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. 

[ians_stuff0]

Shouldn't be difficult for eBay, but they just don't want to do it.

[liz_and_warren]

There's never been any real incentive for Ebay to tackle businesses listing as private sellers.

Now there is. A very big one. 

[chrledd]

Have sold on ebay as a business for over 10 years - absolutely disgusted and gutted by the way we are being treated. So called 'private sellers' selling items at a considerably lower price than I am able to and making a higher profit. So unfair of ebay and hey never do anything about these people - how can a private seller have over 200 new with tags items for sale being continuously restocked??!!??

I have never sold on other platforms but am being forced into it now.

[ians_stuff0]

And eBay are helping these sellers break UK law.

[hudsonsclothes]

I might be being completely stupid here (probably) but is it not possible to set up as a private seller and ensure you offer the full return package, list your business address on listings etc manually so you comply with all the relevant business laws but then operate as a private account.

As long as you do all the things you should as a business on a private account and then do your HMRC side away from eBay correct and declare earnings, should be okay should it not? we're legally obliged to inform HMRC and do all the other bits I mentioned. There is no legal obligation to have an eBay business account and get ripped off.

I might be missing something as I say i'm not an expert just a thought.

Just to be clear I am not doing that and private business sellers annoy me however if they don't act and do something about it then the incentive is to join them or leave eBay for a site that looks after its business customers. I woke up to a £25 sale this morning and £4.95 was taken 😂 someone pretending to be a private seller will sell same item and have a full £25 in their accounts now

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

Business seller policy | eBay

[kempseykate]

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@hudsonsclothes wrote:

I might be being completely stupid here (probably) but is it not possible to set up as a private seller and ensure you offer the full return package, list your business address on listings etc manually so you comply with all the relevant business laws but then operate as a private account.

The only way you can add your address to a listing, without the risk of having it pulled/your account restricted is on a business account.

[555njp]

You're absolutely not being stupid as I thought of doing same, however you are not allowed to put personal contact details in listings so I think the bot would find and remove quite quickly.

I considered putting "Dear customer, you are buying from a fully registered, UK based, tax compliant small business. The status of our account being "private" is purely being used to remain competitive on this platform. Your consumer rights, right of return etc. is in no way affected by the status of this account. Our business name and address will be visible on your invoice. Please message via eBay messaging if you require more information, thank you"

But I think I'd quickly be banned 🤨

[stormatic2015]

That did also cross my mind. I would, I will just say "Trading as NAME - CRN: XYZ"

This also implys that a buyer actually looks at the description.

At this moment I have taken the active descision to concentrate on my other marketplaces. I did have stock  ready to go but I dont see the point now, as I will most likely be undercut and Im not paying to list items not to sell them.

I am also lucky that I didnt go through with buy thousands pounds worth of stock a week before this annoucnment.

[hudsonsclothes]

Theres me told haha wrong as I expected I was. Oh well 

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

In many ways you are not wrong though as Ebay don't seem to enforce it.

[a45heaven]

I still find it odd that ebay have actively encouraged Business' as Private sellers. ( Aiding and abetting maybe).

Now , rather than actually  changing the status' of the sellers, ebay make an announcement only.

Could be that active numbers are something they can boast of and indeed sell advertisements on the back of (and we all know how intensive / intrusive adverts / sponsored items are, even though ebay give the responsibility of the listing to be the sellers).

Maybe ebay and HMRC have a financial relationship regarding the additional head count?

Still other  Sales platforms have not raised the issue of platforms presenting sales info to HMRC, as ebay have laid out.

Quite odd, but this is ebay of now-a-days.

[aerochago]

I read that it was because of competition from Vinted and others.