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Got an HMRC Letter About Vinted or eBay Sales? What to Do

Last checked against GOV.UK, HMRC's published letter and platform help pages: 26 October 2026 · General information, not tax advice

Step 1: Work out what you've actually received

People often say "I got an HMRC letter" when it's really one of three different things:

If it's the Vinted "HMRC form"

Vinted pre-fills the form from your account, so you don't need to calculate anything. You confirm your details, add your National Insurance number (or confirm you don't have one) and submit it. Vinted says you have until the end of the calendar year in which you met the requirements, and it sends the information to HMRC the following January. If you don't hear from Vinted, you don't need to do anything.

If it's eBay or Depop asking for your details

eBay asks for your National Insurance number once you reach £1,707 or 30 sales in 2026, and warns that not providing it can lead to payout holds or selling blocks. Depop emails you a link to a form in the Depop app, and says it may pause payouts or deactivate accounts if the form isn't submitted by its deadline. See our eBay threshold guide for what eBay counts.

Filling in a platform's form isn't admitting you owe tax. Vinted's own help page says completing it "doesn't mean there's an obligation to pay taxes".

Step 2: Check it's genuine

Scammers copy HMRC and platform messages. GOV.UK's scam checklist says a contact could be a scam if it:

• rushes you or is threatening
• is unexpected
• asks for personal information like bank details
• tells you to transfer money
• offers a refund, tax rebate or grant

HMRC says it will only ever email you about a tax rebate, or ask for personal or payment information, from an address ending in hmrc.gov.uk, and it never uses social media to offer rebates or ask for financial information. You can compare what you've received with HMRC's list of genuine HMRC contacts, though not every HMRC letter is on it.

Don't tap links or call numbers in a message you're unsure about. Open the Vinted, eBay or Depop app yourself, or find HMRC's contact details on GOV.UK. Report suspicious messages: forward emails to [email protected] and texts to 60599.

Step 3: If it's a real HMRC letter, note the deadline and reference

HMRC has written to some people it thinks have earned money from online marketplaces. In the version of the letter HMRC used in early 2025 (published by the ICAEW), HMRC asked people to declare any income or contact HMRC within 30 days, and said that if they did neither it would open a compliance check and might charge penalties.

The tax charity LITRG advises: do not ignore the letter, and reply by the date stated on it (usually within 30 days of the letter's date), even if you have no income to tell HMRC about. Always quote the reference number at the top of the letter. If your letter is different from the one described here, follow what your letter says.

Step 4: Work out whether you were trading

This is the question that decides whether there's anything to declare.

• Selling your own things. GOV.UK says you're unlikely to pay tax if you sell personal items from your home, like the contents of a loft or garage. The exception is a single item sold for £6,000 or more at a profit, which may bring in Capital Gains Tax above the £3,000 allowance.
• Buying or making things to sell for profit. That's likely to be trading. If your gross trading income (before costs, across all platforms) was £1,000 or less in a tax year, it's usually covered by the trading allowance. If it was more, you should have registered for Self Assessment by 5 October after that tax year ended.

Work it out tax year by tax year (6 April to 5 April), not by the calendar-year figures platforms show. Gather what you can: the platform's reports and sales downloads, bank statements, and receipts for stock. HMRC's free checking tool can help you decide.

Step 5a: If you have nothing to declare, tell HMRC why

LITRG says that if you're confident you have no undeclared income, you should still contact HMRC by the deadline, confirm you don't need to make a disclosure, and explain why. For example:

• you only sold your own personal belongings
• your trading income was covered by the £1,000 trading allowance
• you'd already declared the income on a tax return

Use the contact details on the letter itself and quote its reference number. Some HMRC letters have included a "certificate of tax position" form. LITRG explains that you don't have to sign it, but you do have to respond, and a false declaration on it can lead to prosecution, so take care.

Step 5b: If you do have income to declare

• Past tax years: HMRC's online service to tell HMRC about underpaid tax from previous years lets you disclose income you didn't declare. The early-2025 letter said you'd get a payment reference number, then have 90 days to declare and pay what you owe, including any interest and penalties.
• Penalties: the same letter said that because HMRC had written to you first, your disclosure would be treated as "prompted", which can affect penalties. HMRC also charges interest on tax paid late. The sooner you sort it out, the less interest builds up.
• Going forward: if you're still trading above £1,000 a year, register for Self Assessment and keep records.
• Can't pay it all at once? Contact HMRC as soon as you can. See GOV.UK: If you cannot pay your tax bill on time.

What happens if you ignore it?

LITRG says HMRC is likely to follow up, usually with another letter at first. After that, HMRC may open a compliance check, send a notice to file a tax return, or issue an assessment. Replying, even just to say there's nothing to declare, is almost always the better option.

Get help

• Speak to an accountant or tax adviser, and show them the letter.
• If you're on a low income, the charity TaxAid gives free tax help.
• If your health or circumstances make dealing with HMRC hard, ask about HMRC's extra support.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Selling goods or services on a digital platform and Information for online sellers
• HMRC letter: Please tell us about income you've earned from online marketplace sales (Jan 2025 template, via ICAEW)
• LITRG: Do you earn income from Amazon, eBay, Etsy or other online marketplaces? and HMRC 'nudge' letters: what you need to do
• GOV.UK: Identify tax scams, Check a list of genuine HMRC contacts and Report suspicious HMRC emails, texts and calls
• GOV.UK: Tell HMRC about underpaid tax from previous years
• GOV.UK: Trading allowance, CGT on personal possessions and CGT allowances
• Vinted: How to complete your HMRC form, What is HMRC reporting?, eBay: UK digital sales reporting, Depop: Reporting your income in the UK

More guides for UK online sellers

• Do You Pay Tax on Vinted? UK Rules & HMRC Limits 2026 – Own clothes vs reselling, the £1,000 allowance and the 30-sale reporting rule, in plain English.
• Vinted HMRC Form & NI Number Request: What to Do – Why Vinted is asking for your National Insurance number, the end-of-year deadline, and why it doesn't mean you owe tax.
• Vinted Tax Calculator UK: Free HMRC Limit Checker – Check your sales against the 30-sale / ~£1,700 reporting rule and the £1,000 allowance. It checks limits; it doesn't work out a tax bill.
• eBay HMRC Reporting Threshold 2026: £1,707 or 30 Sales – What eBay counts towards £1,707, what it reports, and why a report isn't a tax bill.
• Free Vinted & eBay Profit Tracker Spreadsheet (UK) – A free download with tax-year tabs, profit per item and a check against the HMRC limits.
• Trading Allowance vs Expenses: Which Should Resellers Use? – The £1,000 allowance or your real costs? Why resellers who track stock costs often come out ahead with expenses.
• Do Resellers Need to Register for Self Assessment? – When reselling counts as trading, the £1,000 rule, and the 5 October and 31 January deadlines.
• Depop HMRC Reporting: Do You Pay Tax on Depop Sales? – What Depop reports, what it asks you for, and Depop's own example of being reported but owing no tax.
• Etsy UK Tax: HMRC Reporting Rules for Sellers 2026 – When Etsy reports you to HMRC, and why things you make to sell usually count as trading.
• The £3,000 Side Hustle Threshold: Not in Force Yet – What was announced, what it would change, and why the £1,000 rule still applies today.