IN A RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT, EBAY AUSTRALIA HAS ANNOUNCED THAT FROM MAY 6, THEY WILL CHARGE A FINAL VALUE FEE ON POSTAGE, A SERVICE THE EBAY COMMUNITY PAY FOR WITH THEIR OWN POCKETS AND SOMEHOW EBAY THINKS THEY CAN TAX US FOR THAT SERVICE THAT THEY DO NOT PROVIDE, WHICH HAS SPARKED PETITIONS AND SHOCK AMONG THE EBAY COMMUNITY.
EBAY HAS SPRUIKED THE IDEA OF OFFERING CUSTOMERS FREE POSTAGE TO SAVE EBAYERS PAYING THE TAX FEE, BUT THIS IS MISLEADING BECAUSE IT MEANS THEY WILL PAY MORE FINAL VALUE FEE ON THE ITEM IF THEY LIST IT AT A HIGHER PRICE TO COVER POSTAGE.
IN WHAT IS BEING CALLED A CALCULATED MOVE SEEN ONLY IN THE LIKES OF A MONOPOLY OR CARTEL, EBAY IS NOT THE ONLY ONE TO BENIFET, EBAY'S SISTER COMPANY PAYPAL BENEFITS GREATLY FROM THIS NEWS. CURENTLY EBAYERS PAY NO FEES FOR POSTAGE THRU PAYPAL WHEN RECEIVING PAYMENT, AKNOWLEDGING THE FACT THAT NO FEE SHOULD BE PAYED ON SOMETHING THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO AUSTRLIA POST TO COVER POSTAGE COSTS. EBAY A SISTER COMPANY TO PAYPAL, BOTH BENEFIT IF PEOPLE USE FREE POSTAGE BECAUSE NOW EBAY WILL GET HIGER FEES BACK BUT ALSO TOO PAYPAL WILL GET A HIGHER FEES ON RECEIVING PAYMENTS WITH THE POSTAGE COST INCLUDED IN ITEM SALE PRICE, NO SEPERATE POSTAGE PRICE THAT IS NORMALLY EXEMPT FROM PAYPAL FEES.
THIS NEWS COMES AT A TERRIBLE TIME FOR THE STRUGLING EBAY COMMUNITY AS AUSTRALIA POST HAD RECENTLY RISEN THE PRICE OF STAMPS TO 70c FROM 60c, A RISE OF 10c UNSEEN IN AUSTRALIA POST HISTORY WITH 5c BEING THE NORMAL RISE. PARCEL COSTS TOO ALSO HAVE RISEN AND NOW THIS NEW EBAY SCANDAL IS SPELLING THE DEATH OF EBAY FROM ITS FORMER GLORY.
THE RUMOUR MILLS ARE ASKING IF THIS IS THE START OF EBAY BECOMMING THE NEXT MYSPACE OR YAHOO, WITH PEOPLE FLOCKING TO OTHER ONLINE SERVICES WITH BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND CHEAPER FEES LIKE QUICKSALES.COM.AU, BIDMATE OR GUMTREE.
THE BIG QUESTION IS, IS THIS LEGAL, WE PROVIDE THE POSTAGE SERVICE SO HOW CAN THEY CHARGE US FOR SOMETHING WE PROVIDE, OR AUSTRALIA POST TO BE CORRECT, IS THIS LEGAL UNDER CONSUMER LAW, MOST LIKELY NOT, ITS LIKE A SUPERMARKET CHARGING US 10C FOR USING OUR OWN SHOPPING BAGS, THEY ARE OUR BAGS WE PROVIDED NOT SOME SERVICE THEY OFFERED TO US..........................
ALSO EBAY IS MISLEADING EBAYERS BY STATEING THAT IF YOU LIST FOR FREE YOU WILL AVOID THE FEES, BUT NOT SO WHEN THEY WILL HAVE TO INCREASE THE ITEM PRICE TO INCLUDE POSTAGE AND PAY A HIGHER FINAL VALUE FEE.
Page 35 of the advertising and selling document from The ACCC document states that:
"A business cannot make a free offer and at the same time try and fund it from the pockets of consumers.
To do so is to mislead the consumers, who may not expect (unless they are explicitly told) that "free" does not really mean free"
EBAY IS FORCING US TO BREAK THE LAW, WE OFFER FREE POSTAGE BUT EBAYERS MUST RISE THE COST OF ITEMS TO RECOUP COSTS FOR POSTAGE, AGAINST ACCC CONSUMER LAW, ALSO EBAY IS OFFERING US THE SELLERS THE BENIFETS OF USING FREE POSTAGE TO AVOID FEES BUT AT THE SAME TIME RECOUPING THOSE FEES IN THE FINAL VALUE FEES WHEN EBAYERS ARE FORCED TO INCREASE THE SELL PRICE OF ITEMS. PAYPAL TOO THE MONOPOLY CARTEL SISTER OF EBAY WILL ALSO RECOUP BEIFETS FROM INCREASED FEES WITH MORE AND MORE OFFERING FREE POSTAGE AND NOW BEING FORCED TO PAY FEES ON POSTAGE WHICH IS NOW INCLUDED IN ITEM SALE PRICE, NORMALLY POSTAGE COSTS ARE EXEMPT FROM PAYPAL FEES BECAUSE THEY ARE LISTED SEPERATELY FROM THE ITEM PRICE.
TIME IS TICKING FOR EBAY AUSTRALIA TO CHANGE ITS THOUGHTS ON THESE CHANGES IN THE MEANTIME SIGN THIS PETITION AND HAVE A VOICE.
https://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/ebay-com-au-review-exorbitant-fvf-on-items-and-postage-as-you...
