Gazza confused about the new Business Seller Info

[Gothicina]

Gazza, I'm classed as a business seller on this ID but I'm not Registered as a Company so I don't have the info you require in the new Business section.
I'm a self-employed sole proprietor & registered for tax purposes as such, & provide accounts. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position.

Do the OFT only require Companies to be shown as a Business?

[HannaHolly]

I've opened a ticket on this, because business sellers are not restricted to limited companies.

[johnwash1]

What's a business seller anyway? I would have assumed it's someone who sells existing businesses and franchises.

[MooseSeeds]

What's a business seller anyway? I would have assumed it's someone who sells existing businesses and franchises.

lol ............

[HannaHolly]

You are a business seller if you:

buy goods to then sell online
make items to sell for a profit
sell goods for others, on commission
sell a service and get paid for it

[nykmedia]

Gazza, I'm classed as a business seller on this ID but I'm not Registered as a Company so I don't have the info you require in the new Business section.
I'm a self-employed sole proprietor & registered for tax purposes as such, & provide accounts. I'm sure I'm not the only one in this position.

Do the OFT only require Companies to be shown as a Business?

Have I missed something?

OK, sorry, yes, I see the problem now. I can't complete that form either because it has the company registration number as mandatory and, as sole traders, we don't have one. Got you now.

[MooseSeeds]

bump for a response

[johnwash1]

You are a business seller if you:

buy goods to then sell online
make items to sell for a profit
sell goods for others, on commission
sell a service and get paid for it

Oh, ok, thanks Hanna. Then I'm certainly not a business seller by that definition either. But why does it matter anyway? It sounds as if there's new info to fill in when joining, or perhaps I've forgotten questions I was asked (it was over 4 years ago, so not too surprising).

[HannaHolly]

It matters because buyers have more legal protection when buying from a business seller than they do when buying from a private individual. As a 'buyer' i have had the misfortune to buy a dvd on this site which was not the one pictured and was not a genuine copy. The seller was selling hundreds of similar items so i knew they were a business seller and I asked them for a full refund under the UKs distance selling regulations ( which would include me sending the doodgy dvd back to them.) The seller clearly did not understand their obligations under the law and frankly it was not a pleasant buying experience! In my view anything which focusses online traders on their legal obligations is a good thing. it will increase buyer confidence and make butying and selling on line a better experience for all.

It is also important because Uk legislation has asked for this information ( there are some threads about this in the 'post' section. However the UK legislation is not restricted to limited companies ( which is all the ebid form is allowing to complete) so at the moment the vast majority of business sellers cannot update their information to show their true status.

There will be a LOT of sellers on ebid who buy items to sell on. I can recognise them quite easily by the types and quantities of the items they sell.

[nykmedia]

Personally, I think it's more to do with social security benefit claimants and tax laws. They've been closing the net in on the big auction site for some time now and the Social Security fraud inspectors can request copies of PayPal statements to see how much trading you do. If you are trading online, with or without profit, and claiming benefits for being unable to work - ie incapacity etc - then it's easy for them to see how many hours you are capable of sitting at a computer. This is only ONE of the many ways the Benefits, Insurance and Tax fraud investigators can use such info. They can also cross-reference your name to other sites, even via the likes of Google, and it soon adds up to a pretty picture of how much time you spend online, where and for what reasons.
Oh yeah, and then there is, of course, the 'buyer protection' thing, so folks know if they are dealing with a 'bloke in the pub', a genuine registered trader, a scrounging benefits cheat or auntie Mable's sister's daughter-in-law's cousin who no longer needs her 3 carat diamond engagement ring or 52" plasma screen TV.

Still doesn't help that the form has omitted the fact that 'trader' isn't just restricted to Limited Company status. In saying this, the mandatory requirement for a company registration number is good! The word 'limited' or 'Ltd' should never be included in a trading name without a registration number... watch out for anyone trading on the big auction site using 'ltd'... request their company registration number and check it before giving them cash.