Is eBay Invading Your Privacy?

Someone posted that the supersize sales $100 items video that is a monthly feature on my channel. The comment was good video, as always, lots of ads. So let me just address this comment. Unfortunately, I have no control over the ads. Yes, they are super annoying. But that is how YouTube creators make money for posting videos. I really don't know of any YouTube creators that work for free. It takes a lot of time to create

videos. So the ads are really a necessary evil, if anyone wants to get paid for that time, and effort. And ads are everywhere, not just on YouTube, TV, radio, streaming services, podcast, Facebook, everywhere you go. You see ads, or you hear ads, you can change your YouTube subscription to AD free. That's one option if you are really sick and tired of the ads. Or you can join my premium library and have access to almost 400 videos that are not posted on YouTube. That is 109 hours of

content with no ads. That's why I started the premium library to teach eBay sellers without the distraction of ads. So I completely understand all about the ads on YouTube, which is one of the reasons I started this podcast. There are pre roll ads here too, but they don't seem to be as invasive, and distracting as ads on YouTube. When you're watching a video, you're really into it, you're listening, you're paying

attention. And then boom, all of a sudden, some young kid is screaming in your face about how he made $7 million on Amazon in one day, and you should buy his proven system. I have to deal with that too, when I'm watching videos. So I do apologize about the ads on YouTube, but they're just part of the platform. And on that note, I'm personally getting pretty sick and tired of all the ads on streaming TV.

I mean, this has gone full cycle, we all switched to streaming to get away from the annoying ads of network and cable TV. I switched to Roku and dropped cable in 2014. Now streaming TV has evolved right back to where cable was then. And you can't really watch anything without ads. And I'm not paying extra for ad free streaming. So the advertising is pretty maddening. Which is why I'm resurrecting my DVD collection. So I can escape into an atlas world when I want to watch a good movie or series.

So I'm sorry about the ads but that's just the way it is on YouTube. Nothing I can do about it. Alright, moving on to what happened in my eBay store this week. I wanted to follow up on what I mentioned in last week's podcast about selling expired printer ink. One of the lots of ink I listed sold in three days. It was expired and that was noted in the title in the description and in the photos. I had bought a big bag of different brands and sizes. printer ink for about $7 from a

thrift store. So this particular lot that sold worked out to be $1.34 and sold for my full asking price of 5997. And I checked out the buyer, who just happens to be an ink recycler because their name was like ink world or ink gland or inks are us. And the only products they have listed in their eBay store is printer ink and toner. So my prediction was correct on that one. Thank you to everyone in the eBay community who informed me that this was going on with expired ink.

But I think I'm gonna start doing some predictions on this podcast and just see how many of them come true. Because I did predict that an ink recycler was going to buy this and that happened. So that might be a fun game. The most unusual item I sold this week was a six pack of aquarium filters. I honestly thought they were some kind of boat filter like for a motorboat because the box said marine world. I looked it up quickly in the store on my phone and saw that

it sold for around $25. So I didn't really research exactly what the product was. But I wouldn't know a boat filter or an aquarium filter. Anyway, so I guess I get a pass on that one that is not my area of expertise. But this item cost $3 and sold for full asking price of 25 in just a couple of days. Other than that it was pretty quiet this week. And buyers were really a joy to work with everyone was well behaved so no dramatic stories there. Moving on to something new I

learned this week. I actually took a day off from working and went to tour a place called Gibbs gardens near big canoe in the North Georgia mountains. And this place was amazing. If you're ever in the area, you should definitely check it out. The property is about 300 acres of gently rolling hills landscaped with the most gorgeous trees, shrubs flowers you have ever seen. They have a Japanese Zen garden with cherry trees which were in full bloom during our visit.

They have like 20 million daffodils and when they are in bloom, it's the most spectacular site with yellow and white daffodils as far as the eye can see. And this place was built and owned by a landscaping family. The gardens were created in 1980. So they are established and the trees are mature, creating just a beautiful canopy that you walk through. There are 16 different gardens, 24 ponds, 32, bridge crossings and 19

waterfalls. The paths gently wind through Japanese maples, oak trees, dog woods, and these huge Japanese snowball trees 1000s of Azalea bushes of all colors. It was just really something to see. Oh, and the tulips were in bloom too. And the colors were just breathtaking.

And I told you all that to say that this is another reason I do eBay and work for myself to be able to make my own schedule and take off work on a beautiful spring day and spend time with a lifelong friend in what looks like heaven on earth. But wait, you get more. Gibbs Gardens is located about 20 miles from me in a direction I rarely go. So on my way home as I came to the crest of the hill. There it was looming on the horizon, the giant thrift store sign.

I mean, I was in the middle of nowhere, but a thrift store is rising up in front of me like the great palace of Oz, just calling my name. My car automatically pulled into the parking lot and of course, I had to go in and investigate. And this place was quite a find. I arrived at about 430 so they were about to close at five and I didn't Have a lot of time, I did find some great items, including a vintage heffalump chicken. Those

sell for about 50 bucks. And I know what that is because my daughter had one from the mid 90s. Anyway, the owner told me that most items were 30% off. And I asked if this was an every Tuesday thing. And she said, No, it is a we have too much stuff thing. So that worked for me. But when I was checking out, I saw a sign about senior day. And the discount was 30%. So I asked how old their senior age was. And she said 50. And I was like, Wait, what?

I will be 55 this year, and have been counting the day since my last birthday to when I can get the 25% discount on senior day at Goodwill. And my goodwill actually cards, seniors to make sure they are old enough. And I'm going to be honest with you here. Many times I have considered getting a fake ID so I can get the discount on senior day. But I'm really too afraid of being caught and banned from goodwill forever. I mean, who would I call uh, come get me out of jail. Because I used a fake

ID on senior day. I would just be a banned criminal forever. And that's just not eBay the right way. But I will officially be 55 this summer. So I'm just a few months away. And trust me. The moment I can show my ID and it shows I'm 55 I am using that discount to its fullest. Anyway, back to the middle of nowhere a thrift store. I asked the cashier to repeat the senior age. And yeah, I heard that right 50. So I said oh, it's like a junior senior. I've never heard of anywhere,

having 50 as the senior age. So I will definitely go back on senior day to get that 30% discount. Most of the clothing was only $1. And the hard goods were priced really low. So I am putting that store on my list. goodwill is not the only game in town, and you just never know when a thrift store is going to pop up in front of you. Okay, next topic is what was added to the premium library this week.

Knife course part two. This episode focuses on important keywords for both SEO and describing the item. I do offer a lot of SEO tips in my teachable school. Because it doesn't matter how great your item is. If you aren't using the correct keywords in your title and description, it won't appear in search and buyers won't see it in the search results. And apart from shipping, SEO and writing your titles is one of the harder things to learn about eBay. Getting that title right, so buyers will find

it. So there's a lot of lessons in the premium library about that. I also added a video with a technology tip for editing photos was actually part eight of the advanced photography tips series that I started back in January. So that is now complete. And there's eight lessons about all kinds of things like how to remove the background, making collages, adding text and mark up all kinds of things you can do to improve your photos so that the buyer understands exactly what

they're getting. And if there's ever a dispute, you can refer back to those photos. Okay, now on to the main topic of this podcast, the uproar that eBay is invading sellers privacy. eBay is still transitioning everyone to manage payments. And there's a lot of discussion and fear on social media about eBay's requirement for all sellers to switch over, as well as accounts being frozen because the needed information was not submitted by the deadline.

So let's look at the big picture of what is going on here and sellers reaction to this change. Maybe you can use some of these points in your discussion groups when you see posts by other sellers who are reluctant to get on board with managed payments. Or maybe just confused about why eBay wants this additional information. Because at this stage of the game, if you don't get on board with manage payments, your selling privileges will be suspended. And this is already

happening to people. So if you want to play on eBay, you have to get on board. Now. If you have been ignoring the messages from eBay about transitioning to manage payments, which some sellers have been doing for months, it's time to face the music and just do it. This transition was actually supposed to be wrapped up in February, but the deadline keeps getting extended. So here we are.

I see a common theme on social media and in emails that I receive that sellers are upset, afraid and feel threatened by eBay's requests for what some see as sensitive information. So I wanted to address these concerns and give you some perspective, if you are worried about why eBay is asking for personal information. Because there is really no reason to feel threatened or scared. The faster you can adapt to change, the better off you will be. I transitioned to manage payments

in July of 2019. It was seamless and easy. And to be honest, I don't really understand why sellers are resisting it. But what I'm seeing is a fear based response to change. Oh, no, eBay wants more information, this must be a bad thing. eBay is becoming big brother, I'm going to quit eBay because they want my social security number. People are feeling threatened, as if they're going to be harmed

by this in some way. But if we dissect this issue, and look at all the factors involved, there's really nothing to be afraid of. First of all, there is nothing in the world that you can do to change eBay's requirements for managed payments. PayPal is off the table now. Well, you can use PayPal as a backup source for shipping labels. But that's it. No amount of resistance from sellers is going to change this process. eBay is going forward with this whether you like it or

not. Just like when eBay took away the sellers ability to leave negative feedback in 2008. Or when shipping rates increase every year, or when the defect system came along in 2013. When those things happened, there was a mass exodus of sellers from eBay, because they were just pissed off about the changes. eBay sellers left in droves to sell on Amazon. And guess what? Those same sellers were soon complaining about Amazon changes and fees and everything else on

Amazon. So complainers are just going to complain, that is their way of life. But this is an adapt or die world. So you either got to get on board, or get off the bus. The first bone of contention is that eBay is requiring sellers to provide their social security number and birthdate. And I've seen many discussions where sellers are afraid of identity theft, or they don't want eBay to have this information. Okay, so let's think about this. Why not?

If you applied for a regular job, they would ask for that information. If you rented an apartment or got a mortgage, you have to provide that information. And if you really knew the number of places your social security number is on file, and the number of human eyes that can see it, your head would probably explode. So let's think about this your bank accounts. Every single person who works for the bank that you use can access your information.

So if you bank at a huge National Bank like Chase, they employ over 175,000 employees. Think about that. That's a lot of eyes. Every credit card you've ever had has your social security number on file, your insurance companies, your car insurance, your homeowners, your health insurance, the DMV, the IRS. Did you know that the IRS employs about 75,000 people? I wonder how many of them could get to your social security number if they really wanted to?

redditors who have lent you money car loans, student loans, for example, any institution of higher learning you have ever taken classes from whether in person or virtual. I mean, they needed my kids social security numbers take the SH T, any real estate transactions you've ever done. So while you might not want eBay, to have it, you can rest assured that 10s of 1000s of people already have access to your social security number right now. Doesn't that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside?

That's just the world we live in. The only way you can avoid this is if you go live off the grid in a cave and never interact with society. That's about the only way. But the underlying reason that sellers don't want eBay to have their social security number is because they don't want the IRS to know they are selling on ebay and don't want to pay taxes on income from those sales.

Side note, you should already be reporting any eBay income on your tax return regardless of if you receive a 1099 any CPA will tell you that I've been reporting my eBay income since day one. This does not mean that suddenly you owe the IRS 25% of your eBay earnings. You may not owe anything over and above what you already pay in income taxes. If you get a CPA to help you, and together you create a tax plan. That is the key to this to find out how this will affect you.

And make a plan now, don't wait until April of next year. Figure it out. Now. Knowledge is power. And if you know what you're facing and make a plan, life is easy. And you won't lie awake at night afraid the IRS is going to come get you like a big scary monster. So let's step back and think about this for a minute. The taxes you pay all depend on your entire financial picture, not just your eBay sales. You probably have tax deductions like a mortgage, children under 18, or contributions to

retirement account. If you aren't reporting the income from your eBay business, you probably aren't taking the home office deductions either. deductions like your shipping supplies your eBay fees, a portion of the square footage of your home where your business is conducted, your mileage to and from thrift stores in the post office, or your inventory

purchases. Because unless you're running another business where you're already deducting these things, how can you be deducting home office expenses if you aren't reporting income from a home business. So instead of being terrified that you're going to owe the IRS some huge amount of money, think about what you might gain. I am not qualified to give tax advice. But I have been operating an eBay business and other businesses out of my home.

Since 2003. There are a lot of things you can write off, which will counterbalance those eBay earnings. And the tax bill may not be shocking at all, it could work in your favor. But you have to show both sides of the equation on your taxes. Also, remember, if you don't report your eBay earnings, you don't have that income on paper for when you might want to apply for a loan, or a mortgage or get an apartment or any other situation where you have to

prove your income. The bottom line is you can't have it both ways. You can't have a home business that produces income and not reported. But then enjoy the benefits of writing off the expenses. or borrow money against that income because you're not showing it. So people are getting all upset about paying taxes on eBay sales, but not seeing the benefits of reporting that income like they should have been doing all along.

I have helped 1000s of sellers learn how to sell on eBay through my coaching program and the premium library. And it has been my experience that when people hear the word taxes, their blood pressure and heart rate goes up and their palms get sweaty, and they might just feel like they're going to throw up. But it doesn't have to be that way. You shouldn't be scared of taxes if you're doing everything the right way. Okay, so let's say you do owe a

big tax bill. If you can't pay Hey it all at once the IRS has payment plans. I have a friend who lost his job years ago and had to cash in some of his 401k to survive. And he owed a hefty tax bill. He got on a payment plan, and it took a few years to pay it back. But the IRS does not want to throw you in jail. They just want you to pay what you owe, which isn't great. But all of these things can be

worked out. And you can google IRS payment plans to see what I'm referring to that information is available for anyone to read. Now, yes, the IRS charges a fee to use their payment plan. But you're not going to become destitute because you are now reporting your eBay income on your taxes. The best thing you can do if this scares you, is get a good CPA. And your mind has probably gone to Well, I can't afford a CPA, but you have to investigate that cost.

A lot of them are willing to work with you and they have payment plans. So if you don't know a CPA, my best advice is to ask other small business owners in your community or that you know, maybe somebody who owns a food franchise you go to a lot, or the gym you go to or your hairdresser or a landscape, or a friend or family member. Small businesses usually use a CPA. They're not doing their own tax work, because they're busy doing

what they're good at. You know, a landscaper, for the most part is not real excited about sitting down and doing their taxes. They pay someone to do that. So they can be out doing the landscaping work that they love. So word of mouth, and referrals are great. You can also check Google reviews and Yelp for more ideas, or your local Chamber of Commerce. So you can find a CPA if you don't have one. And you need to shop them, because you're hiring them to work for

you. So don't just investigate one, meet several, see who you like, see what their prices are. See if they have payment plans. It's like looking for a doctor, you're hiring them. And you're allowed to shop around and pick the one you like. So if you're one of those sellers who isn't on managed payments yet and afraid of what might happen, just put that fear aside and

move forward. paying taxes is not the end of the world, you probably been conditioned to think that maybe you have gotten by for a long time without reporting your eBay income. But that luxury is over now. And remember, eBay isn't doing this to punish you. This is all coming from the IRS, the government who sees what's happening with online sellers, and they want to get a portion of that because it is income. I mean, why would eBay rock the

boat like this just for fun. It was probably a monumental undertaking to figure out this managed payment system and to get everything set up. I mean, it's taken eBay almost three years to accomplish this. And it's still not done yet. I am 100% sure they would rather be doing other things than dealing with migrating millions of sellers to this payment system. eBay has to comply with the IRS. And we have to comply

with eBay and the IRS. So let's go through the thought process here and just look at the big picture. eBay asks for your social security number and birthdate and bank account information. Okay, they are not the only ones to ever have it. You join the ranks of other sellers on managed payments. Okay, go with the flow. Join the herd of sellers who are already doing it. The IRS has access to your sales numbers, which means you might have to pay taxes on your sales.

It all depends on your individual financial picture. Okay, that works. But you also might not have to pay very much in taxes. If you take all the possible deductions and create a tax plan which a CPA can help you do. Which means you might not get to keep as much money from eBay sales as you used to, which is really the sticking point for sellers resisting going on

Manage payments. They feel like something's being taken away from them if they turn over that sensitive information, but really you're just complying with the rules. So let's say you don't get to keep as much money as you used to this is not the end of the world, you're not going to jail. This is not 33 men trapped in a mine, this is a shift in your business. So you change things, you list more items, you're still able to sell on the world's largest reselling

platform, from your home. On your own schedule, you have access to billions of people who will buy your items. This is not a crisis, it's just a change. And one more option, if this system doesn't work for you is to stop selling on eBay. There are plenty of other places you can sell. Leaving eBay is always an option. Having a home eBay business is 100%. Voluntary, no one is forcing you to do this. So the door is open for you to exit at any time. But rest assured, all the other platforms

are not far behind. And we'll have something similar to manage payments or requiring your social security number, because the IRS is driving it. eBay and Amazon are the biggest. So the IRS started there. You can run and hide from the IRS for a while, but not forever, because everything's evolving all the time. And eventually, it's going to catch up with you. So if sellers leave eBay in droves to escape this, at some point, it will catch up if you're selling online somewhere

else. So just keep that in mind. That's another prediction. Let's see how it unfolds. When Facebook and Etsy and Macari and all these other sites start requiring this information because the IRS is forcing them to. So the big question is, if you do have to pay taxes on your earnings, is that a reason to quit eBay? Wouldn't you rather have 75 to 80% of the income from eBay rather than 0% of nothing. And that's just where we are with managed payments right now. Okay, that was a lot I know. And

that was some heavy stuff. And don't worry, not every podcast is going to be this serious. But I have been seeing this on social media quite frequently and just wanted to address this issue. So this wraps up another episode of eBay the right way. Thank you for taking the time to listen. And I'm proud of you for making it to the end and not being distracted by shiny things. Or as my friend Marian says squirrel.

Only because that's what her yellow lab does on walks in the woods and practically jerks her arm out of the socket. I love you Marian in Georgia. This is Suzanne a wells teaching you how to do eBay the right way. You can find me on YouTube and Facebook under the same name. And be sure to follow me as new episodes are posted every Tuesday. Have a profitable and productive and fun day on eBay. Bye