Switch from business to personal keep listings?

[priscilla_simpson]

I recently had to dissolve my business license and EIN number. 
I found out I can’t change my eBay store from business to personal so I have to start another account and store so I can continue selling as as personal. I don’t want to have to relist every item individually to my new store. A while ago I heard a youtuber talking about using VENDOO to cross list my listings to another platform and then cross list them back to eBay under my new eBay store. Any ideas or helpful tips? Thank you. 

[tools*]

Why did you get rid of your business license if you're still selling the same products?

[dhbookds]

There are several listing services that can probably do it........you might have to pay a month of fees......but depending on how many there are, it could be worth it........

You might look into 6 bit and Seller Sourcebook........

[priscilla_simpson]

I obtained my license through legal zoom. I got roped in to paying $150 a month to them as part of a 1 year contract. I ended the contract and they dissolved the business. 

[sin-n-dex]

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@tools* wrote:

Why did you get rid of your business license if you're still selling the same products?

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There's lots of reasons people have to dissolve a business. I'm facing the possibility of having to incorporate my business and hire my partner to do all my shipping to get around restrictions on "working" while receiving disability. They don't care about income, but as a sole proprietor they consider every penny I make in gross revenue to be "work income". They don't care if someone else is doing all the work for me if it's going on my tax return, they consider that to be me working.

Before anyone shoots off with the mouth about me getting a disability cheque... I have a critical illness and my only hope is a kidney transplant. Keeping eBay going would keep my hobby going without me spending money on my hobby (and hobbies that make money are better). Without eBay I have nothing better to do in my spare time. Right now I work at  home every day to deal with needing to lie down in the middle of the day.

C.

[sin-n-dex]

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@priscilla_simpson wrote:

I obtained my license through legal zoom. I got roped in to paying $150 a month to them as part of a 1 year contract. I ended the contract and they dissolved the business. 

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It should be simpler than that to obtain a license. In Canada I registered as a business for $60, it's good for 5 years. Registering for HST is free and they give you a business number. I'm assuming there's similar protocol in the US, and you don't need to pay someone an extortion fee to keep your business active.

Best of luck. I think your best option is to reopen the business.

C.

[slippinjimmy]

@priscilla_simpson 

I'm a SixBit user, you could do a 30 day trial for that, it would be easy to import your current listings and then reup under a different id (I run 3 id's under SixBit).

No personal experience but your could look at WonderLister, it can do most of the same things and certainly just for a quick id swap no problem. It's cheaper than SIxBit so you might find value for the benefits.

You could also look at eBay Reports (formerly File Exchange).

https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/file-exchange/seller-hub-reports?id=4096

You should be able to do an down/up with that but I'm not sure about the images. The learning curve might be steep.

Be aware, a new account will be treated as such by default, you will have listing limits and payment holds. You just have to work through the possible holds, the listing limits on the other hand you may be able to get a quick increase if you make the right contact at eBay who can associate your accounts.

[nobody*s_perfect]

I'm pretty sure that you can use your SSN with an eBay business account, so you can just keep your current account and merely change your tax ID.

[lacemaker3]

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@nobody*s_perfect wrote:

I'm pretty sure that you can use your SSN with an eBay business account, so you can just keep your current account and merely change your tax ID.

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I think this is the best idea.

You can operate a business as a sole proprietor. On your eBay account, change the business name to your legal name, change the tax ID to your SSN. Make the same changes on your business checking account so they match exactly. You would file business taxes using a Schedule C, with your 1040.

This is how most business sellers on eBay operate, at least most of the sellers who participate here in the forums  because that is what they advise sellers to do.

[priscilla_simpson]

This is what I wanted to do. But I was told by an eBay representative that I couldn’t becuase I can’t change my business type back to personal. I wish I could becuase that’s all I wanted to do in the first place 

[nobody*s_perfect · Accepted solution]

eBay has their own definitions of "personal" and "business."  You can operate an eBay "business" account using just your own SSN, and using your name as the name of the "business."

[lacemaker3]

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@priscilla_simpson wrote:

This is what I wanted to do. But I was told by an eBay representative that I couldn’t becuase I can’t change my business type back to personal. I wish I could becuase that’s all I wanted to do in the first place 

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That is correct,  but there is no need to change your eBay account type. You can have a business account on eBay and operate as a sole proprietor without having an LLC or any other kind of registered business structure.

You just need to remove the business name and use your own name instead, and remove the EIN and use your SSN as your tax ID number. You will need to make the same changes to your business checking account because they need to match exactly the details on your eBay account.

It does need to be a business checking account, to match your eBay account type. But that should not be an issue. Many sellers on eBay operate this way.

This may simplify your tax situation. I don't know how your business was organized, but if it was set up so that you had to file a separate business tax return, you won't need to do that anymore. Many sellers on eBay file a Schedule C (which is for sole proprietors of a business) with their personal 1040. You can use this if you don't have a formal business structure, or if you have a single-owner LLC. You don't have to have a business license or a formal registered business to file a Schedule C. And, you can't do the simpler Schedule C if you have a more complicated business structure than a sole-proprietorship.

[priscilla_simpson]

Thank you so much! I didn’t know I could operate business with my own social! I contacted eBay and again and explained that I wanted to do this and they helped me do it! I’m ecstatic and beyond over the moon. I thought for sure I was going to have to start all over. I was so sad and depressed about it all yesterday. I’m not sure why the first eBay representative didn’t explain this to me in the first place. They are all always so helpful. Maybe there was a miscommunication. Either way I want to thank everyone who took time out of their day to comment and help guide me in the right direction. Thank you 

[lacemaker3]

The eBay CS reps have no training about how to operate as a business ... so if you said you wanted to change back to an individual account, all they could do was say sorry, you can't do that.

They don't have the training to address other options.

[timetravelerstreasuretrove]

And this doesn’t count as a retail business?