Buyers Now Pay Fees on Delcampe Marketplace Instead of Sellers

Mercari raised eyebrows when it eliminated selling fees in the spring and shifted fees to buyers, but collectibles marketplace Delcampe has done the same. The Belgian company announced the change in a blog post on March 7, 2024.

One reason cited for the change was that sellers were stiffing Delcampe: “Current and future legislative formulas, the best example of which is DAC7, have come and gone,… Some sellers left us with a tab to pick up when they left the site.”

Both buyers and sellers expressed some concerns in the comments section; Delcampe suggested buyers worried about higher costs consider making lower offers to sellers if they feel the asking price is too high. (For sellers who haven’t adjusted their prices, this may make sense since they no longer pay commission fees.)

Another reason for the change: Delcampe said buyers complained about extra fees charged by sellers. In a subsequent blog post published on April 26, 2024, Delcampe explained, “The main complaint from buyers on Delcampe was about additional fees that were not clearly indicated and were hidden payment fees. And, as you probably know, these payment fees are illegal under the PSD2 law.”

Now, sellers can only add shipping costs – Delcampe removed the ability for sellers to charge handling fees. In its March post, Delcampe explained buyer fees as follows:

For buyers
Objects are now displayed with the commission directly included. This is calculated as follows:

Fixed amount per item: €0.30

Percentage of the seller’s asking price: 10%

For example, if a seller wants to sell an item for €10, it is displayed at €11.30 to the buyer, including all costs (except shipping).

If you buy and sell on marketplaces that charge buyer fees instead of selling fees, particularly Delcampe and Mercari, let us know how it’s going.