• long running

eBay Plus - Unlimited Deliveries & Returns on "Plus" Items for $49 Annual Fee (Free 30 Day Trial)

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eBay Plus was announced today and is active from June.

Here are the Perks that you'll have with eBay PLUS

  • Free delivery and free returns on Plus items

  • Double flybuys points

  • Exclusive offers and deals

  • Premium customer service

  • Free 30-day trial and only $29 for your first year EXPIRED

How do I find eBay Plus items?

Look for an eBay plus search filter on the left of the desktop site when you search, or look for an eBay plus logo on the search result listing.

Please note that eBay Plus does not mean you will get free delivery on listings that are not part of the ebay plus scheme.

Could be a good deal if you buy a few things over the year. No good for buying second hand goods though.

Related Stores

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Comments

  • Will work great alongside the new 3 day maximum shipping feature!

    • +9

      If only.. but only Plus items and, like I mentioned in another comment, turning on 3 day shipping took it from free standard shipping to $90 express delivery to Perth so seems pretty unlikely.

    • What 3 day maximum shipping feature ???

  • +10

    I wonder if sellers like Futu Online will remove the free delivery from all its products and reduce prices by $5-10?

    Their free delivery cost built into their products cost will be worthless otherwise.

    • +114

      The 20% off gang reducing prices? ha ha HAHAHAHA

      • +46

        Upvote because of the sarcastic “ha ha HAHAHAHA”

      • +3

        I've had plenty of good deals in the 20% sales.

        • Same, just gotta get in quick before they realise certain items are too cheap!

      • If they reduce price in product and then add shipping, the shipping costs aren’t included in the discount. So they lose less money.

    • +6

      EBay is the one that prefers sellers list with free shipping. It looks better when it says 'fast n free' in the search results.

      • +27

        Yep I only order off sellers who offer that.
        Seems to be the only way nowadays to avoid sellers who lie about item location, saying it’s in Australia but it’s coming from China.

        • +31

          You only buy free shipping items? Why? Its all about total cost!

          $10 item + $5 shipping = $15 or $19 free shipping……. I know which one I would take.

          There is no such thing as FREE shipping, someone is paying for it, somehow.

        • +30

          @JimmyF: Not someone. It's definitely you.

        • +8

          @JimmyF:
          Well most of the time I grab the free shipping one, I do notice that the seller often has one with a cheaper price but shipping which makes it equal. If there is a sale on, I'll go for the free shipping one because it means more of a discount, if they have multiple things I want then I choose the paid shipping. The amount of times I have paid ~$10 shipping and I'd swear that it would have cost more than $10 due to stacking up the multiple items.

        • +9

          @JimmyF:

          Well if they are the same price or if the one with free shipping is only marginally pricier (e.g $150item +$47 shipping vs $200 item free shipping)

          Then I'd go with free shipping no doubt.

          Free shipping means you get the whole amount back for full refund.

        • -1

          @paradoxez: you would get the whole amount back anyway.

        • +1

          When buying off eBay you have to do your homework. Free shipping works better sometimes if eBay has one of its discount codes. It may not work so well when you are buying multiple items from the same seller. Sometimes the price plus shipping is lower than the total for free shipping. It varies between sellers. Some sellers have a flat rate fee no matter how many items you buy so it can be cheaper if you buy and pay shipping. As mentioned ny others the more professional eBay sellers price shipping into the cost and normally receive larger discounts feom the suppliers because of volume. So they can be competitive. The bottom line for sellers is that they need to make a profit on the product. The profit margins for every seller are different which is one of the reasons why you can have large price differences for the same product.

        • something interesting I have noted when buying recently is that if you buy an eBay gift card from Woolworths or other supplier, the exchange rate is very close to the wholesale rate so you can save anywhere between 2-5%. For example, i purchased some items recently in USD. The exchange rate eBay used was about $0.75 USD to AUD. When I purchased onthe same day using a credit card, the standard fee from the credit card provider is 3% below their wholesale rate and worked out to $0.725USD or about 2.5 cents per $100. This is without using woolworths 5% off from various sellers such as RACV. So you can end up saving about 8% without eBay offering any promo codes. Of course if you have the promo codes the discount ends up higher.

        • @paradoxez: why did you neg me? It's true! Would you like me to find a screenshot of the last time I got a refund on an ebay or PayPal purchase?

        • +1

          @ibuy:

          When I purchased onthe same day using a credit card, the standard fee from the credit card provider is 3% below their wholesale rate and worked out to $0.725USD or about 2.5 cents per $100. This is without using woolworths 5% off from various sellers such as RACV.

          Wouldn't it be much easier to just get a free credit card with no international transaction fees, like the 28 Degrees Mastercard?
          You won't have to keep track of gift cards and remaining balances.

        • -1

          you need to check the exchange rate they are providing. I doubt they will offer you the same rate as eBay offers. Best you check and compare. The rate is not a transaction fee but is a currency conversion fee.

          My credit card offers points for my frequent flyer and rewards so I am not sure of the mastercard you are referring to does this?

        • +1

          I had a look at the terms

          Please see here

          https://assets.latitudefinancial.com/legals/conditions-of-us…

          According to clause 8.4 they can choose a rate that best suits them. This rate may have hidden fees in it because they work off the mastercard rates or a transaction rate on the day they receive the charge (not always immediate). So the rates may work in or against you depending which way the currency moves. However regardless it will always be to the bank’s advantage. If they take the mastercard rate it will definitely have mastercard’s fees built in. It’s just yhat you don’t see what the fee is.

        • +4

          @ibuy:

          you need to check the exchange rate they are providing.

          It's a very popular card amongst OzBargainers which has been around for years. They're one of the few cards that will give you the official MasterCard conversion rates. Just set the bank fee to 0% when doing conversions.

          Other cards are listed here.

        • @eug:

          Hello @eug
          Please check the terms and conditions of the 28 degrees in the link provided above. The clause I refer to advises they can choose different rates on different days. It is not only the official mastercard rate that can be used.

        • +3

          @ibuy:
          Hello ibuy

          Please check the terms and conditions of the eBay gift cards you use. It says that eBay can change the terms and conditions of use at any time, and unless it's a huge change, they don't even have to notify you.

          All terms and conditions say they can pretty much do anything they want. What matters is what the company actually does consistently.

          The 28 Degrees card has been a very popular card amongst OzBargainers for years. We all know the exchange rate they use is good - far better than PayPal/eBay/Amazon exchange rates.

          I'm not sure why you're trying to argue against it when we've all been using it for years. I was just letting you know there's a more convenient option available - there's no need to try to attack it with FUD.

          If you don't like credit cards, the free CitiBank Plus debit card also provides fee-free international transactions.

        • +1

          @JimmyF: He's emphasizing the 'fast' as his requirement. Not the free.

        • @ibuy: what @eug said ^

        • -1

          @drew442: Glad someone can read!
          To offer 'Fast 'n' Free', sellers need to actually have a proven track record of being fast, as when you leave feedback you report how long it took for the item to come.

          However, its not a fact that the item is coming from Aus even with that. I just looked at a couple of 'Fast n free' items and the sellers were still based in China/Singapore/Hong Kong.
          I think its because people just blitz through the feedback form and dont actually care if it took a couple of weeks.

        • +1

          @JimmyF:
          I sold something on eBay and the guy wanted a discount to pick up. I told him shipping is free. to b pick up I should charge you extra for my time to wait around for you and take your phone calls and delays. in the end he coughed up all I asked for in full.

        • @empoleous: If you just look in the direction of an Australia Post outlet these days it costs you $10.

        • @djcharliek: Good for you. No idea why you're telling me this

        • @JimmyF:

          No doubt. You can sort by "Price + Postage (Lowest first)". However, if 2 items have exactly the same price and 1 day handling time, the one with free shipping will rank higher.

        • @ronnknee: Sure, but you all just kinda missed my point and piled on to the beat up the person that said something.

          The reply I was replying to was "I always buy free shipping" and my point was, thats just silly as the same item with the same delivery timeframes might be listed for a total cost cheaper even if you pay for shipping

          ie $10 item + $5 shipping vs $19 for item with free shipping.

        • @eug:

          I’m not arguing for or against you. I’m just making you aware of alternatives and the changes that can apply. For those who don’t like credit cards or debit cards gift cards act as a way of controlled spending as you have to go and purchase a gift card with cash (if you don’t have credit cards). That makes the buying process a bit more involved and will reduce impulse buying. The number of people who get caught up in the hype of impulse buying nowadays is crazy - so a little more effort makes you consider your options.

          At the end of the day you have suggested one way of making a purchase and I have provided another way. So it works out well for everyone as everyone now knows that there are at least two different ways of purchasing items and receiving a good exchange rate.

          For me I will either use my credit card as the freq flyer points are worth more to me as I have used them to travel business class to many countries for only the cost of the taxes. and/or the use of eBay gift cards works fine for me. The points cost is miniscule compared to what I would have had to pay for a full business class airfare and as 95% of my purchases are for every day items such as gas, electricity, fuel etc it’s almost a free ride. (Note I said almost!!)

          I don’t get caught up in one way being the only way. I do what works best for me (I have enough credit cards to manage already) as you do what works best for you. I suggest you check one day whether the giftcard provides a better rate than the 28 card. I think you will find the gift card slightly better.

          Anyway thanks for helping everyone out and I hope all have benefitted from our discussions.

        • -3

          @djcharliek: if someone said that to me on ebay instant negative feedback.

        • @ibuy: Whew, that's a lot of text resulting from a simple comment saying using a card with no international transaction fees is more convenient than buying gift cards just to avoid international transaction fees.

        • @Quantumcat:

          I didn't neg you though.

        • +1

          the new 3 - 5 day shipping feature is a fantastic way of finally filtering out those barstards

        • @JimmyF: I dont think he was talking about free shipping specifically. Rather he looks for deals that have the 'fast and free' label, to ensure it is local stock and not a seller saying the item is in Australia but in fact coming from China.

        • -1

          @Trishool: thread is a month old. let it go!

        • @ibuy:
          How do you save from racv?

        • @Moofy:
          If you are an RACV member, explore the site to find many ways you can get savings.

          Although for 5% off Woolworths Everyday Reward Cards, it's simple to just go to CashRewards and buy via there.

    • that will be the question, which sellers drop prices and no more free delivery , or the bulk just keep free delivery .

      amazon prime is more than just free delivery in the usa, you also get free streamed movies and other stuff as a sweetener.

      australia post tried one of these postage deals with selected sellers, not sure how well that took off.

      also ebay is australian sellers, so no savings for those cables from china that want $2delievry
      er cable,etc.

    • unless Futu sells Plus items (whatever they are), it doesn't change anything.

  • +13

    I'm guessing if I purchase this that all new items I purchase will be "free shipping" anyway.

    • Shops such as Officeworks, Myer, TGG have a free shipping min spend so this would be perfect to counteract that.

  • +16

    I wonder who will be paying for the shipping if the buyer isn’t paying? Sounds like Ebay further gouging it’s sellers.

    • +4

      And buyers.

      Most of the stuff I buy right now includes free delivery (and yeah I compare it to regular price + postage options).

      With this scheme it feels like eBay is trying to take a larger cut of total spend.

      If this scheme succeeds to a reasonable extent then no doubt some sellers will opt to start splitting total costs back to price + postage rather than including free shipping. That has the effect of making this scheme more appealing, leading to more people joining it, leading to more sellers to opt out of free shipping.

      And whereas free shipping is something the sellers can currently use as a (admittedly minor) differentiator, under this scheme they get further reduced to simply competing on price. Watch eBay hide the "fast'n'free" differentiator.

      In the end the only winner is eBay. Sellers aren't getting any more money and eBay's convinced people to pay for something that almost by definition the majority of buyers can't extract full value out of (if they did where is the margin?).

      Edit to add: I guess the scheme also makes sense for eBay as it's trying to get buyers to commit to a certain level of recurring spend in the face of increasing competition. Good luck with that.

  • +11

    Sellers are normally encouraged to have the shipping built into the fixed price so that it shows "free delivery". There are no benefits of separating the two. So really, this scheme milks more money out of the buyers.

    • +3

      Wrong. Some bulky items cost more to send regional areas.

      • +3

        Subsidised by the far more numerous deliveries made to metropolitan customers.

    • +3

      There are no benefits of separating the two.

      There is if you offer pick up.

      • Or if you sell to international customers.

  • +1

    Anyone have an eBay plus account that can enlighten us on anything else we should know before signing up.

  • +18

    Forgive me but how exactly is this a bargain and not a forum post?

    Would see it as a bargain if it gave a reduction to final value fees

    • +9

      The community decides by upvoting.

      • +3

        If that was the sole determinant, then we wouldn’t need moderators at all!

        • +4

          I would consider the $29 for the first year a bargain?

        • @lucas001: The $29 part wasn’t posted when the original comment was posted - in fact, the deal details were very sparse. We still don’t know when it starts, how it will apply, and to what items… but I suppose the mods are ok with the amount of detail currently.

          Also, people could only see it as a ‘bargain’ because eBay says so. Imagine if they set the standard price as $29 but then raised it next year to $49… there’d be an uproar. But that’s essentially what they’re doing.

      • +2

        Upvotes = good deal. Sure. Strange how every ebay deal or non deal gets heaps of upvotes wether it’s good or not.

    • Alright, you're forgiven.

  • +2

    Seems like it will only be with a set of retailers which is a shame.

  • So only applies to Aussie sellers/shops ?

    Hmmm

  • +19

    Ohh, Amazon Prime must be coming!

    • +4

      It isn't really a threat though since Amazon Australia doesn't have much.
      I think I have purchased 1 item of Amazon au since it arrived

      • +4

        1, that's pretty good.

        I still haven't purchased anything. I'm guessing the $20 first purchase is also expired by now.

        • +1

          30th june expires….if you need a micro sd card sandisk 200gig is $67 delivered after $20

      • -1

        Yeah, an $800 billion company isn't much of a threat because you think you have purchased 1 item.

      • +4

        Each of my accounts have also only purchased 1 item too :)

      • +4

        The problem is Amazon Australia haven't really got that much valuable stock yet. If they start getting TV's and high end stuff they sell themselves instead of independent sellers. You would see huge price drops compared to what retailers sell it for. When they start selling their own products like the USA. Then we'll see some great prices.

        • +1

          +1
          and that's only going to come when Prime is ready (or very close) to roll…

          PS, I also am yet to buy anything off Amazon Australia.

        • +1

          I don't think they can supply the country with all that stuff from only one warehouse. They're taking baby steps.

  • +20

    This will likely end poorly.

    Nothing ebay offers is legitimate.

  • +17

    PayPal already covers 8 returns a year for free, plus I don't think many people bother returning anyway. Still have to pay for packaging.

    • not if you still keep the original packaging

      • +2

        Your house must be cluttered with boxes.

    • +4

      Paypal actually refunds the packaging too. You just have to show a photo of the packaging used for the return (buy a box from the post office)

    • I'm pretty sure PayPal will no longer be available as a payment method offered by eBay during 2020 as the new payment provider will be Adyen. I presume this is a way to get ready for the transition by offering features PayPal currently offer.

  • +1

    3 day shipping will be good - considering an item I ordered from Queensland took nearly 2 months to get to Perth!

    • +4

      20% of the time, shipping from China is faster than shipping from AU for me.

      • Half of the time shipping "from AU" means from China to AU seller, then AU seller to you - so it ends up taking longer.

    • I think it's unlikely this will cover 3 day shipping. Most of the things I looked at when I flicked that switch were quoting nearly $90 for express delivery to Perth (or free standard shipping), even on small $10 items.

  • +12

    Agreed this is no bargain, just hype for a new feature…

    • +2

      Agreed - this belongs in the forums - plus it's simply a link to a new story. OzBargain needs to know the terms and conditions so we can Broden it!

    • may not be a bargain, but majority of posts are ebay so i think its fine. I wouldn't have seen or heard about this unless i saw this post, so im thankful things like this get posted.

    • +1

      Yet so many up voters, eBay has fooled many into thinking this is a benefit worth paying for.

  • +3

    No go. Shipping is already covered in the "Buy it now" price as most sellers offer free shipping. Sellers aren't going to reduce their prices once this scheme becomes active.

    • Will be surprised if they did

      • This is just eBay trying to compete with Amazon prime - and doing a poor job at it.

  • +8

    "unlimited returns" doesn't sound too good for sellers or manufacturers

    • +1

      Exactly what I was thinking when reading the news article about this. It would be great it eBay would contact sellers (at least at the same time as releasing info the to the media) about the implications of the system.

      This may be an indication of what sellers are required to adhere to in order to participate:

      https://developer.ebay.com/DevZone/guides/ebayfeatures/Devel…

    • That should be the norm. Only on new items and only items that are defective or DOA

    • +1

      I agree, not good for sellers. It should only apply to wrong item sent or damages. Not change of mind.

    • +1

      Seems like a scammers paradise.

      I can see clothing sellers getting heavily abused. They might be doing a lot of "free rentals" and a lot less sales.

  • +3

    Free delivery on "plus" items. Caveat emptor.

  • +1

    Interested to see how this goes.

    For all the talk about Amazon is going to change everything, so far they haven't done a thing. Is it all a big bluff?

    • +1

      I've not bought anything from Amazon AU since they opened. I haven't found any bargains. My shipping times still suck to North QLD. I'm still waiting for Amazon to change the online retail landscape.

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