Please post the link for the Free FVF offer - I'd love to see the Ts&Cs of who it applies to.

I have only seen the following promotions, often highlighted on HotUKDeals -

80% off FVF + 30p listing fee

70% off FVF + 30p listing fee

£1 Fixed Price FVF + 30p listing fee

They are not offered to all private sellers, some get one of the above for a period of time and then no promos for a year or more. Some get one offer and a few months later get another and then nothing for ages. It's fairly random from what I've seen. 

The only time I have seen Free FVF + 30p listing fee is when eBay make a specific offer to someone who has a fairly new account and has bought a couple of things - this is to 'encourage' them to start selling. I have never seen it offered outside that scenario.

The other context to the promos is that private sellers can't claim operating expenses such as tax deductions for working from home, can't set fees or postage off against tax etc. Nor should they as they are not running businesses. I do think some business sellers wear blinkers when it comes the FVF discount for private sellers. As a private seller I look back at the glorious 'pre-business sellers' days of eBay - with rose tinted spectacles! A far bigger problem that affects everyone is how many Chinese companies appear to be operating pretending to be UK and the rubbish Search Engine results that seems to cough up spurious results.