eBay UK March 2025: Simple Delivery Faster Payouts, GSP Tariffs, Bladed Item Age Verification & More
eBay UK has released new updates for March, touting Simple Delivery as a way to get payouts faster, reassuring sellers about Global Shipping Programme tariffs, expanding age-verification requirements for bladed items and more.
The update was posted as a message in the UK community forum from UK General Manager Eve Williams.
New Simple Delivery features, community events & other launches landing this March
First, eBay is expanding scenarios where private seller funds will be released after feedback is received from the previous £10 or less threshold to £25 or less starting in Mid-March
Sellers who use Simple Delivery will also no longer have to wait the the full 14 days for payouts - if an item is dispatched within 3 calendar days, the payout will now be available 8 calendar days from the order date or 2 calendar days after delivery confirmation, whichever comes first.
Buyer Protection: Get funds faster for low-cost items and when you use Simple Delivery
As part of Buyer Protection, UK-based private sellers are now paid after item delivery, with funds typically available in your eBay balance 2 calendar days after delivery confirmation. And just to reassure you, pending funds can also be used to buy postage labels and refund buyers so you won’t be out of pocket when you’ve fulfilled your order.
We’ve also heard your feedback and have expanded the scenarios where funds will be released after positive buyer feedback is received. When you’re selling a single item for £25 or less, funds will be available instantly if positive feedback is received from the buyer*. This will apply on both tracked and untracked orders. This change will be live mid-March.
For orders shipped through Simple Delivery, you will no longer need to wait 14 days to access your funds if delivery confirmation is not received. If an item is dispatched within 3 calendar days, we’ve reduced the payout time so funds will now be available 8 calendar days from the order date or 2 calendar days after we receive delivery confirmation, whichever comes first. This change will be live by the end of the week.
The announcement also explained how eBay is giving sellers more control over Simple Delivery, with features that allow sellers to select which carriers they prefer to use and a new option that will allow sellers to opt to pay for the Simple Delivery label themselves in order to still be able to offer the buyer free shipping.
Simple Delivery: New features for more control
Simple Delivery is an all-in-one delivery solution, designed to take the stress out of shipping for private sellers, with no more figuring out what service to use and prepaid and tracked labels that fully cover your item. Using Simple Delivery can also save you and your buyer up to 20% off postage costs, on average***.
Last month, we also added the ability to control what carriers you send your items with. Simple Delivery currently uses two carriers: Royal Mail and EVRi. By default, you’ll be automatically opted in to use both carriers. However, if you have a specific preference because the drop-off location is too far from where you live, you can easily adjust your settings in your postage preferences.
Starting this month, we’re also introducing the option for private sellers to fund Simple Delivery labels, should you want to offer your buyers free shipping. As Simple Delivery evolves, we’ll continue to add even more features to further simplify the shipping process for private sellers and buyers alike.
What it left out is that the preferred carrier settings are not binding - on the policy pages for Simple Delivery, eBay says: "We will always strive to honour your carrier selections. However, there may be some instances where we are unable to, such as when the weight or dimensions of your item requires a different carrier. In such cases, we may provide a label for a carrier you have chosen to exclude."
That means eBay could still force sellers to use a carrier that is not convenient or not preferred - and the seller would still be required to use that label for a Simple Delivery order.
Liz Morton
The tumultuous US tariff situation has been on everyone's minds and eBay attempted to soothe those concerns in this March update by telling sellers if they use the Global Shipping Programme, eBay handles the complicated process of calculating duties, customs and tariffs.
Global Shipping Programme: Enjoy effortless international selling
In recent months, changes to the global tariff landscape have caused some uncertainty when selling overseas. However, our Global Shipping Programme (GSP) remains reliable, ensuring consistent service to the US and over 100 other markets worldwide.
The Global Shipping Programme makes international sales as straightforward as domestic ones. Simply send your item to the UK Shipping Centre, and we’ll handle customs, tracking and the calculation of duties and taxes. You’re also fully protected as soon as we receive your item.
That may provide little comfort for sellers as the Global Shipping Programme has also experienced skyrocketing costs in the last month due to the tariff situation - while it's helpful that eBay handles the calculations, buyers will won't purchase if the costs are too high.
Liz Morton
And UK sellers most now also contend with expanding regulations impacting the sale of bladed items which will required age-verification both at checkout and for delivery.
Keeping shoppers and sellers safe: Buyer age-verification for bladed items
To help keep buyers and sellers safe, we’ve expanded safety requirements for selling bladed items on ebay.co.uk, with the introduction of buyer age-verification to cover more potentially dangerous items. If you sell bladed items on ebay.co.uk, you need to:
- Add an age-verified delivery option. Choose a delivery service that requires age verification on receipt.
- Correctly package the bladed products, and clearly label the parcel to indicate there are bladed items inside.
- Ensure your packages are delivered to buyers in person, not to parcel lockers, collection points or via local pick up.
Please note that the sale of many types of knives and bladed items is already prohibited on eBay. However, legal bladed products for sale in the UK can be sold to customers who are 18 and over. Proof of age will be required at checkout.
Unfortunately, it appears eBay's AI bots may be running wild with enforcement on this one - multiple sellers report receiving ominous "final warning" emails in error since they do not list any bladed items and one seller is even having to find a work around to rename the items he sells since AI apparently doesn't understand that automotive wiper blades are not "blades" in the same sense that knives are.
I've had a few messages about this topic, as have many members, and I have a set of wiper blades listed. The bots have obviously picked this up and I'm being asked to age-verify the listing. I have no idea how to do this and can't find out in the help section or anywhere else. Can any of you lovely people help please? Thank you.
Look to edit the listing and use the words car window screen wipers
