My other account Suspended for refusing to change to a business seller

[**foxytori**]

So, it has begun. Despite me not trading, not selling anything new, not selling anything in multiple, and only selling personal items (currently I am selling my collection of Radio Times which I built up over many years when I was younger - most of which have now sold anyway so any future sales would be minimal) my other account has been suspended for selling. I am told this is because of volume of sales (despite ebay's own help pages stating that someone can sell tens of thousands of pounds worth of a collection and not be liable to tax or be classed as a business).

As I am in no way a business, and it possibly may be against the law to masquerade as a business when I am not a business, I'm really not sure what my options are. 

Customer service are useless (I have just received a message in very poor English to say that I have lost any appeal and the only way to lift the suspension is to "upgrade" (sic) to become a business seller.

[rare_treat]

Additionally, I’ve just realised something. eBay upped my selling limits a while back, without me requesting it, and I now have a monthly “10,000 limit on quantity of items” and “£100,000.00 limit”. Why would they give those limits to private sellers if they won’t let them get close to them before forcing them to change to a business?

I’m sure it’s that kind of thing that makes sellers more confused (and angry) if eBay suddenly tells them they have to change to a business account.

[dougbat20]

Indeed, how very strange. I also received the limit upgrade, from the old 500 items/£10,000 to 10,000 items and £100,000. 

Trouble is, I never got anywhere near the 500 items, nor the £10,000 - and tbh if I did get anywhere near £10,000 in sales then I'd be doing eBay as a full time job, not to sell the odd item here or there I no longer require. That would then make me a business.

I don't think a single person would ever be able to sell 10,000 items or 100 grand in turnover - you'd need multiple people working full time on eBay to achieve that!

[pg_kicks]

You can quite easily do over £100k in sales with a single person but its a full time job, I've had more time consuming jobs I will admit but its only £275 a day, so 3 or 4 pairs of shoes a day for me. They would 99.999% be on the wrong account if on a private and that tiny percentage would be somebody selling a huge collection where other sites/locations are better to sell on.

The business selling limits went to limitless a few months back, im guessing it was the same time as private, it was a silly idea as it just means scammers can open a new account and scam from the off for unlimited amounts, at least in the old ways you had to either build an account or just do smaller scams.

[dch2112011]

I think like everything ebay increasing limits to sky high is designed to make you feel good about yourself and list more items -  couldn't be anything to do with revenue could it ?

[rare_treat]

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@dch2112011 wrote:

I think like everything ebay increasing limits to sky high is designed to make you feel good about yourself and list more items -  couldn't be anything to do with revenue could it ?

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But then they scare private sellers off, by notifying them that they think they are really operating as a business, and won’t let them continue unless they change. This all long before they come close to their apparent limits as a private seller. How is that good for business?

@pg_kicks £1.2 million, 120,000 items a year "quite easily" for a single person - are you sure! Or did you overlook that the £100k figure was monthly!

[pg_kicks]

Yeah sorry, saw it as a year. Still wouldnt need many if you had the funds behind you to break £1m a year tbh.

[dch2112011]

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@rare_treat wrote:

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@dch2112011 wrote:

I think like everything ebay increasing limits to sky high is designed to make you feel good about yourself and list more items -  couldn't be anything to do with revenue could it ?

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But then they scare private sellers off, by notifying them that they think they are really operating as a business, and won’t let them continue unless they change. This all long before they come close to their apparent limits as a private seller. How is that good for business?

Two different departments ! The in department and the out department - simple !

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[rare_treat]

True. I’m sure rich private sellers could hit that £1.2m limit. But they should have to ask for it, anwyay. 

But 10,000 items a month as private seller – that’s approx 460 items everyday, 5 days a week!
As I pointed out, these seem rediculous limits for private sellers.

[rare_treat]

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@dch2112011 wrote:

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Two different departments ! The in department and the out department - simple !

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Sadly, I think you are correct. We're just statistics to a business. If we leave eBay, a new wave of sellers will probably just replace us.

[pg_kicks]

Its just a way for more sales but even more scams, I can count on 1 hand the upgrades/improvements or just changes (many are downgrades) eBay have done that are actually beneficial to the buyer and seller together.

[allsortsallsorts1]

@rare_treat yes I have recently been selling off my collection of vintage listings magazines, thousands of them, which were my own personal collection.
However, even if I wanted to sell off the entire contents of my house, for argument's sake 100,000 items, and raise a million pounds from those sales, that does not make me a business, a trader, nor a business seller.

[rare_treat]

You’re just preaching to the choir. It’s bad enough you would likely be unsuccessful in changing eBay’s mind if they think you are (as you've experienced), you shouldn’t have to convince other sellers on here too.

[limbok99]

Stop using eBay!