Another Seller is using my company's name, address and VAT number to sell on eBay

[pure-price-uk]

What can I do about this?

Another seller, is using my company name, address and VAT number to sell on eBay. The only reason I found out was because I received return items and was able to track their listing down.

What is the best course of action I can take to get this person removed? Does eBay really not have any checks and balances, that a seller can just just another person's VAT number without being checked first?

[m25jet]

Try contacting eBay Customer Services about the matter early tomorrow morning from 8:00am onwards.  Given that it's Christmas Eve tomorrow the lines may be busier than usual with last-minute pre-Christmas requests for help from eBay, so get in quick during the morning, selecting the Call Me Back option to get a call from eBay.  You're more likely to get a call back fairly soon if you get in quick during the morning, plus there's also a better chance that you'll get through to somebody who speaks English as his/her first language.

Once you get a phone call from eBay explain that somebody else is using your own name, address and VAT number to sell on eBay.  Have the User ID of the buyer to hand, along with the item listing numbers of the adverts that have your details on them.  Emphasise to eBay that the other account is not a second account associated with you in any way, and ask them to take action to remove your company details from the other seller's account.  If you can prove to eBay that you are the rightful owner of the company name and that the VAT number is indeed assigned to your own company and not this other person pretending to be you then eBay may well remove the other seller's listings and suspend his/her account as a result.

If the other person appears to be trading as a business then point out to eBay that he/she ought to be registered as a business seller in his/her own right instead of stealing somebody else's identity with regards to name, address and company details.  If eBay do indeed check the matter out thoroughly and realise that the other seller is misleading other buyers into thinking that they are purchasing items from your own company then they may well deregister the other seller's account and chuck him/her off of the site for good.  Fraudulently using another person's details for personal gain is illegal, so I can't see that eBay would be willing to turn a blind eye to it.