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!

[1902elder]

It IS no fees for private sellers, the BPF is paid by the buyer and deducted from the total by Ebay. Seller gets their full sales value.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Actually they don't.  Because Ebay adds on top of the sale price.  

So you never get the full sale price, only a percentage of it.

And you have to allow for this when setting prices, or otherwise, you will just be presenting a much higher price than others.

Yes, strictly speaking it is no fees for sellers.  But there are still fees being paid, which is exactly what I said in the first place.  So I have no idea why you are correcting something that never happened?

Maybe you should read what I actually wrote, rather than presuming.

[kat@ebay]

Hi @notimpressedatall ,

Thank you for your post.

No Private sellers don't pay selling fees. The Buyer protection fee is paid by the buyer.

Thank you,

Kat

[vinylscot]

kat@ebay  - you know this is simply an exercise in twisted semantics.

If a seller is forced to drop his price to offset the cost of the BPF to the buyer, then the seller is effectively paying to sell. Many buyers select their purchases based on the total amount they need to pay; whether that goes to the seller or to eBay makes little or no difference to them - they have always known that eBay takes a cut of the total they pay, and this is still the case now.. 

It's the truth, and it's pointless for you to try to deny it. 

[lucy_farmer]

'It's the truth, and it's pointless for you to try to deny it. '

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Yes, but marketing vinyl!

The whole point of advertising is to get as close to an outright lie as you possibly can without actually getting sued...😂

[krafty-kreations]

If a buyer pays the BPF on an item sold by an obvious business seller using a private account, isn’t eBay charging buyers unfairly while letting these sellers bypass consumer law?

[therenewalworkshopltd]

The sad thing is though, that so many sellers on Ebay simply can't see that simple truth!

And the ones that still don't know (guarantee there are loads still) or simply don't care, set the same price as before and then wonder why nobody is interested.

[billtev]

Well said !

[*!bod!*]

Seems all you can do is report to trading standards.

[*!bod!*]

I'm looking at a van and noticed he's a private seller. Checked his other listing's and he's selling another 10 vehicles. Now, with vehicles it's more serious than other goods as trade sellers have to provide certain guarantees. Do I take the time to report him? No. I just walk away. 

[4_bathrooms]

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@*!bod!* wrote:

I'm looking at a van and noticed he's a private seller. Checked his other listing's and he's selling another 10 vehicles. Now, with vehicles it's more serious than other goods as trade sellers have to provide certain guarantees.

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It is the same (criminal) offence that is being committed regardless of the item being sold. Car dealers are often prosecuted for posing as private sellers after selling an unroadworthy vehicle (which is another criminal offence) and/or after being reported by residents for causing a nuisance.

The problem is eBay do virtually nothing about it because there isn't an organisation with teeth making them do anything about it. It is really Trading Standards' job to enforce this element of the law but they are too underfunded to care.

[wyntersemporium]

Seen one this morning she has well over 2000 items and 32 feedback.

id say she’s got well over £20,000 stock or thereabouts 

[wyntersemporium]

I’m sick of it too. Saw a woman selling brand new stock all of it is brand new as was checking to see what others are selling henna chokers for and then I spied her baby cots jolie I think she has then her 2000 plus all brand new items on a private account.

[wyntersemporium]

Just seen a woman with well over 2000 on a private account all brand new items. 

[spence0175]

I am seeing a massive increase of private sellers, selling high end stuff in the category I mostly sell in. 
now someone on here keeps saying that they have to reduce their prices to be the same as me. Only my main category sells many different things so a different type of market from mainstream items. I quite often have the only item on the site and they may have the only item on the site

So I sell my item for £20 and pay say £4 in fees. I buy an item for £20 from a private seller. He pays no fees and I have to pay a fee . So now I am paying fees both as a seller and a buyer if I buy from a private.

I had mentioned before about  a company in the real world who sell very expensive items and say on their website when they will be listing on eBay.

And when they do they are making thousands on each sale and this happens about six times a year and it’s free fees for them.

So basically delays on payment, simple delivery and bpf has made absolutely no difference because why does it really matter when you pay no fees and here I am paying fees for a shop and selling fees. I feel totally mugged off about the whole thing.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

So I sell my item for £20 and pay say £4 in fees. I buy an item for £20 from a private seller. He pays no fees and I have to pay a fee . So now I am paying fees both as a seller and a buyer if I buy from a private.

I'm afraid that your looking at it wrong.

Irrespective of how fees are charged, the buyer always pays them.
Either they are added on to the sale, as in the BPF or they are included in the sale price, as the business sellers do.
Either way, the buyer pays.

[spence0175]

Sorry but I don’t agree with you. 
I get £16 , he gets £20 and if it’s an auction which is more commonplace with privates, then I pay a fee on top of that.

I would like it that he also gets £16 and I pay no fee on top. The private only pays a fee if he includes it in his price. Most don’t…. Well not in my category…

[therenewalworkshopltd]

The actual funds you get at the end of it are entirely dependant on the selling price you set.

What you are describing is a private seller who is selling the same item for MORE than you.

That is why there is a difference.

The private seller is not selling the item for £20, they are selling it for £20 PLUS the fees!

So to make the same sale, you as a business seller would need to be selling it at whatever that comes to.  So something like £24 maybe.

That however is not the same as to who actually pays the fees.
A business seller includes an allowance for fees.
The private seller simply has them added on top of the sale.
It really makes zero difference as to how the actual fee is paid, whether it be included in the total or not, it is the BUYER that pays for it.

[spence0175]

Sorry but I still disagree somewhat. It depends on the item. I did say different items, not the same. If I am buy it now the buyer pays no bpf. If I win an auction then I pay a bpf. I pay a fee on my sale, he doesn’t…

Now your way may apply if two people are selling exactly the same thing. The private has to adjust to the business

 But in my main category it doesn’t apply because there are so many different items..no price to compare to. And this category is just full of private sellers selling high end stuff and they are not paying any fees…that is the bottom line, they are selling for free and not paying fees.. The businesses have virtually disappeared..

The company I mentioned is not a buyer. They are purely a seller…that pays no fees

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Ok, I give up.

It doesn't matter.  At the end of the day, the buyer pays the fees, whether it is direct or not.
You cannot compare the fees paid on two different items, it makes absolutely no logical sense to do so.

Oh, and just for the record, fees ARE being paid on the privately listed items, it's just called a buyers protection fee instead of final value fees!  Same difference.