A simple way to resolve the "private" business seller problem

[vonchief]

A correctly registered business can obviously not compete with those using private accounts to avoid eBay fees.

With eBay seemingly taking no action on these "private" business sellers, genuine business sellers feel they have no option but to open a private account and also avoid eBay fees.
I am certain this is not what genuine business sellers want to do.
eBay would not last very long either if all business sellers did this.

Surely if eBay removed the item condition of "new" for private accounts, this would go a long way to resolving the problem.
Simply grey out "new" for private sellers when they list an item.
They could still use "new other" if they have new, unused & unwanted items.

Anyone who is selling new items is a business.
If they want to list new items on eBay, the only option should be to open a business account.

[vonchief]

The whole point is to stop business sellers listing on a private account to avoid fees.

If someone is buying stock to resell then they are a business and should be registered as one paying fees.
They would list these items as new.
This gives the buyer full comsumer rights and also the option to return items.

Any genuine private seller selling their own items could list such items as preowned-unused and pay no fees.
They are not new if they are their personal items.

This would not work for all sellers though, those business sellers that do sell used items are still being undercut by the business sellers listing on a private account.

Perhaps the answer is to have free fees for all sellers, business and private then let them promote listings and pay for shops so eBay still makes money ?

[vintage-emporium-jedburgh]

Cheers thanks for the info

seems quite a reasonable process ebay could implement similar if itxreally wanted to

[insidethe93]

I or hubby sometimes buy "new old stock" items, not deliberately looked for, they're not that uncommon in fairly rural or remote places. For instance, about 15 years ago hubby bought some items from an ironmongers (in Longtown) that had been in store for decades.  We've a few local shops that are the same; one shop-owner, when his father died and the business passed to him, had a big sale to clear out decades-old but still 'new'/serviceable items so he could re-stock and make his own mark.  Often these old items are better-made and sturdier than the modern equivalents.  Once a new work colleague, aged 27, was told by hubby he was the same age as his [hubby's] socks; these days clothes seem often of poor quality manufacture; even some M&S items seem designed to last only one season when they used to last for years.

It's not that unusual for some shops to keep stock that's years old.

[555njp]

Yes, fair point on consumer rights returns etc. and I do agree with the core issue your thread raises, I.e the ‘private’ business seller.

Ebay could easily fix it (without upsetting genuine private sellers) but for some reason are choosing to ignore it.

Fingers crossed for some real improvements next year, otherwise this platform could be  finished.

[bravergrace]

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@the-nutwood-collection wrote:

It's never been used, tags still attached, still in the wrapper.  Various items, all made between 1920 and 1960.  I bought it from a shop that was closing down.

Those items are just begging for a 'New Old Stock' descriptor. 

What was the shop doing holding stock that old?  Were they ever hopeful that one day someone would come in and ask to see a selection of boned corsets?  

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Yes, a "new old stock" or "unused vintage" option would meet the case perfectly.

It was an old family business that - as far as I can see - had plenty of storage space and never, ever, threw anything out.  Not even pencil stubs or used notepads.  Not even school uniforms from before the war - though whether they actually expected the local schools to revert to knickerbocker suits, gymslips, woollen combinations and straw hats, I don't know.

Some of the stock was still sealed in its postal wrappers from the manufacturer (brown paper and string, with the postage stamps on).  They'd taken delivery in the 1950s and never even opened the parcels, just stuck it on a shelf and forgot about it.

As for those boned corsets you mention, yes, they had plenty of those, but the rubber grips unfortunately had perished with age and needed replacing - so I suppose they would be classed as "New with defects"...

[santlache_sales]

eBay's stance maintains that Private sellers aren't competing with Business sellers, which we all know is total nonsense especially in my line of collectables.

I have had no sales since Friday and that makes it two weekends on the trot with not a single sale, in December, whereas in days gone by I'd be taking 10-15 items to the post office on a Monday at this time of year. It's been dead.

A good friend of mine went to a fair at the weekend where he had a table, and he told me all the other dealers there looked at him like he was bonkers still selling as a business on eBay, as they had all started using Private accounts with no fees, which makes an absolute mockery of eBay's claims.

They have totally screwed the platform up through this decision and it is crippling businesses.....unless of course you join the club and join the Private sellers, which is increasingly looking like the obvious way to go and it is all down to eBay

[santlache_sales]

"It may work in some categories however in those such as collectables, antiques, art, etc it would make no difference.  More than 95% of my items are 'used'"

Exactly, magazines, coins, medals and most collectables are used items.

The only way I can see around this is for eBay to massively reduce the fees for businesses to try and arrest the flow, their stats must show a massive increase in new accounts, probably a large percentage being businesses totally hacked off with ebay's decision, and because of it are now listing as a Private seller.

It's been a utter disaster for businesses and one CS rep when I complained of businesses having to still pay extortionate fees, they actually told me to open a private account.

It's like nobody at eBay management actually saw this scenario coming, when they came up with this utterly destructive decision to give Private sellers free listings and no fees, leaving businesses to carry the can and still pay full whack. I know eBay have always acted with complete arrogance, but did they honestly think business would just take this lying down and allow ebay to royally shaft us ?

They must think we are all suckers and idiots.

We're not, but I certainly know who all the idiots are.

[art2own]

As part of my efforts to assess how changes in eBay’s fee structure might affect the categories I sell in, I’ve been tracking the performance of listings under the search term "painting" in the "Paintings" category (UK only) every month since 1st October. I noted the number of active, and sold listings, for both private and business seller listings. The figures I’ve gathered highlights a significant trend: free fee offers for private sellers appear to have encouraged business sellers to list under private accounts. I provided the data to an AI for analysis, and here is the detailed breakdown:

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Key Figures:

Business Sellers:

• 1st October:
  • Active Listings: 90,259
  • Sold in Last Three Months: 11,974
• 23rd December:
  • Active Listings: 79,168 (a drop of 11,091)
  • Sold in Last Three Months: 12,611
• Sales Deficit: Business stock levels have dropped by approximately 12.29%, with 92.27% of sold inventory not being restocked.

Private Sellers:

• 1st October:
  • Active Listings: 124,688
  • Sold in Last Three Months: 19,688
• 23rd December:
  • Active Listings: 127,744 (an increase of 3,056)
  • Sold in Last Three Months: 22,052
• Stock and Sales Increase: Private seller activity has increased by approximately 2.45% in active listings and 12% in sold items. Unlike business sellers, private sellers experienced a restocking surplus since their active listings grew despite sales.

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Analysis:

1. Decline in Business Stock vs Growth in Private Listings:

• Business seller stock has decreased by 11,091 listings, whereas private seller stock has increased by 3,056 listings during the same period.
• This inverse trend strongly suggests a shift of inventory from business accounts to private accounts.

2. Sales Figures Indicate Higher Activity in Private Accounts:

• Private sellers experienced a notable 12% increase in sales, while business seller sales remained relatively stable.
• This shift implies private sellers are capturing a growing share of the market, likely driven by incentives provided through eBay’s free fee offers.

3. Free Fee Incentives for Private Sellers:

• eBay’s free fee offers for private accounts create a clear financial advantage, particularly for business sellers burdened by listing and final value fees. These sellers are likely switching or listing under private accounts to reduce costs.

4. Restocking Disparity Between Business and Private Sellers:

• Business sellers restocked only 7.73% of their sold inventory, leaving a significant deficit of 92.27%.
• By contrast, private sellers not only replenished 13.86% of their sold inventory but also experienced a net increase in active listings, indicating a restocking surplus.

5. Unusual Surge in Private Seller Activity:

• The increase in both private seller active listings and sales suggests commercial behaviour inconsistent with typical private sellers.
• This observation further supports the notion that some business sellers are listing under private accounts to bypass the fee structure.

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Conclusion:

The data presents strong evidence of a likely correlation between eBay’s free fees for private sellers and the decline in business seller activity. The key indicators include:

• A significant drop in business seller listings.
• A marked increase in private seller listings and sales.
• A disproportionate restocking deficit for business sellers compared to a surplus for private sellers.

This shift could distort eBay’s marketplace dynamics by blurring the distinction between private and business accounts. It risks impacting genuine private sellers and may violate eBay’s policies on account usage. For categories such as "Paintings," which I sell in, this trend could create challenges in maintaining fair competition and consistent inventory management.

[555njp]

Wow, that’s an interesting analysis and of course just for one category.
I would assume eBay are regularly running similar stats to see what’s happening across the whole site?

Apart from the risk eBay are taking by allowing/encouraging the illegal practice of selling as a business on a private account. This suggests it must also be seriously hitting eBay’s bottom line?

Begs the question - what happens next?

[art2own]

I've spotted an error on No.4.. 13.86% should be 113.86% as follows:

4. Restocking Disparity Between Business and Private Sellers: Business sellers restocked only 7.73% of their sold inventory, leaving a significant deficit of 92.27%.

By contrast, private sellers replenished 113.86% of their sold inventory, resulting in a net increase in active listings and indicating a clear restocking surplus.

[game_raid]

I have just been looking at last years December's fees paid, we paid just over £3000 this year we're currently on £1585, I can't see this going anywhere near last years total considering there aren't that many delivery days left in the month due to how xmas has fell this year.

This shows how much we are down and I guess a lot of other business sellers are seeing similar figures, both eBay and the seller are losing money. 

I do not believe it's the economy we are seeing better than expected growth on other sites and our own platform hence the reason we have decided to close our shop next year if things don't level up and concentrate on things that we can grow, we won't be leaving here completely but we have started to cut our listings down to less than 50% we have now. 

[santlache_sales]

Indeed, a massive decrease here too basically since they offered free listings to Private sellers. I have already removed 40 odd items and in the new year will cull more. Like you we'll keep a presence here but will reduce it all the time and will also come down a shop category.

The so-called 'Promoted Shop' is nothing of the sort now thanks to eBay manipulating the system with their 'Promoted' listings, and now further thrown it into complete disarray with free listings.

[charlton-coins]

Agree with your coments, we sell low value items, and have over 1000 listings , we cant compete with so called private sellers selling the same items !! Though some of them have 20 -30 k transactions, private mmmmm!!!

[the-nutwood-collection]

Wow!  What a treasure trove.  I wish I sourced items like that.  Much more interesting than wool.  Anything's more interesting than wool.

[wyntersemporium]

My own sister buys from auction houses to resell on eBay . She’s registered as private. 

[krafty-kreations]

The only way this should be resolved is for eBay to fix the report system and have humans the other end to look at the reports as well as doing their own internal reviews.

If we can find them so can they, they just choose not to bother for some reason.

Why should a genuine private seller not be able to list a one off item as new if it is new, why shouldn't they be allowed to use certain tools if it helps them shift a few used items.

Many sellers both Business and Private are losing faith in eBay, I can see their lack of action coming back to bite them on the butt.

[wheretheloveb]

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@wyntersemporium wrote:

My own sister buys from auction houses to resell on eBay . She’s registered as private. 

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And how do you feel about ?

[555njp]

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@wheretheloveb wrote:

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@wyntersemporium wrote:

My own sister buys from auction houses to resell on eBay . She’s registered as private. 

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And how do you feel about ?

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And more to the point, does she realise that in just a few months time HMRC will be all over her activity, unless of course she has registered with them as self employed?

What annoys me is the amount of sellers doing exactly this that don’t seem to realise they are breaking the law.

[theelench]

"...their stats. must show a massive increase in new accounts, probably a large percentage being businesses totally hacked off with ebays decision..."    

But probably also a large percentage of genuine private sellers?  Either new or returning after an interlude when it just wasn't worth the effort and hassle of listing, especially at the lower end of the coin market?

If so, isn't it exactly this that ebay is trying to address?  It is the declining number of non-business buyers and falling sales that I've been moaning about in Vintage Glass for a few years now and that you have in Coins, along with many other sellers of in all sorts of other Collectables Categories.

Yes, agreed that ebay still isn't doing much about the problem of "private" sellers but as I've pointed out many times they have always been on ebay.  The difference these days is that with so many private sellers having left they are more visible and have a bigger impact on the market.

Surely we have to hope that ebay's plan of Free to Sell does actually work in the near future.  That a massive number of private sellers do start selling, putting money in their ebay wallets and then using it to buy more of what they collect on ebay (I was almost tempted to re-start coin collecting by your Victoria Young Head 2/6 EF).  

I think that, especially in collectables categories, it has been private sellers / buyers leaving that has led to 

falling sales for both business and private sellers, rather than any perceived increase in "private" sellers. 

I only bought one coin from you about 10 years ago but still remember that if I'm looking for decent coins it's far better to buy from a reputable business seller with a good track record, than a "private" seller who has sold a lot of coins quickly but might disappear tomorrow.   

IMHO if either vintage glass or coin markets are to be revived to anything like they were before MP was introduced it will only be by ebay boosting the numbers of private sellers back to somewhere near where they were.  In which case today's pain will be the prelude to tomorrows gains 🤞

[wyntersemporium]

I’m not happy at all. She gets free listings and I have to pay fees especially for my store.