Can I sell Olive Oil on eBay?

maryroberts

I have a quantity of of first pressed olive oil which I brought back from Greece with me, when I moved back to the UK in January. It is currently in large containers but I intend to transfer it to smaller sealed containers in order to sell it.

Would I be allowed to sell the oil on eBay? I've been searching for info but I can't find any guidelines for this type of product. It does not have a "use by" date. Would I have to put labels on the bottles, and what info is necessary?

Any guidance would be appreciated!

shaun_from_Africa

Can I sell Olive Oil on eBay?

Can I be the first to crack the old joke?
Probably, but you would have to ask Popeye first.

There are a few other sellers with bottles of olive listed, but I would have thought that it would be illegal to sell bottles that you have filled yourself unless they are correctly sealed and with the use by date, ingredients and other nutritional info shown on the bottle.

There are also the other legalities of selling that must be considered.
You would be selling as a business, so would have all the responsibilities that go along with that.

ineed

Hi, well I've brought some spices etc from eBay before from a shop; the shop sold three jars of different things, whatever you wanted, for £10 or so. They came in clear glass containers with just a label the seller had made, but they also sold it in a jute bag with plastic windows and like wood shavings in it so people could give it as a gift. I think with the right presentation you can sell it, just explain where it came from, throw in a few words like organic (I assume it is organic?) and about how healthy it is etc. people will buy it.

George_Michael

Just because other sellers list home made or home packaged food items on sites such as ebay doesn't mean that they are acting within the law. It might just mean that they were not aware of the requirements to sell food products in the UK.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/contents/made

There is also the question of food hygiene regulations, which again are a legal requirement for many people manufacturing or repackaging food to be sold.

The OP probably won't have any problems with their plan, but as with anything, it's best be be aware of all of the possible requirements before proceeding, and also to be aware of any possible problems that could occur by ignoring those requirements.

As to this comment:

throw in a few words like organic (I assume it is organic?) and about how healthy it is etc. people will buy it.

Not very sensible advice.
Simply stating that something is organic or saying that it is healthy is illegal unless these claims can be proven.

As shaun from africa stated, the OP will be reselling something that they purchased, so they will be operating a business.
By selling this way they incur far more legal responsibilities than someone who is simply getting rid of a few unwanted items.

ineed

George_Michael wrote: »

Just because other sellers list home made or home packaged food items on sites such as ebay doesn't mean that they are acting within the law. It might just mean that they were not aware of the requirements to sell food products in the UK.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/contents/made

There is also the question of food hygiene regulations, which again are a legal requirement for many people manufacturing or repackaging food to be sold.

The OP probably won't have any problems with their plan, but as with anything, it's best be be aware of all of the possible requirements before proceeding, and also to be aware of any possible problems that could occur by ignoring those requirements.

As to this comment:

Not very sensible advice.
Simply stating that something is organic or saying that it is healthy is illegal unless these claims can be proven.

As shaun from africa stated, the OP will be reselling something that they purchased, so they will be operating a business.
By selling this way they incur far more legal responsibilities than someone who is simply getting rid of a few unwanted items.

Perhaps i didnt make myself clear. As I said, list it as organic assuming it is organic, making it a prominent selling point. Of course if it isn't you shouldn't list it as such.

The shop I brought my spices from is quite a well known brand (to people who buy authentic herbs and spice imports) I was just stating my experience with them to show the OP how they did it, the labels they use still list everything relevant. And how packaging can make all the difference.

martindow

Apart from the rules and regulations on rebottling and labelling are you going to be able to make any profit? You will have to buy bottleswhich are going to need good packaging and will be heavy and expensive to post.

Add on your Ebay and Paypal fees and this is going to be expensive olive oil.

maryroberts

Thanks for all the replies. We already have the containers (bought in Greece) - they are small cylindrical tins made specifically for this purpose. May be able to make a small profit but will think hard about it all, it's probably not worthwhile setting up a business account etc.

QuackQuackOops

How do you know whether the Olive Oil was good to start with?
How do you know if its turning rancid?
can you be sure its food grade?
Can you state where it came from and from which trees?

Selling food is a massively risky business and you should not go down that route unless you have some very good insurance in place.

Chocmonster7

You're probably better off decanting it to the small tins with home made labels and selling it at a local Food & Gift Fair.

Crowqueen

There is no way you can sell this as you would like to without registering as a business, abiding by environmental health laws, and so on. The problem is that by selling this you would become a business - whether on eBay or at a local food and gift fair - and there are some ultra-strict consumer laws - never mind the tax implications - of selling in this way.

I'm sure there's probably a way you could register the income for tax without a problem, though.

eBay may not be the best place to sell it - perhaps there is more value in selling it face-to-face. Just make sure everything is above board.

maryroberts

Thanks - I agree that eBay is not the best place to sell the olive oil. For the moment I will stick to friends and family only!