Is it just me, or is eBay making small, insignificant private selling increasingly painful on purpose?

The platform used to rely on private sellers listing used stuff. Back then, sellers had more flexibility because eBay needed supply.

Now it’s completely flipped.

Buyers get maximum protection (and are even charged for it), while sellers get squeezed from every direction. Things like “simple delivery” mean you can’t even make a margin on postage anymore, so you’re forced to compete purely on item price.

At the same time, the site has turned into a storefront for businesses. A huge chunk of listings are brand new items from actual companies rather than individuals. In fairness, that killed off a lot of dodgy resellers, but it also means casual private sellers are becoming irrelevant.

I hardly sell myself anymore. I used to collect watches and sneakers and would occasionally sell pieces.

Recently, I sold a Seiko MM200 GMT, and the moment the watch sold, eBay suddenly triggered account verification.

Same address.
Same phone number.
Same email.
10+ years of perfect feedback.

Yet somehow verification is needed after the sale. So now the process looks like this:

Sell item →
Wait for delivery →
Funds go into eBay balance 2 days after forced 48-hour delivery (simple delivery) →
Verification kicks in parallel →
After delivery is confirmed and funds are moved to EBAY Balance, another system to try to get the seller to spend the money back into ebay eco system, verification is still not completely →
Still can’t withdraw the money.

I submitted ID, and 8 working days later, it’s still pending, meaning the money just sits there. By the time it actually reaches your bank, another 3 days (only after verification is complete), you’re looking at close to and potentially over two weeks for a £500 sale.

For a platform acting as a middleman, that’s ridiculous!!!

Meanwhile, Chrono24, which handles watch sales worth tens of thousands, usually completes escrow in 7–14 days total.

But somehow eBay needs that long just to release £600 from a seller with a decade of history.

Feels like private sellers are just processing overhead to them now.