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"

[vinylscot]

The whole point of the legislation to allow platforms to request NINOs is to make it simpler for HMRC to tie various strands together.

If eBay just told HMRC that John Smith of 14 Town St, Anytown, had sold £2k worth of items, that might be no help at all, as very often, HMRC do not hold current addresses for all individuals; as long as their affairs are in order, HMRC may not even attempt to contact you for many years. In any case, even if the address was correct, it would more than likely involve some human involvement to tie it all together.

Using the NINO as an identifier enables all the initial procedures to be carried out entirely automatically, without human intervention. 

I realise you may simply be stirring. You're often on these boards, and must have come across this explanation many times before.

[op-a-long]

No I'm not stirring. I am an elderly disabled women who genuinely did not
know whether to give my NI number due to not understanding procedure. If
this is reaction of others I will never ask for help again whatever
problem I have. So everybody knows EBAY HAS MY NI NUMBER NOW

[4_bathrooms]

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@op-a-long wrote:
 If this is reaction of others I will never ask for help again whatever
problem I have. 

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If you look at vinylscot's reply you will see they were replying to ile136yz (where it states "in response to"); their reply was not aimed at yourself.  

[lou123knit]

Good idea!  I don’t imagine Ebay takes any advise on board from community members sadly.

[lou123knit]

Of course HMRC has it, but EBay is not getting it on their system from me.

[crn303]

Hello op-a-long …. Take my and others advice, ignore some of the replies. They themselves have and continue to stir given the chance.  

[vinylscot]

As has already been pointed out, my response was not aimed at you, and was clearly marked for another poster.

I'm sorry if you were unaware of the format of the posts. I certainly didn't intend to cause you any concern.

[ett1954]

As a business seller I am surprised you are not aware of the legal requirements digital sales platforms now have.  I would suggest you read from the link below rather than criticise eBay for enforcing their legal requirements.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/selling-goods-or-services-on-a-digital-platform  

[specialk1937]

Being's a legal; requirement should not stop people having opinions or
raising objections! Sometimes with protest comes change!
Interestingly, I am told that 'ebid' have not asked users for their NI
Numbers!

[kidmore_kats]

Probably because nobody sells anything on Ebid

[specialk1937]

It's getting that way on 'ebay' after their imposition of a Buyers
Protection Fee on Private Sellers, which has seriously impacted on my
sales. I recently stopped selling on ebay after 21 years, and I know of
others who have jacked it in!
No doubt ebay is complacent about all of this, and would be quite happy
just to be left with business sellers on their platform!

[ett1954]

“Being's a legal; requirement should not stop people having opinions or
raising objections!” - nor does it stop eBay fulfilling their obligations under the legal requirements they operate under. Of course everyone has a choice; comply or cease selling.

I don’t know anything about ebid as I only sold one item in three years with them many years ago so dumped them as a waste of effort. I do know other digital platforms are requesting NINOs, and not just selling platforms. As has been mentioned, maybe no-one sells enough to fall within the reporting parameters to be asked; or maybe they are not processing their sellers payments.

[jonatjonatjonat]

Interestingly, I am told that 'ebid' have not asked users for their NI
Numbers!

how is that interesting? Does that in some way make eBay wrong for requesting them? Or more likely, eBid wrong for not doing so?

[specialk1937]

No, what I said may not be profoundly interesting, it merely highlights an
inconsistency, which can often be found with several things in life, and
when they occur, it doesn't hurt to point such examples out!!

[*vyolla*]

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@specialk1937 wrote:
 I am told that 'ebid' have not asked users for their NI
Numbers!

---

Have those users met the criteria for reporting yet though?

FaceBook is churning out the usual chatter about not being asked for their NINO yet by eBay, and there have been a couple of comments here from sellers who state that they haven't been asked for theirs, but when those sellers are asked if they've sold 30 items or have sales exceeding £1740 they haven't. 

[theelench]

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@kidmore_kats wrote:

Probably because nobody sells anything on Ebid

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🤣😃  🤣🙄  🤣😮  🤣💩

That sort of remark becomes more absurd with every year that passes. 

Do you think the owners are philanthropists and run it as a charity?

Of course they don't, it's a business.

[specialk1937]

Well said!

[vinylscot]

I think it's more likely that eBid, being much less sophisticated than eBay, will only be asking for NINOs in situations where the thresholds are likely to be breached.

Although you insist eBay works for you, and I have no reason to doubt you, you must admit there will be relatively few sellers on eBid who will approach these thresholds.

That is almost certainly why people are reporting that eBid has not requested their NINO. I am quite sure they will be asked, should it become relevant. Not to put eBid down, but I imagine the process over there could be run manually by one member of staff, keeping an eye on running totals, as part of their overall duties. It won't be very onerous.

[specialk1937]

I think in this whole business of who is and who isn't asking for NI
Numbers, the whole point at issue is being missed.
Once upon a time we would all told that knowledge of a persons NI Number
was a private matter between them, their employer and HMRC and not
something to be bandied about.
Surely then, in this day and age where matters of security and identity
theft are far greater, it is even MORE important that this information is
not freely given out to all and sundry! So when someone else asks for it,
it needs to be
questioned!
In the final analysis , whether or not anyone gives their number out to an
online market place, is their business, but should this then cause them
any trouble they will only have themselves to blame, but I for one, will
not be handing mine over!

[vinylscot]

That would be a decent point, if it weren't for the fact that it is official legislation, backed by HMRC, which has required this step to be taken.

It really doesn't matter at all whether YOU think it may be insecure. You're perfectly at liberty to refuse to divulge yours, which will result in you being barred from selling on eBay (or anywhere else if you refuse to divulge your NINO). Your selling activity will still be reported to HMRC, if appropriate, along with an indication that you refuse to divulge your NINO, therefore almost guaranteeing you receive personal treatment, at a time when it might be better just to keep your head down.