There are currently three types of eBay accounts, those registered as Businesses, those registered as Private Sellers, and those who have accounts predating Business registration which are neither.
From next year eBay have stated on the PowerSeller board that “There will also be some moves to enforce business registration on more sellers” [log on required]
This is a great move, business sellers by default have to abide by more stringent selling regulations such as the Distance Selling Regulations, so buyers should have more confidence in dealing with professional sellers.
If eBay start differentiating between professional and casual sellers it should be a good thing for the marketplace in general, but first every seller needs to declare their legal status.
It should be noted that to declare yourself as a Private Seller when you’re actually a business is an offence in itself. The generally accepted definition of a Business Seller is anyone that purchases goods with the intent to resell them (even if you consider it as a hobby!).
Next year I foresee eBay changing (it always does!) but moving more towards supporting professional Business Sellers and giving them the assistance they deserve.
If you’ve not registered as a business or private seller to date, you can define your account type in eBay My Preferences.
2 Responses
I was told by my account manager that all Powersellers would have to be business registered next year – it will be interesting to see how many people drop out of the Powerseller scheme. Also the sliding scale for listing fees will be an interesting idea that has been talked about by sellers for a long time and may finally keep some of the major sellers from taking their businesses elsewhere. Should be an interesting year.
This can only be seen as a good move by ebay