This is going to mean the end for many small private sellers. "Buyer Protection Fee"

[vinylscot]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/buying/paying-items/buyer-protection?id=5594

75p plus 4% buyers fee, so something which was priced at £5 will be £5.95 in February.

[mar-yaxl]

Most dont dont though. If you are already a business outside of Ebay and you want to trade on Ebay under that business then sure, but that is not most sellers. If Ebay wants private sellers to become business sellers (which they clearly do as they are making it harder for private sellers) then they should make upgrading to a business account a more attractive prospect. I remain a private seller because becoming a business seller would not be viable, it would mean making less on  each item. There is no incentive to become a business seller. No promotions, a monthly fee, highers sale fees and for what?

[m-bevis-1815]

Agree totally!

I had a look at the fees business sellers pay, something 15-15% of the sale price, plus listing fees I think, sometimes at least. It all looked over complicated, classic example of a business enacting entropic processes to overcome problems caused by introducing problems in the first place.

I actually think ebay should just abolish the differences, take a slight reduction in income at first to boost more use, by having a flat 6% sales fee for everybody. Nothing else, no gimmicks, no subscriptions, no shops, no fecking algorithms & no energy-draining AI, no promotions with fees, no paying more for more photos, no hanging onto payments for days at an end, either pay within 24 hrs or pay on dispatch; etc, etc. Simplify, simplify. KISS

[akemp1]

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@m-bevis-1815 wrote:

I actually think ebay should just abolish the differences, take a slight reduction in income at first to boost more use, by having a flat 6% sales fee for everybody. Nothing else, no gimmicks, no subscriptions, no shops, no fecking algorithms & no energy-draining AI, no promotions with fees, no paying more for more photos, no hanging onto payments for days at an end, either pay within 24 hrs or pay on dispatch; etc, etc. Simplify, simplify. KISS

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100% although doubt they could go as low as 6% but a fair market where everyone paid the same fees in the same way and had the same return requirements and the best selection of items would kill any competition. They could start by saving the costs of whoever comes up with these complex morale sapping initiatives.

[lucy_farmer]

'I actually think ebay should just abolish the differences, take a slight reduction in income at first to boost more use, by having a flat 6% sales fee for everybody. Nothing else, no gimmicks, no subscriptions, no shops, no fecking algorithms & no energy-draining AI, no promotions with fees,.....'

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If ebay were to have a level playing field for all sellers with the same fees and same rules,

*everybody* would have to have a business account, or *nobody* could have a business account.

By UK Consumer law, *all* business sellers online have to have their contact details visible.

Ebay flatly refuses to let private sellers share any contact details at all (this is to prevent 'off-ebay' trading and fee avoidance( once private seller fees, now buyer fees)) 

Would you pay the same fees as a seller who could easily (and happily) do 'off-ebay' trading, and you couldn't?

Business sellers fees are partly there to make sure ebay get some money from being an 'advert' for business sellers, even if there are some sales lost through 'direct contact'.

So if we all have business accounts, we'd all have to sign up to the business obligations of consumer law and pay business seller fees. And start farting around with self assesment tax forms once we get over the 1000 per year 'trading allowance'... now I don't fancy doing that for trying to flog off the remains of my retired husband's tool-box and over-stuffed garage.

So if everybody had a private account instead, with no contact details visible. How would that work out?

Great, until all our account details, sales and earnings are given to HMRC - which is starting to happen now.

Then it will become blindingly obvious who *is* trading and, who is *not*.

And it would become obvious that ebay would be colluding in sellers breaking UK consumer law. (ebay can see everything going on in your account. and so will HMRC soon... They can see if you've got 213 identical, brand new items for sale, which would mean you're a business, whatever you try to say...)

And ebay being seen to be facilitating law-breaking by users of their UK site, is not something a global mega -corp wants to happen.

(and before anybody gets on their political high-horse about the HMRC getting to look at your online activities: .... this is *nothing whatsoever* to do with the UK govt  "crushing individual money-making initative" .

It's the entire Western World (the OECD) trying to get a grip on online money laundering)

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OK TL:DR   😂

  The online selling world has changed  enormously since ebay was born , regulations have caught up with 'the wild west'. Now we have to do as we are told.

[technthread]

Vinted Pro sellers only have their email address visible. If they are a ltd company then their company number will be shown too. No address, no phone number. 

As far as I can tell Etsy businesses can show no contact information unless they choose to add it to their bio information. Depop was the same when I was last on there. 

I’m not arguing against your point, the law is there in black and white but I’m puzzled why different platforms treat the business / private account situation so differently and why that has not caused them problems legally. 

[goodibags]

I suspect some of those rules are Ebay's 'house' rules rather than anything enshrined in UK law but it suits Ebay to make a distinction in order to charge one group (business sellers) in a different way to another (buyers from private sellers).

As a private seller your buyers should know your contact details once they have purchased from you - unless Ebay has purposefully removed these (is that a recent change)? While business sellers sell off site all the time as many will have their own websites too.

As for the reporting side, as long as Ebay is forwarding sale totals I don't see why HMRC would get involved in what type of account a user has on a private selling platform? Likewise, now that Ebay is getting their cut (i.e. buyer fees) I don't see why they'd want to upset anyone by taking further action against businesses using private accounts?

Yes, we have to do what we're told. But more often it's Ebay doing the telling.

[m-bevis-1815]

In the level playing field model I suggest, you wouldn't have a business account nor a private account, it would just be an account. It would have it's own set of rules, but they would apply to everyone. Privacy laws probably outweigh commercial laws in that displaying a home address openly would put people at nominal risk, whereas sellers who own business premises generally want addresses displayed so that people go visit their shop.

[ett1954]

"Privacy laws probably outweigh commercial laws in that displaying a home address openly would put people at nominal risk, whereas sellers who own business premises generally want addresses displayed so that people go visit their shop." - Privacy laws don't come into it when you are selling as a business.  It is a requirement under the Consumer Rights Act - 2015 that a business, where distance selling is involved, displays contact details.  This is for a number of reasons I won't go into here.

As for wanting addresses displayed so they can visit your shop, that is ridiculous; the majority of business sellers selling online here will be selling from home, a storage unit, or a small rented unit on an industrial estate as sole traders or small limited companies.  Most will not want people 'turning up' as they wouldn't want the hassle or cost of having adequate liability insurance for them to do so.  I am sure the majority of business sellers would rather not have their contact details displayed if they had the option.

As @lucy_farmer  has indicated a common account for everybody would have to incorporate all the requirements of a business seller to be compliant with the legal requirements of the Consumer Rights Act.

[cdbar1980]

Absolutely. I sell of a load of old cd singles usually about £2.99. Since last week my sales have dropped off a Cliff. They are no longer interested in the people that made the business what it is. 

[johnwash1]

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@cdbar1980 wrote:

Absolutely. I sell of a load of old cd singles usually about £2.99. Since last week my sales have dropped off a Cliff. They are no longer interested in the people that made the business what it is. 

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Oh, Richard, I see what you did there!  😉

Seriously though, how do you compete against the likes of MusicMagpie, who are obviously getting really cheap postage deals?  I can only imagine that would work for me if I sold a CD for local collection, or it was taken up as a result of my telling buyers they could pick another cheap item and I'd throw it in the parcel for free.

If all you're doing is clearing out your old collection, maybe that's a strategy to consider?

[madeat136]

Its not the same as V , buyer protection is one fee if you are buying bundles on V .

Not per item that travel in the same package as Ebay have introduced .

My sales of used crafting items have been consistent ....until now ... 

Right now its on its 🍑 coincidence ?? I think not .

[andrew1691]

This is pretty much a scam by eBay who pocket the fee. I've been selling for 20 years and the number of issues have been so few that I have just refunded where there may be a dispute. 

I sell blu rays mostly so this will pretty much end all of that. 

Nice one bay you greedy B$%^&*^s

[nitrohopup]

Have to chuckle now,

eBay are now shoving offers down my throat to promote my items and showcase them to the eBay population 

never had to do that before, but since all of your changes and amendments to private sellers (obviously to our benefit as they say…) shifting my unwanted items has become difficult to say the least.

listed the same items elsewhere and low and behold they are selling.

thanks for the memories eBay! 

[madeat136]

I am getting the "promote your item " banners as well.I am currently unable to send offers also.I can recieve them and then counter but thats it .Plenty of business sellers finding all of this amusing as well.In my very humble opinion you may well end up being the biggest losers in all of this .To sell your wares you need an 'audience ' a lot of that 'audience ' has left the building " There has to be a simpler solution to all of this nonsense , but ebay isnt listening !! Sent from my Galaxy

[nitrohopup]

Agree fully.

i get the business sellers irked with private sellers who run a business “covertly” but for the ones who don’t this is a make or break point in using eBay.

If I don’t sell on eBay I won’t buy either, I normally recycled the funds I received from selling odds and sods back into eBay. 

cutting off your nose to spite your face springs to mind.

At the end of the day apart from being an inconvenience to me it has no other effect, I suspect though in the coming weeks/months the business sellers will notice the impact of “attacking” the private sellers.

[a45heaven]

As a Business, i have no problem with Private sellers generally, in fact i have little issues with any seller, apart from those who 'opt into' / are auto 'opted into' certain ebay innovations which are targeted at making ebay money at the expense of Sellers.

The ones who are encroaching on Business selling have been solidly encouraged to do so by ebay, (100's of free monthly listings - how can that ever figure to a state of 'clearing out the attic'? 

The 'yawn'  multi posts by board members  (and a core of Mentors, which i would imagine is outside their briefs of being members assistant sources ? ) creating a negative atmosphere where by Private and Business sellers are set against each other.

The platform changes in February endorse this much further - divide and separate - do Business sellers believe these ebay actions will not be extended to Business in the near future? 

[lucy_farmer]

'The ones who are encroaching on Business selling have been solidly encouraged to do so by ebay, (100's of free monthly listings - how can that ever figure to a state of 'clearing out the attic' '

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Agree with you there ;  giving 'private' sellers a 'shop' , 'out of stock' options (for sellers who aren't even supposed to 'stock' in the first place) and 'Multi-buy' options, along with 100's of monthly listings.

No wonder a significant number of small business sellers thought it was perfectly acceptable to trade on a private account.

Now ebay have realised that, come the rapidly approaching point when HMRC will have everybody's details ,(except the really small fry) it will become obvious who is trading and who isn't.

It will look as though ebay have been encouraging sellers to break UK consumer law, so NOW they need all dodgy 'private' sellers to become business registered.

And businesses bring in more fees, of course.

And ebay *can't* charge private sellers fees, because then they won't be "Just Like Vin Ted" TM  and won't be able to advertise as 'free to sell'.

Rod for your own back here, ebay.....

[wara_rat]

Exactly what do they need protecting from? If the item doesn't turn up file item not received, if you don't like it or any other excuse file Item not as described. Either way ebay will already force a refund.

Seems to be a lot of glee from buisness sellers. It's not making your life better it's making others worse.

I don't have a car so I feel its unfair that high ticket items like cars are tax free. Think I'll write to Keir to suggesting that in the interests of fairness & climate change car sales must be taxed. Won't make my life better but it will cause someone else pain.

[wara_rat]

It's easy  to have hundreds if not thousands of items if you're dealing with a collection, say albums CD's or books. If I'd bought one book or album every week for the 40 years I've been interested in these things, my attic that would have 2080 items in it.

On the other hand if I had 300 T-shirts in a range of sizes and colours listed as new I see where your coming from. Depends on the items. Even ebays help article says you wont be taxed on your own stuff though £6000 and up will be liable for capital gains tax.

[wara_rat]

Completely agree,sold something to fund an auction purchase.  however my funds are stuck in ebay jail due to RM not recording the delivery. Even had positive feedback so i know its received. Auctions finished now the seller got his starting price. So seller got the minimum, I didn't get what I wanted and ebay collected less fees.