Ebay have upgraded me to business...i only sell my own stuff!

lrb7691

Hi guys,

Ebay have recently upgraded me to a business account (which i didn't ask them to do). I'm not running a business, I just don't keep anything very long and like to constantly revamp my wardrobe!

I've asked them to change it back but they won't let me. Will this have any implications on my tax or anything? I'm worried the Tax Man will think i'm running a separate business and will charge me ridiculous amounts for...which I'm definitely not!

Can anyone shed any light on the implications this may have?

Thanks!

bxboards

You have probably been taking advantage of the 100 or 200 free listing promotions and using them all up.

Personally I believe that Ebay do this to catch out the unregistered business sellers.

I am not comment on whether you are or not, but I suspect you've been using a lot of the recent free 100 listing offers?

lrb7691

I don't know what i've been doing! I've just been listing my items to get rid of them. When i lived at home i had a bit of a shopping addiction (no bills to pay & very little rent owed to mummy dearest) so i'd buy things all the time and end up never wearing them. I've now realised that i havent worn most of them, and even though i think i might, i won't, so i've been flogging it all. I just love clothes and hate having a stale wardrobe!!

kalsha

I have been making use of all the 100 free listings recently!!!!

At first I struggled to do just 20 or so. Recently I have been more organised and made use of the full 100. I am going through my children's stuff - mainly books and CDs. But I am also clearing a lot of other house stuff so it is varied stuff. I am certainly not a business.

soolin

Clothing seems to attract a lot of forced upgrades as it is the one thing that people see as an easily hidden business.

Now ebay have got you to upgrade you will need to have a full and compliant returns policy and display a full geographic address under contact details which is available on your listings. You won't be eligible for free listings anymore.

There is no tax implications though, but if you are really selling a lot of things (hopefully the same size!) just make sure you have a few photos available of overflowing wardrobes and the like to prove your story - should it ever come to that.

FidgitsID

I was a private seller, if they had ever done that to me, I would have had to stop selling.

Business sellers pretending to be private are bad for one set of reasons BUT selling on a "business" accout when in fact a private seller is just as bad.

If a private seller misrepresents themseves as a business, then the buyer has extra rights and seller has extra responsibilities. And in the litigious world we live in, personally I would not even consider selling under an ebay forced "business" profile if I was not actually a properly setup business.

soolin

FidgitsID wrote: »

I

Business sellers pretending to be private are bad for one set of reasons BUT selling on a "business" accout when in fact a private seller is just as bad.

s.

I'm intrigued by this bit and would welcome your thoughts. I often sell private goods on my business account - purely for ease of sale and listing. Obviously my books show these as private and not taxable- and I've never had a problem- but of course should any buyer wish to make use of my business return policy then they would be perfectly able to do so. Having said that though, there is no difference between my returns policy on my business and private accounts.

FidgitsID

soolin wrote: »

I'm intrigued by this bit and would welcome your thoughts.

When I buy from a business seller I expect and am entiled to more from them eg proper return/cancellation policy, and the item has to be "fit for purpose & statisfactory quality" (I think thats the terms) but when I buy from private seller, I dont expect any of that, just that the goods are as described.

Also if ebay decide that a seller was a business seller and forced a change to the account to show as a business. If the genuine private seller then continues selling on that account, its an acceptance that its right, and therfor I suspect proving to the tax people that its not a business would get much more difficult since the seller has "accepted" ebays decision that it is a business account.

Then you have product liability that I think covers business/retailers but not private sellers, but dont know much about it, only that most business have insurance for it just in case.

theonlywayisup

FidgitsID wrote: »

When I buy from a business seller I expect and am entiled to more from them eg proper return/cancellation policy, and the item has to be "fit for purpose & statisfactory quality" (I think thats the terms) but when I buy from private seller, I dont expect any of that, just that the goods are as described.

Also if ebay decide that a seller was a business seller and forced a change to the account to show as a business. If the genuine private seller then continues selling on that account, its an acceptance that its right, and therfor I suspect proving to the tax people that its not a business would get much more difficult since the seller has "accepted" ebays decision that it is a business account.

Then you have product liability that I think covers business/retailers but not private sellers, but dont know much about it, only that most business have insurance for it just in case.

What ebay force you to register as is of no consequence as to whether or not you should be registered with HMRC as a business.

FidgitsID

I know the 2 are not legaly tied together BUT a genuine private seller, would still be seen as having accepted this ebay change of status and continued selling on a "business" account, therfor, it is another thing the tax people could take into consideration if the seller was ever looked at.

If a seller is a genuine private seller, why do anything that can let the tax people go "ahh but you did this ....so you must be a business... why would you continue to sell as a business (ie accepting returns, displaying address etc etc) if you were not a business, you accepted ebays business account change etc"

Mrs_justjohn

FidgitsID wrote: »

I know the 2 are not legaly tied together BUT a genuine private seller, would still be seen as having accepted this ebay change of status and continued selling on a "business" account, therfor, it is another thing the tax people could take into consideration if the seller was ever looked at.

No I don't think this is strictly true. Just because ebay deem you to be selling at a level that makes them set your account as 'business' doesn't make it true, and I don't believe you can appeal it either.


Also a private seller can (if they wish) make their account business (on ebay) to benefit from promotions...it doesn't mean they are a business in the eyes of HMRC