eBay.co.uk today announces a series of new measures that will make shopping on the site safer and easier than ever before.
The measures include improvements to eBay’s Feedback system, one of the principle building blocks of trading on the site.
Additionally, for the first time ever, buyers will be offered protection on every single purchase they make on the eBay.co.uk site[1].
“eBay created a marketplace built on trust where anyone could buy and sell online. Yet as ecommerce has evolved, there are constant new challenges in maintaining trust & safety online” said Mark Lewis, managing director for eBay in the UK.
“For all the people who love shopping on eBay, we know there are others who haven’t had a great experience. The sum of these changes will make shopping on eBay.co.uk even safer, more unique and fun.”
What’s changing?
1. Feedback – ‘buying from the best’
Buyers can now leave honest Feedback about a seller, without fear of retaliation, meaning Feedback becomes a more accurate and trusted record of a seller’s trading history.
Buyers can also look in greater detail how other shoppers have rated a seller with regards to postage and packaging charges, communication, accuracy of item description and dispatch times.
Fast Fact: eBay members worldwide have left more than 7 billion Feedback comments for one another regarding their eBay transactions.
2. Purchase Protection – ‘buy with confidence’
From June 3rd, every seller on eBay.co.uk will have to offer PayPal as one of their payment methods (currently 95% do). This means that buyers have free protection up to £500 on ANY item they buy on the site, if they pay with PayPal.
Fast Fact: eBay users worldwide trade almost £900 worth of goods on the site every second.
3. Customer Service – ‘Call for help’
eBay is rapidly rolling out live customer service support for all its UK members, meaning instant help on any problem or question they might have.
Fast Fact: Over 1 million buyers and sellers in the UK now enjoy live telephone support.
4. Business registration – ‘knowing your rights’
We require businesses to register themselves as such on the site. Businesses have to comply with relevant laws regarding returns policies and distance selling regulations. That means buyers can shop with greater confidence in the service they should expect and receive.
Fast Fact: A new business registers on the eBay.co.uk site approximately every 10 minutes.
5. Protection from online Fraud – ‘safe shopping’
IDs of users bidding on items are now anonymous, meaning our customers can’t be targeted by fraudsters using fake emails to try and steal money.
Fast Facts: eBay employs over 2,000 people and trains thousands of law enforcement officials every year to tackle everything from online fraud to counterfeit items to stolen goods on the site.
[1] Every item on eBay.co.uk except vehicles