eBay Trader Faces £50,000 Fine

An eBay trader is facing the possibility of a £50,000 fine after setting up a second eBay account and bidding on his own items to push the price up.

Paul Barrett of Stanley County Durham, a mini bus operator pleaded guilty to 10 charges of breaching the Business Protection from Misleading Marketing Regulations 2008 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

Barrett set up a second account which he used to bid on his own items and used to submit positive feedback. He told the court that he did not realise that he was committing a criminal offence and it was the first time he had been in trouble.

Barrett had fallen foul of new laws introduced recently force to tackle growing internet fraud after an EU directive to bring UK consumer protection up to European standards.

Each of the ten offences that he pleaded guilty too carry a maximum of a £5,000 fine. Therefore he could be face a total fine of up to a £50,000. A Crown Court Judge will set the amount of the fines at a future hearing. Trading standards who brought the case first became interested in Mr Barrett when they received a complaint that he advertised and sold a mini bus through ebay with a false mileage.