New businesses registering on ebay.co.uk will not have to pay fees to list or sell until 31st May.
With SMEs struggling to keep their businesses running through the coronavirus crisis, eBay UK has pledged a major cashflow boost by offering payment holidays for all sellers and any new businesses joining the site.
Effective now, no business joining eBay UK will have to pay fees to list or sell until 31st May 2020. The offer will apply to 250 product listings each month and is expected to help 99% of every new business-to-consumer seller listing on the site. Existing sellers will also benefit from a 30-day payment holiday on all fees, with a commitment to consider a further holiday at the end of April.
The move will provide help to self-employed retailers and entrepreneurs which rely on bricks and mortar stores a virtual shop window to reach eBay UK’s 26m customers, without paying any fees until June. Many eBay sellers have expressed concerns about the lack of support for SMEs, compared to large businesses with furloughed employees.
Rob Hattrell, VP eBay UK, commented: “Small businesses are the backbone of Britain, but now more than ever, they need our support. We recognise that the challenges are vast and wide-ranging for SMEs on Britain’s high streets, but while the offline world is on lockdown, a shift to online spending should represent a real growth opportunity and a vital lifeline Now’s the time to be there when small businesses need us most, so that they can continue doing what they do best – safely, responsibly, and fairly.”
eBay has also introduced a new policy whereby only pre-approved whitelisted vendors are allowed to sell face masks and hand sanitiser items, and has announced further restrictions on sales of certain goods.
The company continues to offer charities around the world free listings on the platform and will be writing to charities in all countries it operates to encourage them to get online.
Thousands of eBay support staff have been redeployed to work at home through the lockdown and despite the restrictions on economic activity across Britain, eBay is continuing to provide a round-the-clock service for the UK economy.
For more information on setting up an eBay account and starting to trade on eBay, please see the following: Why sell on eBay?
