Ive stopped selling on Ebay after 10 years

robtes

I am only a small (<£1k pa) private seller just old household obsolete stuff . Last Nov Eb hit us all with enhanced security requirements (allegedly) which required two extra  forms of personal identification eg Passport w photo or Driving licence and so on.  On principle I will never offer this sort of detail on line (other than an obvious Government site or NHS).  I believe the HMRC decided to clamp down on all us small private sellers for tax purposes (doesnt accept what pathetically small profit we may gain from sell low value items).  You dont pay tax on such second hand goods anyway.  Gumtree does punish you just charges a fee for a contact IIRC?

So thats it Bye Bye Ebay no more selling.  BTW I was sick of the abusive attitude Ebay took towards Sellers anyway.  I also hated the way that PRC sellers could get away with blatant abuse of the Ebay rules (such as multiple listings of the same product 100s of times. false claim their product is UK based when this is a lie etc).  I find Ali Express quite easy to use but expect 3 weeks delivery - but some days 7 days!!!! 

robtes

OBTW (there is now way to edit/correct my original post above) 
What I want to highlight is that Ebay has withheld my funds due to me (only £20) until I send in my personal photos etc as demanded.  So thats EBAY blackmail for you and Ive lost £20 for ever.  How many other thousands of small people have been caught like this.  IMHO dont give away your personal info like this as you never know where it could go.  I always make a point of acting under an alias and never reveal real data (unless absolutely needed).  BTW I have a 100% FB score and 2000 + trades over 10 years - absolutely nothing improper on my account

JadedAngel88

If you're selling your own junk on eBay, HMRC are not interested.

If, on the other hand, you're buying things to sell to make profit. Then HMRC are interested.

I've been infrequently selling my junk on eBay since 2006, I've not been asked or given them any personal documents but would if they asked.

Sometimes it's better to not cut your nose off just to spite your face.

tbriggs166

I find Facebook Market place better for selling household items than ebay anyway

PocketWatchMan

JadedAngel88 said:

If you're selling your own junk on eBay, HMRC are not interested.

If, on the other hand, you're buying things to sell to make profit. Then HMRC are interested.

I've been infrequently selling my junk on eBay since 2006, I've not been asked or given them any personal documents but would if they asked.

Sometimes it's better to not cut your nose off just to spite your face.

Sorry but this simply does not match real world experience - someone of my acquaintance has had to retain legal advice at considerable expense, as HMRC have accused him of being a trader (which is a laughable accusation, to those that know the person) simply for letting go of things that have been in a basement or loft for years, if not decades. This is far from the only example I have heard of, in the past year or so. If HMRC decide they are interested, then the burden of proof now switches to you, to prove you are not buying to make a profit.

swingaloo

robtes said:

OBTW (there is now way to edit/correct my original post above) 
What I want to highlight is that Ebay has withheld my funds due to me (only £20) until I send in my personal photos etc as demanded.  So thats EBAY blackmail for you and Ive lost £20 for ever.  How many other thousands of small people have been caught like this.  IMHO dont give away your personal info like this as you never know where it could go.  I always make a point of acting under an alias and never reveal real data (unless absolutely needed).  BTW I have a 100% FB score and 2000 + trades over 10 years - absolutely nothing improper on my account

I dont think you are cut out for Ebay. I have been selling my used stuff for a long time but I have not been asked for anything other than my NI number. If they are asking you for more then you have triggered something in the system. The same applies to your acquaintance. 
2000+ sales over 10 years means that you are selling 200+ items a year constantly for 10 years. Ebay are not blackmailing you. You sign up for the terms and if you want to use the site then you abide by the rules. Everyone has to do so. Your £20 is withheld until you comply, whether or not you choose to do so is up to you.

robtes

Giving up you NI number???????  Hve you ever heard of datamining?  You will be asked from various source over time for disconnected items of identity - dark forces will string these together and gather a complete dossier of your private data - is that what you want - where does that data go?
I knew a guy 10 years ago ex us military intel - he told me all about data mining and stringing -- it was scary back then.  What is it you dont get?

RFW

robtes said:

OBTW (there is now way to edit/correct my original post above) 
What I want to highlight is that Ebay has withheld my funds due to me (only £20) until I send in my personal photos etc as demanded.  So thats EBAY blackmail for you and Ive lost £20 for ever.  How many other thousands of small people have been caught like this.  IMHO dont give away your personal info like this as you never know where it could go.  I always make a point of acting under an alias and never reveal real data (unless absolutely needed).  BTW I have a 100% FB score and 2000 + trades over 10 years - absolutely nothing improper on my account

It's much the same as sharing it with a bank. Obviously you don't know where that goes either but we have to take certain risks all the time.

Ebay is approved by the FCA, so under certain restrictions from that.

https://register.fca.org.uk/s/firm?id=0014G00002VVqeqQAD

swingaloo

robtes said:

Giving up you NI number???????  Hve you ever heard of datamining?  You will be asked from various source over time for disconnected items of identity - dark forces will string these together and gather a complete dossier of your private data - is that what you want - where does that data go?
I knew a guy 10 years ago ex us military intel - he told me all about data mining and stringing -- it was scary back then.  What is it you dont get?

What is it I dont get? Well for a start I dont get where you are getting all your silly conspiracy theories from. Your National Insurance number is already out there via loads of different agencies. Pensions, benefits etc. Next you are going to say you wont have a driving licence, bank card, loyalty card. 
Dark forces, lol. 

RedImp_2

Anybody else ever been asked for photo id on EBay?  First I’ve heard about it.

RFW

RedImp_2 said:

Anybody else ever been asked for photo id on EBay?  First I’ve heard about it.

On Amazon last year many sellers, including myself, had a KYC check. This included having to prove we were based in the UK and selling goods from the UK. They require a ridiculous amount of information from accounts that had been verified on there for years.

I don't know if I've given Ebay my photo id but it's fairly standard procedure for any reputable marketplace.