Selling as a business on Vinted or eBay: what you owe your buyers

When you stop being a private seller

The Competition and Markets Authority's guidance on consumer law is direct about this: someone who regularly sells goods from home through an online marketplace counts as a trader. Someone occasionally clearing out their own clothes usually doesn't.

It's the same line as for tax. If you're buying things to sell on, you're trading, and the tax side follows the same logic.

Don't pretend to be a private seller

UK consumer law bans a trader from falsely claiming, or giving the impression, that they're selling as a consumer. It's on the list of practices that are unfair in all circumstances. Staying on a private account to dodge returns isn't a grey area.

What business buyers are entitled to

Before they buy

For online sales you have to tell buyers who you are and how to contact you (your business name, contact details and address), the full price including any taxes, delivery costs and timing, and how they can cancel.

A 14-day cooling-off period

Buyers can cancel for any reason up to 14 days after the item is delivered, then have another 14 days to send it back. You have to refund within 14 days of getting it back, including what they paid for standard delivery. You can't take fees off the refund unless the item has been used or damaged, and buyers are allowed to handle it the way they would in a shop.

If you don't tell buyers about their right to cancel, the cooling-off period can stretch to 12 months. Telling them up front is much cheaper.

Goods that match the listing

Items a business sells must be as described, of satisfactory quality and fit for purpose. A private seller only has to sell things as described. If something is faulty or not as described, the buyer is due a full refund. Repair or replacement applies within 6 months, and buyers can make a claim for up to 6 years.

For second-hand stock, the honest description is your protection. Photograph and mention every mark, flaw and missing part, so a buyer can't say it wasn't as described.

Switching your selling accounts

• eBay says a business account is for selling larger volumes, items you made, or things you bought to resell. You can create one when you sign up or upgrade from your account settings.
• Vinted Pro is open to sole traders. You'll need your National Insurance number and a business address, and Vinted runs identity checks. You can't convert an account with orders still in progress, so finish those first.

Check each platform's current terms when you switch, as they change.

Where STC fits in

STC tracks returns properly: an item moves from sold into the return pipeline, with the return tracking number and label cost, and any refund or platform reimbursement is recorded against it. Your profit figures stay honest when buyers use their rights.