Refunded due to seller wanting cash

[jimmy2377]

I know nothing can be done about this but needed to vent a little, I suppose.

I just bid on and won some car seats. I paid on my card through eBay, and a few minutes later, I got a message from the seller asking me to pay by cash or bank transfer when I picked them up.

I told him I had already paid and with no more messages, I had the order cancelled and a refund.

I messaged him and all I got back was that he wasn't paying eBay fees.

Fantastic.

Why didn't he just put them on Marketplace?

[roger_roger_over_and_nowt]

If it was a private seller there were no fee's to pay.Hopefully you can still leave feedback.

[m25jet]

It sounds to me to be a case where either the seller didn't realise that eBay recently have changed the rules and no longer allow cash on collection, or alternatively he knew full well that eBay have changed the rules relating to cash on collection but was hoping to be able to bypass these new rules in some way, maybe with a view to trying to complete the sale off-eBay, given that he said that he wasn't paying eBay fees.  Either way, when he saw that you had paid via eBay Checkout and realised that he wouldn't be receiving payment in hard cash he probably got rather annoyed about the matter and decided to cancel the sale as a result.

Although the seller shouldn't have cancelled the sale without your consent, I do feel that eBay have shot themselves in the foot by preventing sellers from offering buyers the option to pay with cash for Collection In Person Only items, as they'll more than likely lose a hell of a lot of sales as a result of this move.  It does seem to me as though eBay want to control every single step of the payment process with these new payment rules, though - if they were to allow cash payments for collected items then they wouldn't be able to hold the seller's money from that sale and make interest on it, as they would have no means of being able to get their hands on it!

[plpmr]

leave feedback - seller refused to honour transaction.  

[*guinevere*]

Ebay did away with selling fees in October.

it would seem at first glance that there is nothing to gain by wanting cash on collection, but apart from it being prohibited by ebay, by paying cash there is no record of the sale and the buyer would have no access to the ebay money back guarantee like they would had they paid through ebay checkout.

maybe the seller knew this and wanted to try to avoid any claim of NAD after the sale.

As advissed, make sure to leave appropriate feedback.

[ett1954]

"if they were to allow cash payments for collected items then they wouldn't be able to hold the seller's money from that sale and make interest on it, as they would have no means of being able to get their hands on it!" 

It could be the reason you suggest; however the decision to stop cash transactions may be due to the fact that eBay are now liable for reporting sales data over a required annual amount to HMRC.  Only transactions going through eBay's managed payments gives them the evidential data required to do so.

[naughty_neena]

To get a private sellers address for a collected item.

The said item had to be purchased through ebay first.

Therefore ebay were aware of the price.

The items I used to sell for cash on collection were bulky heavy items.

So no cash on collection means me going elsewhere.

Smaller postage items I will sell as normal

[papso22]

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@ett1954 wrote:

"if they were to allow cash payments for collected items then they wouldn't be able to hold the seller's money from that sale and make interest on it, as they would have no means of being able to get their hands on it!" 

It could be the reason you suggest; however the decision to stop cash transactions may be due to the fact that eBay are now liable for reporting sales data over a required annual amount to HMRC.  Only transactions going through eBay's managed payments gives them the evidential data required to do so.

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Interesting theory.   I thought they would use sales data not payment data, for the reports.   Perhaps we will find out when they provide sellers with a copies of the data provided?

[plpmr]

"I thought they would use sales data not payment data, for the reports."

I would tend to agree with that because of very high value/cost items, vehicles, would be paid in cash.

[ett1954]

They will probably have to use sales data for historical information (2024), however this is not necessarily a true reflection or verifiable submission of the figures; discounts may have been agreed on the doorstep, offsite deals made, etc., etc.

HMRC will require evidential data of cash transfers etc should there be a dispute between themselves and the seller.  Hence, going forward, eBay will need every payment going through their managed payments to substantiate the data being forwarded to HMRC; and not least to cover themselves.

[papso22]

I am pretty sure that the data from ebay, whatever that is, will simply be the starting point for HMRC who will then, assuming they are interested, ask the seller for bank statements etc, as well as proof that the sales were not trading.  The evidence needs to come from the individual in a dispute.

Ebay stopping cash on collection is not, in my view, the result of HMRC requiring sales data from MP, especially as that figure will be net of any applicable fees.  

It might, however, be easier for ebay to use MP data, and if that is acceptable to HMRC, they will do it that way.

[ett1954]

eBay Managed Payments can give a figure transferred into the seller's account net of any charges or payments taken from the seller's bank by eBay.  Sales figures are irrelevant for the reason you stated.  A simple total figure can be presented over any time period HMRC require.

This figure provided by other platforms also allows HMRC's Connect software to immediately, via the seller's TIN, to check this is compatible with the income they have declared on their self assessment; or whether in fact they have even completed a SA.

HMRC is not just checking that people are completing a SA but also whether traders are submitting the correct income.

Bank statements are not required if an investigation is being carried out as financial institutions are duty bound to provide the information if requested.

[papso22]

HMRC only go to banks for information as a last resort,  the person into whom the enquiry is being made is meant to provide all the evidence in the first place, with HMRC using Sch 36 penalties if necessary. 

Anyway, we will have to wait and see in what form and from what source, the data comes.   Right now we are just guessing, unless I have missed an announcement.