eBay determines if a seller is a business or not based on the type of items they sell, and whether they meet certain criteria: Items sold If the seller buys items to resell, makes items to sell, or buys items for their business, they must register as a business Quantity sold If the seller plans to sell large quantities of items, they must register as a business Business outside of eBay If the seller already has a business outside of eBay, they must register as a business
And begins the end of Ebay, they will end up being bought out within the next 10 years, they’re obviously struggling and trying to come up with solutions from every possible angle.
I was comping yesterday, and on one of the items, seller was private, but listing looked to good, if that makes sense. I've checked their profile, and it says: we're family run business. Some people just score own goals.
This is the Government/HMRC making EBay and other online selling platforms conform and be part of getting tax in. Big brother is always watching, pays to be legit.
Surly they need to allow people to put there case to them. I’m trying to clear family house of 40 years to downsize with Mum into a bungalow so have lots of stuff.
exactly mate .......been doing the same just crack on id guess its private sellers selling 40 of the same item for example on one listing will be flagged up as a buissness
I agree decluttering stuff, you should be able to remain a private user. If you are putting 40 copies of the same book, it would look more a business. I suspect that this will cause lots of problems but that is just the usual with any online site
This happened to me recently. I have a business account also but used a second account to sell items that are not part of the business. Apparently this was a business also according to eBay. I just went to a business account at the time as I didn't see it mattered much. Then they announced the no fee thing and I realised I should have contested it.
If you inherit and you have already paid the inheritance tax on the items you can give the evidence to eBay and they will not transition you. If you are listing/selling over 100 items per month over a 12 month period you will automatically trigger on their list. If you list 300 items in month but do not consistency list over multiple months then you will not be triggered in their list. Either way if you sell over £1000 on eBay HMRC can come calling as it should be declared on your tax return. Regularity seems to be more of the trigger.
Speaking as a model railway club member we often are asked by bereaved relatives what they can do with a model collection. We now advise them to sell at a car boot or to a auction house dealer as although ebay was a good bet in the past this is no longer the case.
My father passed away almost two years ago. I've slowly being selling my Dads collection on ebay, there's lots left and I think I'll end up doing a carboot.
@@michaeljohnson4526 Yes Michael it takes a lot of time to sort and list items then packing and posting. Some people find it too much and donate to clubs as they want others to enjoy the layout. We do our best to help and sympathise when approached.
Car boot is better, auction houses can charge 15-30% fees to the seller, and buyers have to pay a % on top of what they bid, so it's costly to sell in auctions, as buyers have to factor in purchase price + addional buyers % fee + likely profit on resell + tax to be paid on that.
Which private seller would it choose eBay platform as a business? And pay fees for no gain as a private seller with 600 inherited items of which I sell approximately five a week would it be worth the effort to become a business seller? The truth of the matter is eBay is failing. And have been for many months.
But if you are a private seller and told you now have to move to a business but you are not a business .Well I think if you just a private seller and that happens I guess they will just leave eBay plus also from buying from eBay.
Correct. eBay must be targeting accounts that have large turnover. I run a private account alongside my Business account and know for a fact if I got that email I'd let the account die.
In Germany they assessed based on turnover of the account. If it had been turning over in excess of €10,000 the historical trading is looked at. If there's consistent trading over the past few years, they're asked to move over.
Very recently I saw an article saying that Ebay will introduce a commission payable by BUYERS early next year. Apparently Ebay in Germany are a few months ahead of us, with the free listings boosting supply and turnover significantly. Personally I wish Ebay would end the listings from all the Chinese sellers who allegedly live in London or Sheffield, wasting my time on a UK only search, but allow free international listings so I can get the French and American items I am after.
Agree re: Chinese sellers. I'm in Australia and have this workaround. Most Chinese sellers don't have a specific postcode, just a generic state. So in my search filters, I set it for only listings within 4000kms of Alice Springs (i.e. the Center of Oz) and MOST fake locals get filtered out. Let me know if that works for you in the UK.
I suspect they are using the HMRC reporting trigger. It used to be £5000 per annum but i think its £3000 now. I am definitely a private seller. Just about to have a post retirement clear out that will definitely hit those sort of figures. Its like the PayPal limits too, where you have to provide ID if you go over a certain amount.
eBay says as a private sellers. You get 300 free listings every month, and you only pay fees for optional listing upgrades or if you deliver to an overseas address.
Big fan Nic, and good video on this fee/feeless situation! I'm from the Netherlands and sell as a businessseller on several platforms in the Netherlands (and also on ebay com a bit). But to be honest Vinted is King bij far with regards to interaction with your customers, feeless selling, insuranced shipping, etc. It does have some points to work on.... Customer service, a really bad unsearchable message inbox, no option to delete more than 1 item at ones, no option of searching through your own items, no bundled sales , etc.... But still, sooooo much more relaxt than Ebay. Just like in the video of George Ross... i'm paying around 25% fees to Ebay as a Dutch seller, which is madness really! Also Seller protection is to say the least a problem.. I would for sure give Vinted pro a shot! But you have to be a clothing / toy seller. Media works a bit.... Cheers, jorit
I’m ignorant to all this I have only ever bought from eBay since I have had my account and for a very long time but in my opinion eBay doesn’t matter what they want it’s the tax man that is the important one because even if you are a genuine pick some items and sell now and then once you reach a certain amount of your annul income collectively you will get hammered or have to pay something! So this will be interesting to watch to see how it goes! I have been think of selling some of my collection’s that I have gathered over years but it will not now be on eBay it will be private or gumtree or something like that and for cash, I’m not trying to dodge anything I already paid the tax when I earned the money to purchase items and I’m not paying again to sell because it’s mine, when it all goes digital it will be the same for boot sales once you earn a certain amount they the tax man the government will want a cut. But like I said I’m ignorant to selling on eBay so forgive please but if anything I can see this harming eBay over time.
@wutang6020 If its your own private collect just sell on ebay mate . Doesnt matter if you go over the 1 k that ebay aledgely send to the tax man ... ive sold four relatives stuff from two houses on a private account as its legit ....just take pictures of the lot in your house etc... ive no problem paying tax where its due but im not going to pay any on personal stuff ive collect , been given etc why should we
eBay are colluding with the govt or what? Just in time for the UK budget! I wonder how much extra tax the govt can make from all these new business accounts?
@@flip-it-ship-it1087 Yes, its quite pathetic, I always paid my taxes all my life, but even me as a small private seller! If I make over £1,000 a year selling my own old attic and garage 'clobber' on Fleabay, it is auto reported to HMRC, and they can make me pay income tax on it. So - 1 penny over the 1K, and they make me pay 200 quid, which is quite frightening! So, as a pensioner on a small pension, I'm very careful not to go over 1K.
Very interesting. Getting out the popcorn to see how all the drama will unfold. I'm sure we are going to see a lot of twists and turns over the next few weeks. I think Vinted have really freaked ebay out.😂
Vinted had the perfect opportunity to capitalise on this. However, they shot themselves in the foot with the GDPR breach showing users' NI numbers on account pages. The perfect self-sabotage.
Wow, that is fast. 150 items a month is a lot though, that's 5 items a day, sold. Looks like I'll have to increase my popcorn order on my click and collect!
It’s not that many if you are declutterring or downsizing your personal stuff. I have a load of clothes I want to get rid of - all my own clothes and they have been sitting there for years, so why would that be a business - most of my clothes have been bought from normal,shops and won’t make an actual profit in real terms from this
It’s. Not really I’m clearing out my wardrobe and I sell 10 items a day on Vinted. And I asked them if they it was fine and they said yes. EBay are just plain evil
I got forced to become a business account a few years ago. I had a video game collection that I wanted to sell. I was told if you sell over 1000 items or over £100,000 in sales over 365 days, then account must be a business account by “UK Law”. I now currently sell about 5 items a month, have done for at least a year. I have made multiple requests to become a private account again (long before the fees were removed) and told it’s not possible. Was told to make another account. New account was banned instantly. And then was threatened with having my business account banned for making multiple accounts. Joke of a company.
@@onnatca tried again last month. Passed all account verification to be told that I can’t have another account. Asked the reason and they said they could not give the reason.
I agree! I've a feedback score of just over 600 after selling as a private seller since 2007. Selling a lot more in the last year due to a house downsize but nowhere near selling 150 items a month.
I would totally agree, other than (as nic said) someone is selling off a personal collection of something. Maybe eBay are not going to simply look at one month but a pattern over several months.
it varys if its consistent each months in row as if its one off month where selling " old family items" then its clearly not business. as no private seller can do that each month over and over unless they got place where they source items all time to sell on.
I,m a private seller .....registered for tax have an accountant from my last buissness . im part time due to health issues last year at best i made 2 k but declared 4 k which was my turn over .....most was freebies or my own stuff a few items bought in not much . If i have to register as a buissness with my small turnover ( looked over by an accountant ) i simply wont bother with ebay anymore and ive been on since 2004 .
I haven't had a single sale since this announcement and i am a top rated seller! Today alone I've seen at least 6 private accounts that are clearly businesses. The one account even had 9.9K sales record. eBay is in no rush to sort this out, because they know a lot of those sellers are going to leave if they force a business account on them that awakens HMRC. So this here and there action is just for keeping up appearances!
@@ColaConkie yeah thats issue i noticed business will suffer because of undercuts as people go to cheaper sellers then higher ones which then also affect prices on items also. as wouldnt shock me if msot sales now on ebay are from private sellers mostly who affect price of item in question overall.
This has to be done as otherwise as I think you say there will be two tier pricing. I have seen private sellers with inventory of 100s of items and shops too. It will be very easy to spot these sellers and hopefully get them to change. Keep on updating as I find it so useful Could chat about it all night x
they were doing this before all of these changes, they were doing it in august, incentivising them by offering 3 months no fees, and a free middle tier shop for 6 months
As a genuine private seller I'm quite pleased with the apparently philanthropic gesture of free fees. However this plus the threat of buyer fees puts a different tone on the whole thing. Then we have the new HMRC reporting rules which make life very hard. I'm still not sure how HMRC are going to assess who is genuinely just an eccentric hoarder just selling items off, what proof will they demand? It's annoying as I have small but significant collections that if I get really skint I may wish to cash in. I suspect that eBay has been in a panic since the HMRC reporting rules and a general downturn in the vintage market, everyone is broke or scared to spend. eBay seems to be doing a bit of juggling to encourage people in but it is beginning to feel like they are facing decline, pity they didn't stick to keeping it simple and less greedy like it was back twenty years or so ago.
As you mentioned in the video, I am a private seller been dormant on ebay for years but a family member died this year, leaving a large collection of vintage motorbike parts which I am selling, trying to list 20-30 items per week, but this will stop once they have all been sold. Hope this doesn't make me a business.
@@l_m9494 Sadly you do - HMRC have had the £1000 tax free from selling your possessions in place for years now. As tax has already been paid when we bought the goods new, it’s so unfair. Just wrong.
you really dont know what your talking about lol.. nothing wrong with being a buissness seller ....yes its frustrating for long term buissness sellers this week but lets see how it goes
@@econrith I appreciate your attitude. No one has to use eBay. They are a private company and can do whatever they want. You don't have to support it and can try to sell anywhere you want. I can't find a better avenue even though the fees are high and all that, because the audience is world wide. None of us have to use it. For a business to charge people to use their infrastructure and platform seems reasonable.
@@dottieland7061it's great to see some positive Vinted views..I love buying on there. However friends have had awful experiences selling. One commented on a forum that's no longer around but because the admin didn't agree with her comment they reported her to Vinted as being a business and she isn't. She was only selling off her own collection of used costume jewellery. Vinted took no notice of her appeal and removed her entire account when she had spent weeks and hours listing.
I've been an eBay member since 2000 mostly a buyer. Just been diagnosed with the dreaded C & with a 4yr old to parent alone, I need to get my house in shape which means selling up the contents, so my family aren't left to deal with my hoard. I will be listing as many things as possible, hope I'm not flagged as a business seller. Watch this space!
I AM a private seller, I sell mostly my own stuff, things I no longer want and unwanted gifts etc. I just checked my account for the last year, I have sold 24 items and another 3 last week so 27 items. I sold a bit more in January because I was trying to get money together for a huge vet bill. I have periods where I don't sell for a few months and no doubt if I sell 3 more items I will be reported to the HMRC for doing nothing wrong. Is that right? To be honest I have had enough and if it carries on like this I will no longer sell on eBay at all. Sick of it. 30 items a year is a joke.
@@ArtJourneyUK Thats not the point.If you get switched to a business account after selling 30 items in a year whats the point in a private seller using ebay? My personal story is im recently redundant but have a 40 year record,tape,cd collection of some 10,000 items to sell to try & help pay the bills....all personal stuff but ebay would force me to be a business within a month!
Where did you get 30 listings a year? I’m a private seller and it says I can list 300 items a month. I only list about 2 or 3 a month because I just sell off the occasional item but it says 300 on my account. 🤷♀️
Hi Nic..I'm a private seller and made the mistake of " looking" at a business account but I went one key press too far aaand yep you can't get back. You have to create another new account. I thought as a private you could list 300 a month. Seems Cadgy is under that impression too.
i only sell so many items month, and its random if so but like 10 or less month as im not business, i assume it target accounts which sell high items consistent each month from private to business but also they should ask if you want change not force it on you.
Beat me to it. They're being clever about it, but it's so punch-you-in-the-face obvious what eBay's really up to. Instead of directly extorting their users, they've weaponised the business sellers against the rest of us. It's actually wild how quickly and effortlessly they were able to orchestrate a full blown witch hunt. Nic's smugness in this video (which I'm very disappointed to see) is evidence of an agenda. Look at how they've been manipulated into bullying and guilt-tripping people into upgrading their accounts. So shady.
Nic, in one of my categories there is a seller with 4 shops, all with 2 -3000 items in each with multiple quantities, all private accounts. That’s at least 10k items.
As soon as EBay announced the no fees I knew there would be a catch! They obviously were going to claw that money from somewhere else, and bingo, here it is. It’s a worry for us as we inherited two house loads of stuff when relatives passed away and sold it any way we could, (and what we could), including boot sales, Marketplace and eBay over a long period. We are now decluttering our house in order to downsize so as not to leave our piles and collections for our children, so the same thing applies. We are private sellers and will just not sell on the platform if they force us to be a business. Thanks for your vids Nic and Andrea, always good for advice - for any seller!
You could contact an auction house if you want to get rid of stuff! They might explain better why you can sell through them without calling YOU " a business." I'm assuming their business model overlaps ebay business model in some aspects. You can sell everything in front of your house cash only and none will be the wiser. Sometimes ebay is not the best option to sell occasionally your own stuff, I'm assuming is the people that treat it as a side hustle that don't know where the blur line is between pocket money and " now is big enough to call it a business ". In my humble opinion 2 houses of stuff is for an auction house to deal with. 😊
I got the call to switch a month ago (which i did) they had an offer of zero fees for upgrading to a featured shop for the rest of 2024 and no shop fees for 6 months, wonder if that offer still applies since the announcement??
No because vinted are going to do the same now because of the new pro that came out these online sites have been told by HMRC they need to report big seller with large profits because of tax
Great video. I am a private seller on ebay. I am curious about all these changes. They have changed rules on ebay for private sellers in regards to listings. Private sellers still get charged international fees on items and fees on motors.
Depends on the stuff you’re selling. I sold my late husband’s model train collection. EBay called me! I don’t think they believed me. However. I offered to send them a copy of his death certificate, some very old records of what and when he bought stuff, some photos of a garage full of trains covered in dust. Eventually they accepted my reason for selling a stock load of model trains.
There are people blatantly selling as a business on private accounts, on the ebay community groups someone was on there moaning that on their private account that they use for there business they were being limited from 1000 to only 300 and when people, pointed out they shouldn't be running a business on a private account they recon they asked ebay and they told them to do it!
my wife not long started a book selling business on ebay .we always have a look at other peoples books and the amount that are private sellers with 500 to 6000 books listed for sale im guessing ebay will be busy asking them to move to business sellers
That's the question we're all asking..... What criteria does Ebay use to determine a private seller from a business seller. I doubt they'll tell us because If they say for example 1K a month in sales or 50 items a month, business sellers may just restrict their own private accounts to those limits and possibly open other private accounts.
Not really. If you are selling one expensive item, chances are you are not a business. If you are selling five items every day, chances are that you are a business.
So if I sell off a high end professional piece of electronic for lets say 10 grand, I have to register as a business now ? it should always be a conversation between ebay and the seller. But they will no doubt be relying on their AI systems. Once triggered no ifs or buts you have to convert the account.
I have a business and a private account. My private account shows I have 297 listings left for the rolling month and a monetary amount of £6,907.31 remaining! So as a private seller it appears I have limited listings and how much I can earn too which seems a vast amount for a private account!
It seems that eBay still like to control their users, by holding on to funds raised by sales. Similar to PayPal. It's for this reason, I still won't sell on eBay.
@@errolandislasmotorhometrav3785 Paypal used to hold on to it for 30 days. That's one reason I left Paypal, plus they had control of my bank account. They could take funds when they felt like it.
I know youre stupid and this will probably go straight over your head but you keeping moaning about business sellers selling as private on ebay yet you've been doing the same on Vinted for months. Pot, kettle, black.
Yes they will be doing it , poshmark are doing it in america just started the other day reduced seller fees seller pays 6.25% buyer pays 6.25% plus a set amount for for different price brackets , macari have done the same thing over there as well and there sales have slumped (cant understand why) so in theory the seller will be better off making more money per sale but the buyers have to pay extra ,both sites have seen a lot less sales
Yep that's what they said but the big question will be is it going to be an across the board fee so private and business sellers are on an equal footing? That's probably the move they need to move.
@@Luckyjo21 Not really. If you are a business seller you can list your item cheaper as you aren't the one paying fees. Would actually be a massive boost for business sellers if Ebay just take a percentage from the buyers.
One of the main metrics they are using is if a seller is selling multiple items of the same thing repeatedly then they are asserting that you are running a business. I was told this on the phone by an ebay rep this past Thursday. I have been a private seller/buyer on ebay since 2001, near 8000 feedback, currently have 225 active sales listings various things that belonged to my family, clothing, music, blurays and have not been asked/told to switch..yet.
I would guess they would look at items sold over a period of time, for example a 12 month period and if there are 100 or more items consistently sold every month over the year then they would assume that person is operating a business...who knows?
I suppose if you list 150 items every month for a year…. And the items are combination of new and used. That would point to someone operating as a business. I doubt they will block people who are randomly listing within the limits to clear personal items. And they haven’t listed in ages and then go months without listing anything else. I think it’s account activity over a long period of time Business sellers have a consistent routine. Private sellers look much different data wise.
Also, if you are a business. Do everything above board and you never have to worry about this stuff. We get enough day to day issues being self employed, why add to your own stress.
One way ebay knows whether you're a private or business seller is by your bank account. Is it a private or business bank account? And don't think they can't see your transactions, they can if they want to. Also are your credit cards business or not? And in U.S. taxes, are you using a social security number or a business license ID. These are all factors.
I see a lot of Anger from business sellers over these changes, I wouldn't worry one bit. eBay are now making Zero from private accounts so who's items do you think they will promote to the top of the search results? Selling for FREE will come at a COST, the cost will be Sticky Stock, no business seller wants Sticky Items.
' who's items do you think they will promote to the top of the search results?' The only items they push are items you pay to promote, so no this isn't how its going to work. Unless you want to be paying up to %14 extra fees to be number 1 in the list
You almost have to promote now anyway to get any views. They are going to be forcing private accounts to upgrade as soon as they start selling much regardless. The 300 things a trap as if you sell 20% of that you'll be forced to upgrade anyway I suspect which is fair enough, if you are selling more than what might be considered usual for someone clearing the loft.
Ebay have obviously looked at their business model and found the loophole which means they are losing revenue, they are do this for one reason only, improve their margins.
I would think its over a 3 month or 6 month period then you could tell if its a one off multiple sales or consistant sales of multiple lots every month.
The private seller free listing limit is a big clue on what they accept. I would imagine they would then look for a regular pattern of exceeding the limit over X number of months.
I think in USA at least, they are identifying who will need to carry insurance like Amz. requires for sellers to have. Yes, even in the used goods category, so this is just a first step. It always comes down to liability and tax BS. I had a private acct b/c that is what I started with. When I tried to change it, it was a mess and I was concerned about losing sales history , tax stuff, etc so I did not change it. Ive always paid my taxes and treated it as a business. Ill change it soon
I think Ebay should just make the rules the same for everyone selling on the site. As you mentioned it's not fair to presume a private seller's really a business seller just because they've had a flurry of sales, or made more than they usually would over a period of time. I think it would be better if they concentrated on going after the users who are the real villains of the piece such as scammers, Overseas companies pretending to be in the UK & fake goods sellers.
I also think the point about someone inheriting 100's of items or a collector selling their collection, are the very small minority of people selling 100s of items a month, they are the unfortunate false positives of that sort of system, ther eis no perfect way to decipher who is and isnt abusing the system.
@@NicHills very good vid...thanks for sharing.... I collect militaria, and have started selling a few items a month on the bay, in the main I buy from there to add to my collection, at present I have 3/4 items listed to clear them out...hopefully I'll be left in peace...:)
@@NicHills If the algorithm is right 95% will be businesses they pick up. The false positives will have to decide if it's worth continuing. They could always sell their entire stuff to a real business seller. To be honest how many people are going to sell their inherited stuff on ebay? most will have the house cleared. They may keep a few items to sell but even if it was a collection they most probably would find a dealer to buy it all off them.
There are too many user cases to make a fixed rule about this in my opinion. Here are two I have personally experienced. 1) Many many years ago, I worked at a global consumer electronics company for a number of years, that had excellent staff sales scheme and built an extensive collection of equipment. On selling car entertainment items I had bought for my sons but they never used, eBay picked me up as a business user as I was selling brand new branded goods. Had to contact eBay and explain and they dropped the case. 2) When one of my best friends died I offered to clear his estate for his widow as the clearance people were low balling her, a mix of new and used with high end items (similar to what you might aspire to source at boot fairs) in the end the overall sold value was over £4K. In this case I heard nothing from eBay. Oh and before anyone comments I declared that one to HMRC as 0% consignment…..
Perhaps it would be better for ebay to contact sellers first instead of assuming business activity. We moved on to a canal boat five years ago and have been selling the entire contents of our house bit by bit when we have the inclination. We're small fry so I don't imagine that ebay will care a jot if we leave the platform but that's exactly what we'll do if we're asked/forced to register as a business seller. Perhaps it would be wise for us to contact them first to inform them of our status instead of waiting for an email from them after triggering a pre determined alert triggered by an algorithm
I mainly sell GB postage stamps and ive been collecting pre decimal for 30 odd years. In order to get those elusive stamps, i sometimes have to buy a large collection, sort through it to see what I need, and sell whats left. If ebay decide by doing this im a business, then its bye bye ebay.
I can only imagine that this could potentially be linked to the information eBay are required to provide to hmrc on a yearly basis one way or another.. suggesting that quantity is irrelevant and account status is on a monetised basis ? I guess companies like we buy any car or Casio for example will be loving this news as it will be the way to sell privately without incurring duties. Alternatively proof of vehicle ownership could work to keep a private account for a one of sale, one way or another it’s not good for encouraging individuals to recycle and reuse in that sense as they will clearly be very restricted which in my opinion counteracts the move to provide equality on the marketplace !!🤷♂️ on the flip side of not everyone in my family could be reselling very soon haha😂
sounds like their returning to the old ways, made the mistake of trying to sell my magazine collection and learned lististing more than a hundred items in a month, made me a business. At least their now giving you 21 days notice rather than just switching your account automatically and YES YOU CANNOT GO BACK had to create another account and start from scratch
Even selling 150 cup cakes a month, HMRC would say you are running a business, even as a sole trader and expect you to declare income. At a £1 each it’s £1800 a year
ebay are likely to have created an AI programme to flag private accounts that act "out of the norm" of the majority of private accounts. Selling 150 items a month (over X period of time) may be combined with other factors, like listing more than 300 items per month (over X period of time) for example. That's all just a guess... but its simple enough to find out "rogue" accounts that act differently from the majority - financial services use it all the time to flag up money laundering etc.
Hi nick I hope you see my message. I believe it will be evidence of selling the same item multiple times. Ie. The same Skylander for example. I sold the same character on my business account 8 times. No way could I evidence I owned the same item 8 times.
That is more to show if a person needs to do a self assessment tax return or not. Many needed to do it anyway but haven't. It's not new rules its just ensuring people do what they need to do. I wouldn't think HMRC care one bit what type of eBay account you have as long as you are doing your taxes correctly. Wont matter to them if someone is on a private account as long as they are reporting what they make and sell etc
Interesting. I'd imagined that, as long as the 300 listings a months threshold wasn't breached, then it was still eligible to be a Private account. The game belongs to eBay though so they make the rules. I'm guessing that, if they see a number of months go by where (for example) 290 listings are being posted regularly, they could step in and say "No, sorry, you're quite clearly a Business not Private". I understand why the Seller you got this info from ought remain anonymous, however without knowing their selling details it's difficult to comment. Can you unreservedly state that the Seller only has the one account? Precisely how long have they been selling? Have there been months when they've sold more than 1,000* and if so how frequently? *1,000 is the previous eBay monthly Private listings limit which is now only 300. With regards to 'no going back to a Private account once it becomes a Business account', I'd imagine a person is still entitled to also open and hold a new Private account.
The documentation was hard to work out, my assumption was the listing fee but if it is final sale as well, that is interesting. I think it would be terrible if they force people to move from private to business if they are actually just decluttering their house and selling items that way. 150 items is not a lot of items to sell a month and still be private, people have lots of books and DVDs and clothes etc around the house and want to sell them. I think if you put up 15 copies of a book or 20 items available of a particular DVD that would suggest a business to me. I know people get angry about this but ebay is a great place to declutter, I hope they don't ruin that on this platform.
I have had from a reliable source from HMRC that it's your turnover, it’s lower than you think unfortunately this will catch many private sellers out. The bottom line tread very carefully if you private seller. In my opinion all those International sellers it won't be affected if you have a UK address but if you have you will have comply. Unfortunately HMRC are watching bank accounts as well which is linked to eBay. Excellent timing for this horrible October budget.
Interesting video thanks. 😊 I’m a private seller and have watched your channel for years, but exactly as you said, I’ll go months not using it then I’ll have a clear out and sell lots of stuff. Also confusing if I would need to pay tax or not, if I’m selling high quality items the money can ramp up, but it is my personal things and not items I bought to sell on. I still prefer to sell clothing on eBay as I feel I can ask more for the items than on Vinted!
If the items you sell are personal property (ie not bought with the intention of resale) then no tax is payable on them, regardless of value. Since, in the majority of such cases, the resale value is less than the original purchase price there would be no profit to declare anyway.
I think eBay is spying on resellers and watching TH-cam videos. There have been a lot of resellers crosslisting and having their item exported to other platforms. EBay has been watching all of this... The days of eBay being a decent platform are over...
Its unclear how ebay determines who should turn to a busienss. The example you gave there, the seller is operating within the limits ebay have set as a private seller... so why have they been flagged!!?
Once you become a business account Ebay will charge you 0.36p insertion fees,for every current listing still running , so before you switch cull the dross and put it in the car boot box. I sell approx 60 items a month.
I think the important words in that eBay message are "MAY BE" blocked. Until we see some firm action from eBay they're just empty threats. Time will tell.
eBay determines if a seller is a business or not based on the type of items they sell, and whether they meet certain criteria:
Items sold
If the seller buys items to resell, makes items to sell, or buys items for their business, they must register as a business
Quantity sold
If the seller plans to sell large quantities of items, they must register as a business
Business outside of eBay
If the seller already has a business outside of eBay, they must register as a business
Excellent info, was that direct from ebay?
@@NicHillsit was generated from googles AI
@@NicHills it was from Googles AI, so i don't know the original source.
And begins the end of Ebay, they will end up being bought out within the next 10 years, they’re obviously struggling and trying to come up with solutions from every possible angle.
Bloody Skynet getting in on the debate 😂@@TheLiverpoolDelta
I was comping yesterday, and on one of the items, seller was private, but listing looked to good, if that makes sense.
I've checked their profile, and it says: we're family run business.
Some people just score own goals.
This is the Government/HMRC making EBay and other online selling platforms conform and be part of getting tax in. Big brother is always watching, pays to be legit.
Surly they need to allow people to put there case to them. I’m trying to clear family house of 40 years to downsize with Mum into a bungalow so have lots of stuff.
exactly mate .......been doing the same just crack on id guess its private sellers selling 40 of the same item for example on one listing will be flagged up as a buissness
If you think eBay cares about its customers you haven't been trading on eBay for long.
I agree decluttering stuff, you should be able to remain a private user. If you are putting 40 copies of the same book, it would look more a business. I suspect that this will cause lots of problems but that is just the usual with any online site
Hi yer your be fine why don't you take a loads of pictures or do a video of all the stuff just to cover yourself maybe
This happened to me recently. I have a business account also but used a second account to sell items that are not part of the business. Apparently this was a business also according to eBay. I just went to a business account at the time as I didn't see it mattered much. Then they announced the no fee thing and I realised I should have contested it.
If you inherit and you have already paid the inheritance tax on the items you can give the evidence to eBay and they will not transition you. If you are listing/selling over 100 items per month over a 12 month period you will automatically trigger on their list. If you list 300 items in month but do not consistency list over multiple months then you will not be triggered in their list. Either way if you sell over £1000 on eBay HMRC can come calling as it should be declared on your tax return.
Regularity seems to be more of the trigger.
So if sell my 5 years old camera and a lens for £1200 i am business then?
If you are only selling off your own items, you have no need to declare unless you are selling an item over £6,000
@@ArtJourneyUK correct
As I sold my 30th item in this calendar year eBay asked for my NI number and my tax office details
the same happened in germany since 2023
I think if they just charged everybody 3% across the board equivalent to the 80% off fvf everyone would be happy
Speaking as a model railway club member we often are asked by bereaved relatives what they can do with a model collection. We now advise them to sell at a car boot or to a auction house dealer as although ebay was a good bet in the past this is no longer the case.
My father passed away almost two years ago. I've slowly being selling my Dads collection on ebay, there's lots left and I think I'll end up doing a carboot.
@@michaeljohnson4526 Yes Michael it takes a lot of time to sort and list items then packing and posting. Some people find it too much and donate to clubs as they want others to enjoy the layout. We do our best to help and sympathise when approached.
Car boot is better, auction houses can charge 15-30% fees to the seller, and buyers have to pay a % on top of what they bid, so it's costly to sell in auctions, as buyers have to factor in purchase price + addional buyers % fee + likely profit on resell + tax to be paid on that.
@@rinkumstinkum831 I agree with your thinking we live in a rural area and the car boot at a local steam fair proved to be the best way for us.
Just sell items slowly over several years.
Which private seller would it choose eBay platform as a business? And pay fees for no gain as a private seller with 600 inherited items of which I sell approximately five a week would it be worth the effort to become a business seller? The truth of the matter is eBay is failing. And have been for many months.
But if you are a private seller and told you now have to move to a business but you are not a business .Well I think if you just a private seller and that happens I guess they will just leave eBay plus also from buying from eBay.
Correct. eBay must be targeting accounts that have large turnover. I run a private account alongside my Business account and know for a fact if I got that email I'd let the account die.
@@MSmith-i1k Did the fees just change for private sellers? Were you paying fees before?
@@MSmith-i1k Why wouldn't you buy again if you were a business seller? What is the difference?
@@TheLiverpoolDelta what is large turnover to them? Are we talking over £100 a week in sales
@hermanthetosser4219 atm I average that and I've not received anything.
Let me guess...... private sellers pay no fees.... but everyone is a commercial seller?
In Germany they assessed based on turnover of the account. If it had been turning over in excess of €10,000 the historical trading is looked at. If there's consistent trading over the past few years, they're asked to move over.
Very recently I saw an article saying that Ebay will introduce a commission payable by BUYERS early next year. Apparently Ebay in Germany are a few months ahead of us, with the free listings boosting supply and turnover significantly.
Personally I wish Ebay would end the listings from all the Chinese sellers who allegedly live in London or Sheffield, wasting my time on a UK only search, but allow free international listings so I can get the French and American items I am after.
Yes I have heard the same
Agree re: Chinese sellers. I'm in Australia and have this workaround. Most Chinese sellers don't have a specific postcode, just a generic state. So in my search filters, I set it for only listings within 4000kms of Alice Springs (i.e. the Center of Oz) and MOST fake locals get filtered out. Let me know if that works for you in the UK.
I suspect they are using the HMRC reporting trigger. It used to be £5000 per annum but i think its £3000 now. I am definitely a private seller. Just about to have a post retirement clear out that will definitely hit those sort of figures. Its like the PayPal limits too, where you have to provide ID if you go over a certain amount.
@arnolduk123 If you sell the item for less than you bought it for, are you able to claim for a loss?
eBay says as a private sellers. You get 300 free listings every month, and you only pay fees for optional listing upgrades or if you deliver to an overseas address.
Big fan Nic, and good video on this fee/feeless situation! I'm from the Netherlands and sell as a businessseller on several platforms in the Netherlands (and also on ebay com a bit). But to be honest Vinted is King bij far with regards to interaction with your customers, feeless selling, insuranced shipping, etc. It does have some points to work on.... Customer service, a really bad unsearchable message inbox, no option to delete more than 1 item at ones, no option of searching through your own items, no bundled sales , etc.... But still, sooooo much more relaxt than Ebay. Just like in the video of George Ross... i'm paying around 25% fees to Ebay as a Dutch seller, which is madness really! Also Seller protection is to say the least a problem.. I would for sure give Vinted pro a shot! But you have to be a clothing / toy seller. Media works a bit.... Cheers, jorit
I’m ignorant to all this I have only ever bought from eBay since I have had my account and for a very long time but in my opinion eBay doesn’t matter what they want it’s the tax man that is the important one because even if you are a genuine pick some items and sell now and then once you reach a certain amount of your annul income collectively you will get hammered or have to pay something! So this will be interesting to watch to see how it goes! I have been think of selling some of my collection’s that I have gathered over years but it will not now be on eBay it will be private or gumtree or something like that and for cash, I’m not trying to dodge anything I already paid the tax when I earned the money to purchase items and I’m not paying again to sell because it’s mine, when it all goes digital it will be the same for boot sales once you earn a certain amount they the tax man the government will want a cut. But like I said I’m ignorant to selling on eBay so forgive please but if anything I can see this harming eBay over time.
@wutang6020
If its your own private collect just sell on ebay mate .
Doesnt matter if you go over the 1 k that ebay aledgely send to the tax man ...
ive sold four relatives stuff from two houses on a private account as its legit ....just take pictures of the lot in your house etc...
ive no problem paying tax where its due but im not going to pay any on personal stuff ive collect , been given etc why should we
eBay are colluding with the govt or what? Just in time for the UK budget! I wonder how much extra tax the govt can make from all these new business accounts?
Absolutely...
Is HMRC Clapping down they need more Tax from online selling sites
@@flip-it-ship-it1087 Yes, its quite pathetic, I always paid my taxes all my life, but even me as a small private seller! If I make over £1,000 a year selling my own old attic and garage 'clobber' on Fleabay, it is auto reported to HMRC, and they can make me pay income tax on it. So - 1 penny over the 1K, and they make me pay 200 quid, which is quite frightening! So, as a pensioner on a small pension, I'm very careful not to go over 1K.
@@flip-it-ship-it1087 HMRC need more tax period! To fill Rachel Reeves' big black hole.😂
Amazing nic yes I had messege today as well from ebay but it was about free private selling
Very interesting. Getting out the popcorn to see how all the drama will unfold. I'm sure we are going to see a lot of twists and turns over the next few weeks. I think Vinted have really freaked ebay out.😂
Vinted had the perfect opportunity to capitalise on this. However, they shot themselves in the foot with the GDPR breach showing users' NI numbers on account pages. The perfect self-sabotage.
Wow, that is fast. 150 items a month is a lot though, that's 5 items a day, sold. Looks like I'll have to increase my popcorn order on my click and collect!
It’s not that many if you are declutterring or downsizing your personal stuff. I have a load of clothes I want to get rid of - all my own clothes and they have been sitting there for years, so why would that be a business - most of my clothes have been bought from normal,shops and won’t make an actual profit in real terms from this
It’s. Not really I’m clearing out my wardrobe and I sell 10 items a day on Vinted. And I asked them if they it was fine and they said yes. EBay are just plain evil
I got forced to become a business account a few years ago. I had a video game collection that I wanted to sell. I was told if you sell over 1000 items or over £100,000 in sales over 365 days, then account must be a business account by “UK Law”. I now currently sell about 5 items a month, have done for at least a year. I have made multiple requests to become a private account again (long before the fees were removed) and told it’s not possible. Was told to make another account. New account was banned instantly. And then was threatened with having my business account banned for making multiple accounts. Joke of a company.
@@Gaming_Rarities but you’re allowed multiple accounts as long as youre not evading a suspension
@@onnatca tried again last month. Passed all account verification to be told that I can’t have another account. Asked the reason and they said they could not give the reason.
I doubt it's the number of items being sold but a sustained revenue number that is driving them to call sellers out.
But you could sell a few items of furniture or electrical/ electronics for a few grand and be classed as a business then
we need to know which it is the number of listings or the number of money you turn over
150 a month regularly is a lot of sales. Way to many to be a private seller!
I agree! I've a feedback score of just over 600 after selling as a private seller since 2007. Selling a lot more in the last year due to a house downsize but nowhere near selling 150 items a month.
Exactly, im a full time business seller . Last 90 days ive had 230 sales. Totalling 15k. Thats alot of turnover for a private person!
I would totally agree, other than (as nic said) someone is selling off a personal collection of something. Maybe eBay are not going to simply look at one month but a pattern over several months.
it varys if its consistent each months in row as if its one off month where selling " old family items" then its clearly not business. as no private seller can do that each month over and over unless they got place where they source items all time to sell on.
Not if you’re clearing an estate.
I,m a private seller .....registered for tax have an accountant from my last buissness .
im part time due to health issues last year at best i made 2 k but declared 4 k which was my turn over .....most was freebies or my own stuff a few items bought in not much .
If i have to register as a buissness with my small turnover ( looked over by an accountant ) i simply wont bother with ebay anymore and ive been on since 2004 .
I haven't had a single sale since this announcement and i am a top rated seller! Today alone I've seen at least 6 private accounts that are clearly businesses. The one account even had 9.9K sales record. eBay is in no rush to sort this out, because they know a lot of those sellers are going to leave if they force a business account on them that awakens HMRC. So this here and there action is just for keeping up appearances!
I haven’t had a sale in 4 days as I’m getting undercut by a lot
I thought I was the only one! Mine have dwindled significantly since. Its so great being a business account user. Right 😮
It's very frustrating. But surely these businesses can't afford to lose their ebay income suddenly, so are forced to transfer and ebay knows this.
Private accounts are reported to HMRC too remember! Once that 30 transactions in one year happens.
@@ColaConkie yeah thats issue i noticed business will suffer because of undercuts as people go to cheaper sellers then higher ones which then also affect prices on items also. as wouldnt shock me if msot sales now on ebay are from private sellers mostly who affect price of item in question overall.
This has to be done as otherwise as I think you say there will be two tier pricing. I have seen private sellers with inventory of 100s of items and shops too. It will be very easy to spot these sellers and hopefully get them to change. Keep on updating as I find it so useful
Could chat about it all night x
they were doing this before all of these changes, they were doing it in august, incentivising them by offering 3 months no fees, and a free middle tier shop for 6 months
As a genuine private seller I'm quite pleased with the apparently philanthropic gesture of free fees. However this plus the threat of buyer fees puts a different tone on the whole thing. Then we have the new HMRC reporting rules which make life very hard. I'm still not sure how HMRC are going to assess who is genuinely just an eccentric hoarder just selling items off, what proof will they demand? It's annoying as I have small but significant collections that if I get really skint I may wish to cash in.
I suspect that eBay has been in a panic since the HMRC reporting rules and a general downturn in the vintage market, everyone is broke or scared to spend.
eBay seems to be doing a bit of juggling to encourage people in but it is beginning to feel like they are facing decline, pity they didn't stick to keeping it simple and less greedy like it was back twenty years or so ago.
eBay has been so slow the last few weeks, earning a living is getting harder.
As you mentioned in the video, I am a private seller been dormant on ebay for years but a family member died this year, leaving a large collection of vintage motorbike parts which I am selling, trying to list 20-30 items per week, but this will stop once they have all been sold. Hope this doesn't make me a business.
@@sewingsecondhand it doesn’t necessarily but you’d still have to pay tax if you went over your annual selling allowance which I think is £1k
@@ruudvanbrown If the items are his an he owns them he don't pay tax surely?
@@ruudvanbrownthe amount is £1,700 you can make on eBay as a private seller before being taxed. 👍
@@l_m9494 Sadly you do - HMRC have had the £1000 tax free from selling your possessions in place for years now. As tax has already been paid when we bought the goods new, it’s so unfair. Just wrong.
I sincerely doubt that 20-30 items per week would flag you as a business seller. 100 would.
eBay is bad, very very bad. Do not invest in a business there. Take your pot luck at private. Your items won't be seen much anyway.
you really dont know what your talking about lol..
nothing wrong with being a buissness seller ....yes its frustrating for long term buissness sellers this week but lets see how it goes
@@econrith I appreciate your attitude. No one has to use eBay. They are a private company and can do whatever they want. You don't have to support it and can try to sell anywhere you want.
I can't find a better avenue even though the fees are high and all that, because the audience is world wide.
None of us have to use it. For a business to charge people to use their infrastructure and platform seems reasonable.
No I left as I was so sick of them. I am so sick of their all for the buyer attitude. I do Vinted and it is excellent.
@@dottieland7061it's great to see some positive Vinted views..I love buying on there. However friends have had awful experiences selling. One commented on a forum that's no longer around but because the admin didn't agree with her comment they reported her to Vinted as being a business and she isn't. She was only selling off her own collection of used costume jewellery. Vinted took no notice of her appeal and removed her entire account when she had spent weeks and hours listing.
I've been an eBay member since 2000 mostly a buyer. Just been diagnosed with the dreaded C & with a 4yr old to parent alone, I need to get my house in shape which means selling up the contents, so my family aren't left to deal with my hoard. I will be listing as many things as possible, hope I'm not flagged as a business seller. Watch this space!
I AM a private seller, I sell mostly my own stuff, things I no longer want and unwanted gifts etc. I just checked my account for the last year, I have sold 24 items and another 3 last week so 27 items. I sold a bit more in January because I was trying to get money together for a huge vet bill. I have periods where I don't sell for a few months and no doubt if I sell 3 more items I will be reported to the HMRC for doing nothing wrong. Is that right? To be honest I have had enough and if it carries on like this I will no longer sell on eBay at all. Sick of it. 30 items a year is a joke.
You have nothing to worry about, if you are only selling off your own items, you will have no tax to pay.
@@ArtJourneyUK Thats not the point.If you get switched to a business account after selling 30 items in a year whats the point in a private seller using ebay?
My personal story is im recently redundant but have a 40 year record,tape,cd collection of some 10,000 items to sell to try & help pay the bills....all personal stuff but ebay would force me to be a business within a month!
Where did you get 30 listings a year? I’m a private seller and it says I can list 300 items a month. I only list about 2 or 3 a month because I just sell off the occasional item but it says 300 on my account. 🤷♀️
@@abidemontfort.1633 it is 300 a month BUT if you sell 30 items in a year then EBay are asking for NI number to give to the HMRC
If you are selling 250 items per month and ALL 250 items are sold as NEW then it makes sense for eBay to resonably beleive you are a business.
Hi Nic..I'm a private seller and made the mistake of " looking" at a business account but I went one key press too far aaand yep you can't get back. You have to create another new account. I thought as a private you could list 300 a month. Seems Cadgy is under that impression too.
i only sell so many items month, and its random if so but like 10 or less month as im not business, i assume it target accounts which sell high items consistent each month from private to business but also they should ask if you want change not force it on you.
Why offer 300 items a month then?
@@markfarney4210 Nailed it. Completely mixed messages.
id guess its for people having a good clear out ....relatives passed away etc ?
certainly shouldnt be long term thats 10 items per day !
@@mrbigmel3 technically that is not your own personal possessions though is it?
@@dhsugarbladeDepends upon the terms of the Will I guess.
Beat me to it. They're being clever about it, but it's so punch-you-in-the-face obvious what eBay's really up to. Instead of directly extorting their users, they've weaponised the business sellers against the rest of us. It's actually wild how quickly and effortlessly they were able to orchestrate a full blown witch hunt. Nic's smugness in this video (which I'm very disappointed to see) is evidence of an agenda. Look at how they've been manipulated into bullying and guilt-tripping people into upgrading their accounts. So shady.
Nic, in one of my categories there is a seller with 4 shops, all with 2 -3000 items in each with multiple quantities, all private accounts. That’s at least 10k items.
As soon as EBay announced the no fees I knew there would be a catch! They obviously were going to claw that money from somewhere else, and bingo, here it is. It’s a worry for us as we inherited two house loads of stuff when relatives passed away and sold it any way we could, (and what we could), including boot sales, Marketplace and eBay over a long period. We are now decluttering our house in order to downsize so as not to leave our piles and collections for our children, so the same thing applies. We are private sellers and will just not sell on the platform if they force us to be a business. Thanks for your vids Nic and Andrea, always good for advice - for any seller!
You could contact an auction house if you want to get rid of stuff! They might explain better why you can sell through them without calling YOU " a business." I'm assuming their business model overlaps ebay business model in some aspects.
You can sell everything in front of your house cash only and none will be the wiser.
Sometimes ebay is not the best option to sell occasionally your own stuff, I'm assuming is the people that treat it as a side hustle that don't know where the blur line is between pocket money and " now is big enough to call it a business ".
In my humble opinion 2 houses of stuff is for an auction house to deal with. 😊
@@Fancyfox24 auction?
@@gisellematurano259 They were a couple of years apart, but thank you. Only our stuff left thank goodness!
I thought this too,theres always a catch.🤨
The game Frustration in the background was well placed : )
I got the call to switch a month ago (which i did) they had an offer of zero fees for upgrading to a featured shop for the rest of 2024 and no shop fees for 6 months, wonder if that offer still applies since the announcement??
This will just move people over to selling on vinted much quicker. This will mean ebay will loose even more market share.
No because vinted are going to do the same now because of the new pro that came out these online sites have been told by HMRC they need to report big seller with large profits because of tax
they basically need more buyers, not sellers
I think they need both, no point trying buying stuff if there are no buyers selling it - I would go to another well known site straight away
Buyers Don't make them any money sellers do people might stop selling on ebay but most will still buy cheap stuff on there
@@AndrewBuckleBookReviews Yer but would you if the item was a lot cheaper on ebay your maybe buy it
Great video. I am a private seller on ebay. I am curious about all these changes. They have changed rules on ebay for private sellers in regards to listings. Private sellers still get charged international fees on items and fees on motors.
I'm guessing that eBay are going to convert the majority of private sellers into business ones, in the coming years.
Depends on the stuff you’re selling. I sold my late husband’s model train collection. EBay called me! I don’t think they believed me. However. I offered to send them a copy of his death certificate, some very old records of what and when he bought stuff, some photos of a garage full of trains covered in dust. Eventually they accepted my reason for selling a stock load of model trains.
There are people blatantly selling as a business on private accounts, on the ebay community groups someone was on there moaning that on their private account that they use for there business they were being limited from 1000 to only 300 and when people, pointed out they shouldn't be running a business on a private account they recon they asked ebay and they told them to do it!
my wife not long started a book selling business on ebay .we always have a look at other peoples books and the amount that are private sellers with 500 to 6000 books listed for sale im guessing ebay will be busy asking them to move to business sellers
That's the question we're all asking..... What criteria does Ebay use to determine a private seller from a business seller.
I doubt they'll tell us because If they say for example 1K a month in sales or 50 items a month, business sellers may just restrict their own private accounts to those limits and possibly open other private accounts.
Shouldnt it be about the money you make, rather than the number you sell each month?
If you sold 150 items a month for a pound, thats not much.
Not really. If you are selling one expensive item, chances are you are not a business. If you are selling five items every day, chances are that you are a business.
So if I sell off a high end professional piece of electronic for lets say 10 grand, I have to register as a business now ? it should always be a conversation between ebay and the seller. But they will no doubt be relying on their AI systems. Once triggered no ifs or buts you have to convert the account.
I have a business and a private account. My private account shows I have 297 listings left for the rolling month and a monetary amount of £6,907.31 remaining! So as a private seller it appears I have limited listings and how much I can earn too which seems a vast amount for a private account!
is this only in the UK?
I had to switch from private to business a few months ago and get free fees until the end of the year 😊
It seems that eBay still like to control their users, by holding on to funds raised by sales. Similar to PayPal. It's for this reason, I still won't sell on eBay.
@@Jack_Warner They paid directly into your bank account the next day, it’s only now it’s changed
@@errolandislasmotorhometrav3785 Paypal used to hold on to it for 30 days. That's one reason I left Paypal, plus they had control of my bank account. They could take funds when they felt like it.
Ebay are not stupid they see if they sell regularly
I know youre stupid and this will probably go straight over your head but you keeping moaning about business sellers selling as private on ebay yet you've been doing the same on Vinted for months. Pot, kettle, black.
I heard that next year eBay will be charging buyers a fee on top of the purchase price.
Yes they will be doing it , poshmark are doing it in america just started the other day reduced seller fees seller pays 6.25% buyer pays 6.25% plus a set amount for for different price brackets , macari have done the same thing over there as well and there sales have slumped (cant understand why) so in theory the seller will be better off making more money per sale but the buyers have to pay extra ,both sites have seen a lot less sales
Yep that's what they said but the big question will be is it going to be an across the board fee so private and business sellers are on an equal footing?
That's probably the move they need to move.
if thata the case your businesses are finished
@@Luckyjo21 Not really. If you are a business seller you can list your item cheaper as you aren't the one paying fees.
Would actually be a massive boost for business sellers if Ebay just take a percentage from the buyers.
Great update thank you 💯💯
One of the main metrics they are using is if a seller is selling multiple items of the same thing repeatedly then they are asserting that you are running a business. I was told this on the phone by an ebay rep this past Thursday. I have been a private seller/buyer on ebay since 2001, near 8000 feedback, currently have 225 active sales listings various things that belonged to my family, clothing, music, blurays and have not been asked/told to switch..yet.
I would guess they would look at items sold over a period of time, for example a 12 month period and if there are 100 or more items consistently sold every month over the year then they would assume that person is operating a business...who knows?
WONT BE THAT ITS GOT TO BE SOMETHING ELSE
@@lancethrust9488 LIKE WHAT
@@lancethrust9488 How else would they do it then?
I suppose if you list 150 items every month for a year…. And the items are combination of new and used. That would point to someone operating as a business.
I doubt they will block people who are randomly listing within the limits to clear personal items. And they haven’t listed in ages and then go months without listing anything else.
I think it’s account activity over a long period of time
Business sellers have a consistent routine.
Private sellers look much different data wise.
Also, if you are a business. Do everything above board and you never have to worry about this stuff.
We get enough day to day issues being self employed, why add to your own stress.
One way ebay knows whether you're a private or business seller is by your bank account. Is it a private or business bank account? And don't think they can't see your transactions, they can if they want to. Also are your credit cards business or not? And in U.S. taxes, are you using a social security number or a business license ID. These are all factors.
I see a lot of Anger from business sellers over these changes, I wouldn't worry one bit. eBay are now making Zero from private accounts so who's items do you think they will promote to the top of the search results? Selling for FREE will come at a COST, the cost will be Sticky Stock, no business seller wants Sticky Items.
' who's items do you think they will promote to the top of the search results?'
The only items they push are items you pay to promote, so no this isn't how its going to work. Unless you want to be paying up to %14 extra fees to be number 1 in the list
Ditto
private sellers can still promote items @ 2 % upwards ....just like buissness sellers
@JYopp-d1n .....not true mate .....pay for promoted listings same coverage for buissness or private
You almost have to promote now anyway to get any views. They are going to be forcing private accounts to upgrade as soon as they start selling much regardless. The 300 things a trap as if you sell 20% of that you'll be forced to upgrade anyway I suspect which is fair enough, if you are selling more than what might be considered usual for someone clearing the loft.
Ebay have obviously looked at their business model and found the loophole which means they are losing revenue, they are do this for one reason only, improve their margins.
Wow, everyone is interested in this topic!
I would think its over a 3 month or 6 month period then you could tell if its a one off multiple sales or consistant sales of multiple lots every month.
The private seller free listing limit is a big clue on what they accept. I would imagine they would then look for a regular pattern of exceeding the limit over X number of months.
I think in USA at least, they are identifying who will need to carry insurance like Amz. requires for sellers to have. Yes, even in the used goods category, so this is just a first step. It always comes down to liability and tax BS. I had a private acct b/c that is what I started with. When I tried to change it, it was a mess and I was concerned about losing sales history , tax stuff, etc so I did not change it. Ive always paid my taxes and treated it as a business. Ill change it soon
I think Ebay should just make the rules the same for everyone selling on the site. As you mentioned it's not fair to presume a private seller's really a business seller just because they've had a flurry of sales, or made more than they usually would over a period of time. I think it would be better if they concentrated on going after the users who are the real villains of the piece such as scammers, Overseas companies pretending to be in the UK & fake goods sellers.
Love to see them argue when I'm selling items privately and I have 2k worth of stuff which is mine.
Above £1000 you still have to pay tax on it
You’ve got to notify HMRC if you make over £1000 not to pay tax once you hit the mark what is £12000 and something a year then you start paying tax
You get 6k a year personal allowance
@@kevinleblanc1000 No you dont ffs !!!!
simply inform the inland revenue of why stop giving false information !
Nice one Nic subscribed...worth mentioning the £1000+ sold or gross profit then HRMC is alerted...wonder if this applies to China sellers.
Government needs money, its money comes from taxes. That's all the issue here.
This is great for private sellers like me who sells perhaps 20 items but it must be hard to compete with for business sellers.
I also think the point about someone inheriting 100's of items or a collector selling their collection, are the very small minority of people selling 100s of items a month, they are the unfortunate false positives of that sort of system, ther eis no perfect way to decipher who is and isnt abusing the system.
Indeed, and the system will pick up people who perhaps are genuinely selling off their own private possesions
@@NicHills very good vid...thanks for sharing.... I collect militaria, and have started selling a few items a month on the bay, in the main I buy from there to add to my collection, at present I have 3/4 items listed to clear them out...hopefully I'll be left in peace...:)
@@NicHills If the algorithm is right 95% will be businesses they pick up. The false positives will have to decide if it's worth continuing. They could always sell their entire stuff to a real business seller. To be honest how many people are going to sell their inherited stuff on ebay? most will have the house cleared. They may keep a few items to sell but even if it was a collection they most probably would find a dealer to buy it all off them.
There are too many user cases to make a fixed rule about this in my opinion. Here are two I have personally experienced. 1) Many many years ago, I worked at a global consumer electronics company for a number of years, that had excellent staff sales scheme and built an extensive collection of equipment. On selling car entertainment items I had bought for my sons but they never used, eBay picked me up as a business user as I was selling brand new branded goods. Had to contact eBay and explain and they dropped the case. 2) When one of my best friends died I offered to clear his estate for his widow as the clearance people were low balling her, a mix of new and used with high end items (similar to what you might aspire to source at boot fairs) in the end the overall sold value was over £4K. In this case I heard nothing from eBay. Oh and before anyone comments I declared that one to HMRC as 0% consignment…..
Perhaps it would be better for ebay to contact sellers first instead of assuming business activity. We moved on to a canal boat five years ago and have been selling the entire contents of our house bit by bit when we have the inclination. We're small fry so I don't imagine that ebay will care a jot if we leave the platform but that's exactly what we'll do if we're asked/forced to register as a business seller. Perhaps it would be wise for us to contact them first to inform them of our status instead of waiting for an email from them after triggering a pre determined alert triggered by an algorithm
I mainly sell GB postage stamps and ive been collecting pre decimal for 30 odd years. In order to get those elusive stamps, i sometimes have to buy a large collection, sort through it to see what I need, and sell whats left. If ebay decide by doing this im a business, then its bye bye ebay.
If you're funding your hobby in the way you state, you are a business. HMRC would say so.
I can only imagine that this could potentially be linked to the information eBay are required to provide to hmrc on a yearly basis one way or another.. suggesting that quantity is irrelevant and account status is on a monetised basis ? I guess companies like we buy any car or Casio for example will be loving this news as it will be the way to sell privately without incurring duties. Alternatively proof of vehicle ownership could work to keep a private account for a one of sale, one way or another it’s not good for encouraging individuals to recycle and reuse in that sense as they will clearly be very restricted which in my opinion counteracts the move to provide equality on the marketplace !!🤷♂️ on the flip side of not everyone in my family could be reselling very soon haha😂
Its got to be a business if you are buying in to resell, private sellers would be selling your personal item that is no longer in use.
sounds like their returning to the old ways, made the mistake of trying to sell my magazine collection and learned lististing more than a hundred items in a month, made me a business. At least their now giving you 21 days notice rather than just switching your account automatically and YES YOU CANNOT GO BACK had to create another account and start from scratch
Even selling 150 cup cakes a month, HMRC would say you are running a business, even as a sole trader and expect you to declare income. At a £1 each it’s £1800 a year
And wish ebay would employ me to be a private account > business account adviser. Id make the company millions
Same 😂 hardly anything grinds my gears in life. BUT businesses on private accounts gets me going.
Hi can you do a video on how to turn off simple delivery
The whole free listing's is to get people to over list then push them over to buussness selling and more fees for ebay
Honeytrap
Vinted pro is free to sell, won’t be long and eBay will do the same to keep up with them, or lose out.
eBay are a Greedy Company
ebay are likely to have created an AI programme to flag private accounts that act "out of the norm" of the majority of private accounts. Selling 150 items a month (over X period of time) may be combined with other factors, like listing more than 300 items per month (over X period of time) for example. That's all just a guess... but its simple enough to find out "rogue" accounts that act differently from the majority - financial services use it all the time to flag up money laundering etc.
That would make sense
Hi nick I hope you see my message. I believe it will be evidence of selling the same item multiple times. Ie. The same Skylander for example. I sold the same character on my business account 8 times. No way could I evidence I owned the same item 8 times.
I would assume that they will use the 30 items a year or £1770 a year benchamrk that the HMRC put in place for auto reporting?
That is more to show if a person needs to do a self assessment tax return or not. Many needed to do it anyway but haven't. It's not new rules its just ensuring people do what they need to do. I wouldn't think HMRC care one bit what type of eBay account you have as long as you are doing your taxes correctly. Wont matter to them if someone is on a private account as long as they are reporting what they make and sell etc
@@Xofttam Exactly
Ali express is better if it’s not an urgent item
Interesting. I'd imagined that, as long as the 300 listings a months threshold wasn't breached, then it was still eligible to be a Private account. The game belongs to eBay though so they make the rules. I'm guessing that, if they see a number of months go by where (for example) 290 listings are being posted regularly, they could step in and say "No, sorry, you're quite clearly a Business not Private".
I understand why the Seller you got this info from ought remain anonymous, however without knowing their selling details it's difficult to comment. Can you unreservedly state that the Seller only has the one account? Precisely how long have they been selling? Have there been months when they've sold more than 1,000* and if so how frequently?
*1,000 is the previous eBay monthly Private listings limit which is now only 300.
With regards to 'no going back to a Private account once it becomes a Business account', I'd imagine a person is still entitled to also open and hold a new Private account.
The documentation was hard to work out, my assumption was the listing fee but if it is final sale as well, that is interesting. I think it would be terrible if they force people to move from private to business if they are actually just decluttering their house and selling items that way. 150 items is not a lot of items to sell a month and still be private, people have lots of books and DVDs and clothes etc around the house and want to sell them. I think if you put up 15 copies of a book or 20 items available of a particular DVD that would suggest a business to me. I know people get angry about this but ebay is a great place to declutter, I hope they don't ruin that on this platform.
I have had from a reliable source from HMRC that it's your turnover, it’s lower than you think unfortunately this will catch many private sellers out. The bottom line tread very carefully if you private seller.
In my opinion all those International sellers it won't be affected if you have a UK address but if you have you will have comply. Unfortunately HMRC are watching bank accounts as well which is linked to eBay.
Excellent timing for this horrible October budget.
150 items a month is a lot. I've sold about 900 items in 20 years.
Interesting video thanks. 😊 I’m a private seller and have watched your channel for years, but exactly as you said, I’ll go months not using it then I’ll have a clear out and sell lots of stuff. Also confusing if I would need to pay tax or not, if I’m selling high quality items the money can ramp up, but it is my personal things and not items I bought to sell on. I still prefer to sell clothing on eBay as I feel I can ask more for the items than on Vinted!
YOU DONT PAY TAX ON PERSONAL THINGS AS MOST OF THE TIME YOUR LOSING LOTS OF MONEY IF YOU HAD TO BUY THEM BRANDNEW !!!!
If the items you sell are personal property (ie not bought with the intention of resale) then no tax is payable on them, regardless of value. Since, in the majority of such cases, the resale value is less than the original purchase price there would be no profit to declare anyway.
Lol. Bet you sell all sizes of high end clothing tick tock tick tock. Hmrc
I think eBay is spying on resellers and watching TH-cam videos. There have been a lot of resellers crosslisting and having their item exported to other platforms. EBay has been watching all of this... The days of eBay being a decent platform are over...
@@lancethrust9488 Thank you! 🙏
Its unclear how ebay determines who should turn to a busienss. The example you gave there, the seller is operating within the limits ebay have set as a private seller... so why have they been flagged!!?
Cheers Nic 😊👍
irl auction prices are high, ppl clearing out collections can do it that way.
Once you become a business account Ebay will charge you 0.36p insertion fees,for every current listing still running , so before you switch cull the dross and put it in the car boot box. I sell approx 60 items a month.
Or sign up to a store subscription, but then of course, they are getting your money via a different method.
I think the important words in that eBay message are "MAY BE" blocked. Until we see some firm action from eBay they're just empty threats. Time will tell.
So you can wait until eBay tell you that you have to switch ?