HELP! Obvious business seller operating on a private account!

[cocooncards]

I hate having to do this but there is a business seller operating on a private account in my category (I'm posting this on a throwaway just FYI). He's already made like a grand in a day (NO FEES!). I tried to report but the old system is gone and the new one doesn't appear to have "fee avoidance" (or similar) as an option, as far as I can tell. 

I was under the impression that all the new rules (simple delivery, BFP, selling limits etc.) were supposed to stop PRECISELY THIS from occurring!

[cobwebcottage]

Yes they are. I gave them mine last week as I had made my 30th sale in 2 years selling my unwanted clothes and shoes.

[4_bathrooms]

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@jlovie wrote:

I saw a news story recently saying Vinted are now requesting NI details once sellers sell a certain amount.

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This one? That relates to the digital reporting legislation discussed earlier which also applies to eBay. It is part of an international effort to enforce tax compliance headed by the OECD but in reality HMRC aren't being given any information they hadn't already obtained and collated through Connect.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

You don't report someone to HMRC for evading trading laws!
You report them to Trading standards.
They may be evading tax as well, but there is simply no way of finding this out.
And frankly, if anyone has any common sense, they are paying the correct tax anyway.
If trading standards get a lot of reports, then they have to take action.
You can also complain to your MP about rules/laws not being enforced on Ebay.

If everyone actually reported, then it would have an effect.  But for some reason, nobody to seems to think that any action will every be taken.  But it won't, unless you DO report!  And not just to Ebay!

[spence0175]

I don’t report anyone. It’s not my job to do so. It’s EBay’s site and it’s up to them to sort themselves out. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Ok, then perhaps you need to look at it a different way.

Your walking down the street and someone mugs an old lady in front of you.

What do you do, walk on by and leave them to it, or help the lady and call the police/ambulance?

Whether someone is committing a crime, such as on ebay with false representation, or mugging someone in the street, it is still your responsibility to report them.  It may not be a legal responsibility, but there is certainly a moral one there.

In short, no, it's not your job to report them.  But if you don't, then don't complain about it either if your not prepared to do anything about it.

How do you think things get changed?  By people sitting back and doing nothing?

[spence0175]

In short you are right, it certainly is not my job to report them.Things get changed when EBay sort themselves out. They have allowed this to get out of hand..not me.. it’s their site to police. Perhaps they could pay someone  to do it.. Take reports more seriously. That would be a start..

I take it you are spending your days reporting people, rather than trying to earn a living. It would be good to know that someone is trying to do something even at their own expense..

[r1804auri]

Except people get tired to report same thing and get no results. It's same case with reporting the people who ride their motorbikes everyday in the park behind my home. I used to waste 30 minutes almost everyday reporting this and all I got was a reference number every time. It's been two years and nothing got done, so why should I waste my time again when the only prize is knowing that I've done the moral thing. Time is scarce, I won't give it away again when the results are meaningless.

[4_bathrooms]

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@therenewalworkshopltd wrote:

You don't report someone to HMRC for evading trading laws!
You report them to Trading standards.

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Good luck.

Here is Trading Standards' reporting form. As stated, it is only available from Friday 5pm to Monday 9am and they don't respond to individual enquiries. 

The other option is to find the seller's local Trading Standards office and contact them directly. However, you'll find they're either not interested, will direct you to Citizen's Advice (who aren't interested either) or direct you to take the matter up with eBay (who certainly aren't interested).

Contacting a local MP is also pointless as they're more interested in whatever local issues are reported to them the most often. You'll only get a canned response about reporting the matter to the relevant department who - as stated earlier - aren't interested even if the MP actually bothers to pass anything on to them.

The only way this problem will ever receive the attention it requires to be solved is if a major consumer programme/website takes the matter up and turns it into a headline story. The problem is they don't currently seem to be interested either.

[spence0175]

That’s the reality…...The only way this could be fixed is for EBay to sort it out properly but I guess since no one else is bothered, neither are they…All anyone wants is fairness and a level playing field for all..

[krafty-kreations]

This

I tried to get to trading standards via citizens advice, who told me it was nothing to do with trading standards and told me to contact the business support center, I told them it was a trading standard issue but they were having none of it.

Contacted the business support center who I knew couldn't help but wanted to see if they had any advise, they told me it was a trading standards issue.

Went back to citizens advise, who told me it is up to eBay to sort out so wrote to my MP who never bothered to reply, no surprise there.

I cannot see anything changing, I think eBay will come up with more ridiculous solutions to try and force them to register correctly which will probably end up with more genuine private sellers leaving.

[cobwebcottage]

Very easy for Ebay to solve. Take away the option to list 'new' items for private sellers.

If you are selling the unwanted gift which Auntie Flo gave you for Christmas which is BNWT, at best it is 'new other'.

So the private seller who posts on the boards with 2500 brand new items, whinging about SD, will not be able to list as brand new until they change their account.

[pegr-834437]

Does new (other) still come up when you select new? If so it wouldnt really change much imho. I stand by the give everyone 30 free listings then after that you pay to play, eBay can then still run ads saying its free to sell*. shops/offers/discounts/variants shouldnt be available on private accounts just a basic account for selling unwanted personal items even if you go over the 30, you are just then expected to pay to help the site run. Then on a business account they could still give the 30 free listings but all of the 'benefits' but you have to comply to consumer rights with your details on the listing and returns accepted. Scrap BPF as it offers no additional protection and is just a badly named seller fee anyway.

I'd say I probably sell a medium/high priced items and 30 sales would lose eBay around £300, but the areas I sell in are flooded with 'hobby' private businesses so they'd either change to business accounts or leave, if they left then the market would still be there for correctly registered accounts to sell in. 

[c_of_e84]

Been happening for decades, reported some to greedbay and trading standards, neither want to know.

[cobwebcottage]

I've just searched a category for 'new'.  92,000 listed as new and 14500 as not specified (why?).

Yes I do agree with your model as it would also stop the private sellers with 1000's of items, mainly in the same category, and those who state in their bio's ' we are a small family business'.

There are so many measures they could put in place to cut down on the illegal trading brigade listing on the wrong accounts.

One which was mentioned yesterday, was a short questionnaire to establish which account you should be using to sell. 

What really riles me the most is that they (Ebay) don't seem to care if their buyers do not get their consumer rights and they are happy to collect BPF from these accounts who are breaking the law.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

This is a reply to all those naysayers about reporting.

1.  Yes, I have spent time and effort reporting these sellers both to Ebay and trading standards.

2.  If as you all seem to think, that there is no point in reporting, then don't bother, but if that's the case, STOP MOANING about it.  If you are not prepared to do something about it.

3.  Yes, it is to some degree Ebay's issue.  But it is not just Ebay's issue.

It affects every single business seller trying to do things legitimately.

So I don't know about any of you, but if something effects me, then I want to do something about it.

And quite frankly, if everyone did nothing, then NOTHING would ever get done!

Why don't you all get it.  If every single business seller on here (or even just a lot), made complaints to Ebay, Trading standard, MP and even HMRC then maybe, just maybe, people would sit up and listen!
This is how things are changed, not by having a moan on a forum.

[the_book_seekers]

The government could solve the problem by making on line platforms (not just ebay) responsible for making sure sellers are correctly registered and fining them if they don't. 

[vintage-emporium-jedburgh]

And who do you think would end up paying the fine????