Being asked to upgrade to business account

[seraphims_odditorium]

Hello, 

this is my first post so please be kind. 

just looking for advice please.

Today I received an eBay email stating : 

“

Your selling activity indicates you’re operating as a business seller.

In order to comply with government consumer protection legislation, we ask that you upgrade your eBay account to a business account in the next 30 days. If you don’t, your account will be subject to selling restrictions, as outlined in our Business seller policy.” 

but I am not & have never been a business seller. I have sold our junk basically!  - unwanted kids toys, clothes etc etc  & more recently some of my late father’s items (he collected film memorabilia). 

at no point have I made or purchased any items to sell as a profit. So I’m not sure why this is happening or what to do ? 

[*vyolla*]

I think that the bots pick up on a word ('poster' in your case) and thereafter decide that x amount of listings featuring this word indicates a business seller.

A few sellers have received the same message as you recently, to be honest I'm not sure that there's a way round this. You can contact eBay Customer Services but I believe that this kind of thing is out of their jurisdiction and they are unable to allow you to keep listing on a private account. Maybe ask them if there's an appeal route?

This is laughable really, given that there are thousands of 'private' sellers out there listing dozens of multiples of the same item who are so obviously trading on the incorrect account. 

[**peaseblossom**]

That does seem odd given the sellers with 100s of new items that are slipping through the net.   Is there a link on the message to appeal?   If not you could try contacting ebay by requesting a callback and see if they can pass onto the relevant person.   The link for that is on here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/eua?id=5275&mkevt=1&mkpid

[seraphims_odditorium]

Thank you so much for your reply. 

I did wonder what triggered it. Whether it is the items or the sales. I guess it doesn’t matter as there doesn’t seem much I can do about it. 

I did contact customer services, and in short they said there’s nothing they can do & to just open a new private account (no doubt only for it to happen again at some point!) 

seems like a very flawed system if they are trying to catch sneaky businesses trading under the radar, who seem to get away with it. I’m just trying to get rid of our clutter & my fathers things, that are too good or too niche to go to charity shops. 

thanks again! 

[vinylscot]

Could there possibly be an argument that private sellers should be required to use their own names (probably with a number added) as their user names, instead of more "business-like" names?

There have been a number of similar posts to this one, and a common factor seems to be that the user name suggests it is a business. I think many of these sellers deliberately choose their user names to give the impression that they are businesses, and then get annoyed when eBay takes that view.

In this case, from the user name, I would expect the account to be selling "oddities". If he's just selling off junk, what will he do when he has a spoon to sell? That could hardly be described as an "oddity".

[seraphims_odditorium]

Thank you for taking the time to reply. 

i did contact customer services via the online chat box. But in short there’s not much I can do & just starting another account was suggested. Which seems laughable given that this is most likely what the naughty actual business accounts probably do. 

Thank you agsin! 

[**peaseblossom**]

it's annoying but it looks like starting another ID is the way to go.  You could gain some feedback by buying or selling a few cheap items first.    As you say, it's ironic.  

[seraphims_odditorium]

Thanks for your reply. 

I chose “odditorium” as I saw it in a Joe Coleman documentary years ago, and liked the word. It’s not a business name. Just a username.  I don’t own or aspire to own a business on eBay or otherwise. It’s just selling our clutter like many people have done on eBay for years. 

The kids old Lego isn’t an oddity either but there we are. I’ve had the account since 2022 & no issues until now.

 So i don’t think it has anything to do with the username & since usernames can be changed easily it wouldn’t make sense for that to be the sole reason . Plus some people just make accounts to only ever buy on eBay & never sell anything.  So I guess something else has triggered it, most likely a certain volume or value of sales. I’ll probably never actually know for sure.  

Just didn’t want to have to go through the faff of starting another account from scratch, especially as I’ve done nothing wrong & aren’t trying to get away with anything. 

thanks again 

[vintique*violet]

I would challenge this, as eBay have made an assertion without proof, ask what evidence eBay have that you are operating a business and explain as you have here that the items listed are your own. 

They are using government consumer protection legislation to force you to upgrade to a business account when there is absolutely no requirement for you to do so.  Should you open an eBay business account when you are not, this could cause you further issues and it is fraudulent. 

Businesses are usually registered with HMRC,  and are required to hold business bank accounts. 

You cannot have a current account for a Business account - so are they expecting you to also open a business bank account? This opens a huge can of worms! 

eBay need to " define" what registering for a  business account on their platform means and any repercussions that you could be subjected to by doing so with the " authorities" as you are not a business. 

@seraphims_odditorium 

Edit to add... if your eBay account " handle" is suggestive of a business, this is a moot point as anyone can open an account with eBay using whatever name they so wish. By the way I like it 😉 

[moldosgifts]

Just a suggestion 

Why not do what they say 

A business account does not have the buyer fee added to the price and they can choose their own postage.

Both changes coming very soon to private accounts Buyer fee and simplified postage. The only thing is it not free to sell for a business accounts.

Having a business account does not mean you have to do a tax return or register with HMRC.

The only thing is it not free to sell 

But i think its crazy you got the email when clearly you not a business.

When all the actual businesses on private accounts I  reported can still carry on.!!

[vintique*violet]

Having a business account does not mean you have to do a tax return or register with HMRC.

If that is the case then eBay cannot rely on the use of Government legislation to force people to open a business account. Note the message the seller received was not a request - it was directive with a time limit - without evidence that they are a business! 

[moldosgifts]

If they are genuine private sellers i totally agree

[vintique*violet]

I did contact customer services, and in short they said there’s nothing they can do & to just open a new private account (no doubt only for it to happen again at some point!) 

So customer services actually told you to open  a new private account instead of complying with their " business account " directives? 

Well I never... so much for the " legislation" they are keen to follow? 

This is a huge can of wriggling worms! 

[vintique*violet]

Absolutely! And it appears that " seraphims-odditorium " is! 

eBay are targeting the wrong accounts - there are 1000's of accounts who are obviously business sellers opening/running as private accounts who sell branded merchandise, perfumes, clothing and the like with 1000's of sales and yet eBay do nothing when they are reported? 

It is bizarre! 

[game_raid]

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@vintique*violet wrote:

Businesses are usually registered with HMRC,  and are required to hold business bank accounts. 

You cannot have a current account for a Business account - so are they expecting you to also open a business bank account? This opens a huge can of worms! 

A sole trader can use any current account they wish, making statements that are not true can cause even more confusion for a seller worried about being a business on eBay.

This is part of the problem sellers are not properly educated on what a business seller on eBay actually is and how it will affect them and what they actually need to do, some may realise it's not as bad as they think and because they have read spurious comments on forums they decide to open a private account which will cause them problems eventually.

A sole trader is exactly that they can be either a joiner, online reseller or window cleaner they are working for themselves and change their occupation every month if they wish and all they have to do is a self assessment each tax year.

On the self assessment it does ask what you do for a living but it certainly doesn't require registration

Businesses are registered with the HMRC because of the corporation tax which does not apply to a sole trader.

They are also registered with companies house which has nothing to do with the HMRC.

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[*vyolla*]

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@vintique*violet wrote:

Businesses are usually registered with HMRC,  and are required to hold business bank accounts. 

You cannot have a current account for a Business account - so are they expecting you to also open a business bank account? This opens a huge can of worms! 

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Doe you have a link to that?

Only asking because I have a current account linked to a business account (sole trader, not company).

[vintique*violet]

No link @*vyolla*  info easily found and it is well-known. You cannot mix personal and business dealings on a current account. 

Do you mean you have your current account linked to a business account on eBay?

If you run a " legitimate" business you are required to have a business bank account under the rules of HMRC and business practices. 

[game_raid]

It is recommended to have a separate bank account to make it easier when doing the accounting, it is as simple as that.

They is no legal stance that you can not mix transactions, if so please share a link, you say it's well known and I'm open to be proved wrong.

A LTD company needs a business account because they are a separate entity to the business owner.

This does not apply to sole traders which most eBay business sellers will fall under and totally optional on which account they wish to use.

[*vyolla*]

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@vintique*violet wrote:

No link @*vyolla*  info easily found and it is well-known. You cannot mix personal and business dealings on a current account. 

Do you mean you have your current account linked to a business account on eBay?

If you run a " legitimate" business you are required to have a business bank account under the rules of HMRC and business practices. 

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I can't find anything confirming that, so would really appreciate a link to a reputable source or guidance page. 

One of my smaller accounts (just selling plants from the garden) is a business account linked to my current account. 

[ett1954]

I wouldn't recommend opening another account.  eBay will eventually link the two accounts and may interpret it as 'fee evasion'.  This could result in being banned from selling completely.

I would you try and get a call-back from someone who understands the situation at eBay - request a call-back between 9am and 10am on a weekday; you will be more likely to get a European call centre with someone who can give you the correct advice and hear your side of the story rather than rely on a basically programmed bot answer.

Whilst opening a business account may get around the issue on a temporary basis this can give you other problems.  eBay will be declaring your annual income to HMRC as a business seller.  There is a requirement for a business to register for self-assessment if their annual income (not profit) exceeds £1000 in a financial year.  Although an innocent reason to register as a business you could end up with HMRC on your back; it will be easier and less stressful to deal with eBay, although probably more frustrating.