Is it time for me to pull from Ebay

[vostok63]

When I first started with Ebay about 15 years ago it was a life saver for my business during the recession of 2008 and then we were able to press on and do extremely well. We would regularly do £3000-£4000 a month turnover. Everything was ok until about a year ago and we have seen our fees go up the cost of advertising through promosted listings (Im paying up to 15% on all my promoted listings) on Ebay go up which means our prices go up and eventually it appears totally unsustainable especially when other platforms we use are fantastic for us at the moment. Last month £3500 on a similar platform. Ive just got my Ebay September statement ....less than £450 and nearly 25% going on Ebay fees...Anyone else having the same experience  and finding Ebay not the best for small business anymore. To be clear we have an excellent record with customers 5 star feedback across the board.  If you have had similar experience and turned a corner with Ebay what did you do with your listings /Ebay shop? very reluctantly Im really thinking its time for me to pull away from ebay as its not worth the effort anymore and reaching out to Ebay doesnt seem to work either

[little-rascal-77]

Hi do you know if hmrc can find a closed ebay account

[vostok63]

Yes I would think so




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[vostok63]

Yes they will be able to so make sure everything is up to date especially if like me you are running a business. If you do even with these changes you shouldnt have anything to worry about 

[sto906379]

Its getting worse for buyers

[dwtrading2015]

Statute of limitations is 7 years.  HMRC will only be interested in anything from the last 7 years.  It would have be a very high value issue for them to consider legal moves beyond that, as in the millions.

Otherwise, if there is income outstanding which you didn't declare, there is a box on the self-assesment allowing people 'to come clean' with unreported income.

[sto906379]

? My point is nothing to do with HMRC or statute of lims, it is the fact that as a buyer Im caught up in a dispute between ebay and one of there sellers – the buyer suffers which cannot help ebay

[dwtrading2015]

I wasn't replying to you, somebody asked "Hi do you know if hmrc can find a closed ebay account".

[wezmoto]

I am considering the same. Sales down and fees up. Reaching out to ebay just gets the "promoted listings" sales pitch.

Promoted listings would currently cost me another 12.5% at current levels and the only person who benefits from that is ebay.

Everything used to included in your fees , like the Pay for Google external adds, that was once free, in fact I remember an email from them using that as an excuse for the fee rise from 6% to 8%

You can now have the best product, the best customer service and the best prices, but if you don't get involved in the silly system of bidding against each other to line the pockets of ebay further, you may as well give up.

[4_bathrooms]

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@dwtrading2015 wrote:

Statute of limitations is 7 years.  HMRC will only be interested in anything from the last 7 years. 

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The statutes of limitations (6 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; 5 years in Scotland) only apply to summary offences and civil claims. If HMRC suspect someone has deliberately been evading tax the maximum investigation period is 20 years.

[4_bathrooms]

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@sto906379 wrote:
? My point is nothing to do with HMRC or statute of lims, it is the fact that as a buyer Im caught up in a dispute between ebay and one of there sellers – the buyer suffers which cannot help ebay

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It is probably worth starting your own thread about the matter. Buyers rarely lose disputes that are opened within the Money Back Guarantee period.

[dwtrading2015]

Is it 6, always schooled it was 7 based on record keeping needs for auditing.  I'm aware 6 is debt related and county court judgments, presumed 7 for superficial tax investigation due to records should be kept.  Otherwise for larger amounts I understood any length could be applied for, but the issue is records being destroyed.  20 years only goes back to 2004.

[4_bathrooms]

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@dwtrading2015 wrote:

Is it 6, always schooled it was 7 based on record keeping needs for auditing.  I'm aware 6 is debt related and county court judgments, presumed 7 for superficial tax investigation due to records should be kept.  

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They're different things. Companies must keep records for 6 years from the end of the last financial year (essentially 7 years) whilst sole traders must keep records for 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline of the relevant tax year (essentially 6 years).

HMRC can still go back 20 years regardless whether records were kept or not. There is no statute for either-way or indictable offences; a HMRC investigation for deliberate tax evasion would fall into this category.

[charmkeyrings]

I would have to say yes.  I have zero problem with ebay.  It was them that got me out of the 9-5 in the first place.  Costs have risen and ebay's clientelle want things cheap.  It's why Chinese sellers are successful.  I would never shut my ebay shop.  I have to find £30 ish per month (£1 per day) to keep it open.  I have taken my living elsewhere though.  Not ebay's fault.  It just wasn't a fit anymore.

[nigel_paul_wright7557]

I have never made any money from ebay since I started in 2008.

Too many other sellers selling too cheaply for me to compete.

I just do it as a hobby now although the fun is going out of it.

Over the years sales have slowly fallen.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I have never made any money from ebay since I started in 2008.

I'm sorry, but that is simply not logical.

If you where not making money in the first year that you were selling on Ebay, why would you still be here 16 years later?

Cheapest is not necessarily the best at all.  And if you are not making any money, then you put your prices up.  You may not sell many, but you will make an actual profit.

Even here on Ebay, people do still value speed of delivery, customer service etc.

There will always be those who buy the cheapest possible.  But selling cheapest, is usually the way to end your selling adventure.

[scirocco_dave]

I'm a hobbyist seller and its all over for me, the "item not received scam" has done it, i was also fined because i contested the buyers claims, the ebay postal service ... ends the profit from using discount postage..., I have no need to rant, i'm over it, ebay lose in the longer run if folks walk away.  Good luck if you stay.

[little-rascal-77]

i left ages ago, ebay is a joke, has been for a long time.

[padanpcparts]

It might be true! He has been moaning since 2008...

[dunstun365]

My experience has been the same. My sales fell from 20-30 per month to about 6 overnight in jan last year & never recovered. On to of that, RM upped their cheapest LL post exponentially last year It even sell anything like frequently was forced to use promoted listings to sell. Sold a printed picture & wanted £15 but a buyer only offered £10 so I foolishly accepted not realising it was promoted. I then pulled similar prints I was selling from ebay & sold them on Facebook M within a week or so for the prices I wanted with only one needing to be shipped.

Nice oil paintings by the way, I used to do that, even got A' level art & would love to start painting again but I doubt they would sell on here as I'm unknown.

[its-only-a-pound]

This person has said perfect solution, 

Use ebay for items in high demand sort supply, this is usually antiques collectables.

use whatnot to get rid of junk.

vinted cloths accessories

etsy arty stuff

sotherbys, bigwoods ( auction house) any items worth over 200 and are quality,  ( no returns scammers etc and some less fees than ebay)  stratford auction i get double for my items of high end silver than on ebay)

also join a facebook postcode community amazing what you can sell and get too.

Ebay is not as powerful as they make you think,  its easy to put this to test. grab 10 items from your unsold ebay put on vinted should get a sale same day is priced right,  ebay half your stuff not even visible only on your computer i put this to test using someone elses ebay.