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Selling an ebay store business
Has ebay or will ebay ever do anything for long term sellers to help them sell their ebay business? 22 years of full time selling - i see no real avenue to sell and keep my business going on ebay. Ud think theyd have an extensive program set up to help long term sellers to help sell there store/business to keep $$$$$$$ flowing into ebay. Any ideas out there?
30 comments
kh-stanley1
·1 year agoHi everyone,
Due to the age of this thread, it has been closed to further replies. Please feel free to start a new thread HERE if you wish to continue to discuss this topic.
Thank you for understanding.
bigfootedalien1
OP3 years agoThere must be some very smart people at ebay - People spend years building up an ebay business - Ive sold full time fr 20+ years with about 3600 items currently active now! Ive given ebay TONS of $$$$$$$$ thru these years - U cant tell me that ebay cant figure out a way to transfer store listings to a new buyer of my inventory listed (so they wdnt have to go thru 3600 items and relist them to make their own store !) The new buyer cd change the store name - start off with zero feedback. As far as the the feedback rating goes they can have the new buyer start from ZERO correct ???? (not a big deal) - This wd give the inventory buyer a turn key sale and theyd just have to move the inventory to their new location. Ebay wdnt loose any sales and the store cd prosper fr another 20-40 years. Be nice top hear from a few ebay execs on this thread (there all watched) . To me that wd give the long time sellers a little respect by going out of their way just a little to continue a store that someone took alot time and energy developing. (not rocket science)
yumminsdieselllc
·2 years agoThe answer is simple and legal. A BUSINESS informs ebay of the sell of the account and ebay resets the feedback but leaves the inventory and all setup business policies.
Then the new owner can go in and input their legal business details (address, banking, bunsiness policy changes etc).
But LOGICAL & Simple is not ebays way for years now
luckythewinner
·2 years agoIt is a fairly straightforward process to export the listings to a file, and import them to a different account. All you need is access to both accounts.
There are also third party tools to accomplish this.
dbfolks166mt
·3 years agoTechnically you don't have an eBay business. You have a business and eBay provides you and account and an interface to potential buyers. Personally when I decide to stop selling I do not want another individual using my selling and buying history from my eBay account to interface to their business.
If you had an eBay business you would have assets, including cash, inventory, supplies, computer equipment potentially vehicles.......................... All those are part of your personal business and separate and distinct from your eBay account. If you sold your personal business I am assuming you would not sell your bank accounts, third party financial processor accounts (PayPal, Venmo, Stripe.......) as part of the business, why would you include your eBay account with it?
pargran3
·3 years agoI have no idea why you think selling your eBay business would be a good idea for anyone.
The buyer of said business could be a complete zero. How could that help eBay?
blingfling123
·3 years agoIn addition to the good points already raised here, I will throw some in from a buyer perspective.
The feedback on the account would be feedback for the original account holder. While that feedback may be stellar, I would feel tricked by eBay if the feedback actually belonged to someone else.
Then we have purchases, knowledge and trust.
The new account owner might not be as stellar as the original account holder, may not be as meticulous in their sourcing, may not know as much about the product as the original account owner and may end up selling something that is bad. They may not have the same level of customer service, may not know how to pack and may be a horrible seller. (I won't even go into scams)
I buy old xyz coins from Billy Bob, I know Billy has been collecting for years, knows his stuff and he would not dream of selling something he could not verify. Billy is no longer on the account and Stan has taken over and Stan has (inadvertently) bought some reproductions. I would be ticked if I found out I was now buying from an unknown, (regardless of my protection).
The same would apply for bike parts. Maybe I had bought from you in the past, you have years of knowledge and feedback, and you were really cool about questions to make sure I had the right thing.
Now I ask a question, the new guy won't answer questions or maybe has nowhere near the knowledge base that you have and sends me the wrong thing. Now I have to deal with returns. Things can go sideways fast.
traditonalproducts
·3 years agoThis thread and the comments attached to it are interesting. I will go somewhat off point here as in several directions. Say a major manufacturer has a platform outlet, they sell to another corporation. Since the platform is an asset and revenue stream which was included in the financials, then the platform would cease to exist and the corp. that purchased it would have to reapply to a platform and relist? I find that hard to believe. What happens to all of the inventory stuck in someone's platform warehouse like Am$^(8? I would also find it hard to believe that the warehouse platform would kill millions due to a corporation sell. Next, if an individual cannot sell their store, they can sell their inventory and I would assume whoever would have to relist everything?
Like me, there are individuals that have an LLC, some might even incorporate due to whatever reason. It could be they manufacture their own products. From an individual standpoint I know the rules going in since I have been on the Bay for roughly 18 years. I am just curious with some broad statements here. Thanks for reading.
luckythewinner
·2 years agoNext, if an individual cannot sell their store, they can sell their inventory and I would assume whoever would have to relist everything?
Or they could export them to a file and re-import them to the new account. The seller hub has this ability and there are also third party tools.
bigfootedalien1
OP3 years agoSO ur saying theres no way to sell all ur listed inventory & keep those listing running on ebay to the new buyer? I have a chat I copied from an ebay rep saying that I can but it was 5-7yeas ago
femmefan1946
·3 years agoIt would be interesting to see that Chat.
Are we allowed to post them? I have been posting a Chat about Undeliverable shipments from time to time.
Actually not Chat but a public post from a pink. Might be different.
Can I add my DD to my account in case of illness? If I did, I would have to add her to my bank account too, I guess.
bigfootedalien1
OP3 years agoWhats Ur email address Ill try to find it - I know I kept copy somewhere.
toomuchstuffagain35
·3 years agoThe ONLY instances I know of where the ebay 'business' was allowed to be sold (or transferred) was where the former seller had a B&M business and the ebay business was considered a part of that entity, and the other was where ebay allowed the ebay business to be transferred to an heir upon the death of the original seller, but in that case the heir was already actively involved in the business.
I haven't heard of any others, though they may be some.
Either way, it's still up to ebay's discretion.
fun fact - we don't even 'own' our User IDs.
janet9988
·3 years agoso many reasons why this is a no go.
A few are....
The selling limits of the new owner may not allow that many listings.
It would be considered selling / buying feedback.
You do not own the rights to sell your ebay account, member ID, or store name.
johnrj1226
·3 years agoRead this policy eBay policy - it is pretty clear and been around for more than 5 or 7 years. Me Thinks that rep you talked to back then was way off base.
"In the interest of protecting our buyers and sellers, and maintaining a safe marketplace, you can’t sell your eBay account or change its ownership.
Your eBay account has value when you develop a strong feedback rating and satisfy your customers. Feedback is intended to reflect a seller’s performance, so we don’t allow accounts to be transferred or sold.
Attempting to sell an eBay account may result in buying and selling restrictions as well as account suspension or removal."
The Rolling Stones had a song titled " You Don't Always Get What You Want". That might apply hear.
redlinear
·2 years agoYes, there is a way (sort of).
You have your own eBay account.... I can sell you all of my eBay inventory, and I can list it on your account in a few hours.
firejake2003
·3 years agoYou don't "own" an ebay business. You simply use ebay as a platform and pay them a subscription fee to sell your products and a fee to process the money you receive for your products. You can't sell your "portion" of the platform. That's the case with all of us. Your business is selling things for a profit. How it's done is up to you. In this case, you're "renting" ebay for your business space. It's the same whether you sell on ebay, amazon, or your own website where you pay fees for hosting, your web dashboard, credit card processing, electronic postage providers, and other digital services to keep your business running. You can't sell those things to someone else.
To "sell" your business is to sell your products to someone else who can create their own ebay account to sell what they obtain from you.
I am also an ebay seller but am a business owner that uses all the mentioned services above. It's simply operating costs.
toysaver
·3 years agoIf you're trying to sell a business with inventory IMO the standard would be to pay at least 50% or less on the retail price.
Why not just offer everything on sale at 50% off? That may be your only option.
sapphire_studio
·3 years agoYeah I got a message from someone else that sells beauty products telling me that they're closing down their eBay business and they had a coupon for $500 off of $1,000 of their products. However 50% off retail of what I could get on eBay is not even close to being profitable for me. Plus this is stale inventory that's been sitting there for them so it wasn't at all tempting. Possibly 80% off but even then I will probably would pass.
luckythewinner
·3 years agoeBay does not generally allow a seller to transfer his reputation to another seller.
Because the seller who is buying the account did not earn that reputation.
The opportunity of fraud is simply too great.
johnrj1226
·3 years agoCan't predict what the future will bring - but here is eBays current policy that has been around for many years -
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling/selling-ebay-account?id=4134&st=3&pos=5&query=Selling%20an%20eBay%20account&intent=Selling%20an%20eBay%20store&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1039
johnrj1226
·3 years agoOne more thing to remember this venue is eBays, they are the landlord that developed the site and set the policies and sellers have no ownership or equity - they are just renters and pay the various fees - FVF, store subscriptions..
slippinjimmy
·3 years agoGood analogy! It's like a commercial (or residential) lease, if you sell your complete business the new owner can usually take over the lease. If you close your business you cannot sub-lease your space to a new but unrelated business.
reallynicestamps
·3 years agoI wonder how eBay handles women sellers who change their names on marriage or divorce?
I wonder how eBay handles sellers who change banks or renew credit cards or change credit cards?
I wonder how eBay handles sellers who move from one house to another. Or from one country to another?
None of those transfer the business but do make substantial changes to the financial records.
shipscript
·3 years agohttps://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/setting-changing-automatic-payment-method/updating-personal-information?id=4797
1) The SSN will remain the same when a person changes legal name.
2) Bank account must be changed to match the new name. Add a new bank account with the new name and make it primary. Ditto with credit cards.
3) Moving is easy. Change the address. International moves are more difficult for sellers because new identifying documents are required for each country. Best to close account and open a new one for the new country.
eall_c_sqdsnuyiox
·1 year agoChit, I'm wondering now.
Can't trust technology -Putin
albertabrightalberta
·3 years agoYou CANNOT sell your business. It's against ebay rules.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/selling/selling-ebay-account?id=4134&st=3&pos=1&query=Selling%20an%20eBay%20account&intent=sell%20account&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1039
"In the interest of protecting our buyers and sellers, and maintaining a safe marketplace, you can’t sell your eBay account or change its ownership."
refdef
·3 years agoSelling a business is complex. If a corporation or LLC is involved, an amendment to the articles is necessary, or dissolution in the jurisdiction of the seller and establishment of a new entity in the buyer's state. A new EIN is advised. New business bank accounts in the new owner's name. Business and tax receipt licenses, new leases for office/storage space. Clearing potential liens on the business. Etc, etc.
None of that is eBay's responsibility. You may be able to get a bank to help you with some of it, but they'd probably forget or miss something. Ultimately, it is down to the due diligence of the seller and buyer to work out what is required to sell/buy a business.
albertabrightalberta
·3 years agoBoth of the above posts are incorrect. ebay accounts cannot be transferred.
farmalljr
·3 years agoThe only way you could sell it, is if you were set up as a corporation and there were authorized managers. If the account is connected to an individual in any way, you can't sell your account.
Same over at Amazon.
You would have to be a pretty big seller (like Best Buy or the like) in order for this to be able to happen. No real advantage for someone to come buy you out and run your store. Anyone can do what you did. There is no monetary value in an account like these.
Unless you are the large seller I already spoke about, the value your business has is in the inventory. You could make money selling "courses" or something to teach people, but your business itself doesn't actually have value. It's a glorified job, to be blunt. Contracts give a business value. A client list gives a business varying value. You have neither of those here.
Solo operators are only "building" a job. Without employees and a building, you are just creating an income stream, not a sellable business. That's hard for some to hear, but it's a fact. I'm a solo operator, and I realize this, but am accepting of it.