EBay asking for national insurance number , I sell a lot but buy a lot hobby is collecting coins

[23mrf]

I’ve started collecting coins and I buy a large lot of coins take out what I want and then Sell what’s left over. Been doing this for 9 months, I am about £500 out of pocket from my initial outlay but am selling about £1000 in sales each month, will HMRC take into account that I am not taking out any money from my ebay account and realise it’s just a hobby or am I going to have to pay income tax on £12000 in sales? If so I may have to sell my collection to pay them!!!!

[dch2112011]

Why do you need to use Simple Delivery - at the prices you quote you should be exempt - ebay seem to have reacted  to sellers of cheap items ?

Simple Delivery will be optional for items that are £10 or under, letter-sized, and in certain sub-categories like Trading Cards, Coins, and Stamps.

The online apps and information simply attracts more  attention for organised crime and opportunist thieves - I often wonder  what would happen if the internet was taken down - does the world stop spinning !

Do a dark web search on your email address if you want to know how often your data is sold 

The ebay scam that is never talked about (along with all the other platforms ) is sellers offering cheap - very cheap items to gather the buyer's personal details that are sold on the dark web - simple delivery seems to make this a lot more difficult !

[lees_sales21]

Agreed.

I can opt for Custom Delivery, but I have been right through there and the cheapest I can list if for is £2.72. 

Another software bug. 

I have raised it.

Other people are finding the same. 

I think when they switched to Simple Delivert they thought it would be easy.

It has made all sorts of problems, like combined postage, sending invoices etc.

I have been right through Simple Delivery. The cheapest is £2.72.

Custom postage I have switched to, put in the lowest size and weight in the options and it will not go below the £2.72 mark.

I raised this with eBay, with screens shots etc.

Still the same.

In time they might sort it, in the mean time the postage I would have to pay is nearly double direct.

I mentioned that I couldn't use the print or QR code and asked would I have to pay, to then just get refunded?

Their response was it might take upto 30 days for a refund and you may or may not get one. Several advisors said I would. Some said I would not.

So, more issues.

I like many other people are fixed to the net, but as a society it hasn't helped us in some ways.

Absolutely spot on! 

I do not like my phone number being passed on. I think that is too much info.

I use separate emails for different things. They're all unrelated.

Scary times ahead! 

The problem is the people that run the country are always a step behind these people , and often employ them as advisors.

Your comments are all valid and detailed. I do appreciate them (apart from the immovable comment lol).

I am someone who does the right thing.

Openly contacts HMRC to pay tax I felt was due. Provides a good service, goes out of my way to get these things out ASAP.

Which is why I am frustrated when it breaks down, and is out of my hands.

You're also clearly someone with your finger on the pulse. 

There are so many risks out there.

I could just say I am not going to be careful or not concerned, but I choose to be vigilant and I chose to only give out information, when it is absolutely necessary.

All eBay would do is forward it onto HMRC. 

They don't need to as I would deal with them directly. I have the account and the UTR number etc still. 

Or in the future via my friend, if needs be.

A family member recently had cause to have to pay CGT. I advised them that it was over the limit and helped them file a return and pay the fee due. 

It was difficult as they didn't have a driving licence or valid passport. The system wouldn't then allow you to proceed. 

So, I requested a SA100, 200 etc forms, stating why they were required.

They were sent out with a letter saying the

submission had to be done online! 

Anyways in the end it got resolved.

I am a bit paranoid, I have to admit, removing addresses etc from letters (and QR codes too) and shredding them.

Sad I know. 

But we all have our foibles. 

[dch2112011]

Am I reading you correctly that when you sell under £10 with letter  chosen as the delivery size and you opt out you still have to buy your postal label from ebay under the simple delivery rules ?  

That is not how it reads -   If the 'letter'  size is allowed and you list with these criteria to opt out  -

surely you can choose whatever label you want  - large, medium small parcel, tracked, non tracked , stamp   and purchase postal services from wherever you want  as you are no longer part of Simple Delivery ?  

I accept this is limited to certain sub categories but there is an extensive list - see below

This is ebay's explanation

Which listings are not required to use Simple Delivery?

From 15 April and rolling out over the coming months, Simple Delivery will become the only delivery method available for private sellers when posting eligible items. Simple Delivery will be optional for items priced £10 and under, letter-sized, and in certain sub-categories* within the following areas:

Antiques (e.g., Maps)
Art (e.g., Photographs)
Baby (e.g., Car Window Signs & Decals)
Books, Comics & Magazines (e.g., Bookmarks)
Business, Office & Industrial (e.g., Office Supplies & Stationary, Adhesive Tapes)
Cameras & Photography (e.g.,Memory Cards, Drone Accessories)
Clothes, Shoes & Accessories (e.g., Hair Accessories, Wallets)
Coins
Collectables (e.g., Trading Cards, Card Games, Badges & Patches, Postcards)
Computers/Tablets & Networking (e.g., Cables & Connectors, Components & Parts)
Crafts (e.g., Scrapbooking, Beads)
Dolls & Bears (e.g., Clothing & Accessories)
Events Tickets
Everything Else (e.g., Information Services, Grave Ornaments & Memorials)
Films & TV (e.g., DVDs, Fridge Magnets)
Garden & Patio (e.g., Seeds & Bulbs)
Health & Beauty (e.g., Nail Art, Temporary Tattoos)
Home, Furniture & DIY (e.g., Cards & Invitations, Ornaments)

[lees_sales21]

Yes, I have been through all the options.

Via Simple Delivery the cheapest option is £2.72.

Using custom delivery, when I enter the settings for large letter, upto 100g second class, it won't complete. 

If I change the size of the package or the weight it does.

I have sent screenshots to eBay showing them the issue.

They said they would look into it and get back to me. That was over a month ago.

I have chased them a couple of times.

No feedback.

This is not the first time that eBay has not responded. I have the email with regards to all the chat transcripts etc.

I noticed a few people mentioned the same on FB eBay. Their cheapest option via Simple or Custom was £2.70.

Mine was £2.72, but that is neither here or there I guess.

Sorry I should say that was untracked too.

I had 230 listings on about a month ago, but just deleted them all. 

It is clearly yet another software bug. They seem to have a few issues. I had an issue with a debit card not working for offers. If I used another debit card it worked. 

Same bank.

Even got a new card. Same thing.

Works on one, but not the other only on offers. If I purchase something, it works.

Weird eh? 

They said it was the card. 

Changed it.

Said it was the bank.

It is the same bank as the other card.

It also works if I buy.

It was ever since you had to 'pay' when you made an offer, before they brought that in it worked on offers too.

So clearly an issue at their end, as it stopped working after their change.

It works everywhere else, including on eBay for purchasing. 

So, in the end I stopped making offers.

That is my eBay account card  for sales and purchaes. 

The other is a standard personal one.

I gave up in the end as I was getting nowhere with them. 

[dch2112011]

This seems to work  - opting out of simple delivery using letter  first or second class which can be offered free or paid by customer -  this is in one of the allowed sub categories - click add primary service 

 

[lees_sales21]

Oh I know it works for some people.

It works for my sister.

But it isn't working on my account.

Hence a bug.

She has looked at it too. 

She also cannot set it.

eBay have acknowledged the problem, the problem is they're not sorting it. Lol.

Thank you for looking though. 

I genuinely have gone right through all the (Simple and Custom) options. The best (or cheapest) that I can send it for is £2.72.

I just hope it doesn't end up like the card issue, because that never got resolved. 

To tell you the truth I haven't looked at this for a couple of weeks now, but a few weeks ago I got my sister to have a go, as she has used it a fair bit. 

I was watching her smug little face soon turn and say, it isn't working. It shouldn't do that!

I just said I know! I told you! Lol.

She just went a bit quiet after that. 

Might give it a try again. 

Thanks again! 

Enjoy what is left of your weekend and sorry to have taken up so much of your time! 

[gjalp]

Are you not able to select letter? On my private ID, for collectables I choose custom, 2nd class letter and then can either tick the free postage or set a postage cost. I then mail out using stamps. When listing these I do not add dimensions to the listing.

Incidentally I use online banking but not the app. I don’t ‘do’ apps. Main reason for this is because I make too many errors as my hands have issues (bilateral arthritis being one of them) and Ive dropped my phone more times than I care to count when using apps so now Ive deleted them. I rarely use my phone these days. If I use a phone, Im old school and use the house phone as it sits better in my hand and has proper buttons 🙂

[lees_sales21]

No. It is a software bug.

My sister can and I can if I go onto her account, but not on mine.

It won't let you complete the listing. 

eBay know about it. 

There are a few people who have mentioned they too cannot on FB pages.

In time they might sort it.

The BPF is also an issue though, because for low cost items it is making it no longer viable realistically.

I could absorb the cost, but then I would be close to making nothing, possibly even a loss.

Sorry to hear about your arthritis. I do not have it myself, but I do have a tremor which at times can also make me accidently click on the wrong thing, type the wrong letter etc. 

So, I do understand were you are coming from.

Sorry, I am also struggling to type on this thing. When I have typed and go back up to re-read your message, it has jumped from where I was typing. And the scroll function doesn't seem to do anything. There is no delete option, so all I can do is drop a line, which doesn't help when text is below the bottom of this box, or delete the letter before (like a back space) this one etc, which again doesn't help me get to below here.

So, apologies if there is some extra duplicated  lines below here... 

[gjalp]

My experience is that ebay takes forever to fix a bug or they don’t fix it at all. Combined postage on this ID (business) being one. Unless items are added to the basket, it has a habit of not combining. It always used to. 

I hate the BPF. On my private ID Ive always done auctions at 99p starts and have some BIN at £2. Those no longer sell as the BPF makes them too expensive. My sales are down by over 80%.

Ive got used to the arthritis now (i just try to keep pain managed although it takes a controlled drug to do it which increases brain fog), I have the ‘head, shoulders, knees and toes song going round my head when I think about it although mine is neck, shoulders hands and knees 😅 not got as far as the feet yet. There is a genetic factor at work so I just have to adapt. 

[lees_sales21]

Agreed. Their customer service seems to be getting worse in my experience. I have been using eBay for about 23 years or so. However, I only have this account now and have been on here for 4 years.

Oh yes, I forgot about that other issue I had with offers now. When you made an offer you had to 'pay' for it, whereas sometimes you would be interested in buying a few items from a seller, but making the offer and payment being taken (or pending, if you get my drift) messed that up.

I mean look at your feedback number. That shows how long and successful you have been and also how much eBay has taken from you in fees, business or private matters little if your sales are down 80%. 

That just illustrates perfectly that this isn't working. You lose out, your buyer loses out and eBay don't get their money. Nobody wins. 

Which is why this really frustrates me, because they must be seeing a drop in income apart from any interest they are accruing on payments. 

Just stupid! 

I guess for you it is worse in the winter months too? A lot of arthritis suffers seem to experience that.

When eBay works it is good.

When it doesn't it sucks.