Has anyone seen that private sellers are seeing "it is now free to sell" excludes motors

[notstopbuying]

Wow, if all private sellers can list and sell with no fees that is going to change the whole site. 

It's been reported over on the private sellers forums and via other places too

Small picture of the eBay banner. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Why make it personal?  

I am not talking about myself specifically, so why are you?

[dwtrading2015]

??? you have made it all about you and your multiple desk duplicated items.  If you find that personal, I'll not comment further.

[theelench]

 Yes, I withdraw my comment.  I was thinking that you were viewing selling collectables in the same light as selling multiple brand new toasters or kettles.

My point was to show that it's far from rare for private sellers to have two or even several of the same item.

@dch2112011 

Yes, I might use one listing for a pair, but most would be one listing for each item.  Not one listing with several available.

[dch2112011]

There is a good case for collections (not collectables) being listed in a category and listing format of their own - How this could be achieved is not so obvious but  a section with all types of  collections being sold where unopened, graded and used items from one collection could be listed - I am sure that it would be beneficial to collectors and ebay and other sellers and buyers.

It seems  that people selling true collections fall between - personal unwanted items - and businesses which seems as though it can attract being categorised incorrectly. 

What the criteria would need to be I have no idea but it would need to be specific to individuals selling their prized collections rather than traders selling individual collectable items

[ians_stuff0]

It's being advertised on TV now. Appears to be all listings except motors. Are business sellers now subsidising private sellers? We have seen one fee increase recently - something to do with compliance, not sure why we had to pay for that as it was probably something that eBay should have been doing anyway. I wonder if we will soon see more increases to pay for the loss of revenue from private sellers?

I wonder if eBay are now going to go after the business sellers who are selling as private sellers. I have reported numerous sellers to eBay for doing this over the last few years, as it is not only a breach of eBay policies but a breach of UK law, but eBay have never followed up on these. I have an acquaintance who runs a company and sells his goods on eBay as a private seller. He called me yesterday, very pleased that he was no longer paying any fees to eBay.

[stormatic2015]

Depending what happens in the next 6 months after HMRC has issued their warnings and if eBay get their act together. I am going to seriously think about and revist this phrase thats in my head right now.

" If you cant beat them, join them? "

I am sure many have already said that in the last few days and in the coming months.

Already I have a new private-business seller who has now created the same item as me and is 60p cheaper. Guess how much the fees are? I just told you.

Who is going to spend 60p more to buy mine? when its identicle and I only make 50p profit on it after costs and fees.

[theelench]

I don't think making a category for Collections would be advantageous to anyone.  If I wanted to sell my surplus items in batches, I'd use "Job Lots".

Your comment makes me wonder if you collect anything at all? 🙂

A collection (not an investment) will very often grow organically, changing as it grows and with changes in direction as the interests, finances  of the collector change and for a host of other reasons.  If we both collected the same sort of glass that I do, our collections would be very different because we would favour different colours, types of item, available finance and the size of our houses.  etc, etc.

I started collecting Art Deco as a teenager, before I even knew there was something called "Art Deco", because I liked the style, the clever use of straight and curved lines to produce a simple but elegant object and the way the period produced some incredible combinations of different materials, influences and time lines.  One of my favourite pieces, that I've probably owned for 50 years, is an electric brown Bakelite clock with a dented Chrome rim, it's probably worth nothing with a dent.  

But, to me, it epitomises the '20s.  A circular brown dial with Chrome rim standing on a simple straight base, obviously influenced by (then) recent discoveries in ancient Egyptian tombs of a diety's headdress.  Made in (then ultra-modern Bakelite) and turned into an electric clock.  A fusion of ancient and modern, cheap plastic and expensive Chrome, a circle and a rectangle  -- a Classic design from the period.

There is only one reason to buy anything for a business  --  The hope of selling it for a profit.

The reasons for collecting anything will be different for every collector as will be what they collect and "the hope for profit" will come near the bottom of the list of "Why" they collect, if it's there at all.  More often than not, if there is any profit at all in an item it will because of sheer luck rather than any forward planning.

[555njp]

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@stormatic2015 wrote:

Depending what happens in the next 6 months after HMRC has issued their warnings and if eBay get their act together. I am going to seriously think about and revist this phrase thats in my head right now.

" If you cant beat them, join them? "

I am sure many have already said that in the last few days and in the coming months.

---

And that's what the YouTube bloggers are basically telling people to do too.

The issue was raised in the weekly chat on Wednesday but the responses are very weak from eBay, who to be fair are in an impossible position.

They don't have resources to investigate probably 70-80% of their private accounts that are really business sellers, nor do they have the desire as this latest move of scrapping fees is designed to pull sellers back to the site to offset potential revenue losses next year when HMRC and GPSR regs starts to take hold.

What was intended to bring in more revenue for eBay (increased traffic) and some weird assumption that buyers would rather purchase from correctly registered businesses will likely cost them more as small businesses either leave or, as you say operate fee-free on a private account(s).

Private sellers (or businesses operating on private accounts) have at least a 15% advantage which they can use to undercut you and take all your sales.
Whatever anyone says, for a like-for-like product, price will 99.9% determine the sale.

So unless a business is selling something unique, or with huge mark-ups so able to reduce their prices too, they simply cannot compete.

The only positive I can see for eBay is they may be able to invest buyers funds as these are now being held until withdrawn. But, if they go ahead an introduce a buyers fee next year then I can see another mass exodus, this time from buyers?

Very much 'Rock' or  a 'Hard place' for eBay at the moment.

[555njp]

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@theelench wrote:

I don't think making a category for Collections would be advantageous to anyone.  If I wanted to sell my surplus items in batches, I'd use "Job Lots".

Your comment makes me wonder if you collect anything at all? 🙂

---

Sorry to jump in but I read that comment as offering collectors a way to sell multiples on a Private Account, but only within that unique 'Collections' category. Not selling off a complete collection as a Job Lot?

IF that was the case then it could be a way for collectors to carry on as today without being accused of trading?
However, it would very hard to stop people abusing it.

[dantwocats]

I have been collecting for 45 years ,& on ebay for 21 years and loads of stuff to sell and will take 20+ years to list .(and i still buy stuff) could unload all at the local auction house but happy doing it on here and not at a price to under cut others, all stuff was bought from a business at some point in time, but i see the business/private point but no one has mentioned the very cheap lower that uk postage goods coming from China or the UK Businesses who are selling items for less that postage costs ! or very near! i look at some of my stuff and see its a waste of time listing to get 5p ,so off to the  charity shop or the old boot sale to come back and go in the shed of next year , but this is what Amazon does ,under cuts prices of small businsses and take them out ,as a seller its not me and need to look closer to home. Ebay is Ebay and one thing i know from 21 years is they will do what they like regardless of what any of us says,

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

Ebay can dress up the supposed benefits all they want however the more all this sinks in the more I think it is going to end very badly.

In simple terms you cannot have some people paying nothing to sell while others give 20 - 40% of their turnover to Ebay.

It really is as simple as that in my eyes, some things in life are complicated and nuanced, this isn't.

There is little motivation to be a legitimate business on here now, for the record that doesn't mean I will move to a private account as I won't.

[pulseofthedead]

If it was my decision it would be to just cut everyone's fees down to say 5%, like it once was. Everyone then has a chance to maybe lower prices and may encourage more sales right across the board rather than take this unfair action that they have.

Private sellers who will sell stuff, will then be buying from private sellers because their items will be cheaper.

Some earlier posts said people are being too negative. 
Once upon a time I used to sell all over the world inlcluding to some much lesser known places with no problem. No fees on taxes. No fees on vat. Postage was relatively cheap. Other countries have made it more difficult to sell due to packaging laws, Brexit and now Gpsr laws, so my pot of the world has virtually dwindled to the uk and the odd sale to USA and now to have to deal with this nonsense.

I feel  very let down..

[dch2112011]

No I am not a collector except as a kid but that isn't the same - my comments were based on what you and other collectors post remonstrating about being classed potentially as businesses.

My thought was that merely all collectors in the sense of having a 'collection might be better served if there was a category for selling collections where listings could be specific to the needs of  those selling their collections  be it in part or as a whole - because when you hear collectors remonstrating and look at the collectables category it is meaningless - the category is so broad any collectables or collections are lost in a sea of business and non related personal adds.

Of course if you would rather collections  remain in amongst the category collectables it is very likely that sooner or later they could because of value and volume be swept up as a business.

[555njp]

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@pulseofthedead wrote:

Some earlier posts said people are being too negative. 

---

Normally I would agree as it's so easy to criticise and just pick up the negatives.

However, having sold legally as a very small business on here for nearly 20 years, which used to sell worldwide too but thanks to ridiculously high shipping cost and now impossible to conform with EU regs we do GB only. I cannot side with the "EBay can do nothing wrong" brigade any longer.

Sales have been falling gradually and, thanks to illegal competition and rising postage, so have margins.

Our position is virtually untenable and we don't even promote! I could earn twice as much sweeping the street!

Fact is eBay doesn't give you the coverage it used to and it now encourages illegal behaviour too.
So, come Christmas I'll like shut up shop.

Must be hundreds if not thousands of business sellers in the same/similar position.

Very hard to find a positive.

[sportex-uk]

Then go private if ebay encourages this move.

[555njp]

I'm not willing to break trading and consumer rights laws.

Knowing my luck, I'd be the account that Trading Standards jumped on, or that a savvy buyer, having been deliberately denied their consumer rights would take to court to force a 12 months & 2 week return of an expensive item they'd trashed.

As I'm retired and only trading part-time to keep the grey matter active it's easier/safer to cease selling here.

[pulseofthedead]

But we should not be encouraged or forced into this position in the first place regardless. 

[dch2112011]

no but it must cross your mind !

[pulseofthedead]

I expect many of us have thought it but will stick to our principles unless of course there is no alternative but to change and I hope I will not be forced to be put  into that position.

[pmc815234]

I have been registered with an ebay business account for the last 15 years which was fair enough as I was buying and selling. For the last year or so I have not been buying things to sell and am no longer trading - I have told HMRC that. I do want to sell off my personal collection of toy soldiers though as I am now retired and need the money.

When I contacted eBay to tell them I was no longer trading and wanted to deregister as a business they told me I couldn't and just to set up a new private account - which would mean me losing my 40K+ positive ebay feedback and starting from scratch again which seemed very unfair. So I will continue to pay fees as a business seller even though I am not.