Is there a EU connection for ebay, or is there a change in the winds?

[a45heaven]

'I certify that all my selling activities will comply with all EU laws and regulations'.

This notice appears on each of my listings in the description section, where i am advised that'Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing'.

Any ideas why the note shows there, just in case im asked as im responsible it appears?

[ottavio20210]

I believe this has to to with one or more of the two:

1) Ebay is legally based in the EU;

2) There is, like it or not, a post-Brexit agreement between the EU and the UK.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Or the fact that there are issues with NI.  It's part in/part out of the EU and as such, a lot of the rules apply there as well.

[4_bathrooms]

Or could it be eBay being stupidly out-of-date as usual and forgetting the UK is no longer a member of the EU?

Here's another example from eBay's selling practices policy:

"Are there additional requirements for business sellers?

The Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended), places numerous legal obligations on business sellers."

The Sale of Goods Act was superceded by the Consumer Rights Act on 1st October 2015...

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Good point.  But at the end of the day, there is still some spillover from the EU that is still relevant.

As far as I'm aware though, that's been on listings for a long time anyway and not something new.

But the seller does and should assume all responsibilty for the listing.

While Ebay can control some things, they can't control everything, such as what you actually send to the customer.

[magpiecorner1]

Definitely changes in the wind, should only apply to those selling into the EU, but has eBay ever missed an opportunity to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

[a45heaven]

But the seller does and should assume all responsibility for the listing.

Even though at any point in time ebay can insert into the description what ever they please, along with the half baked bargain A I ebay uses on building listings - disabled or not, do you trust ebay not to over ride the sellers settings?

[magpiecorner1]

Its to do with regulations selling into the EU, there will be a future requirement for added information in the listings for most categories.  To do with recycling and manufacturers taking back goods at end of life, I believe.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I'm sorry, but I really don't see what settings have to do with this.

The actual content of the listing, is what is being referred to.

It's your responsibility, to ensure that what you are selling complies with various rules and regulations and not Ebay'.  It's no different, whether your selling on Ebay, Amazon, your own Website or even a bricks and mortar shop.

If you use the AI, to create your description etc, then it's still very much up to you, to ensure that what the AI comes up with, is actually correct.

[a45heaven]

If you use the AI, to create your description etc, then it's still very much up to you, to ensure that what the AI comes up with, is actually correct.

So each day you have to monitor the contents of each individual listing you have running just to make sure nothing has been added by ebay? 

Do the various adverts become the responsibility of the seller whose listing ebay have added them to?

If its simply checking what each seller has included in their own descriptions - then fine, thats what id expect to be part of the ownership, its when others make  insertions.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I would expect that the AI description once created, is not changed in any way.

There really should be no reason why it is.  Particularly, as once descriptions are created, they stay the same.

Yes, the adverts you create are very much your responsibility.  You decide what to advertise etc and any content in them, is yours.  Ebay don't just add random content to adverts.

You are simply using Ebay's platform to advertise, in just the same way you would be in you were to use google.

But no matter which way you look at it, you are running a business.  As such, YOU are responsible for everything that business says and does, wherever that may be.

Yes, if there is a technical glitch etc and Ebay changes something without your knowledge, then they are going to be jointly liable for that.  But again, it is still your responsbility to monitor your own listings, whether it be here or on Shopify etc.

These are all legal requirements.

[a45heaven]

I would expect that the AI description once created, is not changed in any way.

There really should be no reason why it is.

Your faith is in excess of my experiences here.

Sorry the adverts i meant are the sponsored items - mostly fake ones shown as 'similar' to my original ones. 

But again, it is still your responsibility to monitor your own listings, whether it be here or on Shopify etc.

Obviously i agree, but should you have to keep monitoring on maybe a daily basis? Do sellers not pay, and pay very well for the privilege of using the platform. Recently ive reduced my listings on ebay by a further 25%, mainly as a response to Item Specific demands and issues related to creating new listings.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Unfortunately yes, it is your responsibility to monitor them.

Have you ever sold on Amazon, it's a far bigger problem on there, as other sellers can amend the listings.

For example, you regularly get people complaining that someone changed a listing to 2 items instead of 1 etc.

And obviously, if a customer only gets one, then you are at fault.

What you actually pay for at the end of the day, is access to the customer base.  The rest is trimmings.

And to be fair, costs are generally very similar wherever you sell.

[4_bathrooms]

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@magpiecorner1 wrote:

Its to do with regulations selling into the EU, there will be a future requirement for added information in the listings for most categories.  To do with recycling and manufacturers taking back goods at end of life, I believe.

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You know what...it still doesn't make sense - the disclaimer appears on all EU business seller's listings. For example, it appears even if you're a German buyer looking at a German business seller's listing. I wondered what would happen if I looked at a Swiss business seller's listing as Switzerland shares a land border with the EU but isn't a member. There is no disclaimer even if you look at the listing from one of eBay's EU websites. And if you look at a listing from any other country from outside the EU (including eBay US and eBay Australia) where the seller offers shipping to the EU there is still no disclaimer. This seems to rule out the disclaimer being necessary for third-country listings that are made available to EU buyers. 

My theory is eBay has an "EU template" for EU listings. This covers things like showing a business's contact details, VAT numbers etc. As our consumer laws have remained pretty much aligned (though now disparate from) the EU laws eBay is simply using the same "template" for UK business seller's listings. That seems to include the disclaimer which is clearly intended for EU-registered business sellers.     

[a45heaven]

Thanks for your response.

Apart from ebay I only sell now on Dedicated Music Platforms, or the likes of Facebook and such.

FB is generally free, although you have to design your own unit sale, the dedicated sites are generally around the 10% fee (ebay all in is closer to double that), and less limiting rules.

You are right in that what used to be was a large customer base, but with 'Dimprovements' by ebay - notably on the search functions, checkouts and inability to combine items readily - the quality and quantity of potential buyers is contracting.