Forced to Set Buy It Now Price 30% Above Auction Start Price

[waddingtonfirstaid]

I have a screenshot of eBay stopping me from relisting my items until I increase my Buy It Now Price to a set 30% above my normal auction start price. I have reported this to the ACCC. I feel like I am being blackmailed into collusion, predatory pricing and price fixing. My auction start price is already set as low as possible so now eBay is forcing me to rip off buyers by setting the Buy It Now price way above what I would normally charge. This needs to go on FB too. How many eBay sellers are now being forced to rip off their buyers??? I guess everyone doesn't bother with auctions any more? I guess eBay needs to lift their bottom line with everything sold at a premium retail type price? No announcement, no readily available information about this on their fee table. Something sure ain't right any more about this place, that I do know.

[putney32]

If someone else already mentioned this, sorry, I missed it,  but along with the adding a BIN to an auction listing at least 30% higher than auction starting price, the option is also free,  no charge for Buy it Now added.  

So in reality, there is no reason not to add it, and may just prompt a buyer to bid for the lesser price. 

Just trying to make the most of what we have to work with 😐

--but, shypansy, the OP does NOT want to charge 30% over start price for his buy it now item

he only wants to charge 15% or so over Start Price.

[***super_nova***]

  no charge for Buy it Now added.  

So in reality, there is no reason not to add it, and may just prompt a buyer to bid for the lesser price. 

I forgot that BIN is now free; 40c has litle relevance for my couple of hundred dollar items. 🙂  I would be happy with 20% minimum; i can see the benefit of setting  the minimum.  i have seen item with starting price $125 and BIN $126!!!   But I think 30% is too much.

[zenremix777]

The 30% increase is fair enough as it prevents search manipulation. Sellers who've worked long and hard to become Top Rated Sellers with increased search presence would be negated by anyone who uses the auction w/ BIN option with both at the same price, just to climb higher in the search results (because of the auction feature.) It just means if you want to use that option for increased search presence, you should make it realistic.

[tonalidesigns]

On reflection the REAL issue here is that ebay buried this change away in point 13 of an FAQ that was related to fee changes .... which this change actually has nothing to do with. I can easily imagine that many sellers looked at the basic info and noted it - thinking it all looked straightforward (even if it wasn't welcome).

It SHOULD really have been made more prominent than that ...it IS a material change for many sellers and should have been mentioned more prominently.

This is not the first time this sort of thing has happened. I can't remember what it was but 12-18 months ago other changes were "announced" as similar sub points and easily missed.

eBay really need to give more careful consideration to announcing changes so that all teh actual changes are actually detailed where people can see them. 

eBay have gained no benefit from burying this ... we've all found out about it .... I just think it is incompetence (which is a bit of a worry).

[phorum_junkie*]

If you don't like ebay's new policy then list elsewhere or in a different format, I never added BINs to auctions but do list a lot of things as BIN with Best Offer.

As it is clearly laid out in the announcement how can it be ebay's fault that any member fails to read the information. Even for the six months I am usually not selling I read every announcement that appears.

[2106greencat]

Waving to PJ - hey PJ

[tonalidesigns]

My problem isn't with the policy - but that the change was announced in point 13 of an FAQ relating to fee change. I just don't understand why eBay couldn't release a statement which just dot-points the changes so that they are clearly noted. It would actually be helpful. The way they have done it is just sloppy.

[jameshouseofstyle]

phorum junkie

If you don't like ebay's new policy then list elsewhere or in a different format, I never added BINs to auctions but do list a lot of things as BIN with Best Offer.

You are quite right phorum, those who don't like it can list elsewhere.

Same goes for the buyers - sadly, they don't like the new searches, prices, postage, - they can also go elswhere.

As it is clearly laid out in the announcement how can it be ebay's fault that any member fails to read the information. Even for the six months I am usually not selling I read every announcement that appears.

 And I don't read any of them.

Good enough that few of you read everything with dilligence, then you can inform the rest of us. Boards are very labour saving that way.

[talcat48]

30% is too much,especially on items below $100,and will [does] make selling more difficult!!!!

[the_hawk*]

Forced to Set Buy It Now Price 30% Above Auction Start Price

well here is a novel idea, sell item with auction start price you want and also list the item as a BIN that you want, 2 separate auctions just like the Chinese list both auction and BIN items.