Buyer Protection

The buyer pays the fee to eBay when purchasing on eBay.co.uk from UK private sellers (excluding Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles, Classified Ads and Property).

Buyer Protection is included at no cost to the buyer when purchasing from business sellers.

Most listings are sold by business sellers and will include Buyer Protection at no additional cost. When purchasing from UK-based private sellers on eBay.co.uk, buyers will pay a fee which is already included in the price they see in the listing.

The Buyer Protection fee will be calculated as:

• A flat fee of £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

There is a cap on the total fee amount you'll ever pay. Any portion of the item price over £4,000 will not incur any additional fee. When purchasing multiple quantities within a listing, the flat fee of £0.75 is only charged once.

Fee calculation examples:

The Buyer Protection fee is applied to all listings* by UK-based private sellers. It's not an optional fee, as we want everyone to be able to benefit from these new protections.

*Excludes Cars, Motorcycles & Vehicles, Classified Ads, and Property

We've made it free to sell for private sellers. To support this change, we'll charge a buyer fee to cover Buyer Protection services and ensure a trusted experience when purchasing items from private sellers. For listings by business sellers, Buyer Protection is added at no extra cost. Business sellers already pay transaction fees with each item that sells.

Buyer Protection is included at no cost for purchases of listings from private sellers not registered in the UK.

Buyer Protection is not included on Vehicles, Classified Ads, and Property listings.

Easily get in touch with us using the contact options at the bottom of this page, or by clicking 'Help & Contact' at the top of any eBay page—we're here to help. You'll be able to connect with us by phone any time of day or night. Online chat with an agent during UK customer service business hours (8am - 10pm Monday to Friday, 8am - 9pm Saturday and Sunday). Automated agents will be available on chat outside of business hours.

You can shop with confidence knowing that payment is only sent to private sellers after your order has been successfully delivered.

Sellers funds will be made available to UK-based private sellers after the order is considered delivered or complete, which is determined by the delivery method:

• For tracked deliveries, the seller will receive payment 2 calendar days after eBay receives confirmation from the tracked delivery service that it was successful.
• For local collection, the seller will receive payment when you exchange the 6 digit code or QR code with your seller.
• If the item includes Authenticity Guarantee, the seller will receive payment after the item is successfully authenticated.
• For items sent via the Global Shipping Programme, the seller will receive payment after the item is delivered to the UK Shipping Centre.
• For untracked deliveries, or tracked deliveries with no delivery confirmation, the seller will receive payment 14 days from the order date.

With this update, UK-based private sellers have improved visibility into when their funds are made available, to help better manage their earnings.

If you request a return or if there's a problem with the order, we'll wait until the issue is resolved before we release funds to the seller. If funds have already been released before you request a return, and the seller offers returns, you can ask the seller for a refund. Additional payment holds may apply.

Payments for purchases from business sellers, and private sellers not registered in the UK, may be sent before we confirm delivery or in-person collection. Business sellers are required to offer returns in most cases.

When tracking information is available, the eBay app will reflect the delivery information, and funds will be made available after delivery confirmation.

We've still got you covered with secure transactions, thanks to payments that are encrypted end-to-end and handled by our trusted payment partners, whose secure technology processes transactions safely and reliably.

Yes, Buyer Protection applies to purchases from business sellers on eBay.co.uk at no extra cost.

You can find if the item is being sold by a private seller or business seller from the item page. On the eBay app, you'll see 'Registered as a private seller' or 'Registered as a business seller' under 'About the seller'. From the website, you'll see 'Private' or 'Business' next to the seller's username.

The Buyer Protection fee is applied to every listing by a UK-based private seller (excluding Vehicles, Classified Ads and Property) and is calculated as:

• A flat fee of £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

When purchasing multiple quantities of one listing, the flat fee of £0.75 is only charged once.

For example:

If you purchase two different items from the same private seller, the flat fee is charged per item.

For example:

Buyer Protection is a new programme that applies to all purchases on eBay.co.uk, and includes 24/7 customer support. Additionally, when you buy from a UK-based private seller, seller funds are sent after an item is considered delivered, and a mandatory Buyer Protection fee is included in the item price.

eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in new window or tab is an additional layer of protection on your purchase. If an item doesn't arrive, is faulty or damaged, or doesn't match the listing description, you can request a refund within 30 days of the delivery date. This service is free and applies to most items on our site.

If the delivery date has passed and you haven't received your item, you can report that it hasn't arrived in your Purchase History. Here, you can ask the seller for an order update, a replacement or a refund back to your original payment method. Most sellers respond within 3 business days.

To be eligible for eBay Money Back Guarantee, you need to report that the item hasn't arrived within 30 calendar days after the delivery date, so be sure to report it as soon as you can. Learn more - opens in new window or tab.

Most purchases are covered by eBay Money Back Guarantee - opens in new window or tab, our free protection programme that offers refunds if the item didn't arrive, is faulty or damaged, or doesn't match the listing.

Our new Buyer Protection programme gives you even more reassurance with your purchase, knowing private sellers are paid after delivery, and you can talk to a real person 24/7 if you have any issues or questions.

Yes, if the item is fully refunded, the full Buyer Protection fee will also be refunded. If the item is partially refunded, the Buyer Protection fee refund will be prorated.

Buyer Protection only applies to items listed on eBay.co.uk, but most transactions on eBay are covered by eBay Money Back Guarantee. With Buyer Protection, you can shop securely from private sellers in the UK knowing funds are only sent to the seller after your purchase is considered delivered. And you're always only a short call or chat away from 24/7 customer support if you need help.

When applicable, the Buyer Protection fee will always be included in the item price. At checkout, you'll see it underneath the item name.

At checkout, click on Buyer Protection to see what protection is included and a detailed breakdown of the price. Learn how we calculate the fee.

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.

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 you complete your listing.

The Buyer Protection fee will be calculated as:

• A flat fee of £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 we've confirmed that the buyer has paid. Your funds will be sent to your eBay balance after the order is considered delivered.

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:

• For tracked deliveries, funds will usually be available 2 calendar days after we receive confirmation from the tracked shipping service that the delivery was successful. Where available, we recommend using eBay postage labels which include tracking, to ensure you receive your funds as soon as possible.
• For local collection, funds will be available when you exchange the 6 digit code or QR code with your buyer.
• If the item includes Authenticity Guarantee, funds will be available after the item is successfully authenticated.
• For items sent via the Global Shipping Programme, funds will be available after the item is delivered to the UK Shipping Centre.
• For untracked deliveries, or tracked deliveries with no delivery confirmation signal, funds will be available 14 days from the order date.

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. Additional payment holds may apply.

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 items. For our business sellers, this fee is included as part of the transaction fees the seller pays with each item that sells.

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.

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.

For UK-based private sellers, the Buyer Protection fee will immediately be added to all existing Buy-It-Now listings (excluding Cars, Motorcycle & 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.

Listings that are relisted or renewed on or after 4 February will be subject to the fee.

When you enter a starting bid, we add the Buyer Protection fee 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.

By including the fee in the buyer's bid price, we're making it simple and transparent so buyers always know what they'll pay and sellers know how much they'll receive.

When a buyer sends a counteroffer, we'll show you 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.

As a business seller, Buyer Protection is added with 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 so 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.

For private sellers, funds will be sent to your eBay balance when the order is considered delivered. You can then use your balance to shop, pay for postage, to 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.

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.

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

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.

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.