What is the Gumtree Buyer Protection fee?

What does the Gumtree Buyer Protection fee cost?

Read the date on the page, because Gumtree’s own articles do not all say the same thing.

The buyer protection policy dated 30 July 2026, and the fees page dated 30 October 2025, both say the Gumtree Buyer Protection fee is £0.70 plus 5% to 10% of the item price, depending on value and category. The fees page says there is no seller fee for using payments, and that delivery is charged to the buyer.

The delivery article dated 20 November 2025 says the same 5% to 10% in its buying steps. A highlight on that same article says £0.70 plus 5%. Use the figure shown at checkout, and treat the highlight as a clash, not as a second official price.

Gumtree’s buyer protection policy, dated 30 July 2026, says Buyer Protection is included when you use Buy now and pay through Mangopay. The Gumtree Buyer Protection fee at checkout is £0.70 plus a variable fee of 5% to 10% of the item price, depending on value and category. The policy says it may apply if the item does not arrive, is significantly not as described, or is damaged in transit with enough evidence. You must report the issue in My Orders within 48 hours of confirmed delivery. If you do not, the policy says the order is treated as accepted and payment is released to the seller. It does not cover a change of mind, minor cosmetic issues that were described or shown, a late report, or a claim without reasonable evidence. Source

Gumtree’s fees page, dated 30 October 2025, says there are no seller fees or costs when using payments on Gumtree. It says the Gumtree Buyer Protection fee at checkout is a flat £0.70 plus 5% to 10% of the item price, depending on value and category, and that delivery is charged to the buyer. Source

Gumtree’s delivery article, dated 20 November 2025, says in the buying steps that the Gumtree Buyer Protection fee is £0.70 plus 5% to 10%. A highlight on the same page says the fee is £0.70 plus 5%. The article names Clothing, Entertainment and Baby-Kids, items up to £250, delivery by Evri, and a claim within 48 hours. It also describes seller compensation of up to £250 for a lost or damaged delivery item if its guidelines are followed. That compensation figure is separate from the £250 item limit. Source

What does Buy now cover, and what does it leave out?

The July 2026 policy says this applies when you pay through Mangopay using Buy now. It may cover an item that does not arrive, is significantly not as described, or is damaged in transit if you have evidence. An item sitting ready for collection at a shop or locker is not, on that page, a missing-parcel claim.

You report it in My Orders within 48 hours of confirmed delivery. After that, the policy says the order is accepted and the seller is paid. A change of mind is not covered. Nor is a minor mark that the listing already showed.

The September 2026 payments page says this checkout is for eligible delivery-enabled items up to £250, and only when the advert shows Buy now. The November 2025 article names Clothing, Entertainment and Baby-Kids. The later payments page tells you to look at the button on the advert rather than assuming every category is included.

Gumtree’s online payments page, dated 16 September 2026, says buyers can pay at checkout by UK Visa or Mastercard, Apple Pay or PayPal, and that bank transfers are not supported. For delivery-enabled items it says secure payment is available on eligible items up to £250, and that the Buy now button shows when payment on Gumtree is available. For postage it says the seller is paid when the buyer confirms the item or 48 hours after the carrier confirms delivery with no dispute. For collection with online payment it says the seller enters the buyer’s 6-digit Collection Code, the sale is then complete, funds are released immediately, and that action cannot be reversed. Source

Does the fee apply if I pay cash or bank transfer?

The policy ties eligibility to Buy now and Mangopay. The payments page says bank transfers are not supported on that checkout. Cash at the door, and a PayPal payment you arrange in chat, are not described as this fee.

Friends and Family is a PayPal choice, not this checkout. Read PayPal Friends and Family before you accept that request. A PayPal email is a different problem again. Use the fake payment email guide.

How is this different from a SilentSale® order?

SilentSale® is a separate UK marketplace with its own checkout. The charge described above belongs to Gumtree’s Buy now flow. This page describes each checkout. It does not rank them.

On SilentSale® the buyer pays in the app. Stripe processes the payment and holds the funds until the order is completed. Buyer and seller each contribute £0.30 + 3% of the item price to SilentCover® (£0.60 each on a £10 item), a discretionary protection service. Tracked Shipping has a 72-hour window to report an issue after delivery. PIN Pickup is the in-person route: the buyer inspects, then shares a six-digit PIN. That PIN finishes the order. There is no cash, and no dispute step after the PIN.

Gumtree’s collection code is a different product. Its payments page says that when the seller enters the buyer’s 6-digit code, funds are released immediately and the action cannot be reversed. Do not treat the two codes as the same rule.

Where should I read next?

Read selling fees compared, what marketplaces say about seller protection, PayPal Friends and Family, fake payment emails and SilentSale® vs Gumtree.