Online giant eBay.co.uk is altering its fee structure to encourage more High Street retailers to sell through its website.

The auction specialist has done away with Gallery costs, improved its Buy It Now service and cut up-front listing fees, in an initiative designed to reduce the risk for retailers. eBay will instead take a larger cut from items sold, which the firm hopes will persuade indies to sell more stock online.

“eBay connects buyers and sellers,” said eBay UK’s director of marketplace Clare Gilmartin. “Alongside the magic of auction-style sales, buyers increasingly want the convenience of shopping for great value, often new, items at a fixed-price, and that is fuelling a big growth in the number of large and small sellers using eBay in this way.

“The improvements will remove barriers for sellers, so they can make the most of this opportunity and offer even more goods for sale on eBay. That means even greater choice for buyers, and in turn, greater success for sellers.”

eBay has estimated that 178,000 people in the UK are earning a living by running a business on the site. And the firm feels these new changes are ideally suited to retailers in need of clearing stock.

The changes to eBay’s service are set to take place on Wednesday September 24th.