Where to register my National Insurance Number on Ebay? Email from ebay received today

jtlpbrighton

I've received an email from ebay in relation to my private account and online seller tax rules. Ebay wants me to add my National Insurance number on my account, but I cannot see where I add these details.  Can anyone help please?

To stop responses stating I should have a business account with ebay, I have been advised by ebay to stick with a private account AND I've been self-employed for decades and have included ebay profits in the annual tax returns. 

GrubbyGirl_2

I don't know the answer to your question but my guess is you can't add it to a private account and this is their way of forcing you onto a business account

Green_hopeful

Are you sure it’s from eBay? I don’t remember having to provide my national insurance number. 

Emmia

Green_hopeful said:

Are you sure it’s from eBay? I don’t remember having to provide my national insurance number. 

I was going to agree, I'd check the headers of that email very carefully, and don't click on any links in the email.

soolin

All sellers including private ones will be asked for their NI numbers, if I can find the thread from last year I will bump it.
I’m surprised though that eBay didn’t say where to add it. 

I’m also extremely surprised that eBay allow a business seller to break the law by not adhering to the statutory obligation to declare themselves as a  trader with all the required information being visible. However I have found that the customer service reps on eBay don’t seem to have a clue about very much 

forgotmyname

No ebay are still turning a blind eye to many business sellers trading on personal accounts. I don't know whether it's just the support tickets
and (lack of service) reps that don't want to deal with them or whether it's a problem higher up the chain.

Tried emailing people I used to and get no replies anymore, they left of maternity leave and all emails just stopped.

GadgetGuru

Never been asked for my NI number. Granted, I dont sell much on eBay any more, and the 4 things I have listed have just been auto-relisting for months, but I sold some high value stuff in Jan, which put my yearly balance at £1200 already - maybe 'll get asked as I approach £1700.....

soolin

GadgetGuru said:

Never been asked for my NI number. Granted, I dont sell much on eBay any more, and the 4 things I have listed have just been auto-relisting for months, but I sold some high value stuff in Jan, which put my yearly balance at £1200 already - maybe 'll get asked as I approach £1700.....

I’ve done well over the reportable level on my private eBay account and not been asked yet. Supposedly it is a slow roll out with more established sellers near the end of the queue. 

Langerhan

The law says that for the January 2025 reporting, they only had to tell HMRC about people who'd registered on the site in 2024. This year they'll have to start collecting everyone else's data ready for January 2026. 

vacheron

soolin said:

GadgetGuru said:

Never been asked for my NI number. Granted, I dont sell much on eBay any more, and the 4 things I have listed have just been auto-relisting for months, but I sold some high value stuff in Jan, which put my yearly balance at £1200 already - maybe 'll get asked as I approach £1700.....

I’ve done well over the reportable level on my private eBay account and not been asked yet. Supposedly it is a slow roll out with more established sellers near the end of the queue. 

I received my e-mail last night (private seller since 2001), and had been expecting it for a while as I sold a single vintage item from my collection last year that exceeded the £1740 threshold on it's own.

I've followed their link and added my NI number already, but I am curious of the wording on said link which states: 

"Add your tax information to your account to get compliant with UK digital sales reporting legislation, and to avoid upcoming restrictions."

I am interested if anyone knows if eBay has ever clarified this rather vague statement?

Would these "upcoming restrictions" be an outright ban on selling, a ban on selling past the current reporting threshold, and when exactly "upcoming" may be?
 

soolin

vacheron said:

soolin said:

GadgetGuru said:

Never been asked for my NI number. Granted, I dont sell much on eBay any more, and the 4 things I have listed have just been auto-relisting for months, but I sold some high value stuff in Jan, which put my yearly balance at £1200 already - maybe 'll get asked as I approach £1700.....

I’ve done well over the reportable level on my private eBay account and not been asked yet. Supposedly it is a slow roll out with more established sellers near the end of the queue. 

I recieved my e-mail last night (private seller since 2001), and had been expecting it for a while as I sold a single vintage item from my collection last year that exceeded the £1740 threshold on it's own.

I've followed their link and added my NI number already, but I am curious of the wording on said link which states: 

"Add your tax information to your account to get compliant with UK digital sales reporting legislation, and to avoid upcoming restrictions."

I am interested if anyone knows if eBay has ever clarified this rather vague statement?

Would these "upcoming restrictions" be an outright ban on selling, a ban on selling past the current reporting threshold, and when exactly "upcoming" may be?
 

As far as I have seen this has never been clarified, it has been suggested, but not confirmed, that ebay may restrict non compliant sellers from listing or selling. It doesn't matter really though as HMRC will still get the information allocated against the seller name, it just makes it a bit more difficult to be processed by machine. 

AS usual it is worth reminding any worried sellers reading this that private sales are not subject to income tax.