Private seller changes starting October 1st questions

[robcrazee1234]

So i am a private seller currently selling off lots of items for my mother who has been hoarding for years and i have some questions

So i have around 800 listing up atm all are buy it now or best offer

When the new rule comes in will any of the 800 be counted in the 300 free listings?

Reason i ask is the 1000 listings up until now stayed at 1000 when unsold items rotated every 30 days from the 800 items i already had up

Also with the new 300 limit if i list 300 new items after the 1st October as buy it now or best offer and they do not sell in the 30 days are they taken off the allowance in November when they renew? 

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

No one is really sure at the moment. Possibly there will be an announcement later today or tomorrow.

[robcrazee1234]

Well after speaking to customer service here is the score 

My 800 listings which are up now WILL count against the 300 which means i will be charged for anything over the 300 limit

The example they used was if i list 200 items in October and none sell then when November comes around they will be deducted from the 300 listings in November

So in effect private sellers can only have 300 listing for free each month and unlike before with the 1000 listings if an existing listing renews it counts towards the listing allowance when previously it did not

Time to take down 500 items then. Not sure what business school some people in Ebay have been too but it is not great tbh

[*vyolla*]

If you're selling off a whole load of brand new art supplies you may be contacted by HMRC (eBay will be passing on details of your sales in January 2025) and asked for some kind of proof that you haven't been buying with the intention of re-selling. Do you (or your Mother if this is her craft stuff) have receipts that are older than 6 months? If so, don't throw those away as you may need to produce them.

I can appreciate the people do end up with loads of unused craft and art bits and pieces (I probably have a cupboard full!), but you need to be aware that HMRC may send you a 'nudge' letter about this.

[anne.craig]

That contradicts the email they sent out about this which said:

The following will count against your monthly allocation of free listings:

• New listings
• Manually relisted items
• Automatically relisted items if you're a business seller
• Good 'Til Cancelled listings (at the time of first listing). If you're a private seller, renewed Good til Cancelled listings will not be deducted from your allocation of free listings in subsequent months
• Listings that you end early, or we end early
• Duplicate identical auction-style listings (even if one or more of those listings doesn't appear on eBay immediately)                                                                                                                                                                                           So that reads to me that if it includes "Automatically relisted items if you're a business seller"  then that implies that they do not count if you are a private seller.  So either the email was a lie or the CS agent you spoke to was wrong.  Nice to know which, eh?

[robcrazee1234]

Yep it is confusing. To be honest i will just take everything i can down and leave 300 up

I will just look into other places to sell now 

[sagr2519]

@anne.craig told you that automatically relisted items only count towards the limit if you're a business seller. So why would you take them down? If you relist them they will count towards the limit, so why not leave them up? In general the CS agents are more likely to be wrong than eBay's mass emails. Keep the email as evidence in case they do charge you.

[bojangled]

In Wednesday's community chat different advice was given. 

eBay really should clear this up for private sellers.

Jo

[Anonymous]

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@bojangled wrote:

In Wednesday's community chat different advice was given. 

eBay really should clear this up for private sellers.

Jo

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The answer given by Dave in last week's chat was totally contradictory! (My input in red)

"The limits will still work the same (as they work now, any auto relists do NOT count toward the monthly total) so if for example you have 150 active listings, when they relist the following month it will take 150 from that months 300 limit (that's the exact opposite of ''still work the same')."

So, I gave up bothering to try and get confirmation either way, and decided to see what happens for myself when one of my listings auto relists on 6 Oct!

[bojangled]

 @Anonymous actually my response on this thread was rather unclear too! But yes I hadn't read like that..

dave@ebay it really would be good to know what the situation is, a lot of private sellers asking on various threads. Admittedly it doesn't really affect me, my private account just bumps along. 
Jo

[dave@ebay]

Hi @bojangled 

I don't have anything more on this at the moment, I'm just waiting on clarification for some of the questions raised across the different posts.

As soon as I have anything to share I'll come straight back with it. 

Thanks,

Dave

[shave.india]

hi im in the same situatuion 

you will be charged TURN OFF ALL  AuTO RELISTISTS or you will start to go backwards 

ive been trying to get and answer from ebay but to no avail , so closing things up before i go into negative funds plent 91 pounds listing first listing cost in 20 years and was not advised 

[anne.craig]

If they have sent out an email to say I won't be charged, then charge me, I will be fully expecting those charges to be refunded.  End of.  They can't get away with lying in writing.  CS  BS on the phone is one thing, official mass emails to all customers is completely provable in court.  

[shave.india]

i had a ballance from sales completed posted not yet had the payout . That is gone now too fees ? 

Automatically ofcourse 

With my recent interactions with ebay staff im not holding out for much 

so as defence im stopping all auctions now even the ones ive just been charged for 

better safe than in DEBT 

Good while it lasted

lets see now if NEW private sellers will appear ?

maybe im all wrong about everything but i know whats happening in my back account and thats all that matters ?

[tranceenthusiast]

That's a lot for a private seller. 

[messier44000]

The lady who I care for used to do a lot of art and needle work when she was able. 

Many items un-opened and sealed. So yes she hoarded. 

I could easily make 1000+ listings if each item was put up separate.

But shall worry about that when the time comes.

Back on topic.

For something that came in today, Daves answer about waiting for clarification 

is something we have now got accustomed to with eBay`s lack of forward planning.

Talking of which wonder if they know the 2024 Christmas and Boxing days are UK Bank holidays yet ?

[robcrazee1234]

Well here is the definitive answer 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/selling-fees/selling/selling-fees?id=4822

So from 16th October it will be interesting as no fees at all unless listing upgrades and also a balance which is not paid automatically to your bank and you have to manually withdraw

Also i could have left some of my listings up now

In relation to answers on how much i had up let me ask you a direct questions..... If you could get 3 free coffees a day would you not try and claim them all. I admit ebay gave way too many listing free at this point but after years of tripping over everything in my mums house (All craft items) what else could i do for her when she was ready to get rid of it and also to help her live as she lives alone and has just had her winter fuel payment removed

Anyways away from that point above i pay my required taxes on everything here and outside of ebay and i work a job and just use my spare time to do this to help my mum and also sell on stuff i don't need anymore

If i have offended anyone i am sorry just saying it how it is

[carbtec]

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@robcrazee1234 wrote:

If i have offended anyone i am sorry just saying it how it is

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You can convince yourself that you are not a trader. You can tell anyone who is prepared to listen that you are not a trader. Ebay will allow you to trade as a business on a private account because they have no legal or financial repercussions for doing this.

HMRC however will not care that you are just helping your dear old mum to offload her substantial collection of new & unused craft items. When they come they come, they are not easily fooled & they know what they are doing !

[2112carl]

Ebay's reduction from 1000 to 300 listings per month will mean I will sell less, so I will pay less fees to ebay. What business school do ebay go to?

[tommystrezures]

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@2112carl wrote:

Ebay's reduction from 1000 to 300 listings per month will mean I will sell less, so I will pay less fees to ebay. What business school do ebay go to?

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Not sure how you get to that assumption, if its free to sell and there are no fees (unless international and you have added extras eg reserves). You have sold 150+ items in the last three months, so it would appear that 300 items per month is more than enough for you.