is added so you can see what the buyer’s minimum bid amount will be. As the Buyer Protection fee is variable, the fee amount that the buyer actually pays is calculated as part of the final auction selling price.

What happens to the Buyer Protection fee if the buyer makes a counteroffer?

When a buyer sends a counteroffer, you’ll see the buyer’s price breakdown, including the amount you’ll receive and the Buyer Protection fee paid to eBay, so you’ll have all the information you need to accept or decline the counteroffer.

I’m a business seller. What does this mean for me?

As a business seller, Buyer Protection is added at no extra charge to you or your buyers. We’ve kept things simple for you, so there’s nothing you need to do to access this protection.

With Buyer Protection, all buyers and sellers will now get 24/7 customer support where you can connect with a real person by phone whenever you need, or start a chat to get quick answers.

We’ve also still got you covered with secure transactions, thanks to payments that are encrypted end-to-end and handled by our trusted payment partners.

How do I get paid?

For private sellers, funds will be sent to your eBay balance when the order is considered delivered. If you plan to ship your item, we recommend using Simple Delivery, or other eBay postage labels which include tracking, so the delivery signal is received as soon as possible and your payment is sent to your balance. Using tracked services also provides a better experience for your buyers. On average, nearly 70% of customers say the ability to track an order is one of their top three considerations when buying a product online*.

Once payment is sent, you can then use your balance to shop, pay for postage, promote your listings, and pay for other selling costs on eBay.co.uk. Private sellers can also request payouts directly from their balance to a linked bank account by selecting ’Withdraw’ in the Payments tab.

If you don’t use or withdraw your balance, the available funds will be automatically sent to your bank account on the first Tuesday of every January, April, July, and October.

For business sellers, nothing will change and you can expect to receive your payouts on your usual schedule.

*eCommerce Delivery Benchmark report 2020.

While my funds are pending, can they be used for anything?

Until the order is considered delivered, you’ll see your order’s funds as pending. You can use your pending funds to buy postage labels and give refunds to the buyer.

When my funds become available, what can they be used for?

Once available, you can use your balance to easily shop on eBay, pay for postage, promote your listings, and more. Plus, you can withdraw your funds when you need them.

What happens if the item is lost in delivery?

If your buyer hasn’t received their item and the estimated delivery date has passed, they’ll let you know there’s an issue by opening an “Item not received” request. If a buyer opens a request, we’ll send a message with all of the details to your registered email address – it’ll be available in your Messages too. Once a request is opened, you have 3 business days to resolve the issue. After that time, either you or the buyer can ask us to step in and help resolve the issue. Learn more.

How can I receive funds faster for my low-cost items?

Funds will be available instantly after receiving positive buyer feedback for single-quantity, single-item orders priced £25 or less. If positive buyer feedback isn't received, you will automatically receive your funds 2 calendar days after delivery for tracked orders or 14 days from the order date for untracked orders. Authenticity Guarantee, Global Shipping Programme, and local collection orders are not eligible. Learn more about getting paid.

Why does it take 14 days to receive funds for untracked items?

We’ve learned through historical data that most packages are delivered within this timeframe, so it allows enough time for the buyer to receive their item. Learn more about when your funds will be available.