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"

[sml192]

It is the 'Income Tax Self Assessment reporting threshold' that is being increased, as stated in the last paragraph of your post, not the 'Trading allowance', although it has been misreported by many outlets as the latter since they just happen to be the same amount at present.

See the following link for more details:

https://www.mytaxaccountant.co.uk/post/new-hmrc-allowance

[younuk.fvcmda]

so will ebay sell my national insurance number? i just don't trust them or any company online with my information

[ett1954]

"so will ebay sell my national insurance number?" - if they were caught doing that eBay could be fined by the ICO up to £17.5 million, or 4% of eBay's total worldwide annual turnover, whichever is higher.  I doubt that selling such information would result in a profitable enterprise.  Obviously the 4% of worldwide turnover would be the much higher figure.  Turnover in 2024 was £8.03 billion; that would equate to a potential fine of over £321 million

Incidentally these fines are the same should eBay even accidentally release your information.

[jckl1957]

The important bit about the trading income threshold is that they plan to increase it in this parliament.

So, no legislation yet on the table to do this but they may do it by 2029.

It is not relevant for anyone selling at the moment.

[papso22]

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@jckl1957 wrote:

The important bit about the trading income threshold is that they plan to increase it in this parliament.

So, no legislation yet on the table to do this but they may do it by 2029.

It is not relevant for anyone selling at the moment.

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It's not a trading income threshold though, it's simply the threshold under which you don't have to complete a full fat self assessment form.

There are no plans to change the actual tax thresholds.   

So where tax is due people will have other ways of declaring it than doing a self assessment form.  Possibly through their government gateway account. 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

Most of the things i have listed are my relatives stuff, am just waiting to see what happens, if anything.  Not worrying about it though, no point.  You could of course take 25% off any sale and keep to one side in case they come knocking!

[crafty6272]

I’m leaving they claim I’ve reached the targets but I’ve had two sales where I’ve had to refund the buyer as they claimed the item was not working when it was but returned it. Having had to refund should have brought my totals down but they say I’ve reached the target so I have decided to leave 

[jckl1957]

Your details (sales made and personal details) will still be sent to HMRC.

Personally, I would provide my NI number so nobody thinks I have something to hide.

Sellers getting rid of unwanted personal items which were not bought to sell on for a profit do not have a tax liability.

[crafty6272]

I was always taught never to hand my national insurance number over to
anyone except my employer or the job centre as this is my personal ID I
don’t want any Tom *bleep* or harry at eBay having access to my personal
information I’m not at the limit and don’t intend to carry on selling on
this platform or any other so they can do what they like I’m 65 without a
pension or benefits and retired through ill health haven’t they taken
enough from me

[crafty6272]

Under data protection laws if I think that my personal information such as my NI number could possibly used for fraud I am entitled to withhold it and in this case it’s going to god knows where and whom and they say I have hit the target and I haven’t 

[crafty6272]

I’m doing basically the same I’ve been collecting stuff for years now I need to thin it out if I did give my number what tax year is this as HMRC always work a year behind .  Also I sometime fancy something then when I get it think what have I bought that for so then sell it am I going to get accused of being a business?

[jckl1957]

Ebay are obliged by law to pass details of your sales to HMRC.  It does look as if you would sell more than 30 items in a year and remember, Ebay are reporting your sales for January to December 2024.  Did you sell less than 30 items last year?

They have to pass on your personal details they already hold, such as full name, home address, bank account details etc. and your NI Number - which they don't currently have.

Of course, with all the details Ebay will pass on to HMRC, they will be able to link you to your NI Number in any case.

Witholding it is entirely up to you.  Ebay have to ask you for it - nobody can force you to provide it.

Details are all here as to what information Ebay has to pass on.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/account/regulatory/sales-reporting/uk-digital-sales-reporting?id=5454

[crafty6272]

I have no items I’m selling nor any money in my eBay account , it’s too complex I just want to leave 

[jckl1957]

That is fine - it looks as if you have sold an item today so you can start the process of closing your account but it won't be fully closed until 30 days or so after your last transaction.

And, closing your account will not stop Ebay passing your details to HMRC.

If you have been selling your own, unwanted personal posessions it is unlikely you will have any tax liability.

[moldosgifts]

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@crafty6272 wrote:
I was always taught never to hand my national insurance number over to
anyone except my employer or the job centre as this is my personal ID I
don’t want any Tom *bleep* or harry at eBay having access to my personal
information I’m not at the limit and don’t intend to carry on selling on
this platform or any other so they can do what they like I’m 65 without a
pension or benefits and retired through ill health haven’t they taken
enough from me

---

But you employer or job centre are just as likely to have a data breach as ebay.

Example you work at the local factory in the office and hand you NINO over to Linda who will then enter it onto lap top for wages , that laptop get a virus (very easy in a small office and the like) then your Nino appears online from that data breach, all because linda to save a few quid cheeped out on the virus protection. or has none it's only the office computer after all.

Ebay will have industry solid protection plus the fines involved in breeches or selling data without permission are massive 

[kath3735_wxmjn]

The limits are 30 items or approx £1700 and although you may not have reached the 30 items you have passed the £ value.

[kath3735_wxmjn]

Not to mention that government departments are also renowned for their data breaches!

[crafty6272]

How do I know I had a busy year last year trying to pay off debts by
selling my treasured possessions. Looking at my feed back there are 73 as a
seller and I’m not sure when I set the account up maybe 2 years ago. It’s a
mixture of things from teddies to collectibles and dolls plus some old
phones and laptops . I’m a bit of a hoarder I have a heart condition so my
daughter said to get rid the stuff especially what she calls my scary dolls
( they aren’t just vintage) plus I didn’t want to leave any debts

[jckl1957]

You set your account up in September 2023 - which you can see really easily by clicking on your own name.

You can easily see how many sales you had last year as well, with 3 or 4 clicks.  Feedback isn't really helpful as only about half of buyers bother to leave sellers feedback.

Can I just say that I am only trying to help.

If you do get a letter from HMRC regarding your Ebay sales, you need to be open and honest and give them all the information they ask for.

[crafty6272]

Not that I keep any receipts or records as I buy things on a whim try them
for a while don’t like them then get rid I don’t even make a profit I
always lose money hence the debts. If I was a business I’d be a bad one 😂