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Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Hi. I am an old member here, but lost my credentials :)

Received this from eBay, and believe this is now getting into many people's inboxes. :heh:

" We're getting in touch to let you know about the UK digital sales reporting law. This law requires marketplaces like eBay to collect and report seller information if you meet one of these thresholds: 30 or more sales, or sales exceeding £1740 in a calendar year.

Since you've reached this threshold, please update your account by providing your National Insurance number. ...."

Did anyone tried to provide some random number or choose an option "I don’t have a National Insurance number."? I believe eBay doesn't have any option (yet) to check if the info is correct, but does anyone have any ideas what the consequences of giving a creative number would be?

Further, I guess withdrawals are on hold until we provide it?

Thanks

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

I have recently noticed the NI field is now in the personal information section. I too would love to know what to do about this.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

At the moment I understand that eBay are accepting any NI number as they do not have a database to check that what supplied is correct. This is as long as the NI number you enter is in the correct format.

It is too soon to know what will happen if you do this. Maybe HMRC will check the attached bank account, maybe they won't. I would expect that things will tighten up in this respect in the not so distant future so if you do provide a creative NI number it will get noticed at some point and your eBay account will either be suspended or they will give you a chance to correct it. Who knows. Time will tell...

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

send a DM to TGMT and provide him your original user name

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Withdrawals arent held immediately but will probably be the case after a period of time with it not being supplied. They don't say how long this period is.

At the moment, you can use an NINO generator, but as above said, we have no idea what will happen further down the line.

If you want an element of safety (however useful it may or may not be) and it's a genuine details account, just your NI number but with a 'typo' digit wrong, or if you intend to change the account to genuine details use the NI number that is for that person, with a digit wrong, or just make the transfer of all details now.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Mine came up today , must of hit the limit . I just put in a random generated NI .

Does anyone know how long it takes for them to check things out ?

As it states if not correct can restrict payouts ��

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Usually should get back from Ebay if they decline it within 2 days max. But the NI is not the only thing they use to report - they send name, address and bank details to HMRC (in theory they can match that bank/name/address even with incorrect NI)

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Got asked to provide NIN about 5 days ago. Have not submitted yet. Asked eBay about restrictions and they told me there is no timeline as to when the restrictions would start if you don't input your NIN

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

most likely restrictions will start in august / september

in any case I do not believe that anyone without NIN on file will be able to participate in christmas sales this year , not counting people who are below the threshold

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Thats inaccurate, as usual from eBay CS.

Soon you will get a date to input the number by, normally two months from time of first email, and they state at this point if the number is not supplied then payouts will be restricted. I imagine full account restriction will follow soon after.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

it would be typical for ebay to allow to sell but freeze the balance , I think they will not be removing any items or suspending anyone for this

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

It's possible that you can spend your balance on eBay but cannot withdraw funds, making it untenable as a business seller for sure.

I think they will suspend people tbh..

Here is the blurb from the deadline email..

"Since you've reached this threshold, please update your account with your National Insurance number by 04 May, 2025. If we don't receive this information by then, we may need to restrict payouts from your account'

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

My payments were restricted until I added a ni

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

i got mine as well. Need to update in a week. Is there anyone who has a proper answer on what will happen if I add incorrect NI number? Or am I asking too much? :)

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

EBay would look like a FOOL when it submits invalid/bogus NI number at the end of the year !

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Up to now nothing has happened, what will happen in the future, nobody knows.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Get backup accounts going in the meantime and please update with what happens to this account...hopefully it holds :)

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Not possible as NI is required, hence why anyone selling UK accounts is just selling thin air :)

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Why? If HMRC has not given then a check facility, then there is nothing they could do to verify it anyway.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

So how do you suggest ebay confirm they are correct if HMRC don't provide them a means to?

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Likely by means of an algorithm - making sure that numbers fits a generation code potentially?

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

NINO aren't checkmend.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Thanks for clarification on that end

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

What is likely to happen is that, like employers, eBay will be able to submit the NINO numbers in mass which will come back with pass/fail check.

eBay will then ask you to update your NINO and freeze your payouts until you do. They may then do a resubmit on your number manually.

Fail again, you're toast.

This is if it goes this far, the HMRC are the most disorganised organisation there is with little resources to manage something as big as this. I doubt they will follow up and will probably put the onus on eBay to ban people who dont check out rather than chasing them. For the time being anyway, with the Police State emerging in the UK, the next couple of years will change society dramatically.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

There is no chance in hell a UK Government agency will give a commercial entity access to the NI database.

In my opinion, based on what a couple of accountants have told me, is that HMRC will have an 6 figure unofficial cut off as they just simply don't have the manpower for the sheer amount of smaller accounts that they won't be able to make worth while chasing.

I've also been told that that the legislation puts the onus on HMRC to deal with this. All eBay have to do is report the sales and sales figures, it's down to HMRC to chase the person/company. Once reported eBay, and all the other platforms as well, will have fulfilled their obligations to the legislation. The UK Government aren't paying platforms to then use their resources to chase people.

I'm told the general feeling is this has been put into place to scare people into getting their tax affairs "tighter" and bring in some voluntary tax returns that wouodnt ordinarily have been paid, and then to chase the bigger fish who don't pay at all. Anyone who is under the VAT threshold should sit tight and wait it out.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Ah, but they will. It's a simple pass/fail system which is already in use by many businesses that have to verify identity and right to work etc.

6 figure sums are irrelevant here, because you already have to register for VAT when your sales exceed £90k, but normally its around £85K on ebay when they put the red banner on and require your VAT registration number, so this directive is meant to be targeting sub VAT earners, as they have already had a system in place for years to manage the '6 figure earners'.

I agree that from the outset it's more of a scare tactic, and chasing details like 'oh the person doesn't exist but the bank account does' is way beyond their scope at the moment but once you enter your NINO you are exposed. I think that's the real issue tbh, if it wasn't for having to do that, it would be less of. concern. And would entering a false one, trigger something, if your NINO is genuine you just get buried in a mass of accounts for them to sift through, if you enter a ⊗⊗⊗⊗ one, it may reduce you down to a pool of mere hundreds over millions.

We have already seen private sellers getting letters that they have undeclared income from online sales over the past year.

Still most will be needing to add their NINOs in the next couple of weeks as lots of cut off dates will be happening, 11th, 18th etc, so its roll the dice time!

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

NINO and digital reporting, christ you are not on this planet!

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Careful agent - since you aren't selling in the UK (only speculating here - correct me if otherwise), this may be beyond your involvement/insight

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

My gosh, you are literally thick as pig ****. No of this has any relevance at all to these topics. No one cares what happens some some dude in NYC nor the IRS. Even absorb the information many have already told you or just stop worrying your little mind about it.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

^^ exactly!

the funny thing is, she has been reading and commenting on all these threads for weeks, so she should know what is happening in the UK at the moment with digital reporting and HMRC involvement, and then still asks ridiculously stupid questions or makes ludicrously stupid statements.

I have no idea why she comments.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Every time you write its likely an array of distortions and comedy. America, no wonder y'all employed a rapist as a leader.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

agent006140 is a valuable member on this board without his/her knowledge and insight I don't know where i'd be to be honest. I certainly wouldn't be doing e-commerce. Thank you for your input agent. Please carry on posting as you always do, I love reading your posts on every thread when i'm seeking answers.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Shes really not lol.

What have you learnt from her waffle?

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

I think my sarcasm flew over your head :D

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

It certainly did! I was literally worried about you afterwards :)

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

I mean, as far as MAGA thicko's commentary goes, that one is priceless.

It won't take much thought for most to figure out why, but I think with you, you'll still be there in 2035 if you're still alive trying to understand how silly it was.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

I am sorry you feel $20 an hour for a job in a country with no real public health care and 37 million people classed as living in poverty (2023) is something to shout about and that people with a plethora of degrees would not qualify to work in a restaurant. Sounds dire in MAGA America.

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Ignore with a capital mid sentence, such incorrect use of the English Language. Oh, wait, I know another moron that does that...

My sales just bought me a third house in cash. Damn those pathetic sales!

[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/MxVLdt6G/Screenshot...t-10-41-48.png[/IMG]

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Morning chuckles :lol: - oh agent, seemingly always looking to derail the threads...

@james_112233, i got randomly reminded of this scene:

Re: Update your account for the UK digital sales reporting law
 

Please keep quoting her so I can read her insanity further :)