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.

[wyntersemporium]

i dont think she has registered as self employed anywhere. 

[charlton-coins]

As its your sister you cant really do alot IMO, family is family, but still totally wrong, this is what will kill ebay, as they want to promote the private sellers !!! As they think they will spend what they take on ebay, i think not, as 1000's of them are a business

[theelench]

I hope you feel better soon.

I'm guessing that you've talked to her about being registered as private but acting as a business, even if it might be difficult.

How does she see what she is doing and rationalise why she doesn't need to register properly?

I might be asking "one question too many" and please ignore me if I am.  

Does she have a background in business so is aware that she is trading, or is what she does something that started small but grew, allowing her to think that she is just doing it as a 'hobby'?

[wheretheloveb]

I blame all these annoying wheeler dealer TV programmes !!

[kempseykate]

I was just looking to buy a stainless steel meat try. Found one at £11.99, and looked at similar ones to see if I could get a better price. I did find one at £9.99 (both included postage), but when I clicked into the listing it was a 'private seller' who had sold 61 so far and had another 68 available.

I bought the one at £11.99.

[555njp]

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@wheretheloveb wrote:

I blame all these annoying wheeler dealer TV programmes !!

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That is spot on…!

First it was cars, then houses (which is why the UK has a perceived housing crisis, I.e. everyone thinks they are a property developer so people aren’t buying houses to actually live in them anymore). Then you have all the antique road trip, money for nothing, shed and buried, bidding room etc. etc. programmes…..the list is endless, and not one of them (apart from homes under the hammer) bother to explain to the viewing public that they should be declaring this second income/hobby activity to HMRC.

It’s no wonder half the UK is running some kind of side hustle, which to be fair nobody took much notice of 30-40 years ago….!

[the-nutwood-collection]

Good for you!!

I've been buying stuff recently, and go down the list looking for a business seller with decent feedback that doesn't pay PL.

The PL exclusion isn't a problem (there seems to be less sponsored listings, or is it my imagination?) but finding a business seller is a different matter.

If the fee-free doesn't end on the 31st, I'm shifting my listings to my private account.  If you can't beat them, join them.

[555njp]

Wow, poor private seller.
Imagine accidentally buying 129 meat trays too many and then having to sell them all on eBay 😂

[555njp]

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@wyntersemporium wrote:

i dont think she has registered as self employed anywhere. 

I obviously don’t know her situation, so she may not need to be.
However, it might be worth at least warning her she could be at risk if HMRC decide to delve into her activities?

She can get away with £1000 of sales a year and stay under the radar, but she needs to be aware that legally eBay (and all online selling platforms) have to report her sales data to HMRC in January if she exceeded either £1740ish in sales revenue or had more than 30 individual sales this calendar year.

[theelench]

Hmmm

But then again 40 years ago the ethos that "A fair day's pay for a fair day's work" hadn't yet been relegated to some sort of Leftie Utopian dream.  The Minimum Wage was still a safety net and not yet the level of pay that many employers now take as the benchmark for as many of their employees as they can possibly make it.

There was plenty of work to be had at every skill level and many more households were able to live comfortably on the income of one 'bread-winner'. 

You only have to look at the success of Amazon, founded on poverty level wages and atrocious working conditions but making so few obscenely rich to see why side-hustles have become a necessity for so many. 

[game_raid]

Youtube has also played a huge part, search for eBay reseller uk and there are now 100s and 100s that have channels showing how to make money on eBay, which in part isn't a bad thing because it can be a help for someone new but on the other hand not many mention the importance of trading correctly and possible tax issues, they prefer clickbait titles such as "How i turned £1 into £500" to get views.

[wheretheloveb]

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@555njp wrote:

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@555njp wrote:

''First it was cars, then houses (which is why the UK has a perceived housing crisis, I.e. everyone thinks they are a property developer so people aren’t buying houses to actually live in them anymore). Then you have all the antique road trip, money for nothing, shed and buried, bidding room etc. etc. programmes…..the list is endless, and not one of them (apart from homes under the hammer) bother to explain to the viewing public that they should be declaring this second income/hobby activity to HMRC.

It’s no wonder half the UK is running some kind of side hustle, which to be fair nobody took much notice of 30-40 years ago….! ''

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There's bleddy hundreds of em !

I can't deny though that some of them haven't influenced me .... (salvage hunters)

It sure is a sign of the times

We probably should be more activated toward those that create a work system which doesn't provide enough to live on. Doesn't get you anywhere though.

I'm currently watching Netflix Narcos while viewing this thread. Wonder if we can persuade Ebay to let business sellers list some gear  o:

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[wheretheloveb]

Yes, and why do they give away all the blimin secrets !

[the-nutwood-collection]

Perhaps they were planning a really big party - but everyone declined the invitation.

I expect that's it.

[555njp]

Not all the secrets 😄

I could write a book on buying wholesale pallets etc. 

More pitfalls than ££££s to be frank unless you are a multi-product expert and willing to work very hard.

Also, anyone thinking of giving that a go, yes you can make a few quid but the time and effort required to do so will return well under minimum wage, with risks too!! 😂

[sweetcharity.2013]

Maybe another option for ebay in resolving the problem of ‘private’ business sellers is to consider removing the multi-quantity option in non-business listings. I see no reason that a genuine private seller should have multiples to list on a regular basis.

[kempseykate]

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@sweetcharity.2013 wrote:

Maybe another option for ebay in resolving the problem of ‘private’ business sellers is to consider removing the multi-quantity option in non-business listings. I see no reason that a genuine private seller should have multiples to list on a regular basis.

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Exactly that. It should have been the first move. I have sometimes had a couple of items that were the same (bro-in-law and hubby had similar interests), but I have never used the multiple option, I just sell one, then new listing, new photos for the next one.

[bravergrace]

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@kempseykate wrote:

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@sweetcharity.2013 wrote:

Maybe another option for ebay in resolving the problem of ‘private’ business sellers is to consider removing the multi-quantity option in non-business listings. I see no reason that a genuine private seller should have multiples to list on a regular basis.

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Exactly that. It should have been the first move. I have sometimes had a couple of items that were the same (bro-in-law and hubby had similar interests), but I have never used the multiple option, I just sell one, then new listing, new photos for the next one.

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Yes, but what would you do with 23 identical vintage cups and saucers?  

This is something I've got - because a relative gave me her tea-service when she realised it matched mine.

Do I list them as a set of 23 cups-and-saucers?  

Or a set of 4 plus 1 odd one,  

Or a set of 6 plus 1 odd one, and replenish as they sell?

Yes, of course there are things which beggar belief for a "private" seller to possible multiple quantities, but with other things, like crockery, furniture, bridesmaid's dresses, chimney-pots or outdoor plant-pots, it's quite reasonable for a private household to accumulate several - or a few dozen - identical items, and selling them singly or as a job lot isn't ideal.

[stormatic2015]

I just got an email saying my INR rate is high for the last 3 months, only 3 of them where potentially genuine but 11 out of 750+ sold in the last 3 months, over the 1.5% mark in my category. 

If I was a PBS (Private Business Seller), that wouldn't bother me, I wouldn't need to jump through the hopes to get 10% discount in fees as I would not have any fees in the first place. I could then put a dispatch time of  2-3 working day , instead of the same day before 3pm that I put and do dispatch by.

It also says that If I am very high metrics,  I would have increased fees.... Sorry but if this happens I am ending all my listing, that would be the icing on the sh** cake they are serving at the moment.

Not only would I have to pay fees, but increase fees for trying to provide way better service than a private could offer.

I can see they are introducing new stuff like delayed pay-outs and ending mutli discounts for privates, but I dont see that as a hinderance atm. At the end of the day waiting 7 days for pay-out or 21 days does not matter we still get the money in the end, sure its delayed by a few more days initially but after the 21 days its daily.  As for the multi-discount, I dont see a need for it, I can beat business price by not paying fees, will be cheaper than your discount anyway.

So another reason to go PBS. They are really making it difficult for me to stay legit. 

[moldosgifts]

The easiest way is to add more categories the world is not new or old any more it is more nuanced.

Add in "like new" or "unused" 

Amazon for non business sellers has extras categories but strikes out the new option.  A none business cannot list a new item instead they have like new, used and acceptable i believe.

Like new is described as a used or previously owned in new or still sealed condition.

Just add new descriptive categorise.

Or just have the one account type like etsy