Should legitimate businesses just move to a new private account ?

[howmuchtobid]

Ebay is clearly allowing businesses to trade from private accounts, we are all seeing it, Ebay is doing nothing about it.

So to be able to compete I guess moving to a private account is the only option for many.

[dch2112011]

Given that ebay no longer want private sellers and businesses  trading on personal accounts to pay any fees whatsoever -  Are all the policies relating to fee avoidance now null and void ?

Would this then allow private account holders to publish their details - websites, social media, phone, email and any other contact information in their listings ?

[auctiongabble]

It's going to get that way, do what everyone else is thinking....

Business account: Fees to pay, shop to pay for, not able to sell to europe due to GSPR, pay taxes due

Private account: no fees to pay, free listings, exempt from GSPR, pay taxes due

[pg_kicks]

Got to question the management at eBay who think a one to one phone call and some extra credits (if you have been conned) make those 2  options a fair and equitable marketplace.

[auctiongabble]

Yeah some management who have never experienced working for themselves or running their own business basically telling me promote, promote, promote.....pay more for something that isn't happening and already paying fees which ebay should do some basic promoting for that anyway.

Never win or getting anything from corporate companies!

New year, my own site, bye bye ebay!

[billtev]

just seen one so call private business seller who has already made £1600 this month on second hand soft toys etc - private no costs and I have managed to make just over £100 this month and will have to pay fees etc off of this - makes my blood boil 

[wyntersemporium]

I keep getting that I'm not doing it. 

[wyntersemporium]

Not made much at all this much and nothing fir the past few days either. Which is very odd fir me .

[brickdragon]

If you can't beat them - join them.

I suggest every business account owner uses an existing private account or a new private account to sell some of their stock.  We can still pay taxes on profits so we're not braking any laws, just avoiding eBay fees and enabling us to sell at a cheaper price as result.

If nothing else, it will be an intersting experiment to compare sales between accounts and hopefully encourage eBay to address this farce when they realise the hole they've dug for themselves.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Oh for pities sake, you ARE breaking the law by doing that.

So regardless of what other people are doing, you are advocating people to break the law.  Not a very clever idea.

You are breaking consumer law.  ie. the need to display your details clearly.

The need to offer returns and all of the various consumer protections.  The list goes on.

Just because some are doing this, does not make it right.  In actual fact it makes it worse, by jumping on the bandwagon.  The very fact that ebay are giving private sellers free listings etc, is the very reason, why they will crack down on business's, pretending to be private sellers.  Just because your not seeing a lot happening yet, does not mean that it's not actually happening.  

[the-layer-laboratory]

---

@therenewalworkshopltd wrote:

You are breaking consumer law.  ie. the need to display your details clearly.

The need to offer returns and all of the various consumer protections.  The list goes on.

---

I'm not advocating law breaking, but does anybody know of an instance of a successful UK prosecution for breaking these trading laws?

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Is that really pertininant?

Either you are or your not, it really is as simple as that.

I'm quite sure that some companies will have been prosecuted for just this kind of thing.

But just because you will probably get away with something, it really doesn't make it right does it?

You might as well be saying, shoplifters in the main get away with it, so I might as well do it as well....

[the-layer-laboratory]

---

@therenewalworkshopltd wrote:

Is that really pertininant?

Either you are or your not, it really is as simple as that.

I'm quite sure that some companies will have been prosecuted for just this kind of thing.

But just because you will probably get away with something, it really doesn't make it right does it?

You might as well be saying, shoplifters in the main get away with it, so I might as well do it as well....

---

No, I'm most definitely NOT saying that.

I'm looking for a single example of these laws being enforced, not just an example of a toothless organisation telling a marketplace to "get your own house in order".

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

Are you seeing lots of evidence ebay is cracking down on businesses on private accounts ?

I'm seeing little to no evidence it is happening. All I'm seeing is those sellers continuing to list and sell items and at the same time paying many hundreds of pounds less in fees than we are. 

For the record I am not condoing switching however surely you can appreciate many of us are getting more than fed up with it.

Also I have been told by several ebay customer service agents to sell on a private account.

It's simply unacceptable. 

[therenewalworkshopltd]

No, not specific evidence of Ebay cracking down.

But logic dictactes that they have no choice but to do so, or they will simply stop making money.

ie. Free fees for private sellers.  Business moving to private, no business sellers = No fees!

So it is very much in their interest to do so as an organisation.

There has been things that point this out, with various things being said by them and them offering the private sellers not that long ago, free shops and so on.

Yes, I know the agents have been doing this, but that does just speak of very poor training.

And I'm pretty sure that is not the Ebay point of view at all.

And yes, it's perfectuly understandable thinking to swap, but it still doesn't make it right.

I have though it myself.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

I didn't say that you where.  What I was saying, is that it's really not a pertinant question.

Something is either right or wrong.  It doesn't matter if people have been prosecuted or not.  The law, is the law.

Trading standards do need a kick up the backside and a lot more money going into the service.
They are simply not very good at what they do at the moment, unless it's going against the bigger hits.

The last was just an example of where ignoring the rules can lead.

[krafty-kreations]

Are you seeing lots of evidence ebay is cracking down on businesses on private accounts ?

I'm seeing little to no evidence it is happening.

Same here, I am just going to give it till after Christmas and if it is still the same then I see no point in carrying on, I have however noticed some sellers in my categories lowering their prices by 20 and 30p I know it doesn't seem a lot but it just makes the whole situation worse!! 

I am way passed fed up!

[the-layer-laboratory]

This is Chat GPT's output on the matter:

"Are you aware of a single UK marketplace seller that has had a successful prosecution made against them for breaking CRA 2015?"

ChatGPT said:

ChatGPT

As of current knowledge, there has not been a documented case of a UK marketplace seller (i.e., an individual or small business selling on platforms like Amazon, eBay, Etsy) facing a successful prosecution specifically under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA 2015) for violations such as not offering refunds, failing to provide correct contact details, or misleading consumers on return rights.

Most enforcement actions under CRA 2015 have been directed at larger retailers or at the marketplace platforms themselves rather than individual or small marketplace sellers. The focus tends to be on ensuring these platforms enforce compliance policies that align with CRA 2015, enabling consumer redress more efficiently at scale. When issues do arise with individual sellers, the usual outcomes are warnings, account suspensions, or delistings rather than criminal prosecution.

In cases where prosecution occurs, it often involves breaches of other regulations like the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (which addresses misleading business practices) or Product Safety Regulations rather than CRA 2015.

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

I agree with everything you say here however until we see clear evidence Ebay is cracking down on these issues legitimate business sellers will continue to get more and more fed up and the results will be:

- carry on and hope for change (however the clock is ticking)

- leave ebay

- change to a private account

The final two options are what a lot will do imho.

[therenewalworkshopltd]

Yes, I agree, a lot will change accounts.

But as we have seen already, Ebay are starting to limit what private sellers can actually sell.

If that continues, which I think it will, then they are going to end up with a lot less things that they are able to actually sell in future.

[british-ceramics-and-paintings]

Apart from the odd item (supposedly on safety grounds) what items have been limited ?

Forgive my ignorance however I cannot think of much.