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WARNING - to all sellers that include LED tea lights or button batteries
I am angry with e-bay for their stupidity so I will keep this brief. I have had an item removed from my seller listing because it contains an LED tea light that is powered by a button battery. This was based on a "product recall" from Australia, I am based in the UK. The "product recall" makes no reference to a type of LED light or manufacturer. I appealed the decision based on the information above and the fact there are currently over 5000 listings of people selling LED tea lights alone, not idea how many other items have button batteries, it will be 1000's. They don't know, or care, which manufacturer LED tea light I use in my items they just said it violates their safety policies. Therefore if you sell ANYTHING on ebay that uses button batteries, especially LED tea lights then be warned e-bay may remove the listing!
garmic_creations
OP10 months agoThank you to everyone who responded, I am still annoyed that ebay can remove my items but not the same items that are being sold in their 1000's.
I will be closing down my shop at Christmas and not selling anymore as it it proving too much of a hassle. It was supposed to be a simple thing to keep me occupied, due to Mental Health issues I have been unable to work for a long time, people advised me to do something to keep my brain occupied, I tried, it failed, so I will just stop doing it. The thought of dealing with HMRC, Benefits, Ebay policies when I am not actually doing it to make money just makes it more stressful not less.
*vyolla*
Mentor10 months ago@garmic_creations
You don't need a shop in order to sell on eBay, it's expensive unless your volume of listings and sales warrants the monthly cost, and a private seller can't offset the monthly cost against expenses.
garmic_creations
OP10 months agotobiasd4
Mentor10 months agoNo such thing as hobby seller.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/selling-policies/business-seller-policy?id=4710
*vyolla*
Mentor10 months agoIt could be because you're trading on the incorrect account. A private seller is one who is just selling off their own personal items such clothes from their wardrobe, bits from their loft/garage etc.
A Business seller is someone who buys or makes items to sell on. They need to be registered as a business to meet the requirements of UK law. They need to declare income to HMRC once they reach £1,000 worth of sales (eBay will be providing HMRC with your details anyway so it's vital to keep correct accounts for your tax return). You can obviously offset more expenses as a business seller, but can't offset any at all as a private one.
To correctly register as a business seller simply go to your. Personal Information in your account and to the right of Account Type, which will be showing as 'Individual' you'll see an Edit option.
https://accountsettings.ebay.co.uk/profile
This doesn't affect your feedback profile or any current listings, it merely upgrades your account so that you're compliant with current consumer and eBay policy.
If you're also selling your own items, just open another eBay account (you can have more than one).
garmic_creations
OP10 months agoHello, I appreciate your comments, however, I didn't really want to go down this route. This was only supposed to be a hobby, selling things I created on my 3D Printer. I don't do it for profit or gaining any income, I do it because due to Mental Health issues I have not worked for over 5 years and I wanted to try and do something that would occupy my brain. It was supposed to be something simple not the hassle of setting up a fully fledged business. I still don't understand how they can remove my item from sale, it is a simple candle ornament that I bought LED Tea lights to put into the top. They have stated there has been a product recall based on an Australian article (I am based in the UK). There are thousands of these tea lights for sale from loads of manufacturers and they are not all the same. The article concerned makes no mention of a specific model or manufacturer and the reason they state is because it contains button batteries which are not safe for children! I asked them if I could ship the item without batteries then and they said no, I asked if a warning on the item would suffice they said no! Yet there are over 5000 listings on e-bay for boxes of tea lights of all types, there are over 24000 listings of people selling button batteries (surely less safe than something that has a battery secured in a compartment!) I am just seriously upset that they have taken this stance but continue to allow the products to be sold in their 1000's on other listings. It also means some of my Christmas items can now also not be sold in my ebay shop. Sorry for the long winded reply I am just frustrated that no one at ebay has any common sense or listens to what people actually say to them. I will be looking for other options other than ebay at some point as I would like to continue my hobby but doing it through ebay has caused me nothing but problems and constantly having to contact the customer service which is often just agents that are not in a position to actually help!
*vyolla*
Mentor10 months agoI think you need to tread carefully a bit here, HMRC don't view it that way if you're receiving money into your bank account for items you've made to sell. The money you receive is profit. You only need to declare earnings once you reach £1,000 total sales, you can offset expenses on your tax return.
See eBay's guidance page here, where they state
An eBay seller must register as a business if, for example, they sell items they have bought to resell, they make items in order to sell them, or if they buy items for their business.
What is the policy?
Business sellers can't represent themselves as private individuals
Taken from:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/selling-policies/selling-practices-policy/business-seller-polic...
garmic_creations
OP10 months agook, I take your point, I don't plan on selling £1000 of goods but I will look into the details.
Still doesn't answer my main point though.
*vyolla*
Mentor10 months agoThe £1,000 figure is a Trading Allowance for business sellers, you still need to trade on the correct account once business starts to pick up though.
So, back your main point which I believe is linked to the account you're using - what accounts are all of the other sellers using?
red_magpie
Mentor10 months agoselling things I created on my 3D Printer.
I'm afraid that's classed as a business activity. Registration as a business seller isn't optional.
In the UK, toy safety regulations require button battery compartments in children's toys to be securely fastened (usually with a screw) to prevent easy access. I don't know whether the same applies to Christmas decorations, but in commomsense terms it should do.
Without seeing either eBay's policy or the items you were selling it's hard to make any suggestions. But if eBay's restriction is as all-embracing as you say, it doesn't seem to have been very well thought out.
Incidentally, your question also illustrates the importance for you and your buyers of registering as a business seller. At present, you're denying your buyers the statutory consumer and other legal rights they have when buying from a UK business seller. Have you considered the consequences of legal action if a child swallowed a button battery in one of your Christmas lights? This is why all business sellers need to have public iability insurance.