Using an Existing eBay Account to Sell Under a Legal Entity – Who is Liable?

[ranem_20]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some clarity regarding eBay’s policies on using an existing personal account to sell under a registered business (company). I want to ensure everything is compliant with eBay’s terms and tax rules.

Here are my key questions:

1. Can an individual use their existing eBay account (registered under their name) to create a seller account for a company (legal entity)?
2. If I register a seller account under my company but continue using an existing personal eBay account, who is legally responsible for taxes, disputes, and liabilities – the individual or the company?
3. Does eBay allow an existing personal seller account to be officially transferred to a company? If yes, what steps are required?
4. If the seller account remains linked to an individual but the business is registered as the seller, can the individual still be held liable for chargebacks, disputes, or unpaid eBay fees?
5. What steps must be taken to ensure the company is fully responsible for all sales, taxes, and liabilities, and not the individual account holder?
6. If issues arise (e.g., policy violations, payment disputes), will eBay hold the original individual account owner responsible, or will liability shift to the company?
7. Would it be safer to create a new eBay seller account directly under the company’s name instead of modifying an existing personal account?

I’d appreciate any insights from those with experience in business selling on eBay or anyone who has gone through this process before. Thanks in advance for your help!

[tobiasd4]

Private accounts are only for selling your own unwanted personal items.

If buying to sell, you must open a business seller account.

You can upgrade a private account to business one.

Some business sellers also have their own private items for their personal items.

[red_magpie]

As ordinary, unpaid members our role here is simply to try to help other members with day to day trading questions on eBay. It isn't up to us to advise you on your legal responsibility for taxes, disputes, and liabilities when setting up as a business on eBay.

Your tax liability is your own affair, but you will find a huge amount of guidance on disputes and liabilities in eBay's user agreement, money back guarantee policy and help pages. For the full A-Z of eBay's policies see: https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/az-index/a%E2%80%93z-index-policies?id=4649&st=3&pos=7&query=A%...

You may also be able to get more business-specific advice by asking on the business sellers board.