Discontinuation of the ability to create discount coupons for a private seller

[nichrich94]

I am really disappointed in eBay that they have stopped private sellers with a basic shop from being able to create discount coupons for buyers. Ebay did not contact me to let me know they were stopping the coupons so it came as a shock and has hit my sales  pretty hard. On top of this ebay are implementing this not getting paid until your sold item has been delivered so I could wait up to a few days before getting paid, meaning I have to find the postage costs myself and these buyer protection fees I presume are going to come out of us, the sellers pockets, in increased fees. I am a small private seller who enjoys ebay but now its almost not worth me listing my items so time possibly for a rethink. Also Ebay's chat bot is useless.

[moldosgifts]

I'd say way does a private seller need a shop?

Why does a private seller need to send vouchers?

Why does a private seller need 2500 listings?

Why does a private seller bothered about profit?

These are all questions i would ask eBay when you get through to them

Click link get a call back cuts out the chat box

eBay Customer Service

[nichrich94]

All valid questions. For me personally, it is useful to have a shop without it being a proper business because despite the 2500 listings it is a hobby at the end of the day. I love listening to, buying and selling CD's, nothing wrong with that. Ebay does allow me to sell over 7000 items if I choose to, but it is nice to be able to send out coupons, it is a step to maybe becoming a business later, without the hassle of having to declare to HMRC as I don't (and never will) make enough money to pay tax on it. Yes I do bother about profit because its nice to receive that from anything isn't it? Thanks for the link.

[game_raid]

There is trading allowance of £1000 a year.

It is not about it being a hassle you are legally obliged to notify the HMRC and complete a self assessment if you go over this.

The Allowance is £1,000 of GROSS income. That is income before any expenses. The exemption is automatic and if your self employed income is £1,000 or less you do not need to tell HMRC or file a tax return. It applies to individuals only,not partnerships (e.g husband and wife trading in partnership).

I would check what you have been making, eBay will be submitting your sales data to the HMRC and if you are over you may get a letter from the HMRC requesting a tax return.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/account/regulatory/sales-reporting/uk-digital-sales-reporting?id=5454&st...

[moldosgifts]

😀😂🤣🤔

10 characters

[jdaw-2564]

Imagine having to pay fees to use someone else's platform to reach their MILLIONS of buyers! And no longer being able to undercut competitors attempting to run things properly! Outrageous right!? 

[nichrich94]

Thank you, I'm looking into it now.  Because I'm not a business I didn't know the threshold was that low. I am under the threshold at the moment but I need to find out more information which I'll get fronm your very helpful link

[papso22]

Do you ever buy CDs in order to sell them?

[game_raid]

I would also read the information and guidance on the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tax-free-allowances-on-property-and-trading-income

It is GROSS income, at first glance it looks like you are over the allowance, you can claim any expenses when you submit a tax return but not before.

Taken from a website so its easier to understand

Example – understanding gross income

You receive a payment of £892.50 direct to your bank account from a website which sells your craft goods. However, the website charges 15% fees to sell your goods and they take this from the income from the sale of your goods before they pay you. Your gross trading income is actually £1,050 even though you only receive £892.50, as shown below:

This means that you are not eligible for full relief trading allowance and will need to register for self-employment and complete a tax return as your trading income is over £1,000. You can still claim on your tax return instead of your actual expenses which will reduce your trading income to £50 (£1,050 gross income minus the £1,000 trading allowance).

[moldosgifts]

buying and selling CD's, nothing wrong with that. 

I would say yes

[vintique*violet]

If your  cd's are your personal items from your collection, you are not a business or trading and a private seller and no need to be concerned with the £1000 trading income allowance. 

If you purchase CD's ( or any stock) to sell on to make a profit you are trading... 

take a look at litrg.org.uk titled selling online 

[game_raid]

They have said they sell for profit and are concerned about what profits they make, I would say they are trading myself and really need to check their liabilities.

[vintique*violet]

eBay made the platform and started to include a 'SHOP" feature on every private sellers page - it is not a "business shop"  it is just the "design"of the page which eBay introduced - no private seller asked for it so it is eBay who needs to answer the question of  " why would a private seller need a shop" 

[moldosgifts]

Wasn't saying anything or did you miss the ?

[vintique*violet]

If they are trading then it is up to the OP to research the information to satisfy themselves and take the necessary steps. 

Asking questions about what they used to be able to use and now cannot is perfectly normal, the same as questions which are asked as to why we have new changes.

I get that people are fixated on the Private " business" sellers, particularly since the " free to sell" was introduced...but these accounts,  which ebay have known about for years are ebay's responsibility to rectify!

We are not here to " name or shame" anyone, nor are we here to tell anyone what they should do or not do.  We are a "community" whereby we can offer advice, or point someone in the right direction to find the information they are looking for. Not everyone who sells under a private account are intentionally trying to "scam" anyone... many may not know all the rules and regulations ... Does any advert eBay put out on the Tv etc to " list it , sell it" inform " eBayers" that they are subjected to a whole load of " complicated" issues, selling limits, the difference in accounts,  regulations, policies, and that their information will be passed to third parties etc etc... 

The blame for people being confused or perhaps incorrectly using a private account for " business dealings" and those who intentionally do so,  lies with eBay in not being clear from the very start and the change of their ethos. How many people have the time to read through every " term & condition" updates? 

As an example... I  have over a 1000 CD's/ Records  in my collection going back decades... I have not ever sold any as I love them, but there could be a time when I may consider to " offload"..  if suddenly I list 100 or so of them,  am I trading?  ... No... am I a business... No...But you can bet that this would be  over the 30/£1750 threshold and ebay may ( due to their " algorithms" ) send me a message saying upgrade to a business account... which I would not be or require to be!  BUT I would not be subject to any tax implications either, as they are my personal items and I am not trading so the £1000 " trading allowance " does not apply.   I am not saying that this is what the OP is doing, ( or anyone else for that matter) , if they have said they buy to sell, then that is trading... is it casual as a " hobby seller?" which comes under " miscellaneous income" or running a genuine  regular "business" for profit to generate " trading income?"  That is down to the account holder to determine their own personal circumstances and tax implications.  

[vintique*violet]

There is trading allowance of £1000 a year.

It is not about it being a hassle you are legally obliged to notify the HMRC and complete a self assessment if you go over this.

A trading allowance of £1000 is for those who are trading and not for those selling personal possessions and they would not be required to complete a self assessment. 

Where is the "law" whereby you are legally obliged to notify HMRC and complete a self-assessment if you are not trading?

If you’re only selling personal possessions you’ll probably not have to pay Income Tax on these. However, depending on the items you sell and how much you sell them for, you may need to pay Capital Gains Tax. This applies to selling personal possessions where the item is worth more than £6,000. You’re clearing out your attic and decide to sell your unwanted items using an online marketplace. It’s unlikely that you’ll need to tell HMRC about this income or pay any tax, as long as none of the items are worth more than £6,000.

[cockycutter]

Same issue here. I had to contact customer service to ask them why the option to create discounts isn't there anymore after thinking it was a glitch only to be hit by the bad news news. So basically, I was still paying a membership without having any of the benefits because they never notified sellers of the changes. Even with increasing the ad rate for all my listings as high as I can to still make a profit there are days when I have 0 orders. I will probably stop selling on Ebay altogether and move to platforms that actually offer benefits.

[absolutelybracelets]

so Ebay shop for private seller is now just the extra 100 listings and that is it ?  

[*vyolla*]

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@absolutelybracelets wrote:

so Ebay shop for private seller is now just the extra 100 listings and that is it ?  

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Yes, but you shouldn't be trading on a private account, you're selling new handmade bracelets.

A private seller is one who is just selling off their own personal items such as clothes from their wardrobe, bits from their loft/garage etc.

A Business seller is someone who buys or makes items to sell on.  They need to be registered as a business to meet the requirements of UK law. They need to declare income to HMRC once they reach £1,000 worth of sales (eBay will be providing HMRC with your details anyway so it's vital to keep correct accounts for your tax return). You can obviously offset more expenses as a business seller, but can't offset any at all as a private one.  

To correctly register as a business seller simply go to your Personal Information in your account and to the right of Account Type, which will be showing as 'Individual'  you'll see an Edit option.

https://accountsettings.ebay.co.uk/profile

This doesn't affect your feedback profile or any current listings, it merely upgrades your account so that you're compliant with current consumer and eBay policy.