NI number for US Citizen business account

[honeyvale_farm]

I opened my personal Ebay in 1996 in the US as a US citizen.  I moved to the UK approximately 15 years ago and switched my banking details to UK bank/address with the same Ebay account/email. 

I need to add my US Social Security number to my account for tax purposes but have found out at some point in the past 15 years, someone at Ebay switched my nationality to a British Citizen. 

I spoke with customer service and am now told that it is impossible to switch my US account back to a US account as it can't be done.

According to the rep I am speaking with, no one can switch nationalities and I can't just ask to have US citizenship on my account even though I opened my Ebay account in the US almost 30 years ago and 

never switched nationalities.  Why can't someone look to see that I always had a US account?

I now am told I need to wipe out my UK Business account with over 600 listings and over 36,000 feedback to a brand new personal account and lose all my business and start over.  I have asked to be passed to someone who can help but need to know where to go from here and who to ask for. 

Etsy was very simple as a US registered user living in the UK it had a box to tick that said anyone from the US living in the UK check here and I am completely registered as a US tax paying citizen without any issues and don't know why I can't get my US Valid Passport, Social Security card/number & American birth certificate as a way to verify I am a US citizen with Ebay. 

Any help would be appreciated as I can't be the only non British Citizen in the UK with an business Ebay account. 

Kat

[ojewellery]

I'm not a tax advisor just a fellow online retailer.  Surely, if you're a UK resident any earnings you make you're obliged to pay UK taxes on.  Other platforms are notoriously US first focus and don't have a good handle on many bits of UK or EU law/ legislation.

You've no doubt updated your location to be UK, so for taxation purposes your primary tax obligations are to the country you reside in.  EBay haven't switched your nationality, your address change changed your taxation obligations.  Maintaining your US citizenship requires you to file in the US in addition to the UK but clever expat tax people can help  with that process.

A quick Google brings this up:

Do US citizens living in the UK pay UK taxes?

U.S. citizens residing and working in the U.K. must file tax returns in both countries. While the U.K. uses a progressive tax system, provisions like the FEIE, FTC, and treaties help minimize the risk of double taxation, enabling U.S. expats to claim credits or exclude foreign-earned income from U.S. tax liabilities.6 Mar 2025

A quick Google brings this up:

Do US citizens living in the UK pay UK taxes?

U.S. citizens residing and working in the U.K. must file tax returns in both countries. While the U.K. uses a progressive tax system, provisions like the FEIE, FTC, and treaties help minimize the risk of double taxation, enabling U.S. expats to claim credits or exclude foreign-earned income from U.S. tax liabilities.6 Mar 2025

Is the issue you don't have a UK NI number as you've never registered as being in the UK for self employment purposes? 

[honeyvale_farm]

My account actually now lists me as a British national citizen and am told by the rep I can't go back to being American...

I have been filing my taxes through my US accountant for US property investments as my UK business is new and never earned any money in the UK until this past year. 

My accounts are being prepared now for the US.

My nationality has never changed but the rep says I can not go "back" to being a US citizen on my Ebay account. 

I have no issues paying tax to the UK for UK earnings but don't understand being forced to close my business account to open a new personal account to run my business on because my account was originally a US account and now need it to be a UK account even though it is currently attached to UK bank, address and phone.

[fargvs · Accepted solution]

'' ...  I opened my personal Ebay in 1996 in the US as a US citizen.  ... ''  ---

 eBay UK only opened in 1999 so you had no other option at that time --- 

As the 1996 Registration was initially recorded in the USA .com site and despite any changes made to UK locations etc. since then, the Registration Default will remain in USA.   May need to open a new UK Registered account as the problem will persist if any Default remnants of USA residence/registration remain.

As advised, It is no longer possible to transfer Original account registration or history between eBay sites.

[ojewellery]

Sounds like a real faff!  I think I'm getting your frustration.

One tiny glimmer of light could be signing up to start up scale up.  You'd effectively be a new business account on eBay so should be able to get a good few new account incentives, coupons and support to grow your new account.

You could subscribe to a third party listing tool to allow you to pull all listings and images from your current account and push them into your new account.

There's a bit of logistics I suppose you'd need to get your head around like if the new account is going to need an NI number, do you have to never need to get one before you can create it.

[papso22]

Accounts do not record citizenship,  they record the country of account registration.