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New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

I know a lot of people on eBay sell part-time or just for a side hustle and don't depend on it for serious money, but I do. I'm a full-time caregiver for an elderly parent who is too frail to be left on her own and my only way of making money has been to source items at thrift stores to sell online. I get an hour here or there to leave the house, no more. I haven't been selling long on Ebay but I've been selling clothing for a couple of years now on another site, which shall remain unnamed. This is my sole income.

 

Now, during the Coronovirus lockdowns (which may go on for 10-12 weeks) all thrift stores in my area have closed. I've already listed everything I have to list and my sales are slowing down as a consequence. We literally live sale to sale. If I make a sale, I get to go buy something we need at the store. I scrimp and save little bits to add up for utilities.

 

I was hoping that the aid package Congress is working on would be some help, but from what I'm reading, there's nothing in it for the self-employed, especially those surviving at the low end. If I'm lucky, I might qualify for the $1000 direct payment, but how do they expect that to last people for up to 3 months? 

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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

This is the big hangup, as it should be. I don't care what your political affiliation is, as hobbyist/small business sellers on here, none of us should be in support of a bill that pushes tons of cash to huge corporations while cloaking the specifics for six months. 

 

Big corporations don't exactly have a sterling track record for how they utilize these bailout funds.

 

Airlines, for instance, used a great deal of their bailout money a decade ago for stock buybacks, which were then used to justify stuff like big executive bonuses. 

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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?


@lostweekendshop wrote:

This is the big hangup, as it should be. I don't care what your political affiliation is, as hobbyist/small business sellers on here, none of us should be in support of a bill that pushes tons of cash to huge corporations while cloaking the specifics for six months. 

 

Big corporations don't exactly have a sterling track record for how they utilize these bailout funds.

 

Airlines, for instance, used a great deal of their bailout money a decade ago for stock buybacks, which were then used to justify stuff like big executive bonuses. 


I agree.  What has me kind of scratching my head is that the Senate Republicans usually do whatever it is that the President wants.  Yet publicly the President has said that big corp shouldn't be part of this.  So what is really going on here.  Are things being said publicly that the opposite is being said privately???  It is puzzling to be sure.

@lostweekendshop 


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999
Message 62 of 79
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

Hi folks, You should try to tune in and watch the President and the Corona Virus task force briefings. They hold them every day and you can hear what they have to say for yourself.

The White House has a youtube channel that streams it and there are other youtube channels that stream it live.
I know Fox cable news airs it live, I don't know about others. I assume local stations do not air it because my family members watch the local news and didn't know anything about the daily briefings.
It is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST today, That's 6:30 p.m. Central time and 4:30 p.m. PDT.
You can find all of the briefings held so far on youtube.

Stay well. Hopefully, this is over quick!
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?


@usedgoodsforsale2021 wrote:
Hi folks, You should try to tune in and watch the President and the Corona Virus task force briefings. They hold them every day and you can hear what they have to say for yourself.

The White House has a youtube channel that streams it and there are other youtube channels that stream it live.
I know Fox cable news airs it live, I don't know about others. I assume local stations do not air it because my family members watch the local news and didn't know anything about the daily briefings.
It is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST today, That's 6:30 p.m. Central time and 4:30 p.m. PDT.
You can find all of the briefings held so far on youtube.

Stay well. Hopefully, this is over quick!

All the major channels air it live.  And yes it can be very informative.


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

How do you think airlines/cruise ships/restaurants/motel/hotel chains are going to exist without support.....they have more or less 0 $ coming in.....and still have mortgages, utilities, taxes to pay?  Sure some may have some cash..... but that's not going to last long......... 

Message 65 of 79
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

I don't know why filing a schedule C wouldn't count. You are a tax payer. The stimulus checks are going to go to every tax payer. If you are filing taxes, you should be getting a check.

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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?


@dhbookds wrote:

How do you think airlines/cruise ships/restaurants/motel/hotel chains are going to exist without support.....they have more or less 0 $ coming in.....and still have mortgages, utilities, taxes to pay?  Sure some may have some cash..... but that's not going to last long......... 


Two separate things in my mind.  The bail out of big business should not be tied to helping the average American or small businesses.  The bail out of big business is far more complicated and needs a lot of stipulations on it.

 

It isn't that the Dems don't want to help big business, that is not the case.  We do.  We should.  It just needs more guidelines, rules and regulations to go along with it.  And to force this stimulus package to accommodate that properly so that what happens last time doesn't happen this time, means it will be awhile before the stimulus package will be passed.  Big business needs to happen, but it needs to happen separately in order to help prevent history repeating itself.  I know some may not have been bother by what happened the last time, but many of us are.


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999
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@rejuvenatekalamazoo wrote:

I don't know why filing a schedule C wouldn't count. You are a tax payer. The stimulus checks are going to go to every tax payer. If you are filing taxes, you should be getting a check.


It isn't that a schedule C doesn't count.  It is that no one files them by themselves.  It is a supporting document to your 1040 form which is the main form filed.


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999
Message 68 of 79
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

I filed taxes in 2018 i paid self employment taxes over 1000 so now logically businesses on my ebay store is down alot Are we taxpayers like all other? Hope we qualify too for the check
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@babboconiglio wrote:
I filed taxes in 2018 i paid self employment taxes over 1000 so now logically businesses on my ebay store is down alot Are we taxpayers like all other? Hope we qualify too for the check

Likely so, but we have to wait until they pass a stimulus package and see what it contains to be sure.


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

Doesn't your parent receive Social Security? Anyone that age should. They should also qualify for SSI due to age and medical condition.
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

Mam,

part of the problem is that the Democrats are insisting that the package include subsidies for the solar panel industry, that airline have new tighter air quality requirements and other such nonsense included as part of the package. That is NOT what this legislation should be about, but typical of how congress has been working these past few years little gets done. When was the last time that congress delivered a national budget on time? As far as I am concerned there should be no paychecks for any of them until they meet their obligations under the law (budget) and meet their obligations to the people who put them in office. They were elected to represent us, not their own personal views. Might I ask, how many of you reading this expressed an urgency to see that we get new subsidies for solar panels or any of the other pork barrel nonsense holding this legislation up? We should ALL be calling our congressional representatives of both parties to express our disapproval of their childish behavior.

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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?


@mvls1 wrote:

Mam,

part of the problem is that the Democrats are insisting that the package include subsidies for the solar panel industry, that airline have new tighter air quality requirements and other such nonsense included as part of the package. That is NOT what this legislation should be about, but typical of how congress has been working these past few years little gets done. When was the last time that congress delivered a national budget on time? As far as I am concerned there should be no paychecks for any of them until they meet their obligations under the law (budget) and meet their obligations to the people who put them in office. They were elected to represent us, not their own personal views. Might I ask, how many of you reading this expressed an urgency to see that we get new subsidies for solar panels or any of the other pork barrel nonsense holding this legislation up? We should ALL be calling our congressional representatives of both parties to express our disapproval of their childish behavior.


I do get there are other smaller issues.  But on the news there were 3 or 4 different senators that were saying the same thing about big business.  

 

It is unfortunate but that tactic is used all the time by both sides.  They attach things to bills that really need and should be passed in an effort to get other things passed that they had trouble with.  This is NOT just something the democrats do, republicans do it all the time as well.  It certainly doesn't make it right by any stretch of the imagination.

 

But it is my understanding that the republicans would pass this bill as it stands right now with that other stuff in it from the Democrats.  It is the Democrats that aren't willing to pass it with the currently written provisions for Big Business.  So with that said, the inclusion of any other stuff by the dems does not appear to be causing the issue here at all.


mam98031  •  Volunteer Community Member  •  Buyer/Seller since 1999
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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?

There is Federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance, it does cover self-employed, but there are stipulations and i dont think it covers our situation with the virus.  the president must declare the area in which you live a disaster area. also the definition of disaster covers natural events  (i.e earthquakes, floods) and a vague 'other catastrophes".

Anyway, good info for the next disaster.

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Re: New Aid Package from Congress is Near Useless for Ebay Self-Employed?


@cynthealee2 wrote:

@bar-29368 wrote:
Last I read it was $65k

Every one I know would qualify.  Thanks, I'll let em know.


Update - I misread, looks like $75k per individual.

 

But as they keep chopping and changing we won't know for sure until it's a done deal.

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