eBay Simple Delivery Claims To Offer Full Coverage For Loss & Damage - But Are Sellers Really Protected?
As eBay UK makes Simple Delivery mandatory for private sellers, questions about insurance coverage for loss or damage in the managed shipping program linger.
Simple Delivery was introduced in May 2024 and was initially limited only to clothing sales, causing some to speculate the program was designed specifically to compete with Vinted.
But eBay quickly expanded the program to include most categories on the platform and has now made it mandatory for all private sellers of eligible items to use Simple Delivery as of April 15, 2025.
Liz Morton
As part of the program, eBay has assured sellers they will be fully protected against claims of loss or damage - as long as they have a pick up scan showing the item was handed over to the courier, eBay will supposedly handle any claims after that point.
How is my item protected?
Items are protected against loss or damage from the moment they are scanned into the courier’s delivery network until they are marked as delivered by the courier.There’s also no need to call the courier or customer support. In the event that a buyer raises a claim for an issue that occurs during transit, you won’t be held responsible. Even fragile items are protected when you follow our packaging guidance.
There’s no cover limit for eligible items with Simple Delivery. They’re fully protected for the amount they were sold for on eBay providing you post the item using the prepaid Simple Delivery label provided, comply with the eBay delivery Terms and Conditions, and properly package the item.
But skeptical sellers worry those caveats about "complying with the eBay delivery Terms and Conditions" and "properly packaging the item" could give eBay more than enough wiggle room to slip out of covering many claims for Simple Delivery shipments.
First, the question is, how does eBay define "proper packaging"?
How can I ensure my item is properly packaged?
After you’ve sold your item, it’s important to pack it securely, in the right type of packaging, to make sure it gets to your buyer in perfect condition. Here are some tips on packing your item:
- Choose a container that’s slightly larger than the item, so you can cushion it with packing material on all sides.
- Surround the item with bubble wrap, packing peanuts, foam, or paper (so there’s no room for things to move around).
- Use clear or brown packaging tape, eBay-branded tape, reinforced packing tape, or paper tape, which should be at least 2 inches wide.
- Don’t use masking tape, cellophane tape, cord, string, or twine.
- Tape the opening of the box and reinforce all seams and edges.
- Clearly label the package on a flat surface and include a return address.
- If you’re reusing a box, cover any previous labels and cross out any previous addresses with a black marker. You can also print a packing slip and include it in your package when you print your label.
- For aerosols, batteries, food items and fragrances, see additional information on packaging requirements.
Several savvy sellers have pointed out that Simple Delivery takes away any ability for the seller to set a specific packaging and handling fee to offset the costs of purchasing the necessary supplies to pack items to eBay's specifications.
That means the seller will need to either eat the cost or add it into the item price - and if they add it in, that will also increase the amount of the Buyer Protection Fee being assessed, making the total price much more expensive for the buyer than it might have been otherwise.
Beyond that, eBay refers to the eBay Delivery Terms and Conditions, which in turn refer to additional policies for each courier - and that's where things could get even more tricky.
The eBay Delivery Terms and Conditions continue some very important fine print:
Liability for Loss or Damage.
You remain responsible for any loss or damage to your item until it has been scanned into the carrier’s network.Once your item has been scanned into the carrier’s network and providing you used the Simple Delivery label and are compliant with these Terms and eBay’s Policies, as well as the relevant Carrier Terms, your item will be covered for loss or damage during transit up to the sold item value on the eBay.co.uk site.
This means you will retain your sales proceeds in relation to the item sent using the Simple Delivery label. The item will be in transit from the point it has been scanned into the carrier’s network until it has been marked as delivered by the carrier.
Prohibited Items.
You agree not to send any prohibited or restricted items through the Services. More information about which items are prohibited or restricted for the Services may be found here.You agree that eBay and its third party carriers may decide if an item is eligible for the Services. You agree that if any item is found to be non-compliant with these terms or the Carrier Terms, eBay and its third party carriers will have no liability to you.
eBay’s third party carriers may at their discretion, and in any manner they prefer: (a) destroy or refuse to accept the non-compliant item into their network; and (b) hand over the item to the relevant regulatory authorities or law enforcement. eBay’s third party carriers are authorised to open and inspect any package without notice for due diligence purposes.
While many items on the Restricted and Prohibited Items lists from Royal Mail and Evri make sense and are already restricted from selling on eBay, sellers are concerned that Evri in particular may also include items which are on their list for items which can be shipped, but are excluded from compensation.
If so, that would include a much wider variety of common items, including but not limited to:
- All items that have been badly packaged or strapped together
- Glass items or fragile items that contain glass parts
- Diamonds and other precious stones or antique items
- Laptops, computers and game consoles
- TVs and monitors
- Lighting equipment such as vehicle lights and light bulbs
- Paintings, prints or canvases
- Musical instruments including their cases or suitcases when used as external packaging
- Ceramic or composite items of any description including without limitation mirrored items, crystal, ceramics, porcelain, plaster, marble, china, stone, slate, resin, granite, concrete (or any item containing these materials)
- Fossils, stones, marble, stoneware or any stone derivative
- Articles made largely or wholly of gold, silver or other precious metals
- Kitchen appliances such as white goods or electronic equipment with fragile/glass parts
- Antiques - objects over 100 years old
- Furniture - unless flat-packed and safely packaged
- Memorabilia, photographs, signed items and vinyl records
- Cameras, lenses, spectacles and optical equipment such as telescopes or binoculars
Will eBay exclude those items from Simple Delivery or allow them to be shipped any way, possibly excluding them from Evri and only allowing them through Royal Mail?
Sellers do have the option to set their shipping preferences to either only Royal Mail, only Evri or both, but there's a catch - eBay doesn't guarantee your preference will be honored and may still force you to use a non-preferred carrier in some situations, not to mention if you choose to offer only one carrier, the costs shown to buyers are higher than if you leave the preference to allow both.
If eBay does allow these items to ship via Evri through Simple Delivery, will they still offer the "full coverage" in case of loss or damage?
They certainly could choose to simply eat the cost of claims in that scenario in order to live up to their protection promise, but given the fine print and caveats already baked into the policies, it's understandable why sellers are concerned eBay will wiggle out of the deal.
eBay has not responded to request for comment on this questions about Simple Delivery's protection promises at time of publishing.
Stay tuned for updates and if you're an eBay buyer or seller in the UK, let us know in the comments below about your experiences with Simple Delivery!
