26-02-2025 11:05 PM
I have had a e mail for E Bay asking for my national Insurance number so i can contiunue to sell on e bay
I am a registered business and have been for over 20 years
I am VAT registered and have been for over 15 years with my VAT number oin my e bay account
I pay an accountant to do my accounts of my sales on ebay every 3 month and now this
I AM NOT HAPPY ABOUT GIVING MY NAT INSURANCE NUMBER TO E BAY, and there is no mention of it being safe wit E Bay im furious
Solved! Go to Solution.
24-05-2025 11:05 PM
A collector could be a person buying to resell but not be a business owner eg a coin collector buys a job lot of coins and sells on the ones they didn't want
With the knowledge that they would not want them all, the coins were bought with the intent of reselling
The collector may try to recover the cost of the job lot or even make a profit on the joblot either financially or by reducing or eliminating the cost of the ones he keeps.
This activity is not classed as running a business by HMRC - but is declarable income - maybe ebay are going to follow HMRC' lead or even decide that they should operate on a business account or even look at a new inbetween account - who knows ?
24-05-2025 11:10 PM
Had bookmarked that thread but forgotten all about it, thanks for the reminder 👍
A little nervous about giving them the number. Not so much worried about the tax man but more worried about ebays online security being up to scratch and do they keep your details even if you close an account or decide to stop selling.
24-05-2025 11:20 PM
If you cease trading and delete you account, they will only hold it for as long as needed. Normal accounting rules are for 5 or 7 years.
24-05-2025 11:21 PM
I'm guessing but I would think they would keep details after an account is closed as there might be some legal requirement to do so as the likes of HMRC might come calling as a part of an investigation.
24-05-2025 11:25 PM
eBay knows exactly the difference between a shareholder, a person with significant control (25%+) or a Director. All of these can be different. Directors of Limited Companies have to identify themselves anyway. But if it is a private seller, or a person selling as self employed, then HMRC will be looking to reconcile their selling activity with everything else under their NI number ie their tax return and any claims they may have made for benefits. It is not eBay that makes these rules, but simply asks the questions required of them by HMRC.
24-05-2025 11:26 PM
Getting scared and desperate! Yes, they would rather resort to all that nonsense than just be straight up accountable and honest.
24-05-2025 11:27 PM
Thats a nonsense. The HMRC has nothing whatsoever to do with the USA. HMRC asks eBay UK to ensure that everyone selling in the UK reports their NI number so that HMRC can match their selling activity to their tax return and any benefits claims made under the same NI number. There is no USA in any of this.
24-05-2025 11:32 PM
umm well they are taking their time identifying those pretend private sellers. I have just done a quick check and a certain seller I have been keeping an occasional eye on, who is still selling multiples of the same things, is STILL registered as private.
24-05-2025 11:32 PM
Never thought of that..that's a good point.
24-05-2025 11:32 PM
Looks very straightforward to me. A reseller is someone who sells other peoples goods, or a person selling for profit could be an agent of another company, but not actually the owner of the goods. There are many such business models.
If you are employed by a company as an employee and asked to sell their goods on eBay, then that is also pretty straightfforward.
24-05-2025 11:37 PM
Not sure if they hold that information on file. It is required by HMRC, not Ebay, and the details are sent to them.
24-05-2025 11:37 PM
Then you should be reporting them to eBay as it is unhelpful to all of us for people to cheat the system. The system should be fair for everyone to be truly competitive. I started in 1999 as a private seller on eBay and within months my account was converted to a business account by eBay.
24-05-2025 11:39 PM
'The HMRC has nothing whatsoever to do with the USA'
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I'm not talking about HMRC.
I'm talking about a survey from ebay. Ebay being an American company, *possibly* trying to push UK sellers into the same sort of mould as US sellers.
Because in the US, the difference between business and private sellers is much less distinct.
24-05-2025 11:46 PM
Yes, eBay UK is now required to store and report National Insurance numbers to HMRC for UK sellers. This is part of a broader requirement for digital platforms to report sales data and seller information to help HMRC identify those who may be liable for capital gains tax or other taxes on their online sales.
You are not special. Nobody is happy to provide the information, but if you don't then you can no longer trade on selling platforms as a business (or private if you go over the selling threshold). You can be as furious as you want, but we are all subject to the same rules.
24-05-2025 11:50 PM
If the collector only did this once, then HMRC would be unlikely to force an assessment because that collector could reasonably deduct all sorts of costs such as a percentage of house rent, mobile phone etc. But if the evidence says otherwise eg a google maps business listing, they sell over a long period of time, the amounts involved are substantial, they have a website etc etc, then I think HMRC are much more likely to see this as a business and send an assessment for the last 7 years of trading if that person has been trading that long.
The process would be that HMRC will estimate how much that person has made and send a bill. This estimate will be derived form all sources of income - so for example if they also have a job or claim benefits. The collector in question would simply provide the one off invoice for the job lot and probably a total of how much they sold it for on eBay and deduct their costs. This would stop any further action from HMRC. But if they had bought more than one job lot, and consistently made a profit, then it is and should be classed as a business.
Another example of a mistake that a lot of people make is where you say to HMRC that you are self employed and raise an invoice each month against someone, for work you have done. If that invoice is dated regularly such as weekly or monthly, or for the same amount, HMRC classes that as a salary or a wage and not self employed. If you are caught doing that, you can be open to a large NI and/or PAYE assessment.
24-05-2025 11:51 PM
A lot of hysteria from people who are taking the information Ebay requires, as personal or even sinister!!
25-05-2025 12:00 AM
I have just Googled it and the link is
25-05-2025 12:02 AM
Have done. They have taken no action.
25-05-2025 12:02 AM
Just a small point - collectors woould not be able to deduct 'business costs' because they are not a business - so turnover including postage etc would possibly be assesed as the profit for tax purposes which they will do if they are classed as a private individual - such is the complexity of taxation. - obviously allowances come into it
This is the same system as if you were paid in kind ie you looked after your friends kids and they bought you a bottle of wine as a thank you or occasionally mowed a neighbours lawn for a few quid - it is not a business but is still taxable income !
Luckily for most - unless it is declared it goes undetected - of course someone could have a real grudge and report you but how likely is that for a bottle of wine ?
One thing is for sure online reporting, banks reporting and access to your expenditure is going to make some cough !
25-05-2025 12:02 AM
It is nothing to do with the USA.
HMRC has asked eBay to provide certain types of information against certain types of UK businesses. If you are a private seller or self employed, you will be required to provide your NI number. If you are a Limited company and owner you will be asked to provide your company HMRC number (UTR) and if you are a person with significant control your NI number. If you are only an employee of a Limited company and not a person with significant control of the company or a Director, I dont think you will be required to supply your NI number but the person that does own the company will be required to submit their NI number. For Limited companies there are also the money laundering rules. This is the same on the other big selling platforms and website platforms.
In the USA, there are completely different definitions of what businesses are. Private seller are required by law to file a tax return regardless of their status and you cannot sell on eBay unless you notify eBay USA exactly what your tax status is by filing an official form notifying the US tax authorities to expect a tax return from you. Completely different.