eBay UK Simple Delivery Update: Custom Postage Still Allowed For Items Under £10 In Some Sub-Categories
A week into eBay UK's Simple Delivery mandate for private sellers, the company is already making changes to the new policy, limiting exemption for under £10 items to specific sub-categories.
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 announced it would be 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.
But skeptical sellers worried that 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 - not to mention shipping carriers like Evri have a long list of items which they deem as allowed to ship, but are excluded from compensation for loss or damage.
Liz Morton
eBay has received massive backlash to the Simple Delivery mandate on its own UK community forum and across social media and now it appears they have quietly made changes to the exemption list that will allow items under £10 in some sub-categories to retain the custom postage option.
When eBay first announced Simple Delivery would be mandatory starting April 15th, the policy made exceptions for Authenticity Guarantee, bulky items, and items £10 or under and weighing 100g or under according to the Simple Delivery FAQ and policy pages.
Sometime since then, eBay has edited this page to now include a long list of sub-categories on top of the £10 and letter size requirements to determine if items are excluded from the mandate - while Simple Delivery will be offered for these items, private sellers will also still have the option to use custom postage.
Here's the list of examples eBay has provided as of April 23, 2025, but it's important to note that the exception does not apply to all sub-categories in these areas, this is not an exhaustive list, and the £10 limit appears to still apply - as the FAQ says, the only way to know for sure if your item is required to use Simple Delivery or not is to see if it is the only option offered when creating the listing.
Starting from 15 April, Simple Delivery will be the only delivery method available for private sellers when posting eligible items. Simple Delivery will be optional for items priced £10 and under, letter-sized, and in certain sub-categories* within the following areas:
- Antiques (e.g., Maps)
- Art (e.g., Photographs)
- Baby (e.g., Car Window Signs & Decals)
- Books, Comics & Magazines (e.g., Bookmarks)
- Business, Office & Industrial (e.g., Office Supplies & Stationary, Adhesive Tapes)
- Cameras & Photography (e.g.,Memory Cards, Drone Accessories)
- Clothes, Shoes & Accessories (e.g., Hair Accessories, Wallets)
- Coins
- Collectables (e.g., Trading Cards, Card Games, Badges & Patches, Postcards)
- Computers/Tablets & Networking (e.g., Cables & Connectors, Components & Parts)
- Crafts (e.g., Scrapbooking, Beads)
- Dolls & Bears (e.g., Clothing & Accessories)
- Events Tickets
- Everything Else (e.g., Information Services, Grave Ornaments & Memorials)
- Films & TV (e.g., DVDs, Fridge Magnets)
- Garden & Patio (e.g., Seeds & Bulbs)
- Health & Beauty (e.g., Nail Art, Temporary Tattoos)
- Home, Furniture & DIY (e.g., Cards & Invitations, Ornaments)
- Jewellery & Watches (e.g., Bracelets & Charms)
- Mobile Phones & Communication (e.g., Cables, SIM Cards)
- Music (e.g., CDs, Memorabilia Stickers)
- Musical Instruments & DJ Equipment (e.g., Parts & Accessories)
- Pet Supplies (e.g., Tags & Charms, Collars)
- Sound & Vision (e.g., Batteries, Turntable Parts)
- Sporting Goods (e.g., Tennis Grips)
- Sports Memorabilia (e.g., Trading Cards, Pins, Magnets)
- Stamps
- Toys & Games (e.g.,. LEGO ® Building Toys, Card Games)
- Vehicle Parts & Accessories (e.g., Exterior Decals & Vinyls, Repair Manuals)
- Video Games
- Wholesale & Job Lots (e.g., Greeting Cards & Stationery)
This list does not include all sub-categories covered. You can see if your item is eligible and required to use Simple Delivery when listing.
Making the exception sub-category dependent adds additional layers of complexity to the Simple Delivery policy, with the lack of clarity allowing eBay more wiggle room to change eligibility on the fly, leaving sellers at the mercy of the listing form to tell them what their options will be each and every time they create a new listing.
Sellers can expect eBay to move as quickly as possible to expand Simple Delivery eligibility as CEO Jamie Iannone and CFO Steve Priest have explicitly positioned managed shipping as a revenue generating initiative when speaking to investors on quarterly earnings calls, saying it's part of their plan to remonetize these sales after dropping seller fees on private sales last year.
Liz Morton
Originally, the mandate was supposed to go into effect in Q1, then they pushed it to Q2 and have now slow rolled the ramp up by adding additional exceptions, but make no mistake that eBay sees Simple Delivery managed shipping as an important profit center - especially as they continue to struggle with lagging Gross Merchandise Volume and Active Buyers.
eBay says they have no plans to expand mandatory Simple Delivery to business sellers or other markets any time soon, but that doesn't exclude the possibility of offering it on a voluntary basis in the future.
In fact, a recent seller survey shows that eBay is at least very interested in exploring how users might feel about a similar managed shipping option for the US as well.
Liz Morton
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!
