eBay's rip off new buyer protection fees and delayed payment for sellers

[rowater82]

I first posted on this last night and received dozens (possibly more than 100 in less than 24 hours) of emails and posts on seller centre and eBay community  sharing my objection to eBay's new rip off Buyer Protection fees and delayed payment for sellers. Re: Buyer protection fees. Unilaterally imposed on all listed items including those listed by sellers before the February 4 changes. I wonder if this is illegal? It is almost certainly in breach of UK Trading Standards Laws - to unilaterally increase the price of an item, publicly advertised, days, weeks, months beforehand,  without the seller's consent. I will be seeking pro bono legal advice. And may well move to another platform. eBay's actions are despicable, motivated purely by greed. BUYERS already had protection under the previous system. I have expressed these views to an eBay rep on the phone. If eBay had tidal wave of complaints and an exodus of items - removed from sale on eBay - maybe their powers that be might see sense and abandon this rip off policy.

[storage.boutique]

Yes, but the private sellers still see it as a a fee. Presumably with a feedback of 58,821 you will be easily a business seller anyway.

[storage.boutique]

In the year 2000, I decided to sell off my excess coin collection and started listing on eBay. Within weeks my account was converted by them to a business account with no avenue for appeal. Having now done 25 years as a business seller and paid all my fees and taxes, am I expected to feel sorry for those who are dodging fees and taxes?

If you buy something, hold it, and later sell it at a profit, its a business in my book. You can take the costs and fees off your profit, but declare your income and if needs be, pay your taxes. Nowadays, when you have stuff and hold it, we call it stock. If it is a private collection then it is not sold, but when you do sell stuff it is a business. The costs of the LPs you sell are material cost of sales and deductable.

Register as a business, pay the proper fees and stop ripping us all off.

[specialk1937]

Your distinction of what is a private and what is business is all haywire!
If you don't believe me check with HMRC. I already have and hey have
stated in writing that selling your own possessions is NOT a business and
you will not be liable to pay tax!

[footballgroundsfrenzybooks]

I’ve got fed up both with this fee - I’d always refund and not ask for a return anyway - but also having to use eBay for postage. I’ve stopped selling through eBay. Daft to upset your customers ebay, don’t you want private sellers?

[jckl1957]

I don't really understand your post.

As a business seller, your items don't have the Buyer Protection Fee on and you are certainly not obliged to use Ebay for postage.

You also say you have stopped selling - do you perhaps need to cancel those live listings before somebody decides to buy from you?

[moldosgifts]

---

@specialk1937 wrote:
Your distinction of what is a private and what is business is all haywire!
If you don't believe me check with HMRC. I already have and hey have
stated in writing that selling your own possessions is NOT a business and
you will not be liable to pay tax!

---

Maybe the distinction should be what constitutes your own possessions.

HMRC need to make that much clearer

[specialk1937]

To answer your question as to whether eBay want Private sellers I would say
they probably couldn't care less!

[rowater82]

I am a private seller

[rowater82]

Clearly

[Anonymous]

I'm a first time seller, have just been for a better word ripped off, bent over backwards for this buyer only for him to say they aren't working and he wants a refund when I haven't been paid yet. I just want my account closed and ebay over.

[jckl1957]

I was not responding to you - if you look at the top of most posts, it does say 'in response to'.

The person i was replying to is a registered business seller.

Business sellers don't have BPF (the topic of this thread) added to their listings.

[storage.boutique]

I think it is fairly straightforward. Of course selling your own possessions is exactly what a private seller is. However, if a seller sells the same thing over and over again, or the same type of thing over and over again, more than a few (35) times a month, I would say that eBay and HMRC are likely to take the view that this is a business. Then, once they have taken that view, they can then raise an assessment based on what eBay publishes on the front page of every sellers page - how many sales they have had and over how long. They issue an assessment, which is an estimate, and it is up to the seller to prove them wrong. For example, you inherit an LP collection and sell off at 40 LPs per month - you would simply need to have the lawyers letter detailing the estate that you inherited and that would clear that up. If you have built up a large collection of something eg coins, it is better to sell off in a single lot or less than 35 items a month. On the other hand, if you are actually a business seller, you should convert your eBay account and deduct all your overheads from your gross margin to ensure you are not paying too much tax and you will have no worries. 

As a side note. Another common silly mistake people make is that when they do work for a company, they send an invoice. If they do the same work each month, they send the same invoice amount each month. For example a consultant may be on a retainer and invoice a company an amount each month that never varies. He then thinks that at the end of the year he can deduct all costs and arrive at a business profit. However, if he invoices the same amount each month, HMRC can (may not, but can) class this as a salary and tax the lot. It is entirely up to HMRC. 

The point I am making is that if you are genuinely a private seller, great. You should be aware that the heat is now on for Private Sellers and spotlights are starting to move around the field, so you should certainly be absolutely sure of your explanation as to where the goods came from that you are selling. Cast an eye down your sales list and think what it might look like to a cash hungry tax inspector and think what explanation you can give in the event of a question or two.

[crash_salvage_repair]

how on earth do u think ebay is rippin off buyers? 

there is no market place in the world especially for used car parts that comes close to ebay, ive bought 0000s over 23yrs on ebay to repair salvage cars, nothing comes close so if you have to pay a few quid to buy a item which you wont get anywhere else so what

without ebay sellers wouldnt be able to sell and buyers wouldnt b able to buy those items, fb is full of scammers, all the ones kicked off ebay, also this is just to private sellers as frm my expeirence they tend to you rip u off than businesses, and private sellers sell items cheaper as they wont them gone, so if you have to pay few quid to buy so what, you can also claim the buyin cost from your business costs

[crash_salvage_repair]

I also sell on ebay as well, buying off other sellers mostly private and then resell, sold over 1.5m worth of parts in 9yrs of settin the business up, around 70% of those sales was through ebay, and the internaitonal buyers is simply untouchable, having buyers form mexico/ australia/ usa / hing kong no other mkt place will get you these customers they buy on ebay due to the the ebay global brand and protections, think abt mexican saves 1000quid over several months to buy a bumper off u on ebay, he also has to pay high import fees so that bumper will owe him best part of 1600 with shippin and imprt taxes, 

were are u ever gonna get a buyer like that?  and buy the way those bumpers sell for 250-300 in uk, so a good return ,

it also puts off scam buyers as if they think have to pay extra to buy the item, i cant see any issues at all with the buyer fees for private seller purchases

[rowater82]

Rubbish. ebay is ripping off private sellers. I have removed my few private sale items. 

They are robbers

[rowater82]

You are obviously a big seller. Business seller.  My posts have been as a very small private seller. For us, ebay changes are a mess, extra administration, remove independence of postage,  and no reward or fun any more. 

[hun73803]

shows how ignorant you are asa capitalist

[specialk1937]

Ebay are treating Private Sellers with contempt, and moreover, so are some
of the Business Sellers! I'm left with the distinct impression that both
parties would be perfectly happy to se the back of them!

[crash_salvage_repair]

doubt it this is only a part time business, there is no god given right for you to sell or buy on ebay if you dont like it then take your business elsewhere, just like if you dont like shoppin in sainsburys you go elsewhere, ebay aint forcing you onto the site, its your own choice!

ive had my fair share of problems on there but overall its a massive positive and there is nothing that will ever come  close to the customer base that ebay offers over 225m active accounts and 3 days ago i got a message on 1 of my accounts saying need to wait 3 days from delivery for my payments to clear on items sold over 1000, so what i just work around and increase my prices to make up for it, even with this 3 day wait there is no other mkt place that i could sell those items for that price 

[lucamedicci]

I don’t mind simple delivery so much as it means eBay sorts the refund as opposed to going through Royal Mail (with the items I sell Royal Mail will only send me stamps as compensation). 

buyer protection is a really big deal for me though. I’m selling something starting bid at 99p, the average market price is £3, add £2.70 for tracked postage it’s already unappealing to buyers  😕 buyer protection on low value items is a real killer.