Upgrading to ebay business account-but don't have business name!

Mrs_Money

Help! I'm just in the process of upgrading my Ebay account to a business account - under duress, I might add! As I am not a business (Ebay doesn't care - just says my volume of "business" makes me a business seller) I have come to the point on the form where I have to enter "Business Name" and "Business Registration Details" - as I don't have either of these (because I've just been selling a mass of very small 99p items from my house) I'm not sure what to put. I still have masses of junk to get rid of and so would quite like to carry on selling on Ebay, but they have said I can no longer list any items until I upgrade - so I have to.
Anyone got any advice?

boombap

I'm sure someone will be along to advise otherwise if it's a no-no but could'nt you open another personal account or two? If you're really only selling household bits n bobs it would be a mither for you to upgrade to a business account and arose the suspicions if HMRC.

S.

Mrs_Money

squee wrote: »

I'm sure someone will be along to advise otherwise if it's a no-no but could'nt you open another personal account or two? If you're really only selling household bits n bobs it would be a mither for you to upgrade to a business account and arose the suspicions if HMRC.

S.

Yes... I agree, and I did think about opening another personal account - but didn't know if I'd get away with it - anyone had any luck doing this? Just how many accounts can you have? And wouldn't it be obvious if after being told to upgrade I then opened another personal account - I dunno - I'm fed up with them TBH!

cyberbob

squee wrote: »

I'm sure someone will be along to advise otherwise if it's a no-no but could'nt you open another personal account or two? If you're really only selling household bits n bobs it would be a mither for you to upgrade to a business account and arose the suspicions if HMRC.

S.

If you try and open another account and sell the volume that have made ebay think you were a business the same thing will happen again. As ebay have requested tou upgrade i'm sure they would pick up on it. As long as you can show to the HMRC that you are selling personal items you wont have any problems. Just because you register as a business on ebay it does not make you a business in the eyes of the HMRC

Just use your username as the business name.. As your not registered for tax etc you should be able to leave the registration details blank

Mrs_Money

cyberbob wrote: »

If you try and open another account and sell the volume that have made ebay think you were a business the same thing will happen

Incidentally, I don't actually think it was the selling volume that Ebay picked up on (I sold about 5-8 99p items a week - couple more if I had listed on a free listing week) - I think it was the amount of relisting I did - as loads of things didn't sell week after week!
I just don't know what they're at - loads of very obviously business sellers are not showing up as registered as such on the listings - I've been checking a few, so I have no idea why they picked on me.

TurkishDelight

Mrs_Money wrote: »

Incidentally, I don't actually think it was the selling volume that Ebay picked up on (I sold about 5-8 99p items a week - couple more if I had listed on a free listing week) - I think it was the amount of relisting I did - as loads of things didn't sell week after week!
I just don't know what they're at - loads of very obviously business sellers are not showing up as registered as such on the listings - I've been checking a few, so I have no idea why they picked on me.

You're right there.

There is one "private" seller with 10,000 (Okay, I exaggerate- currently 9,949 :cool:) listings in our category, but they don't relist through ebay so they seem invisible to ebay. :eek:

It's just a shame that genuine private sellers get caught up in this mess really

theonlywayisup

Mrs_Money wrote: »

Help! I'm just in the process of upgrading my Ebay account to a business account - under duress, I might add! As I am not a business (Ebay doesn't care - just says my volume of "business" makes me a business seller) I have come to the point on the form where I have to enter "Business Name" and "Business Registration Details" - as I don't have either of these (because I've just been selling a mass of very small 99p items from my house) I'm not sure what to put. I still have masses of junk to get rid of and so would quite like to carry on selling on Ebay, but they have said I can no longer list any items until I upgrade - so I have to.
Anyone got any advice?

Put 0 (zero) as the business number, unless you are a limited company you will not have a business number.

With the name, you could just pick a name similar to your username. That will be the name of your shop, should you open one on Ebay.

scarlet74

Hi Mrs Money!

I am in exactly the same boat as you. Ebay have pointed to my selling figures, but like you it's my listing figures (and especially re-listing) that they picked up on. It's all to do with these new changes, and until this month we would have been fine. I have been happily and innocently clearing a pile of Lego these last few weeks until ebay decided to force me to upgrade "to protect their buters". Okaaaaaaaayyy...

I'm not sure what they expected when they introduced free 99p listings a year ago - perhaps not that people would be as determined as we have been in taking countless photos, then uploading them onto listings. It's not rubbish either - and I know that some sellers have been listing several hundred unsellable items at a time.

I suspect that like me you have really made an effort recently, and fallen foul of their new rules. The irony is that once we become business sellers, we no longer get free 99p listings - and in my case it's not worth paying the listing (and re-listing) fees for something that may not sell on week but might well sell the next. Once I become a business seller, I will be listing fewer items on ebay than ever.

macfly

Just car boot em. 99p is not going to make you much anyway. Summer's coming and it's much more social.
Amazed to find a bob post I agree with. HMRC are not the monsters people think.

hermum

Mrs_Money wrote: »

Help! I'm just in the process of upgrading my Ebay account to a business account - under duress, I might add! As I am not a business (Ebay doesn't care - just says my volume of "business" makes me a business seller) I have come to the point on the form where I have to enter "Business Name" and "Business Registration Details" - as I don't have either of these (because I've just been selling a mass of very small 99p items from my house) I'm not sure what to put. I still have masses of junk to get rid of and so would quite like to carry on selling on Ebay, but they have said I can no longer list any items until I upgrade - so I have to.
Anyone got any advice?

Can't you car boot instead? If you're selling your own stuff it seems like a loaf of hassle. Or sell on gumtree or something in a few job lots, that's free. cash when it's collected.

baffcat

Just a thought..... as a private seller, your 99p listings were free, so re-listing didn't cost you the earth.

As a business seller, you'll pay each and everytime you list, including the first listing, even for 99p listings.

It's going to make selling off your stuff on ebay, if it doesn't sell the first couple of times, VERY expensive.