Ebay 30 + sales reporting 12 months period or 12 month tax year

homi

For the past few years, my mother has been selling items on eBay as a way to pass time and clear out some space. These items mainly consist of old toys, unwanted presents, and clothes—personal belongings she no longer needs. Over the last 12 months, she has successfully sold around £1,000 worth of goods through approximately 33 transactions.

However, my mother, being the worrier she is read that eBay reports sellers who exceed 30 transactions within a year to HMRC. Despite my attempts to reassure her, she now aims to stay below this selling threshold .

 Is the 12-month period the tax year (April to April) or if it follows a simple rolling 12-month period.

thanks

noitsnotme

I would imagine it’s a rolling 12 month period.

But if she’s just selling old stuff, rather than buying/selling with the intention to make profit then she has nothing to worry about.

soolin

Reassure your mother there is nothing to worry about, there are no changes to what is taxable and what is not. There’s a long thread already running if she would like a read. 

RFW

soolin said:

Reassure your mother there is nothing to worry about, there are no changes to what is taxable and what is not. There’s a long thread already running if she would like a read. 

I'll echo that. There's no need to worry about taxes/HMRC if all she's been doing is selling her own goods and making space. She can get that confirmed with a call to HMRC.

FWIW, as I understand it it was a Jan-Dec year but I haven't delved into that too much, so may well be wrong.

XzavierWalnut

It is from January 2024 to January 2025. But your mother would not be liable for taxes, it's for people who make items to sell or buy items then resell.

homi

XzavierWalnut said:

It is from January 2024 to January 2025. But your mother would not be liable for taxes, it's for people who make items to sell or buy items then resell.

Thanks for all the comments so it is not backdated to last year ? It is not so much the money but it gives her something to do and a new skill of  taking the photos , listing the items and answering questions.

soolin

homi said:

XzavierWalnut said:

It is from January 2024 to January 2025. But your mother would not be liable for taxes, it's for people who make items to sell or buy items then resell.

Thanks for all the comments so it is not backdated to last year ? It is not so much the money but it gives her something to do and a new skill of  taking the photos , listing the items and answering questions.

Try searching for the other thread, it covers all the commonly asked questions that have been discussed several times.