Downgrade account to personal - ACTION NEEDED

[the_london_store]

I've been trying for over 1 year to downgrade my account from Business to Personal.

I've contacted ebay multiple times, but they say this is not possible.

Sometimes I dont even sell 1 item a month, so there is no reason for me to have a business account.

If you make it so easy to upgrade to business account, then you should give users the option to go back. This is so DISAPPOINTING and DECEIVING. 

I've been on ebay for 10 years. I don't want to create a new account.

Can we get some help from ebay please?

Is it possible to vote for this feature, so action is taken?

[4_bathrooms]

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@book-a-bale wrote:

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So what you are saying is that ebay already break their own rules? 

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They break and/or fail to enforce them all the time.

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@book-a-bale wrote:

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Also if it can´t be done, why have I now been told on three occasions by ebay representives who have reviewed my account (and verified everything I said above) that it will be done? 

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Because eBay's customer service representatives are known to tell callers what they want to hear so they can get them off the phone, answer their next call and rack up another 5-star satisfaction rating towards their daily target.

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@book-a-bale wrote:

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Also in law, a sole trader is the same person as the "private" individual 

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The same legal entity but not the same party. A sole trader's personal purchases and sales are separate to their business purchases and sales.

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@book-a-bale wrote:

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Legally ebay is listing me as a business trading in the UK, which I am not.  It is totally their error and they have admitted it, but still do nothing to correct the mistake.

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It might be their error but even if they accept it was an error on their part it doesn't mean they can or will change anything. You can solve the problem yourself by ceasing to use your existing account and opening a new account; eBay aren't preventing you from doing that. Another thing to bear in mind is that as eBay now "manages" payments they are subject to FCA regulation and Money Laundering Regulations compliance which likely restricts what they can and can't do with user accounts; especially when it relates to the type of party they are dealing with.

You're going to have to accept that you need to open a new account or remain locked in a stalemate with eBay (who aren't going to budge).

[peps8260]

I am a personal user have never had a business sold 3 items on eBay 10 years ago they made my account business say they cant downgrade it due to UK law I am fuming 

[waslynxstamps]

hi,

    I'm in the same position (asking to downgrade) and not the feedback is important but the limits imposed for the new account created , 3 items or 200 $ ... my account have no limits ... also I have moved from ebay.com to ebay.co.uk because of the better subscription offer for business sellers ... now I'm stucked on ebay.co.uk ...

[elitegiftsltd]

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@peps8260 wrote:

I am a personal user have never had a business sold 3 items on eBay 10 years ago they made my account business say they cant downgrade it due to UK law I am fuming 

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Wow, that is indeed bad. Most take years to get to that point and hundreds of sales.

Yes, they can't downgrade it. But as you have sold so little then just set up a new personal account. 

[ealveero_ltd]

I have been selling on eBay and Amazon and now I have stopped selling. On Amazon I have downgraded with one click and on ebay I will have to keep paying the subscription fee. 

Ridiculous 

[frenchcollection]

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@ealveero_ltd wrote:

...on ebay I will have to keep paying the subscription fee. 

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What "subscription fee"?

There is no subscription fee.

[Anonymous]

It's trap, they trapped me and I am in the same situation, need to take legal action against this deceitful action.

[ett1954]

That should be interesting.  Let us know how you get on.

[papso22]

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@Anonymous wrote:

It's trap, they trapped me and I am in the same situation, need to take legal action against this deceitful action.

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How have they trapped you?  You are quite clearly a business and you are selling on an ebay business account, that's how it should be.

[fabrbovi-89]

This message is not meant to give you a solution.  It is only intended to express sympathy because I have been in the very same situation for almost a month now and no solution has been offered to me except "close the account and open a new one" without even knowing the destiny of my almost 3000 Eur stuck in their safe.  *bleep* !!!! 

[plpmr]

These are the UK boards and you are in Italy, best log into your designated site [where the rules etc could be different] - https://www.ebay.it/

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

Instead of fighting with ebay just open a private account.

Or you could be waiting another 10 years.

[mrthws]

I am in the same boat here.
The reason why i opted for the business account is purely to see what availible options there were in terms of being able to sell successfully and with the likelyhood of me possibly venturing down the business route but this did not happen unfortunately.

Due to this, this is why i wanted to then revert back to a private account as once was but there is no option to do so. By now starting a new private account means that all the positive feeback on the 'business account' is now jeopardised and the reason being is that not many people want to buy expensive goods from someone with low or 0 feedback due to setting up a new private account. The issue with the business acount means that for example the seller can no longer opt for a no returns policy. So basically if you wanted to sell a pair of shoes for £20, you would automatically be under a returns policy from 14 days after a sale all because you have been stuck with a business account, it really is a joke and unfair.

eBay solely should be focused on the money they make from accounts, sales and purchases rather than what business account wants to revert back to a personal one. It's no different to a personal account selling on their account what they want anyway, doesn't mean you own, run or are a business.

I say eBay change this function and lets face it, for those who have a successful business on eBay, why would they jeopardise their account, their business for that matter by wanting to change back to a personal one with risk of potentially getting caught out?

[Anonymous]

Ebay make up stuff tbh. for instance on a private account where you are not supposed to sell as a trade they allow you too pay for a shop subscription still...also they give you on the £19.99 basic show 1k free listings per month....if you are not a trader why would or should you have a proper ebay shop and be given 1k free lisitings 

whats more rediculous is when you change to a business account no matter how small of a business....the basic shop price goes to £27.99 and you only get 250 free lisitings a month!

[rm9752]

The BOT advice is to Change the staus of the account to reflect its true nature, ie if your selling personal items. I havnt found the right spot as yet. But that tv show "Money Expert" had a presentation saying that

any account under £2000 would be exempt from the current tax change. O' Yea !

[myriad*seller]

It's not a new law, people who buy items to sell and are trading have always been required to report their turnover to HMRC, they have just "got away with it" until now

Now HMRC have required eBay to declare all sellers turnover to them, it now makes it easier for HMRC to ensure everyone pays the correct tax

Once a seller sells 30 items or £1700 worth of goods (whichever happens first) eBay will provide this sales data to HMRC who will decide if someone is buying to sell (a trader), or just selling their old items (private seller). Anyone HMRC decides is trading will be required to complete a self assessment. eBay will be able to see the seller past trading sales history data via the seller feedback too...

[shamglobal]

Agreed.  Apparently,  it's against TOS to trade as a business under a private account. Sure. I get that.

However , what about us now having to trade privately under our (no longer needed) business account?

Ebay will now make us start from scratch.  Some of our accounts date back 15 years and you can't buy that time or feedback with a brand-new account. 

Some of us will cease trading as a business and dissolve our business. Thus, we will sell privately again. Ebay should give us the option to switch back to private.

[rm9752]

Exactly. Although it’s only levied on accounts of £2000 pa. It’s the dread of that which
HMRC can put one through, unjustly.
Sent from my iPad

[4_bathrooms]

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@shamglobal wrote:

Some of us will cease trading as a business and dissolve our business. Thus, we will sell privately again. Ebay should give us the option to switch back to private.

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A registered company is a legal entity and as such is treated exactly as if it was a natural person. For example, a company has it's own credit score, bank account and can be prosecuted just like a living, natural person. If a company is dissolved it has effectively died; it makes no more sense for eBay to allow ownership of an eBay account to be transferred from a company to a natural person than it does to allow an account to be transferred between natural persons. Any feedback the company received was left for the company - it wasn't left for any individual director, partner, employee etc.

[shamglobal]

All the feed back that was left to me IS as a private seller. I switched the account to business, then ceased trading as the business didn't pan out. Ebay now will not switch it back to private seller. 

If ebay was so strict about your point, they should only allow business accounts to be created as a new entity.