eBay UK Introduces Smart Shipping For Businesses, Tweaks Buyer Fee For Private Sales
eBay UK expands HubEurope partnership with Smart Shipping for business sellers, announces more changes to Buyer Protection Fee calculations for private sellers in November update from General Manager Eve Williams.
The update, posted in the eBay UK community forum, says Smart Shipping is rolling out to all business sellers after a successful trial run in Manchester earlier this year.
Smarter, faster shipping, now available nationwide
We’re always looking for ways to make life easier for you, and that includes shipping. After a successful trial in Manchester earlier this year, Smart Shipping is now available to business sellers nationwide.
In partnership with HubEurope and top UK carriers including EVRi, Yodel, DPD and DHL, Smart Shipping makes deliveries faster, simpler and more cost-effective, connecting you to leading UK carriers in one place. All of this is seamlessly integrated within your eBay account.
During our trial, sellers saw savings of up to 40% from £6.60 to £3.95 and faster, more reliable deliveries. Now you can manage all your orders in one place with HubEurope’s HECT system*.
eBay has partnered with HubEurope since 2023 to give sellers options to offer customized delivery, assembly and removal services for bulky items and is now expanding their offerings to include faster, simpler, and more cost-effective options through Smart Shipping.
Smart Shipping promises discounted shipping rates and easy shipment management, especially for multi-seller channels as the program can integrate with other marketplaces besides just eBay.
However, what eBay doesn't mention is there may also be a monthly cost on top of any postage costs, surcharges and other fees that may apply to shipments.
Earlier this year, some UK sellers received surveys asking about their interest in more "affordable shipping options", which led to speculation that eBay might have been considering expanding Simple Delivery (currently only available to private sellers) to business sellers as well.
Liz Morton
Given the timing of that survey, it would appear they may have actually been talking about the pilot program for Smart Shipping, with today's announcement being the result.
It's unclear what the benefit would be for most business sellers to use Smart Shipping instead of their current label provider or purchasing labels through eBay and is somewhat surprising that eBay is encouraging sellers to use a third party integration rather than getting labels through the platform.
That decision to push a third party solution for business sellers rather than expand direct shipping offerings may be influenced by eBay's recent quarterly financial results, in which the company reported a 19% increase in Transaction Losses, largely attributed to rising consumer protection costs in covering Simple Delivery loss and damage claims.
Liz Morton
Buyer Protection Fee For Private Sales
The November update also included another small adjustment to the Buyer Protection Fee calculation on private sales.
Back in July, eBay changed the "fixed" portion of the fee from "up to" £0.75 per item to "up to" £0.10 per item - importantly in both scenarios, that meant that was the maximum but it could be lower, which made calling it a "fixed" portion of the fee more than a little silly.
Liz Morton
Now, eBay has decided to make that portion of the Buyer Protection Fee actually fixed, applying a straight £0.10 per item plus the applicable variable percentage based on item value - and since the Buyer Protection fee is added into the price displayed to the buyer, that means private sellers may see prices on their items go up £0.01 to £0.03 as a result of this change starting November 11, 2025.
Changing the fixed fee portion of the Buyer Protection fee
On Tuesday 11 November, we’re updating the fixed fee portion of Buyer Protection from up to £0.10 to a flat rate of £0.10. That means easier calculations and more transparency – nice and simple.
This change will automatically be applied to private sellers’ existing fixed price listings on Tuesday 11 November. You can review and adjust the prices of any of your active listings at any time.
Please note: For private sellers, this update will mean an increase of £0.01 to £0.03 to any existing fixed price listings that automatically renew every 30 days.
Williams' monthly blog post also featured eBay for Business Award winners, eBay OPEN25 UK highlights, a reminder for sellers to apply for Up and Running Grants, and an invitation to join eBay's AI Activate program - which some sellers say so far does not live up to the hype.
Liz Morton
What do you think of Smart Shipping for UK businesses and changes to the Buyer Protection Fee calculation on private sales? Let us know in the comments below!
