Hmrc

Mrs_Money

Chocmonster7 wrote: »

A report in the News of the World (I know!) a couple of weeks back said that they were going to class anyone who sold more than 100 items a year as a business. Not sure what happens to Ebay's free 100 listings a month for private sellers if that is the case!

This is a bit of a worry to people like me who sell their own stuff on Ebay and Amazon . For the last couple of years I have been slowly clearing out my loft (it's now a bedroom), cupboards, drawers and then, more recently, a relative died and left us the contents of their flat and one of my sons moved out to his own house - leaving loads of so-called "rubbish" which he didn't want and couldn't be bothered to put on Ebay!
You can imagine what my Ebay/Amazon activity looks like! Some weeks of course I list nothing, other weeks I list, but don't sell anything - so I relist (but only when it's a free listing day).

I'd like to think that HMRC would catch the business sellers masquerading as private, who are turning over large volumes of sales with the "off-shore accounts" mentioned in the BBC news article, but I'm worried that genuine, private sellers with regular listings and sales may get dragged into the net as "easy targets".

Hammyman

I wouldn't worry. It would be obvious what you are doing. Someone like me though who lists 10 laptops in a week or is always selling laptop spares is a different matter.

soolin

Hammyman wrote: »

I wouldn't worry. It would be obvious what you are doing. Someone like me though who lists 10 laptops in a week or is always selling laptop spares is a different matter.

Most of the ones that I am aware of that have already been caught have been car boot resellers, ie buying an assortment of items and reselling on ebay whilst pretending it is their own stuff.

However most of the ones I have spoken to or tried to assist have suspected that they have been turned in by friends or family, one woman got turned into the benefit office by her sister in law after a row over a holiday. It was very rare for someone to contact me having been caught by HMRC or not to have an idea who turned them in.

The benefit office one did end up in heaps of trouble as although she claiemed it was all her own stuff she started changing her story when it was pointed out that she was selling an assortment of baby and toddler clothes for both boys and girls when her own children were both boys and in their very early teens.

lovinituk

Myyrrddyn wrote: »

I like this bit of the report _ "If you look at these websites it is obvious that people have got a stock of goods they are selling, and hiding the proceeds in undeclared offshore bank accounts," said Ronnie Ludwig of accountants Saffery Champness.
Offshore bank accounts I wish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What planet are these people on?

LOL that made me laugh too. Offshore bank accounts - what a crock of ****!!! Most of the 'business' sellers who are not paying tax are not clever enough to even think about offshore bank accounts!!