Ebay / HMRC seller tax questions.. any accountants in the community?

[fernfantastic]

My partner and I use Ebay to sell our personal items and other items he buys to resell for a profit. He is a self employed sole trader and as such completes an HMRC self assessment tax return which INCLUDES 20% of the profit revenue he/we make selling on Ebay. Under Ebay/HMRC's new reporting arrangement /regime I have just been requested to add my personal tax details even though I don't sell make anything near the £1700 threshold and my partner already declares taxable income from Ebay sales and has done for years. If I add my tax details I am concerned I will then be liable for all additional purchase tax over the threshold which includes my partners sales and for which he has already or will declare.

Therefore my question is:

- Can my partner take over my/our sellers account, does Ebay allow change of account of ownership and then he can add his tax details to Ebay or should I shop using this account as it at the threshold for 2025. 

- Can I retain the account and my partner add his HMRC account details or will Ebay/ HMRC only accept tax details only in the name of the Ebay account holder.. 

What a total mess! Any help from anyone in the know.. would be much appreciated because I have already contacted Ebay CST and HMRC and both are A: totally useless & B: unable to answer these questions! 

Thanks 

[jckl1957]

I am not an accountant.  I would suggest you consult an accountant.

Can you clarify, is this the account that you and your partner sell from?

Ebay will report your sales from this account to HMRC. You have reached the threshold of 30 items so they are obliged to report your sales.  If you don't give them your NINO, they will still report your sales, along with your full name, home address and bank account details.  Realistically, even if you don't give Ebay your NINO, it will take HMRC minutes to find it.

So, you may as well give them your NINO.

As far as your Ebay related questions go, your partner can't take over your account.  The National Insurance Number has to belong to the account holder.

Personally, I would do the following things:

Add my NINO to the account.

Stop selling items bought for profit on this account immediately.  Your partner should have his own business account for selling such items.  This will help with book-keeping and tax returns.

Use this account only for selling personal, unwanted items.

Print off details of sales for this year and possibly last year and divide sales into 'for profit sales' and personal item sales, just in case HMRC do get in touch.