Hi, Apart from eBay can I sell games online without setting up a company - eg what I mean is can I get people to pay direct onto my credit/debit card from my website for the second hand games etc ? (I live in the uk) cheers Ade

I do not know of all of the legal impediments where you live, but if you set up a Pay Pal Account, then they could pay like that. I would not post information on how to pay directly to your credit card account [smile], use either PayPal, or some other means of 'accepting' other payments from the customers - money order, check, etc... I do not want to sound repetitive, but PayPal should do what you need it to and is very conveient for sellers with the protection plans.

People can't pay money to your personal credit card. You need a merchant account (you need to be a business). You could provide bank details and get people to transfer money directly to your account (UK banking is secure, unlike US banking, so this is no problem). Alternatively Pay Pal as mentioned above.

As for being a business - no you don't have to be a business (as in a registered company) but if this was a regular thing selling large amounts of games you would probably have to pay tax and it might be better to be a company. If this is just small time dealing selling off your old used games then it probably isn't necessary.

One last point - People trust E-Bay because it is a big well established company. They probably won't trust your web site in the same way so it may be hard to get started.

I already sell a large amount of games so I might give you a couple of tips. If you are going to make a living on it you definitley need to be a business, both for tax purposes and so that you can make deductions as much as possible.

In some countries you are allowed to make a certain amount of money without paying tax if your operations are a hobby.

As for payment options you should try to offer as many as possible. PayPal is almost standard when it comes to payments on the Internet, so you should offer it. There are also a number of alternatives to PayPal but again they are the big one.

Selling on Ebay and other auction sites is a good way to go. You instantly get access to thousands of buyers and that for only a small fee.

Hope you have gotten some clarifications.

Good Luck!

Daniel