Concerning the point about whether you're buying from an individual or a company, why does it appear that eBay (and maybe others) have no "excluding VAT" or "including VAT" indication on their Website (preferably with the VAT calculated and an including VAT grand total included for you)?

It makes a 17.5% difference to the total price (yes, the company will add VAT to the postage too remember) and yet the only place it gets mentioned is often 3/4s the way down a long description of the item...

Damn sellers thinking they have rights !

Too many of em want to just shift boxes of (untested) catalog returns and dont care that you bought it and it does not work, then wont refund any of the £1000 postage they have charged for a £1 item....

Well ok thats a bit exagerrated BYKWIM

Ebay is completely WRONG in allowing vat-exclusive prices to be listed AT ALL.

Trading standards says clearly and unambiguously that sellers should not display "misleading prices" and that prices are MISLEADING if they don't include compulsory extras such as taxes.

In other words, there should be NO vat-exclusive prices shown on ebay, and ebay is aiding and abetting by enabling that facility within the UK.

Ebay agrees that buyers should know their rights.

Fine, but why is it that despite the myriad things you can report, "seller misrepresenting trading status" is not one of them?

Ebay does say (but it's tucked away) that any seller who buys or makes things to sell should register as a business seller. Private sellers are those selling only unwanted presents and used family items. But if you find a seller that's fraudulently misrepresenting themselves to be a private seller (as in my estimation probably 50% or more are), WHERE DO YOU REPORT IT?

Its not hard to spot when sellers do this, but there's absolutely nothing we can do to force ebay to take action against them.

Anyway, getting the status right is only HALF the problem. Trading standards also says that business sellers must display their name and address either "on each listing or in their ME page".

OK, so what percentage of ebay business sellers actually comply with the law? Less than 10%.

Its fine for the OFT to pontificate, but what's needed is high profile ACTION against a representative sample of those trading unlawfully.