No Fees for selling Clothing?

So Ebay has abolished all fees for selling clothing on a private account.

 

Now more than ever surely the clamping down of businesses operating from private accounts has to increase?

 

I feel so sorry for those in this niche who trade legitimately as businesses who are competing with "private" sellers who just got handed a massive chunk of money.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

For reference:

 

What are the legal differences between selling online and traditional sales?


Online sales to individuals are covered by the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (which cover any form of Distance Selling, for example, sales made over the telephone). These require you to send written confirmation of any order to the customer (by mail or email) containing the necessary information (your name, description of the goods, and so on) and informing the consumer of their right to cancel the order.

 

What information do I need to provide to online customers?


When selling online to individual consumers you must provide full details of the offer before they purchase, and written confirmation (which can be sent by email) of the details before or with delivery (or during the supply of any service). Broadly speaking, the required information includes your details, a description of the goods (or services), delivery and payment arrangements, and information about the right to cancel. You also need to include information on the duration of any contract, the total cost including any deposits that may be payable and the customer's responsibility for the cost of any returns.

 

Can customers cancel online orders?


Individual consumers have the right to cancel purchases within a specified time under. This is 14 calendar days from the delivery date (for products) or from the contract date (for services) - a model cancellation form will need to be provided to customers. If you fail to provide the right information, the cancellation period is automatically extended to one year. Refunds must also be given within 14 calendar days.

 

That is just the start of the rules that you need to follow.

Go look up the relevant laws.

Note, some of the regulations may be out of date above, but they are all still relevant, though maybe slightly changed.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

I'll just counter your point about them not being in the UK, I was told/questioned by multiple people at the roadshow event why I dont just have a private account to sell the clothing I have when I was complaining about businesses being on private accounts. So they know the law and dont care, this isnt Jimmy in South Africa or Philippines, its people who are pretty high up in eBay this is just how much eBay care.

 

More to the fact that a moderator modified the post but left the part where eBay employees are encouraging people to break the law, that says more than enough for me.

 

For what its worth I do everything within the law, eBay sadly do not.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

You have a business selling trainers.

Why not have a Private Account Selling Pre-loved clothing as well?  You can take advantage of no fees to list or sell, but Tax may apply if your earnings go above your tax allowance.  So everything is legal.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Seriously, has nobody got a clue about consumer law?

 

No, everything is not legal if you do it that way.

You are abusing consumers by not giving them their rights.

 

 

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

You may well be right.  But I was only using that to highlight the fact, that whoever they spoke to, probably doesn't understand it.

I struggle though to believe that Ebay is being purposely complicit, in helping people to abuse the law though.

That alone, could get them into a lot of trouble, if proven.

 

Maybe it's time to start trying to involve local MP's etc.

 

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

I explained it to them, they agreed it was illegal but said that they advise me to do it, its a joke. I have a list of about 200+ accounts which I have reported in the last 6/12 months and showed them all, with the emails saying we have looked into it and no policy has been broken. They know its an issue but know eBay dont do anything about it. The bigger joke is that the community team on here copy and paste please report. 

 

Its been my biggest complaint on here for months/years and I do everything legal but if eBay started giving private accounts no fees then my moral compass would be tempted, I'd hope I wouldnt but until Im in the position of either closing my business or joining then I cant 100% know.

 

There is zero advantage of being a business account if you sell preloved clothing bar the legal side which nobody will ever chase you for. Ebay have made it beneficial to break the law, its crazy.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Clothign is about 5% and its rare I buy any of it, I'd rather stay this side of the line regarding the law, I'd only save a few hundred a year currently so its an easy option.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

I offer Consumers their rights.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

And how exactly do you do that from a private account?

How do you display your company address?

 

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Business Account

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Why not have a Private Account Selling Pre-loved clothing as well?  You can take advantage of no fees to list or sell, but Tax may apply if your earnings go above your tax allowance.  So everything is legal.

 

Then why are you recommending that someone else breaks the law?

Nothing about that statement is correct, it is NOT legal to do things that way.

So why don't you understand consumer law?

 

 

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Phone and say you want to escalate a complaint.  It is no good just talking to the bog standard agents, many of whom don't even record your conversation, or are knowledgable.  I find if you phone on a Sunday you get the Irish staff usually.  The more people who keep doing this, the more chance they will start to take notice.  And yet I had one of my listings removed and when I went on the web chat I got some idiot who gave me an explanation of why the product was violating Ebay's policy.  I actually thought he was on drugs, the rubbish he was coming out with!  He said the cosmetic should be photographed in someone's hand... can you believe this!!!

 

I eventually spoke to someone who was sober and they agreed the listing did not violate any policy and it was an error.  So that made me even madder at all these listings I have reported violating policies, yet Ebay deem they don't!  However, I won't leave it at that, and eventually they got removed.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

People have to register to attend the business roadshow. If private sellers register and get the green light to go that says it all. Wasn't there one a while ago where eBay were promoting a small business success story on eBay and the seller was on a private account 😆.

I was thinking of ringing eBay to get told the same thing and then asking about it on today's live chat but I'm not comfortable with dropping someone at a call centre in it knowing it could affect their job.

 

There is a mix of fee avoidance going on but also I think people don't want their contact information out there and they don't see it as maliciously masquerading to dupe their buyers but just doing what their peers are doing. Just asking around, it seems like the consensus is as long as returns are switched on and they are registered with HMRC, the private business seller shouldn't expect any comeback and it is a no brainer.

 

I would say that if someone really wants to build a long term eBay account as a sole trader operating on a private account, they are running the risk that eBay could suspend the account sometime down the line for some breach of the business seller policy so the account is always going to be on shaky foundations. But I would say that to make myself feel better as I pay a shop fee 😅

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Just to add, as eBay have to report our sales income to HMRC now I think it's a bad time to join the dark side on a private account. Common sense tells me HMRC may be duty bound to report it to trading standards, just the thought of that would put me off doing it in 2024. 

Especially on Vinted where a buyer has only 2 days to report an issue, I think that's dangerous to be operating a business on more so than eBay. 

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

If you (broadly speaking not signally you out) were intelligent about it though you just have multiple accounts running, eBay claim they track IP's thats fine you could have multiple contracts with different Internet providers. I paid over £25k in fees last year so if you were doing my level in clothing it doesnt scratch the surface if you had 5 Internet connections and ran 5 accounts, all keeping under the VAT level. Register everything with HMRC so they wont care, Trading Standards dont care about the guy selling fakes down the market so they wont care about some seller on eBay not giving out his/her business address and well we all know how much eBay care. If one is caught you still have the others and yeah its a bit of a stinker having to list say 150 new listings but if you save all your pictures its not going to take much longer than a 2 or 3 days. If I had an extra £20k a year to buy stock (by saving on fee's) that would be another £30/£35k in sales, which increases year on year. 

 

I think everyone at the event were businesses but they were telling business account holders they could and should just have a private account. Its pointless bringing it up in the weekly chat, I've done it multiple times, spoke to managers of departments (actual managers) and even Sholto at the roadshow, they all know it goes on but are doing pretty much nothing to stop it, the reporting system doesnt even have an option for it, thats the least they should have.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Just one thing i would disagree with you about.

 

At our local very popular sunday market/car boot the Police actually walk around scanning tables.   I suspect to make sure that the likes of knives are not being sold.

 

Also trading standards do occasionally walk around.     Again to my amusement when word gets round and the seller "disappears" leaving their items unattended on the stall.  I have seen TS take everything away from such a stall.

 

Also staff from the benefits people often target the market........asking sellers if they are on benefits etc and requesting their details.    Some refuse to give them.....in this situation they take photos of the stall and the stall holders. 

 

Whether this is done in any other parts of the country i cannot say.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Probably very much depends on your area as all it takes is one good manager in a TS department and they will be worth their weight in gold. 

 

I know I could get my hands on hundreds of pairs of fake Nikes within 4 hours if I wanted, I know TS couldnt just do that and solve the issue but its been going on for years, they could have easily set up a whole case (maybe they currently are) but due to slashes in budget I dont expect it to be happening. 

 

Issue with TS/Police just walking around is they wont have a clue if its genuine or not with good fakes either, just show a fake invoice and do they really fancy a whole investigation over Jimmy and his 200 shoes kind of thing. Probably easier with cigarettes and the likes. Either way though trading standards wont place a seller not showing his/her address very high on the list imho.

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

I think everyone at the event were businesses but they were telling business account holders they could and should just have a private account.

Just have a private account - I’m confused! Do you mean that they were telling business sellers that they shouldn’t to be registered as a business? What was the context?🤔


Sent from my iPhone
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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

Its usually fake Rolex watches and films that are not out on release yet so pirate copies....or mucky films 😞

 

You are right though about how easy fake trainers can be obtained if one is so inclined.

 

We used to stand at this market once or maybe twice a year to have a clear out ..........we used to take a small fortune because everything we sold was legit. 

 

Something else i have seen on Ebay today......the new banknotes with King Charles on them.   Sellers are asking hundreds for them.   To me this borders on extortion and  maybe a limit should be put on the final sale price?   I guess if people are daft enough to buy them........

 

 

 

 

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Re: No Fees for selling Clothing?

It needs the government to make online sites responsible for making sure sellers are correctly registered with the threat of legal action/fines if they fail to do so. I believe there are governments who take this line. 

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