EBay asking for national insurance number

[raik1performance]

Hi everyone, I recently joined for like 1 month and I start selling as a private seller , and now eBay is asking me to provide national insurance number.

"New UK digital sales reporting legislation requires sellers with 30 or more sales, or who have sales exceeding £1740 in a calendar year, to register this information"

[1956glyn]

and this brainbox agrees with you 🙂

For the record we have NOTHING to hide

[*maetrix*]

Sickening really how we're having to jump through so many hoops when our taxes are being given to "actual" criminals entering the country on a daily basis.

[vinylscot]

I was a full-time worker on PAYE from the age of 17 until I was 55. During all that time, I don't believe HMRC ever contacted me direct.

Any contact was through my employers, and may well have been prepared by them, rather than HMRC themselves.

I am by no means unique. The majority of people will never have any need to be in direct contact with HMRC, throughout their working life. I appreciate there may be some contact when the state pension becomes a factor.

The protests against providing eBay with your NINO are getting sillier as time goes on. You know the legislation allows it. You know eBay will have been subject to extensive, detailed vetting to ensure that this information is totally secure. And you know failure to comply simply makes it more awkward for everyone - for eBay, for HMRC, and for you.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

It appears that you are the one that should be 'getting real'.  The number is required by HMRC through e bay.  Whether you like it or not that is the requirement.  How LONG e bay can hold your money is another thing but they can, try reading terms and conditions.  They can also terminate your account as well as temporarily suspend it.  It is irrelevant whether e bay has your NI number already, they are using it with the online sites info to gather it all together quickly.  I should imagine that all the info from the online sites will come in on that number first not on the name of the person (only one NI number but lots of people with the same names. 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

I certainly disagree with your use of the word 'blackmail'.  You have a choice, e bay are required to provide your NI number and could be in serious trouble if they do not.  They therefore have to use some means to persuade people to comply.  If holding the money (not completely refusing to send it) works then all is well for them, if it fails then they will have to close the accounts and lose some customers.  Like with everything whether you like it or not those are the conditions and it is up to you if you are prepared to go with them.  I gave my number over as soon as they asked.  I am no more worried about it being hacked than i am about any of the info i have to provide to even government organisations.  The minute you do anything using a computer you are at risk.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

and yet here you are on a computer!   The minute you touch the keyboard you are in potential trouble.  

[specialk1937]

I used to always get coding notices, so I can't believe that in the
ordinary run of things that HMRC are ignorant of your NI Number. This is
just an excuse being bandied about, so you give it to ebay, without knowing
or realising that HMRC already know it!
Funny also how one of ebays 'ebid' rivals are not asking for NI Numbers.!
Sorry but if you thank I am being awkward in asking too many questions, I
would simply say that perhaps you are not asking enough! It could well be
that more people know more about you than you realise, or even would wish
them to know!

[specialk1937]

HMRC do not require this number from ebay. They already have it! Check it
out!

[kath3735_wxmjn]

How do you know e bid are not asking for it - because one person so far has said so?  As another person responded , maybe because people on e bid do not often sell over 30 items or £1700!  I was not asked by e bay until i had sold my 31st item.   Has anyone been asked for it on vinted yet?  I never understand how some people seem to think that their information is safe as long as it is with someone they 'trust'.  I am non tech literate and yet i am very aware that anywhere and any company/organisation can be hacked.   Had one the other day supposedly from DVLA saying the payment for my vehicle tax had not gone through and i had to click on various links to sort it out - how stupid do they think people are!  (Unfortunately i am pretty sure that there will be some people who are).   I reported it and apparently last year they had reports of over 40 million attempted scams. 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

Must admit that apart from my mortgage (back in the day when we had mortgage tax relief) the only correspondence i have had with HMRC (so far!!)  is the annual tax notice.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

Has it occurred to you that HMRC have a reason for asking for it this way?   They have your number tied to your tax account, what they might get then is a load of info from many many on site companies and then will have to try to match it up.  The easiest way would be to have them all send  the NI number as the main point of reference so the computer can match the different accounts simply.

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"so I can't believe that in the ordinary run of things that HMRC are ignorant of your NI Number. This is
just an excuse being bandied about, so you give it to ebay, without knowing or realising that HMRC already know it!"

As has been said time and time and time and time again, obviously HMRC have everybody's NI Number - the point IS that they want ebay and all digital platforms to supply the NI Number of the seller so that they can easily and quickly marry the seller's activity with the information that they already hold.

[specialk1937]

Don't know whether it is just a question of time on this, but so far 'ebid'
have not asked their sellers for this information!

[vinylscot]

Of course HMRC already have your NINO.

That's the whole point. They use that to tie everything together.

If eBay tell them John Smith has sold 70 items this year for a total of £4000, what possible use is that to them? HMRC may not have John Smith's current address or his bank details, so the NINO is their method, of tying up the eBay data with the correct individual on HMRC's systems.

This has been covered in massive detail many many times, and I can't help feeling that anyone still bringing it up is simply stirring.

[theelench]

According to one of the definitions of "Blackmail" in my OED :  "to coerce (into doing something) as by threats".

Instead of waiting until the 31st item sells and then sending an email asking for the sellers NINO with the threat of withholding funds until it is given, ebay could always send an email when the listing goes live.  Telling the seller that they will breach the threshold and their funds will be held if the item sells, giving the seller the choice of continuing or not. 

Ebay could even provide a link to the Personal Info. page where they can give their number if they are happy to do so.  If they are not they can cancel the ad.

Is ebay collecting NINOs because it is required to do so if a seller willingly and knowingly puts themselves within the thresholds so ebay is required to report their NINO?  Or is ebay allowing the unwary to put themselves in the position of having to reveal their NINO to ebay, whether they want to or not, under threat of not being paid their money ?

You (and others) paint a picture of ebay being helpless and only doing what HMRC requires of them.  That is true only up to a point.  Is there any mention by HMRC or the OECD that says that ebay or any other platform should not warn sellers of the requirements in order to maximise the number of sellers they must report ?

You cannot assume that every private seller who does not want ebay to have their NINO is evading tax or any other of the other crimes this is supposed to counter.  Most private sellers are not criminals, have nothing to hide but either do not want the hassle of getting involved with HMRC.  Or do not trust ebay not to use their info. for their own ends.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

in regard to your last paragraph i have never said that i assumed anything about private sellers who withhold their numbers.   You are entitled to your views and to withhold your number, just as e bay are entitled to ask for it and give 'penalties' for not providing.  Why should they face a fine because some private sellers do not want to comply with a government department edict?  E Bay are not my favourite organisation at the moment but i think personally that some sellers are just creating over nothing!  HMRC are as likely to be hacked these days just as E Bay are!

[moonlight-rhapsody]

"Instead of waiting until the 31st item sells and then sending an email asking for the sellers NINO with the threat of withholding funds until it is given, ebay could always send an email when the listing goes live.  Telling the seller that they will breach the threshold and their funds will be held if the item sells, giving the seller the choice of continuing or not. 

Ebay could even provide a link to the Personal Info. page where they can give their number if they are happy to do so.  If they are not they can cancel the ad."

That would have been a much fairer way of dealing with this issue, and would have avoided ebay being accused of profiteering by holding on to a seller's money for an indefinite period.

Not all sellers will know about this issue anyway.  I only know about it because of the forum..  So it's likely to come as a shock to non-forum people who are still selling, and suddenly get told to part with their NINO or say goodbye to their money for however long. 

[leadhills_scot]

Why do you constantly go on saying private sellers when it is ALL sellers regardless. It's only companies which can give their UTR, sole traders have to give their NI number. If I was still selling on ebay then when asked I would give them my NI number.

On ebid, since listing in January I've only sold 1 item, doubt if I will ever get to the threshold  where they require the NI number. As I'm retired it is a non issue as my state pension is enough for me, just clearing out the last of my stock.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

maybe people should keep up to date then and read up on new information and T & Cs!   This has been ongoing now for over a year and there has been info about it both in the media and on this site so it should have come as no 'shock' to the majority.   There have been plenty of posts on here from disgruntled people who are not even affected because they only sell a few items.    Why should they collect the data from everyone when it only affects a certain amount of us (the ones who sell over 30 items/£1700.   When i first began i never sold that much  a year then i started selling for my family!   You would then have people complaining that e bay were requesting unnecessary info...   For once (and i hate saying this) e bay have done nothing wrong and are trying to comply with the regs.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

because some people just love to moan, even when there is nothing to moan about!   I love to have my whine but at least i try to make it about something that e bay could change not something that is outside their remit.