eBay Forcing you to give your checking account with routing number and Social Security number

[loriv8473]

Forcing you to give your checking account with routing number and Social Security number . I am not a big seller I just sold a few things I never used that I had then eBay locked my account AFTER selling some stuff saying I had to update my account. I refused to give my private information. I called eBay and of course I was tossed around from one person to another. I asked them why PayPal doesn’t ask you that kind of private information they allow you to use your bank card like a credit card and do two small deposits with one withdrawal to verify. If you are a business they only require your EIN number.  Never do they ask you for your private information. Brittany from eBay the last woman I was talking to said well PayPal is a Financial company and a eBay is a market place. Ok so that supposed to make me feel comfortable giving Them my private information? That is supposed to tell me it’s Secure to do so? I had to ship the stuff I sold to the people because I’m not a jerk but eBay won’t give me my money. I told Britney I was deleting my account she sent me the link. Once I know the people received what they purchased ( because I’m honest)  and want to make sure they got it even though it cost me money. I WAS a victim of fraud twice. My SS# was stolen and it ended up freezing my tax returns and the second time I had my bank account drained. I was told by the police to NEVER give your SS # out other than in person and never give your routing # out unless it’s in person or a government site which have very high security and Only if you need to exp: direct deposit tax return. I have never given it out since. There is NO good reason eBay needs that. They have documentation they took the sales tax out. Personally I think anyone that got ripped off by eBay and they will not give them their money back need to get together and sue eBay. 

[mrdutch1001]

am still a member so what is it to U whether I still  give my opinions here...

u seem to think your opinion matters,since u put it everywhere on this community  board...

[mam98031]

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@mrdutch1001 wrote:

am still a member so what is it to U whether I still  give my opinions here...

u seem to think your opinion matters,since u put it everywhere on this community  board...

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I never said or implied that.  I simply asked you a question, nothing more.

[rhtown-9097]

I completely agree 110% !! Now let's say Facebook marketplace right? They will ask for the same information ONLY when you sell so much stuff and make so much money so they can send you a 1099 for taxes. If you're a big seller you can add what you make and sell on your taxes but once again that's only when sell and make so much money. If youre a big seller and I'm sure big sellers would have a complete separate bank account then from their personal accounts. But if you're not and you just want to sell some blinds that you've been trying to get rid of for months then there's no need to ask for ssn, and other highly sensitive information. I dont plan on adding my blinds on my taxes. Facebook ebay are the biggest known places for scams and hacked information. 

[mam98031]

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@rhtown-9097 wrote:

I completely agree 110% !! Now let's say Facebook marketplace right? They will ask for the same information ONLY when you sell so much stuff and make so much money so they can send you a 1099 for taxes. If you're a big seller you can add what you make and sell on your taxes but once again that's only when sell and make so much money. If youre a big seller and I'm sure big sellers would have a complete separate bank account then from their personal accounts. But if you're not and you just want to sell some blinds that you've been trying to get rid of for months then there's no need to ask for ssn, and other highly sensitive information. I dont plan on adding my blinds on my taxes. Facebook ebay are the biggest known places for scams and hacked information. 

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@rhtown-9097 

MP does the same thing.  So how is that different?  To enter MP they require the last 4 digits of your SSN, NOT the entire number.

There are LOTS of seller that have personal accounts and sell on a regular basis.  Things they purchase to sell, not used stuff from around their home.  You can't make a distinction like you are trying to make between a personal account or a business account on Ebay.  There is NO requirement on Ebay to designate you account as a business under certain conditions.

What you plan on doing and what IRS may require are two completely different things.  Learn the rules and then decide.  True however, if you only sell a set of blinds you decided you could get rid of, it would not be taxable.  But most sellers don't come here and sell one thing and then stop.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/five-things-to-remember-about-hobby-income-and-expenses

[dugoldstuff]

If you're not going to sign up for Managed Payments, so you can be paid, you might want to remove your listings before they sell.

So if you don't remove your listings and you don't sign up for MP, how is eBay going to force you to ship if you are never paid?

[dugoldstuff]

Businesses don't have SSNs and they don't provide personal information.

Excellent point. All the eBay shills keep saying, "It's the price of doing business." Well, we aren't businesses, yet eBay seems to think it can treat us like one.

As for me, I will use other venues when I wish to sell something, even if it takes years to clean out my stored items. Cash only, no shipping, no nonsense.

Me too. Moving items to other sites and have flea market dates all lined up.  When my items expire, I'm done.

[kensgiftshop]

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@mrdutch1001 wrote:

Perhaps those in USA were required to give PayPal a SSN, but there are many of us from outside the USA that NEVER gave such info to PayPal as our country only requires GOVERNMENT agencies to have our SSN. We are NOT req'd to give a SSN to anyone else for ANY purpose, nor is it ever recommended that we do so.

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When I first started using Pay Pal, I was required to provide my SSN to raise my limits because I was making to much.

If I didn't provide it, they were going to limit my account.

[kensgiftshop]

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@dugoldstuff wrote:

If you're not going to sign up for Managed Payments, so you can be paid, you might want to remove your listings before they sell.

So if you don't remove your listings and you don't sign up for MP, how is eBay going to force you to ship if you are never paid?

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They can't force you to ship anymore now then they could when you were on Pay Pal.

If you don't sign up, they remove your listings for you pretty soon.

[timewalker202]

I think class action lawsuits are on the horizon. this is bully tactic by ebay. insteresting that new israli company called the Payonner recently hitched ride wth ebay  (they work just like paypal like middle man) esp otehr part of world like china and finald etc. some euro. this is newely developing. this this so then this sudden move by the ebay to customer to requiring SS and bank acc. no is intrusion of privacy not only that . this is  a seriouis breach of the contracts. and not sure this goes against the sellers constitutional right also.  so this is like if you dont like it leave ebay. ) so be it. I am put on hold my account either they revert back to it used to be or I am all cancelling all my account.  if you think of this tax situation. it makes no sense at all. they should only tax the retailers who buy whole sale and run co like profit. (LLC ) etc on ebay platform. they make profit continuously. for most of us sell BOUGHT items (which are gen New )  so you actuallly use money selliing short as used ( bc you no longer have that item you paid for sold off cheaper ) so profit is NEGATIVE in that sense. on top of that you pay 12.5% ebay fee. paypal 5% then shipping fee etc what do you gain ? NOTHING. NADA. only person who is taking money and you worked as  their slave selling your item is ebay entity. so we need to stop selling and think about this. this is What that is. billionaires like ebay refuse to pay federal tax. claim they used to provide only working "SITE or location" where sellers or buyer can do business. HOWEVER they gotten greedy now .chipping away their money . ebay only require bank and ss account to those people who does this for COMMERCIAL sales and RETAILS items sold NEW. like retailers. other then that . those selling USED home goods from their own home should not be charged tax. as they already paid tax.  yes you might argue some make profit off used item too. ofcourse but how many do you know who makes that much as they already spend so much BUYING those used items.

as for most of us Tax reporting is OUR OWN responsibility as PRIVATE seller. we dont work for ebay. ebay should not report and give tax to or withold fund in either threatening manner (if not do this you are out)

all independent sellers or contractors are required to file their OWN TAX . on PROFIT they made.

I can tell so many are exiting ebay and similar selling plat forms like Etsy. (etzy though mostly sell Private made items so  they are considered new items mostly  but hand made)

I would say don't form to their demand, do not give off your privacy for few bucks , when they already taken money from your pocket. you did not even make.  WHY DO YOU GIVE AWAY your money you lost. already? its purely a theft in many ways. and this is a serious breach of contract. This is MY Opinion.

[timewalker202]

NOP you are missing the huge point. that is wrong. Ebay provided only the SITE where buyer and seller sell litems htey are arguing they are not PART of seliing or buying process as BUYER or SELLER SET The price not ebay. so you are essentially only paying for the LOCATION where items are sold. I been on ebay over 25 years now. ebay make things vague so  that now they want to put hand in your wallet. arguing I want some of that becuase I see you with money in wallet.

WE are more of a independent contractors. WE FILE TAX. we are responsible to file tax if its required by own judgement. ebay should NOT ,again should NOT file the tax information behalf of sellers or buyers. this is to their attempt to dodge federal tax themselves. paypal is a financial company and entity. they provide transfer money to others and receive money just like bank . its  supervised by the . sellers on ebay are not all into profits. most are junk sellers who sell used good s they already paid for and owned . that is NOT a profit . you actually lose money (bc ;you no longer have the item, bc you sold for less )  this is precise reason it falls onto indivisdual sellers to report income etc.

reason SS and Bank account is required is about CONTROL. they like to run your credit , and bank info. and possibly SELL Them to 3rd party as CREDIT. (just like credit card co.) they will know who sells most and have best credit and those info WILL B E SOLD . and info will be HACKED by many just like it did many times.

DO NOT GIVE AWAY your SS info and Bank account info. they will withold your fund if they feel like. and drag them around for many days and month before release it. and use it as they wish as company money.

[jackiesdaddy]

Giving your bank info to ebay puts sellers at a tremendous  risk. Do you really want your sensitive bank info scattered on all these databases across the Country (world?)  

ebay says the information is safe. That's **bleep** !!!! It's just a matter of time before someone breaks into their system and steals your account info.  ebay is under lots of lawsuits over this and other very shady practices they do. Want to sell something? Use craigslist or something else.

[jackiesdaddy]

Giving your bank info to ebay puts sellers at a tremendous  risk. Do you really want your sensitive bank info scattered on all these databases across the Country (world?)  

ebay says the information is safe. That's  hogwash !!!! It's just a matter of time before someone breaks into their system and steals your account info.  ebay is under lots of lawsuits over this and other very shady practices they do. Want to sell something? Use craigslist or something else.

[mam98031]

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@jackiesdaddy wrote:

Giving your bank info to ebay puts sellers at a tremendous  risk. Do you really want your sensitive bank info scattered on all these databases across the Country (world?)  

ebay says the information is safe. That's **bleep** !!!! It's just a matter of time before someone breaks into their system and steals your account info.  ebay is under lots of lawsuits over this and other very shady practices they do. Want to sell something? Use craigslist or something else.

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Would you please give us links to Law Suits that have been filed in relationship to MP.

@jackiesdaddy 

[doctorquality]

There is no way in he11 I would give eBay authority to withdraw from my checking account. I deleted all my listings and, for the moment, moved them all to Bonanza. Very uncomplicated to create an account and the listings (very similar to eBay actually) then just link the PayPal account to accept payments. Bye-bye eBay selling.

The only reason eBay is making this move is because they want the revenue that PayPal is getting. eBay's profitability is slowly but surely sliding underwater. So they are scraping around for mo' money. That's why eBay keeps making moves to drive off small sellers … because they don't make eBay that much money – compared to what it costs to maintain them. And I suspect eBay is tired of having 'to do things right' (instead of 'do thing slop-@ss' and 'do whatever makes eBay more money') when they work with PayPal.

The bigger issue, as far as I am concerned, is that at this point eBay can barely be considered competent or ethical at all. The REAL rule at eBay anymore is not "the buyer is always right" or "what's right is right" … it's "the big stores that generate a lot of revenue for eBay are always right." And "whatever decision generates more revenue for eBay is right (like THIS decision)." In the last several years I have lost every single SNAD case I filed as a buyer. Stuff delivered broken, half the stuff missing, whatever. In one case, I had to go with a credit card chargeback to get my refund. And I recently got stuck with a 'brand new hard drive' that was actually a five-year old drive that was pulled at end-of-life from a server. The seller wiped the history data clean and scrubbed-off the maker's build date to cover his tracks. The seller was peddling and selling 1000s upon 1000s of them per month, mass production, on eBay. (And, turns out, the seller had a reputation on Reddit for doing this.) When I posted negative feedback about selling end-of-life drives as new, eBay deleted the feedback within hours … and the whole transaction disappeared on my end. No communication, nothing, end-of-story. With THAT kind of behavior, why would I ever EVER trust eBay with the ability to deduct-at-will from my checking account?

I WAS selling a few hundred dollars a month, basically just a little virtual garage/yard sale of nice things around my house I don't need anymore. Again, enough is enough, I deleted all my listings and moved them to Bonanza. Now Bonanza doesn't get a lot of traffic. Maybe I'll move them again to Mercari or Etsy, where the listing might sell a little better. But again, I'm not running a business, just a bit of an online garage/yard sale, so if the selling is slow … or even non-existent … so what?

I'm tired of all of eBay's ever-increasing dysfunction and lack of moral compass. I'll still buy stuff off of eBay. But if they ever screw with PayPal for BUYERS, I'll stop buying on eBay as well.

Slowly but surely, eventually, eBay's incompetent and unethical behaviors will drive evermore buyers and sellers elsewhere, causing it to die a 'death of a thousand (self-inflicted) cuts.'

[mam98031]

@doctorquality 

Bonanza is certainly an alternative.  I hope you get the sales you desire there.

I'm unsure as to where you are getting that Ebay's profits are "underwater".  Certainly not from their financial info.  You can easily Google it and see their financial info.  They are a publicly traded company so their fins have to be publicly available.

If you don't like MP on Ebay, you can't possibly like MP on Etsy.  And Mercari, you have to ship your stuff to the buyer first, the buyer needs to receive it and approve it before they release money to the seller.  So that process isn't likely going to suit your needs either.

Your definition of a business and IRS's definition are likely different.  

While I completely understand why you and other casual sellers [those without a store] don't like MP.  Personally I get it and respect it.  But it is important to understand that Ebay is not the unicorn here, PayPal is.  All the other larger sites like Ebay ALL have their own money processing programs.  Some with stricter terms that MP.  Ebay is the last of the larger sites to implement MP.

But that doesn't take away for how difficult this change is and can be for many Casual sellers.  I hope whatever you do that it works out for you.