No Fees for selling Clothing?

[vintagewatchpart]

So Ebay has abolished all fees for selling clothing on a private account.

Now more than ever surely the clamping down of businesses operating from private accounts has to increase?

I feel so sorry for those in this niche who trade legitimately as businesses who are competing with "private" sellers who just got handed a massive chunk of money.

[direct.gifts]

I suspect this is to compete with the other big site which sells used clothing and doesn't charge any fees to sellers. 

Although it is a kick in the teeth for me, I have a number of clothing lines which will now be more expensive than private sellers. 

I have thought for a while there is no intention of clamping down on business sellers trading under a private account. In fact I think it is now being positively encouraged.

[btr.style]

It's utterly ****** everything up for me. 

They already gave the competition unlimited 100% off fees. This cost my business around £4000 on being undercut with the new stuff and missing out on sales. 

As I mentioned in another post. I wanted to go down the vintage/used route and have invested heavily out of my own pocket. I've taken it on myself so for the last 6 months a lot of this has been stored at my home in my front room boxed from floor to ceiling.....

That's just a fraction of it. Already eBay is rife with those on private accounts as clothing businesses with 1000's of listings. 

All this will do will encourage more and more. 

I would estimate that due to this announcement from eBay, the return on my 60k investment of used clothing has now been reduced by around £15,000. The Patagonia fleeces are mostly worthless now and will almost certainly mean a big loss trying to sell them on eBay as a business due to eBay fees and being undercut by private businesses. 

It's really the last thing I needed to wake up to today and feel my mental health will be on a bad turn again. 

[douglaspuglas]

It's supposedly only pre-owned clothing that's fee free.

But does that mean used or something new with tags that's been sat in the back of a wardrobe?

[btr.style]

It will mean whatever people want it to mean. Many will put new clothing as used to bypass eBay fees. 

eBay are hardly the best at removing stuff are they?

[douglaspuglas]

I truly feel sorry for the legitimate business sellers on eBay.

They really do treat you with contempt and milk you like a giant cash cow while unregistered businesses are rewarded endlessly.

[pg_kicks]

I'm going to get pelters for this but IMHO private accounts shouldnt have new as an option, its pre-owned. This would then solve a lot of the business on private accounts. eBay already basically do it with shoes, if they have been tried on under eBay rules they are used. Giving fee free to privates is just asking for people to trade illegally, just another thing for me to ask the managers at the roadshow.

[btr.style]

I'd sooner give the lot to my pug to make the biggest dog fort in the world than sell another used clothing item on eBay and pay full fees... 

A huge reshuffle today, down comes all the used clothing and I'll shelve that side of the business until I can be bothered to set up on vinted.  

[douglaspuglas]

Aww what a cute little pug.

Can I ask what they're called? 

Mines Delightful Doug (obviously).

My favourite name so far was a little black pug called Anna Banana who I met at the eye vet.

[btr.style]

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@douglaspuglas wrote:

Aww what a cute little pug.

Can I ask what they're called? 

Mines Delightful Doug (obviously).

My favourite name so far was a little black pug called Anna Banana who I met at the eye vet.

---

@douglaspuglas wrote:

Aww what a cute little pug.

Can I ask what they're called? 

Mines Delightful Doug (obviously).

My favourite name so far was a little black pug called Anna Banana who I met at the eye vet.

---

Doug is a fantastic name (hopefully it's double barrelled with the delightful part). Mine is Winston 😂. Anna banana 😂, very cute. They're such characters. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

You do realise that selling on Vinted is NOT for business?  Unless you have a French company.

So it's something that you should not be doing, as it's no different, to all those sellers on Ebay who are getting around the rules, by using private accounts.

You can't complain about one, then do the same yourself.

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

Isn't this just going to make a saturated market even more saturated ??

Ebay is using the landfill line however this seems a little disingenuous to me, surely Ebay wants in demand items on the platform, I doubt much of that finds itself in landfill these days. 

I just think this will end up with more and more items on the platform that don't sell which in turn hinders the items that should / will sell.

[2007dcase]

It's not just used, it's the clothing category as a whole

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I honestly don't think that it's a bad idea in itself.

The problem is, that they don't seem to be doing much of anything about the business', trading as private accounts.  If they sorted that out, it would turn it into a fairly good idea.

After all, the more people are involved in Ebay, the better it is for the site itself.

And the used clothing market is still not at it's full potential yet.  It's still growing.  So for now, won't become a saturated market.

[2007dcase]

It wouldn't be a bad idea if they did any enforcement relating to business 'private' accounts. All clothing sales will be fee free for private sellers and will make it even harder for me to compete as a small business

[btr.style]

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@therenewalworkshopltd wrote:

You do realise that selling on Vinted is NOT for business?  Unless you have a French company.

So it's something that you should not be doing, as it's no different, to all those sellers on Ebay who are getting around the rules, by using private accounts.

You can't complain about one, then do the same yourself.

---

Wow, just wow. 

I've played by the rules throughout. Business account paying full fees. I've never flouted the rules. Yet eBay have just dropped this bombshell which has a MASSIVE impact on my business. Huge. 

The consequences of this will mean significant losses on certain items, harder to shift other items at the price they need to go for and potentially going under (we'll see in time). 

I have known about vinted for a very long time and equally I have said here many times, even when others have pointed it out that I should sell on vinted, that it isn't for business sellers so I'll wait until it is (see my posts, I'm sure you'll find many with me saying this). I've seen countless articles about people making a fortune running their business on vinted (which isn't allowed) but still haven't been swayed. 

eBay gave 100% off fees to private sellers which had an impact on my business, but I carried on. I put money in to start having my own business website developed. 

Now, when eBay have done this, I'm supposed to just accept it? Just for you I'll change the plan then and instead of selling on Vinted, I'll go to Depop to sell the used items where it is allowed for business sellers. Happy?

[81naut_51]

Vinted Pro UK on the horizon 😎

[technthread]

Isn't this just going to make a saturated market even more saturated ??

I think so. More vinted sellers will be tempted to cross list if they can deal with the time consuming eBay listing process.

A great thing for private eBay sellers here is they can promote their listings to get an edge over business sellers who aren't able to afford it because of their shop fees and the full FVF fees they pay. They can also undercut business sellers on price by a margin that a business seller may not be able to compete with.

This year I think a lot of small business accounts who don't make a lot of money from it anyway are going to jack it in rather than keep funding this two tiered system as it is just getting wider and wider. 

[btr.style]

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@2007dcase wrote:

It's not just used, it's the clothing category as a whole

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Just saw that now:

"Pre-owned clothes are items you no longer want or need in a variety of conditions, for example an outfit that no longer fits, an unwanted gift, or vintage fashion that needs a new home. These items can be new or used. Selling clothing for free on eBay is a great way to make some extra cash. "

So eBay have now single handedly shafted mine and many other clothing sellers businesses now. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I don't disagree with it maybe having an impact on your business.

But until it's actually implemented, you really don't know just what effect it will have.

In my opinion, it's not going to do a great deal of harm overall.

People will still buy from business sellers, as it's not all about the cheapest price.

Never mind the fact, that if an item doesn't fit, they simply cannot return it to a private seller!

However, I didn't suggest that you just accept it, but that you should play by the rules, nothing more.

It is frankly no different to selling as a private seller on Ebay, by pretending to be a private seller on Vinted.

No doubt at some point, business for Vinted will come, so it is a case of waiting until that happens.

So if you have previously said exactly the same, with an unblemished record, why are you now ready to break the law?

As to Depop, yes you can.  I've tried selling on there and frankly the platform is dying.  Their support is godawful and you have to wait forever for your money.  They have recently changed things on there, so that buyers directly pay all of the costs.

But if your looking to get rid of your stock, I'll buy it, as it's in decent condition.

I'm very happy with selling on Ebay, it works well for used clothing.