eBay

vinylscot · ‎15-03-2025

I posted about this on another thread this morning, but I think it's important, and deserves its own thread.

The most common topic of "conversation" on these threads has consistently been the business/private divide, and the long held belief that, if you are trading, at any level at all, you should be operating a business account.

However, Eve Williams, eBay's UK "General Manager" appeared to contradict that understanding in a recent announcement which appeared in my seller hub yesterday.

Welcoming a proposal to increase the traders allowance to £3k over the next few years, Williams stated

“...hopefully we will help these side hustles grow into fully fledged small businesses”.

If that's not an (admittedly unsaid) OK for small traders to use private accounts, I don't know what is. Perhaps she could explain exactly what a "fully fledged small business" is. Where is the dividing line?

I think she needs to issue a further statement, either clarifying that all those who are trading must use a business account, or clarifying precisely where eBay considers the line should be drawn, for eBay account purposes.

It was a monumentally stupid thing to say, compounded by broadcasting it to so many members.

plpmr · ‎15-03-2025

Apart for everything else what is usually forgotten is a buyer is paying extra in the way of the new fee when buying from a business seller trading on a private account.

Even though the buyer has a legitimate complaint it's frowned upon to tell such a seller home truths.

*vyolla* · ‎15-03-2025

@vinylscot wrote:

I posted about this on another thread this morning, but I think it's important, and deserves its own thread.

The most common topic of "conversation" on these threads has consistently been the business/private divide, and the long held belief that, if you are trading, at any level at all, you should be operating a business account.

However, Eve Williams, eBay's UK "General Manager" appeared to contradict that understanding in a recent announcement which appeared in my seller hub yesterday.

Welcoming a proposal to increase the traders allowance to £3k over the next few years, Williams stated

“...hopefully we will help these side hustles grow into fully fledged small businesses”.

If that's not an (admittedly unsaid) OK for small traders to use private accounts, I don't know what is. Perhaps she could explain exactly what a "fully fledged small business" is. Where is the dividing line?

I think she needs to issue a further statement, either clarifying that all those who are trading must use a business account, or clarifying precisely where eBay considers the line should be drawn, for eBay account purposes.

It was a monumentally stupid thing to say, compounded by broadcasting it to so many members.

Daft phrasing, it would have been better to just say something like “...hopefully we will help these small businesses grow into fully fledged and profitable bigger ones” but I'd say that nothing has changed and it means the same as the current £1,000 Trading Allowance for small business sellers - they still need to trade on a business account.

Whoever came up with 'side hustle' (I think it was HMRC) is the worse ever at reading the room. It's an awful phrase and has dodgy connotations to it, not something you really want to be endorsing.

arty.crafty.books · ‎15-03-2025

Earning £3K as a side hustle can be a worthwhile endeavour. However, a viable full-time business needs to generate significantly more than minimum wage. Based on a 38-hour workweek and the current UK minimum wage, a business employing one person should aim for a profit (after all expenses) of at least £24,000 per year. This figure does not include deductions for tax and National Insurance, and a truly viable business should aim for a higher profit margin to ensure growth and account for other business expenses

thesmi42 · ‎15-03-2025

Yes I agree, except that self-employed people running their own business (that's probably a high proportion of those traders not registered as such on eBay) are not entitled to the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.

arty.crafty.books · ‎15-03-2025

Indeed. The beauty of running your own business is that you can pay yourself precisely what you feel you're worth. Which, for many, seems to be a nuanced calculation involving 'just enough to cover the bills' and 'maybe a biscuit.' It's a very flexible system, really.

reasonable.robert · ‎15-03-2025

fully fledged businesses on here you,ve got to be joking i,ve seen more life in carlton cemetery.

e bay wants to rid itself of private sellers by adding a BPF trying to be a faux vinted and members have responded by leaving e bay in droves both buyers and sellers and now the tumbleweed blows across the site.

if you are a regular to S/C you may have read posts where sellers have had sales plummet from 10 to 20 a month down to 1 sale its as obvious as the nose on your face that e bay have made a very grave error possibly prompted by greedy offshore shareholders demanding a bigger slice of the cake.

and i myself dont think this is the end of it S/D was to become compulsory at present its still optional perhaps e bay have seen the light on that unless its yet to be introduced but i did read a post where a seller had 30 days to convert to a B/S or have their account restricted could this be the next move

knowing e bay theres something else around the corner and im not staying as a seller to find out what it is.

people didnt expect to see theme parks pleasure island go in cleethorpes or camelot in lancashire sadly they are no more people seem to think e bay is unsinkable so did those on titanic.

magpiecorner1 · ‎15-03-2025

It may be a long held belief, but it isn't - and has never been - true.

HMRC only requires a person to register a limited company prior to trading. A sole trader is not required to register prior to trading. The last day for registering is 5 October in the SECOND year of trading.

Ergo, it is perfectly possible to be trading without being registered as a sole trader (and I'm pretty certain these applies to partnerships!)

lucy_farmer · ‎15-03-2025

'Ergo, it is perfectly possible to be trading without being registered as a sole trader...'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, but not on ebay in the UK.

Whether or not you're a 'trader' on ebay has nothing to do with HRMC's requirements. (or ebay's apparent total lack of interest in the subject!).

It has everything to do with UK Consumer law on Distance selling.

So it may well be possible to be a trading without being registered as a sole trader, but not *online*...

(and the phrase 'side hustle' is ridiculous. It's trying to make something as unglamorous as a part-time selling job, seem as 'cool' and 'edgy' as ripping people off at games of pool.....)

wintersdawn1 · ‎15-03-2025

I believe 'side hustle' is ebay's name for private sellers?

Don't like it as it sounds like doing something shifty/illegal.

Yes, the quote sounds like sellers can sell as a business under a private ebay account i.e. buy, make, grow items until some undefined occurrence happens when they will become registered as business sellers. This also fly's in the face of posts I've seen on here telling sellers they should be registered on ebay as business sellers, regardless of how long/how much they've developed their selling. Such posts say they should be registered straightaway if they buy, make, grow items to sell, with no gestation period.

papso22 · ‎15-03-2025

I think that announcement was wholly unnecessary and very poorly worded.

All that is possibly changing is that HMRC will/may make it easier for sellers under a £3,000 threshold to account for tax due. I.e they no longer have to complete a full self assessment form.

It's almost 'fake news', particularly given the spin ebay seem to have put on it.