eBay Requiring National Insurance Number

soolin

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

soolin said:

This is causing a lot of problems for people who use the Vinted forums , lots of people are giving NI numbers that are fake, or belonging to family or friends (no idea why the latter)......Strangely though, this giving fake info is not being mentioned at all on similar eBay forums, whether that suggests a different demographic of users I couldn’t comment on. 

eBay already has a verified bank account on file so, as far as I can see, it would be pretty pointless to give a false NI number as eBay will be sharing the details (sort code/acc no) of the bank account where funds are paid as part of the information.

No idea how sellers get paid on Vinted? 

It's exactly the same. Sellers verify their bank details and only Vinted payments are allowed and they go into that verified bank account.

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

soolin said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

soolin said:

This is causing a lot of problems for people who use the Vinted forums , lots of people are giving NI numbers that are fake, or belonging to family or friends (no idea why the latter)......Strangely though, this giving fake info is not being mentioned at all on similar eBay forums, whether that suggests a different demographic of users I couldn’t comment on. 

eBay already has a verified bank account on file so, as far as I can see, it would be pretty pointless to give a false NI number as eBay will be sharing the details (sort code/acc no) of the bank account where funds are paid as part of the information.

No idea how sellers get paid on Vinted? 

It's exactly the same. Sellers verify their bank details and only Vinted payments are allowed and they go into that verified bank account.

Seems a bit too late then to give false info! 

Out of interest, what are Vinted sellers worried about anyway? I thought businesses were not allowed on there, appreciate some may slip through unnoticed but can't be turning over that much otherwise wouldn't Vinted notice?

soolin

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

soolin said:

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head said:

soolin said:

This is causing a lot of problems for people who use the Vinted forums , lots of people are giving NI numbers that are fake, or belonging to family or friends (no idea why the latter)......Strangely though, this giving fake info is not being mentioned at all on similar eBay forums, whether that suggests a different demographic of users I couldn’t comment on. 

eBay already has a verified bank account on file so, as far as I can see, it would be pretty pointless to give a false NI number as eBay will be sharing the details (sort code/acc no) of the bank account where funds are paid as part of the information.

No idea how sellers get paid on Vinted? 

It's exactly the same. Sellers verify their bank details and only Vinted payments are allowed and they go into that verified bank account.

Seems a bit too late then to give false info! 

Out of interest, what are Vinted sellers worried about anyway? I thought businesses were not allowed on there, appreciate some may slip through unnoticed but can't be turning over that much otherwise wouldn't Vinted notice?

It is a completely different demographic of users- there is a fairly large percentage of users- at least those who post frequently on the various Vinted groups on FB that this request is 'illegal' or somehow violates their human rights. There are those who have given false information for one reason or another and don't want to be linked and there are those who will not accept that the tax rules haven't changed, as some bloke down the pub said they are going to tax everything and take away all benefits and hound them until they are bankrupt.

Many people have contacted Vinted to start a campaign to not comply pointing out that Vinted are not a UK company, Vinted have responded generally by posting lots of information about tax rules and not being subject to income tax on personal sales. Some believe Vinted are incorrect - although I found their explanation quite simple and informative and considerable more accurate than some of that mentioned in the general press. 

I tend not to get involved, just like I read but don't post on the ebay community boards. I have no idea though what actually happens if someone supplies a fake NI number?

As for businesses, until a few months ago no commercial selling at all was allowed, but there are  people selling home made wax melts or knitted/crochet items and some obvious re sellers . There is now a pro seller scheme, but even that looks needlessly complicated with lots of restrictions and I think perhaps a number of people have signed up and didn't read the bit about HMRC being informed this was business sale income. Vinted is good for what it is, to me it is the first viable alternative site to ebay for the very casual seller, but actually finding their T and Cs is admittedly not always easy. 

LITRG

Hello. We are the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group (LITRG), part of the Chartered Institute of Taxation who are an educational charity. We are not part of HMRC or MSE. Although we can’t give individual advice, you might find our website information about the new platform reporting rules, what information the platforms need from you and what the platforms might report to HMRC useful: https://www.litrg.org.uk/working/gig-economy/oecd-rules . If you require further help, we recommend that you contact a tax adviser, HMRC or one of the tax charities where relevant. You can find more information about where to get help with tax here: https://www.litrg.org.uk/tax-nic/getting-help-tax. Thanks.

Murphybear

Brie said:

How many people have the same name and potentially live at the same address?  I'm sure we all know at least one family where dad is Rob and son is Bob but legally they are both Robert.  Growing up there were 5 people in our house with the same first initial and same last name - thankfully before the internet but caused great havoc when some post was received.  

I was under the impression that there was some maximum amount that any individual could sell across all sites and after that any income was taxable.  The only way to easily track that is with NINos.

That brings back memories. My mother and I have the same name.  In my early days of dating as a teenager a lovely young man put a note through my door.  My mother thought it was for her and read it.  She handed it over saying “I think this is for you”.  Fortunately he hadn’t put anything in the note that I wouldn’t have wanted my mother to read

martindow

Murphybear said:

That brings back memories. My mother and I have the same name.  In my early days of dating as a teenager a lovely young man put a note through my door.  My mother thought it was for her and read it.  She handed it over saying “I think this is for you”.  Fortunately he hadn’t put anything in the note that I wouldn’t have wanted my mother to read

That's a shame!

RFW

soolin said:

I tend not to get involved, just like I read but don't post on the ebay community boards. I have no idea though what actually happens if someone supplies a fake NI number?

Probably nothing until it gets checked somewhere. I'm only guessing but it's likely going to end up with a red flag next to their name if/when it is checked. So they may well get away with it, but, if they do, no one would have been interested if they'd have given the right number anyway.

Hoenir

Cross referencing data is a seamless task.  Platforms will simply close accounts. Than be subject to the ire of the HMRC. HMRC can access other data such as bank accounts. Tradng accounts of interest will no doubt be identified and pursued. One thing often leads to far more once the digging starts.