Private fake seller - drop in sales figures!
Summary: annice_de describes difficulties as a commercial seller on eBay since private sellers have been able to sell goods without fees. This is said to have led to a sharp drop in sales figures. perfect-sally and bixtron agree and discuss the impact of sham sellers who are competing with commercial sellers. Solutions such as cease-and-desist letters are suggested, but the risks are also pointed out. steininsel-hamburg-21107 and others share similar experiences and are considering switching to other platforms. Some participants are thinking about how they could work together to tackle the problem more effectively.
Hello,
I have been selling textiles and shoes commercially here on eBay for almost 20 years. Since eBay allowed private sellers to sell for free, my sales have dropped dramatically and I am thinking about closing my shop.
eBay hides behind the tax office and says that they have to sort that out. I reported several fake sellers with more than 200 listings of new textiles and shoes. So far, nothing has happened. Has anyone had similar experiences?
I’m looking forward to your replies.
MarionsMarkenshop24
steininsel-hamburg-21107
·1 week agoYes, you can, as a supposedly private seller, list hundreds of new items at the same time and regularly sell the same goods, and eBay de facto doesn't do anything about it. Apparently, eBay prefers supposedly private sellers to regularly registered commercial sellers - for whatever unfathomable reasons.
vierliter_de
·1 week agoIt’s really fascinating that eBay has no interest in corresponding reports.
They miss out on fees from the fake private seller’s sales, and it frustrates the people who keep this whole operation running.
With classifieds, it just works easily and reliably.
perfect-sally
·1 week agoOn Kleinanzeigen, it’s easy and reliable.
I don’t see it that way! Even there, not much is really being done!
vierliter_de
·1 week agoI've had different experiences.
What is tedious there, though, is that more is only for ads, and then they only delete that one...
perfect-sally
·1 week agoYep, way too much effort!
bixtron
·1 week agoFor that, you do have a customer service email address there, where you can simply pass on any discrepancies and then also receive a reply from a real person. If in doubt, you can escalate further through this communication. The support there is really & direct.
mmstore74
·2 weeks ago · EditedHello @annice_de it’s extremely bad in my area too, and you wouldn’t believe how many have closed their shops and have been selling privately ever since (you know their... down the aisle )🤣.
I once asked my lawyer and he immediately waved it off. Even reporting eBay to the tax office is completely useless; they just state it in the next tax return, since the business probably still exists anyway, or they say it’s a collection liquidation of 5000 models collected over 100 years, but they also buy collections with the same account (which helps on eBay too), and then you’ve got no problems with that either.
The " Princes " had a big hit once in 1995
You have to be a b... in this world, be a b... / You have to be mean in this world, be mean.”
...then everything works out and only that way can you " still " survive, not any other way
zocho43
·2 weeks agoHello,
Sorry in advance, I only briefly skimmed the discussion. I wasn’t aware that the fake-shop problem had taken on such proportions. CRAZY!
Best regards
Michael
annice_de
OP2 weeks agoHi Michael, these are not fake shops. These are commercial sellers who have created a private account and offer their new items there. This has been going on for three years now. They don’t pay any fees (around 20% eBay fees), not for a shop (55 euros a month), can pass shipping costs on to the buyer, and have no problems with returns. They also save on an accountant, the 19% VAT, and the annual sales tax of 25%. These private sellers can offer an item for more than half the price of a commercial seller. Still, they earn significantly more on an item. Often they have the same items on offer. Since these items are offered at a much lower price, they get bought too and we’re left sitting on the merchandise.
Just to illustrate the problem for commercial sellers....... and eBay doesn’t care.
Regards
annice_de
bixtron
·2 weeks ago · EditedHi,
have a look around the forum.. A lot of posts about it are gone, but a few are still there.
You can’t really report it anymore, since eBay has completely removed the relevant report reason. But even if you could, the reporting system is useless anyway - save yourself the time.
For me in the consumer electronics area (video games), it’s really extreme. Nothing gets done, automated systems handle everything regardless of facts. Even if a fake private seller is asked to upgrade, they just do it and still save themselves all the costs of their obligations that they don’t fulfill, or they create a new account with false data, through which they make yet again hundreds of thousands.
The only thing that helps is sending a cease-and-desist, because that hits those people directly. You won’t be able to hold eBay liable for that (yet) - unless you leave the platform. That eventually has an effect too.
chrono-shop
·2 weeks agoHi,
if there’s nothing to be had from the person who received the warning, you’re left holding the costs.
I’ve thought about that too, but then dismissed it again.
bixtron
·2 weeks ago · EditedHello,
you're right, of course. But here you then have to look into whether, if necessary, an enforcement order can be issued. Because just because the seller has no money, but maybe 10 Mercedes Benz worth a total of €2 million, that doesn't mean he can't handle a cease-and-desist warning with a dispute value of €20,000. Depending on the decision, his goods or even private property are then seized and auctioned off to settle the claim. Or you can bid yourself :D And such a claim does not expire if you take it to court.
In addition, the person receiving the warning must remedy the defects (injunction). That means he then has to fulfill his obligations or simply stop selling these items.
annice_de
OP2 weeks agoMany thanks for your statement. I think the problem with the pseudo-private sellers is across all industries. If one person leaves eBay on their own, that won’t achieve anything. But if many people were to join together, that would have an effect. After all, we commercial sellers finance eBay to a large extent. Maybe you have an idea of how something like that could be implemented?
Best regards
voli-maus
·2 weeks agoAre you moving forward with this not-so-new idea of yours, @annice_de ?
annice_de
OP2 weeks agoI don't really understand your comment. I do realize that surely many people have already had this idea. But so far, nothing has been set in motion in this direction? If a few people would speak up who are willing to go along this path, one could, like in a snowball system, contact as many people as possible. That would probably only make sense if one could reach a high three-digit or even four-digit number of commercial users.
annice_de
voli-maus
·2 weeks ago · EditedYou understand my comment, @annice_de .
There is no "snowball system" on eBay.
You can message whoever you want.
Maybe there'll be an answer?
steininsel-hamburg-21107
·1 week agoSo we have already largely withdrawn from eBay, and switched to other platforms that do not disadvantage commercially registered sellers so massively compared with seemingly private sellers.
perfect-sally
·2 weeks agoThis has not only been a problem since private sellers and supposedly private sellers were allowed to sell for free. But it has noticeably gotten worse.
Best to look for a good lawyer and have these extreme private sellers sent a warning letter. Otherwise it will never stop.
But according to a report on another well-known platform, eBay does seem to be doing something, just not visibly for us. Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to post the link here so you could read it.
You can believe the report, but you don’t have to. However, it comes from a reputable source with good connections to eBay.