'Private Sellers' ebay please do something.

[books-from-sharon]

Really fed up!

I know that there is always an ongoing issue with 'private sellers' who are actually businesses.  Usually, I just ignore it but today I've had enough.

When I list a new book, I research current prices before doing so, by searching ebay for the isbn and seeing what comes up.  This morning, I looked at  ISBN: 9781800329638  (New copies, lowest priced first)  A seller was undercutting the next lowest price by about £1.80 which is a significant proportion of the book price.  When I checked the seller, they have more than 3,000 book listings of which nearly 2 and a half thousand are brand new.

I thought ebay were restricting the number of items that a private seller could list!

Although I have probably wasted my time, I have reported the seller to Trading Standards.  I've never done that to anyone before but I was so frustrated.

Oh well, moan over.    Back to work 😒

[ed_58611]

The restriction is on the number of new listings per month I believe.

[moonspender]

Yes 300 new listings a month which is nuts ... effectively saying they have 300 items a month kocking around their house they want to get rid of ... its a joke ... im sitting here today seriously thinking about other business ideas that dont involve ebay ... im fed up of it as well ... its a challeging market and having to compete on a 2 tier market place where " private " business " sellers trade en mass and can undercut due to the fee structure makes it almost unviable to trade on the platform

[ed_58611]

With the current limit of 300 new listings per month for Private Sellers, it would take me approximately 3 years to list my stamp and coin collections alone, followed by goodness knows how much more time for the books, DVDs, CDs, LPs, antiques and assorted "collectables" just in my home at the present time. Then there's all the things that I use regularly but which will be sold at some point such as tablecloths, candlesticks, decanters, clothing, etc. etc...

[crg_music]

This is where the buyer fee on private sellers will hopefully pull things back especially on lower end + new items, time will tell and it really is a shame that its ruining it for genuine occasional sellers but these are the sellers to blame.

There are still customers that will pay a bit more to buy off a business seller. Distance selling protection alone is enough on its own. Imagine being a business but not having to accept a return because you have a private account. Amazing that trading standards are not more involved tbh.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Whilst I see your point, as private seller, you would be prepared to spend all that time every day to actually list items?

Personally, 10 items per day listed, is more than enough of my own time where I doing this.

Because it's not just creating the listing.  You have to create photo's and more often than not do some sort of research to work out the best selling prices.  

Even as a business seller, I struggle to get 15-20 items listed per day.  So to have the ridiculous allowances that private sellers have had, is just crazy. 

My point basically being, that there is a point where it becomes impossible to manually create so many listings.   The only way it can be done, is if it's automated and no private seller should be doing that.

[ed_58611]

It's not my point though!

I merely helped the OP with a correction on her misunderstanding when someone else jumped on the thread complaining thusly - "effectively saying they have 300 items a month kocking (sic) around their house they want to get rid of ... its a joke".

I pointed out to them that were I to become a private seller I should have an abundance of items that I might list - I am not a seller btw - and I should be at it for years should I chose to do so.

Incidentally, I have actually said elsewhere out that I would struggle to list 10 items per day/300 per month as I have neither the time nor the inclination!