Changes for business sellers announced by eBay

People who sell a high volume of items on eBay will soon be required to set up as a registered business on the website, the company has stated.

The online marketplace provider has revealed details of several changes to its operations for 2008, with all users who conduct business activity on the website needing to confirm their status as a PowerSeller.

Applying not only to those who do a high volume of business on eBay, but also to those who resell items or make items for profit, the new regulation means that PowerSellers will be regarded as small businesses by eBay and receive a higher level of service as a result.

PowerSellers who have not yet registered for a business account with eBay have until March to do so. The company will contact any sellers that it feels should benefit from upgrading their status to that of a PowerSeller, based on two factors - the gross volume of their sales and the total number of items sold in the last three months.

Setting up as a small business could help eBay sellers to simplify their accountancy and taxation practices.

Founded in California in 1995, eBay is now one of the largest internet businesses in the world and has acquired other notable companies such as Skype and PayPal.