Why am I getting pressured to change from private seller to buisness

[cherrylips74]

I am disabled,  I sell on average less than ten items a month. No set particular item as most surplus to my requirements or I have bought and decided to sell on for a small profit ie a second hand item etc.

I haven't had any issues since I came to ebay 2008 and have had 100% feedback in all this time.

Suddenly this month ebay have started treating me appalling.  Eg when try to list an item under health and beauty it turns around and says I can't list any more high end products...ie Declor for example.  Stuff I have bought myself and no longer need or want .

I CONTACTED ebay who were useless and fobbed me off with a .gov link to a email address who apparently suppose to deal with setting limits . Am like why are you assuming am a buisness? ID Be pretty rubbish if only sold 5 items month....secondly the total in £ is less than £1500 in 90 days what sort of buisness would that be ...pretty rubbish...am just absolutely mad as hell how they will not help or listen or mediate with this other apparent government agency who apparently advised such limits never heard anything so ridiculous in my life...it applies the restriction if I want to list trm under health and beauty...if I list it under Misc....or joblot it adds the item.

I am also fed up with how my items when listed do not come up in search bar yet other sellers do despite paying extra to promote the item.

Frustrating when for eg I was selling an item at £30 and no views yet exactly same item different seller selling at £50 had 21 watcher....which makes me think ebay are getting greedy and manipulation is occurring as obviously if they sell higher item more fees for them!!! 

Any thoughts help appreciated 

[kempseykate]

Private sellers just sell their own unwanted items, so they mostly tend to be used, rather than brand new.  I can see how your new health & beauty items may be pushing ebay to ask you to change to a business seller. Why would you have 2 brand new posts of the same cream - surely you would buy a pot, try it, and if it wasn't for you, not buy it again?

If you 'buy to sell on for a small profit' you should be registered as a business.

The amount you take has absolutely nothing to do with your registration status. If you buy/make to sell, you are a business, even if you make a loss!

Maybe the lack of items appearing is that they are being bumped down due to you not being registered as a business.

Maybe the seller who has more watchers but a higher price IS correctly registered as a business? TBH I would prefer to buy expensive cosmetics etc from a registered business seller, who will give me my full consumer rights. I never buy from 'private' sellers who look as if they should be registered as a business.

Edit: Also, if ebay are already restricting which categories you can list in, it probably won't be long before they stop you listing anything until you register as a business.

[plpmr]

Adding to the advice already given -

also you were selling foodstuff and there would be a health and safety concern as you are a private seller.

[jow1995]

I expect there are buisness sellers on here who will be quite happy with £1500 sales in 90 days ! 

[*vyolla*]

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@cherrylips74 wrote:

I am disabled

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That isn't actually relevant when it comes to registering as a business seller, it's what you're listing that defines what kind of account you should be operating on.

[yorkshire*flower]

I am disabled - Not sure how this is relevant, disabled people still have to adhere to the same rules

I sell on average less than ten items a month - UK digital sales reporting | eBay please read here

• Your total sales on eBay is equal to or more than £1,740 after deducting fees and commissions or taxes
• You complete 30 or more sales transactions on eBay (cancelled transactions are not included in the calculation)

You are already over the limit for HMRC and will be on the list - This is not just Ebay this is the UK Gov rules applying to all online platforms eg Etsy, deliveroo, Just eat etc

No set particular item as most surplus to my requirements or I have bought and decided to sell on for a small profit ie a second hand item etc. - You said it yourself "Small profit" = a business and Im afraid the tax man wants a slice of your profit by law 

I haven't had any issues since I came to ebay 2008 and have had 100% feedback in all this time. - Irrelivant, Ebay are adhering to the law implemented Jan 2024 as link above

Suddenly this month ebay have started treating me appalling.  Eg when try to list an item under health and beauty it turns around and says I can't list any more high end products...ie Declor for example.  Stuff I have bought myself and no longer need or want . Due to legislation you can not sell second hand Health and beauty items for obvious hygiene reasons - As you are saying these are items you've bought, regardless of them being new, they are classed as "second hand" and used - therefore you can not sell them as a private seller

I CONTACTED ebay who were useless and fobbed me off with a .gov link to a email address who apparently suppose to deal with setting limits . Am like why are you assuming am a buisness?  Generally Ebay are useless but they have actually advised you correctly and adhering to the law implemented Jan 2024 as link above

ID Be pretty rubbish if only sold 5 items month....secondly the total in £ is less than £1500 in 90 days what sort of buisness would that be ...pretty rubbish  am just absolutely mad as hell how they will not help or listen or mediate with this other apparent government agency who apparently advised such limits never heard anything so ridiculous in my life...it applies the restriction if I want to list trm under health and beauty...if I list it under Misc....or joblot it adds the item. Again you need to read the link in blue above - you are a business, you are earning profits and you are over the thresholds as per the gov website 

I am also fed up with how my items when listed do not come up in search bar yet other sellers do despite paying extra to promote the item.

Frustrating when for eg I was selling an item at £30 and no views yet exactly same item different seller selling at £50 had 21 watcher....which makes me think ebay are getting  greedy and manipulation is occurring as obviously if they sell higher item more fees for them!!!   Yep probably right on that one

Im afraid your days of making some spare cash on the side is no longer - you are going to get very little sympathy on these boards from registered businesses, who pay their taxes, insurance, dont get free or 80% fees like private sellers and have to adhere to distance selling regs and accept returns (often then unsellable) and then have to compete with "private sellers" undercutting because they do not have those extra expenses, some sellers would be happy to get £500 a month lately on ebay, so if you are making that (£6k a year)  then the tax man maybe sending you a letter next year asking for your records

[jow1995]

Great  post, well done!

[messier44000]

"the tax man maybe sending you a letter next year asking for your records"

For those who think this will never happen to them, it did to me some years ago.

Got the brown envelope through the door.

Words to the effect of "We noticed you are selling on eBay. If you are already registered 

with HMRC please ignore this letter. If not, get in touch with us as soon as possible"

BTW , I was registered with HMRC at the time.  Oh, and still am

[yorkshire*flower]

happy to oblige😊😆

[theelench]

Some business sellers may well be feeling the pinch during the latest crisis, but they can try to up their selling game.  But some on benefits have seen their income cut with absolutely nothing they can do about it.   Not even lash out with advice delivered in bleak and ominous language.

Perhaps they weren't aware that it isn't uncommon for disabled people to buy mobility chairs or buggies and then find they cannot use them safely, sometimes trying several before finding one that they can use.  Further reducing their income by making expensive mistakes.  Perhaps taking the wheelchairs off the Sold Item list gives a slightly less rosy picture of their sales ?

Yes, the OP has made mistakes that led to their current problems.  Yes, they will have their sales records sent to HMRC, but can the reply really state that "...the tax-man wants a slice of your profit by law", without knowing anything about the OP's income and circumstances apart from 17 days of ebay sales ?

Desperate people sometimes do desperate things, often leading to them making their position worse.  In life, sometimes, a cry for help should be looked on with compassion and not always viewed as a threat.

The reply has been given more than the usual number of "Helpful" s, that such replies always get.  I might have added another if, amid all the doom and gloom, the author had spared a couple of lines to ask themselves and the OP why CS gave them a link to a govt. web-site rather than giving answers to the questions they asked here.   

[kath3735_wxmjn]

TWO wheelchairs identical at that price - I doubt anyone would buy two of the exact same item.  Now if it had been two different types i might have agreed with you.  What does the fact of 'income and circumstances' have to do with the response, the taxman will want their cut if they fall into the category of being over the limits.  No point in sugar coating it, if their income does not meet the tax threshold then they have nothing to bother about but at least they are now aware of it.  Being disable, poor or anything other unfortunate circumstance does not make you above the rules/laws.  I thought the comment by Yorkshire Flower was actually pretty good and accurate. 

[yorkshire*flower]

At the end of the day OP has come to the boards to air their dissatisfaction with how they are are being treated by Ebay and no doubt this stems from their lack of knowledge of the recent law changes.  As much as I agree that someone disabled has extra financial restraints/costs, that is irrelevant in the eyes of HMRC and Ebay, the blunt fact is that OP is earning extra cash (profit) and therefore has to adhere to the same laws, declare their income and pay the relevant tax, as this is £6k. I don't need to know their individual circumstances to know thats way above the legal allowance.   I can offer all the sympathy in the wordbut this is the hard truth and something OP needs to understand, hence why I posted the link to offer them answers to why Ebay are responding the way they are and as correctly informed by Ebay to get intouch with HMRC (gov.uk) and discuss their situation .  Also, they can not just have a free pass and sell 2nd hand goods in health & beauty because we should be sympathetic to their situation neither.

[brindsey]

Agree with everything you say, and, very aptly put.

The OP is 'trading' illegally.  But, how many 'private' sellers out there have hundreds, even thousands of listings.  Breaking ALL the rules.  Was she targeted because of her goods in the health & beauty category? Was she targeted because she listed an orange fibre drink or was she targeted because  she sold two wheelchairs? The question is rhetorical as the answer is already well documented on this thread,  but just wanted to make the point that her infringement is on a lesser scale to the whacking deliberate violations by 'private' sellers that have been illegally trading on this platform with impunity for years.

Are eBay going to go hands up, well yes, we know there is a problem with businesses registered as private sellers and are pro-actively addressing the issue - one less minnow eBay, but what about the big, fat fish still out there.

[bungalowbill*1961]

No idea why you've been targetted here but it happened to a friend of mine and the best bet they had was it was the result of a malicious complaint from an unhappy buyer. Have you p***ed anyone off recently?

[yorkshire*flower]

I agree but I think this thread has gone a little off track...  OPs started saying that they were being blocked from certain categories (Health and beauty) and high end Decor as they are a private account.   So THEY called Ebay upset in their treatment, it was then that the agent probably explained they needed to be a business account to lIst in these catagories and directed them to the gov.uk site with regards to situation, guess the conversation went similar to the post and it was memtioned they sell for little profit etc

OP seems to have a lack of understanding of the law/rules  so feels grieved at why this is happening, The CS agent was correct it directing them to find out this for themselves. 

I agree there are some private sellers with thousands of listings but this isnt the issue, its that OP wants to list in categories theyre not allowed in as theyre a private seller.  The OP is not happy that theyre being pushed into registering as a business BUT they are and have been trading so unless they cease, register as a business or call HMRC to check their individual situation, they may find themselves with more problems next year if HMRC get in touch .

[theelench]

What a pity that the OP will probably never return to read that post which I think is rather more sympathetic, informative and genuinely helpful than the (if I can get away with using the word) hectoring tone of your first one.

Perhaps ebay needs to do some mentoring of its Mentors, ensuring that they understand that giving advice isn't always just about being factually correct, but also about how it is given.  Ensuring that no matter how unpalatable the advice may be it is not put in such a way as to repel the recipient and push them away from taking it.

[moldosgifts]

It's all a bit mute now they've cleared their store,  no listings active probably moved them to FB.

Great advice from   yorkshire*flower

[yorkshire*flower]

You seem to be the only one who has taken offense and the post isnt even yours but OP specifically said

Any thoughts help appreciated

I gave them help and my thoughts.  If they have removed their listing etc then perhaps they went away and read the facts and decided selling wasnt any longer in their best interests.  

I wont apologise for my initial reply, I dont get paid by Ebay to be a mentor, it just means I answer posts on the member to member page.  I broke down OPs post and answered each section with facts, youre just upset because it wasnt dressed up in sympathetic language, which is irrelevant and adds no help.  OP asked for "any thoughts" so you shouldnt be upset on their behalf because you didnt like "my thoughts"

Ill leave it there as this thread will go off track and you arent OP so is pointless.

[theelench]

Why doesn't that surprise me?

This was the OP's first post on the boards and what did they get?

Perhaps a pointer that before laying down the law so 'firmly' to such a heinous offender one should look a little further than their recent listings / sales. 

OP has been a member since 2011.

Sales = 295.  (Some which have been personal property)

PURCHASES = 4357.

I haven't taken offence, just pointed out that perhaps the OP might have.  Yes, you might have ridded ebay of an offending minnow, but how many sales for other business sellers have been lost?

I'm not looking for any apology, just advising you and some others that giving advice more sympathetically might be better.

IMO Mentors should be giving advice, not mounting a crusade.  Especially when it looses more than its gains.

[*vyolla*]

The OP triggered a red flag due to listing and selling multiples of cosmetics in the Health & Beauty category. I believe that this triggers a message that you can't list any more unless you register as a business seller, which is absolutely fair. At this point you can simply stop listing these products and remain a private seller and still list your own personal items.

I'm assuming that the wheelchair was sold and then the transaction was cancelled and then it was sold again. I very much doubt that the OP would have had two of them to sell. 

I'm unclear as to why the opening post started off with mention of being disabled and why the OP believes that eBay have treated them appallingly though. There is no dispensation for being disabled, the internet is a great unifier, and category restrictions apply to all eBayers.