FAO Ebay staff - Reporting businesses trading on private accounts

[howmuchtobid]

To whom it may concern.

It's about time it was made easier for Ebay users to be able to report businesses trading on private accounts in a much more straight forward way.  At the moment there is no obvious option when using the report item option, i.e. there is no business trading on a private account option.

I and many other business sellers/Ebay users have spent a lot of time reporting blatant business sellers on private accounts however we are often wasting our time as all we get is a pointless AI response which simply isn't good enough.

This is something that needs to be introduced urgently as it will help legitimate business sellers survive and hopefully flourish, also in many ways it will be of great benefit to Ebay. It will also help Ebay's image as having so many illegal sellers on the platform is not a good look.

Can someone from Ebay please confirm they have seen this, thank you.

[lupo-store]

I had the same conversation with concierge today and I was advised on the report an item link to select avoiding eBay fees and then there is a text box below.

They are working through these in batches and apparently have to complete these suspensions and account removals by December 13, which is curiously the same day that GSPR comes into effect

[kempseykate]

That is the way I use, and I noticed that the 2 reports I made this week haven't pinged back with the usual, 'AI says OK' message, so maybe they ARE looking at it a bit more closely?

[lupo-store]

I spoke to them yesterday and they said they have had loads of phone calls from people whose accounts have been affected. Looks like payout block is imminent soon, but there are many thousands to go through.

one of my best selling items has 2000 competitors who are private U.K. sellers

[firstgardencity]

We don't need Artificial Intelligence to look at these business sellers trading as private sellers surely Real Intelligence could do the job.  

[sharn_3757]

I was literally just hopping onto this board to say the same thing. Ive reported a seller who  sells LOTS of confectionery. Now as far as I know, in order to sell edible items, you have to also comply with food safety regs. This seller is listed as a private seller with feedback in the thousands. I reported them earlier this year...I am sure it was feb/march. Theyre still listing. Obviously I cant link their shop on here but have a quick look at rock candy box....a private seller with feedback over 7000.  Also sells on the Et site, y'know the one whose current TV ads are all about handmade. The item being sold requires huge machinery to create it. 

Atrocious.

[ett1954]

@sharn_3757   "........have a quick look at rock candy box....a private seller with feedback over 7000"

If it is the one I have just checked at (just under 7000 feedback) the listing actually states these are hand made in a factory.

More concerning is the description and from the photographs the bulk product itself not complying with the food labelling regulations.  Whilst indicating the E numbers only is acceptable (rather than the full name), it must be followed with a description of the function the additive performs in the product: colouring, preservative, anti-oxidant, etc.  It should be said that this seller does have other items listed which do appear to conform to the labelling requirements on individual items.

There is no image of the product in its sale packaging which may contain the required information however the listing as it stands does not conform to the legislation.  This should be reported to the Environmental Health Department of the local authority of the seller.  The 'not registered as a business seller' should be reported to Trading Standards via an online report.  On past form eBay will not act on any report you make to them.

This appears to be a manufacturer selling off their end of season stock or alternatively an individual who has purchased it to sell on; only the above authorities can determine that.  My instinct would suggest the latter as a manufacturer would almost certainly be complying with food labelling regulations.

[lupo-store]

The way I see things with eBay saying they have to complete this by Dec 13 and that is the day GSPR comes into effect is that at that stage eBay are liable if 'private' sellers are not conforming to the laws.

Thereafter any private seller will be deemed by sales <£1k

Anything above will be a business and subject to HMRC tax obligations and all these new GSPR laws which come in to effect for any business selling into the EU (just like websites all over the world have to have cookie consent so EU citizens privacy laws are adhered to)

[moldosgifts]

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@sharn_3757 wrote:

The item being sold requires huge machinery to create it. 

As do mine but those i do manufatcture are also on etsy no less hand made. Than if id stitched it myself,

I can stitch them myself but would take me monthys to make a batch of 10 and price if i paid myself minimum wage would be redicolous hence my embroidery machine. were 10 can be made in a few hours.

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[the-nutwood-collection]

I hear that t'other site you mention is having a crackdown on supposedly 'hand made' items.  I also hear that the AI they're using has delisted a load of genuine sellers, one of whom was featured on one of their promotions as 'Artisan of the Year'.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I must admit, I'm very surprised that a private seller can even list food products.

Surely it's against the rules to do that anyway?

[dch2112011]

The differentation between hand made and machine made is - a product produced with the use of a machine  is machine made   - a product designed, hand made without tools is hand made .

So if someone has a manufacturer label their product in the seller's name it is not hand made, if a seller owns machinery to manufacture a product it is not hand made.

In terms of sewing the purist may frown on the use of a sewing machine or even purchased machine made fabric but this is extreme  so it is broadly accepted that  at least part of the garment was made by hand. This might mean a hand-stitched collar, an embroidered sleeve, or embellished cuffs, or it could mean that a single person used a sewing machine to construct the garment rather than a fast fashion assembly line process.

In terms of sweets - a production process involving more than one person and a production line is not hand made 

a single person using personal tools to create the sweets is hand made 

Don't take my word for it - look up ' definition of hand made '

[ett1954]

On further inspection the one I am referring to in post # 7 does admit in their profile that they are a small family run business.  It therefore appears that it is the manufacturer selling them and more a case of incorrect registration on eBay rather than not complying with the relevant food regulations; although the particular listing I referred to is not compliant with the food labelling regulations by not indicating the function of the E numbers in the listing.  I presume they do so on the outer packaging.

It however goes to show that no one at eBay follows through on reports of incorrect registration.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I'm well aware of that.  But that is not what I was saying.

Surely, it is not possible for a private individual to sell food products?

Even if registered incorrectly, this type of thing should not be allowed, as simple as that.

There are far too many rules and regulations surrounding food production etc, to allow a private person to sell them.

[dch2112011]

You can sell food produced from home 

If a one off for say the local school fete - there is no legislation other than good advice however if it is for resale - you need to register with your local council, undertake a level 2 food hygiene course, register with environmental health, you can then sell but the food must be correctly labelled listing all ingredients, allergy info as per natasha's law - not too difficult but many selling on ebay don't especially the ones with 'sweets' loose filled into standard PIP brown cardboard boxes - yuk !

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Which is exactly my point.

Surely, a private seller should simply be blocked from selling a food product!

I would never buy something like that on Ebay and it boggles my mind as to why anyone would.

You are literally taking a chance on your health.  Who knows where things have been produced.  And whilst I know that properly licensed premises etc can go wrong, it's less likely to.

[ett1954]

"Surely, a private seller should simply be blocked from selling a food product!" - That would be the easiest way to solve the problem and, at the same time, protect the public from any potential issues.  Most of the foods being sold are generally considered low-risk, however there is a risk to a very small minority where exposure to specific allergens at an extremely low level can induce severe medical issues which could prove fatal.  Food manufacturers are very conscious of this and precautions taken to prevent it are extreme.

The legal consequences of such a tragic event where food purchased through eBay was confirmed as the cause would result in some unwelcome, to say the least, publicity for eBay.  It does make you wonder why a company which has bans on the sale of a plethora of items hasn't taken this easy solution to prevent such a potentially damaging event.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Well, I would have thought that a simple exclude would be in place anyway.

It's insane that they would allow a private seller to sell a food product.

I am unable to test this, as I simply don't have a private account any longer.

Can someone with one perhaps test it out please?

But if it is the case, then I can't beleive that in all these years there hasn't been some sort of legal case prosecuted against a seller on Ebay.

I have looked, though not in depth and can't find anything.

That does however leave things wide open for any sellers on Ebay with a private account selling foodstuffs, to be brought up short in fairly quick order.

It's a scammers dream.

Order something, tell the seller that you have got ill because of the food and ask for food certification etc.

If none, then it wwould be so simple to extort them.

Which is why I find it strange that I can find nothing at all.

[dch2112011]

I agree but many can  and ebay like facebook and others take absolutely no responsibility for listings leaving it to the sellers to take the responsibility but  in reality buyers after a bargain do not look beyond the end of their noses - it seems price outweighs common sense until it is too late.

Loose unwrapped sweets put in a postal box with no information - sell like hot cakes  when in reality the sellers are buying bulk loose sweets and probably stuffing their hands in the jars next to the dirty dinner plates after  picking up the dog poo from the garden as they stroke the cat wandering around the worktop who licks their fingers  as they push them into a recycled unhygenic cardbox from China  - But they are cheap !

Insanity rules when people spot a bargain and then they give them to their kids - who is at fault , the fools for buying them, the seller or ebay - all of them in reality !

[dch2112011]

Maybe because they remain anonymous to the buyer - and ebay aren't going to give them the seller's details - they are more likely to block information exchange than encourage it !