Auction site eBay brings in new anti-fraud measures

Internet auction site eBay is introducing new measures to protect against fraud and "bad experiences" suffered by customers.

From tomorrow, the identities of Irish eBay users bidding for items in auctions will remain anonymous where the initial bid is over €150. Similar anti-fraud measures were introduced in the UK before Christmas.

eBay.ie is also clamping down on the sale of counterfeit goods by demanding additional verification for certain types of goods that are frequently copied.

Sellers can no longer hide their feedback, so sellers with a bad track record will not be able to hide their reputations.

New registration requirements for sellers who want their auction items to be listed on an eBay site outside their registered country have also been implemented. According to eBay, this will reduce the number of suspended sellers and cancelled listings.

A more detailed feedback system will be introduced on the Irish and British sites in February, which will allow buyers to rate a transaction more accurately.

Garreth Griffith, head of trust and safety at eBay.ie, admitted there had been an increase in the bad experiences members faced due to two factors, increased internet fraud and a very small proportion of sellers who were failing to deliver "a positive buyer experience".

"We are taking a stronger stance on reinforcing our listing policies in areas that provide particularly bad buyer experiences, such as when sellers charge excessive postage, and when sellers lie about where they or their items are based. We will continue to get stronger in reinforcing these policies, by helping good sellers understand how to comply, and removing those sellers who don't."

The company also said it plans to strengthen and simplify its purchase protection programme later this year as well as improving its feedback system.

Separately, eBay announced it plans to charge all EU-based sellers a uniform rate of 15 per cent VAT. Non VAT-registered Irish sellers will continue to be charged gross selling fees including VAT, but the tax element will no longer be listed separately. VAT-registered sellers will be charged selling fees net of VAT.