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Do You Pay Tax on Vinted? UK Rules & HMRC Limits 2026

Last checked against GOV.UK and Vinted's help centre: 26 October 2026 · General information, not tax advice

Selling your own things vs reselling for profit

HMRC draws a line between clearing out and trading.

• Your own unwanted things. Clothes you've stopped wearing, kids' outgrown stuff, the contents of a loft. HMRC says you're unlikely to pay tax on these, and that there is no new tax on selling them online. Vinted puts it simply: if you sell items for less than you paid for them, there's no tax to pay.
• Buying or making things to sell. Picking up stock at charity shops or car boots to resell, flipping trainers, or selling things you make. If you do this to make a profit, you're likely to be trading, and trading profits can be taxable.

Plenty of people do a bit of both. If that's you, it's the reselling part that counts towards the trading limits below.

The two numbers people mix up

Most confusion comes from treating Vinted's reporting rule as a tax limit. They're different things:

So you can be reported and owe nothing (lots of wardrobe clear-outs), or owe tax without ever being reported (a reseller doing a few higher-value sales across two apps).

Vinted's HMRC reporting rule (30 sales or ~£1,700)

Since 1 January 2024, UK rules require online platforms to collect some details about sellers and report them to HMRC. Vinted will contact you if, in a calendar year, you:

• complete 30 or more sales, or
• receive €2,000 (about £1,700) or more.

If that happens, Vinted asks you to complete a short, pre-filled HMRC form. You mainly need to add your National Insurance number. The form is due before the end of the year, and Vinted sends the report to HMRC the following January. For example, 2026 sales are reported by 31 January 2027. You'll get a copy of what was reported.

If you don't hear from Vinted, you don't need to do anything. Vinted, eBay and GOV.UK all make the same point: a report doesn't automatically mean you owe tax. It's information to help HMRC, and you, keep track. For eBay, the 2026 figure is £1,707 or 30 sales. See eBay's help page.

How much can you sell on Vinted before paying tax?

It depends on what you're selling:

• Your own used things sold for less than you paid: no tax, however much you sell.
• A single personal item sold for £6,000 or more at a profit (jewellery, a designer bag, a painting): this could be liable for Capital Gains Tax. You only pay on gains above the £3,000 yearly Capital Gains Tax allowance. Things with a limited lifespan are usually exempt.
• Trading (reselling or making things for profit): the first £1,000 of gross trading income each tax year is covered by the trading allowance. That's income before costs, added up across all your trading, not just Vinted.

If your trading income goes over £1,000

If your gross trading income is more than £1,000 in a tax year, GOV.UK says you must register for Self Assessment. You register by 5 October after the tax year ends. For example, for the 2026 to 2027 tax year (6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027), you'd register by 5 October 2027.

On your tax return you can then either:

• deduct the £1,000 trading allowance from your income, or
• deduct your actual costs (stock, fees, postage and so on).

You can't do both. If your costs are more than £1,000, claiming expenses is usually better. Either way, you must keep records of your income, such as sales reports, bank statements or a spreadsheet. That's exactly the job SideLedger is being built for.

Two quick examples

Amy clears out her wardrobe. In 2026 she makes 45 sales on Vinted totalling £600, all clothes she bought for herself and wore. She passes 30 sales, so Vinted asks her to fill in the form and reports her. But she's selling personal items for less than she paid, so there's very likely no tax to pay.

Ben resells car-boot finds. Between April and December 2026 he sells £1,400 of vintage clothes he bought to resell, across 25 sales on Vinted. He's under both reporting limits, so Vinted won't report him. But he's trading, and his gross trading income is over £1,000, so he needs to register for Self Assessment.

Illustrations only. Real situations can be less clear-cut.

What about the £3,000 change in the news?

The government has announced plans to raise the Self Assessment reporting threshold for trading income to £3,000. It isn't in force yet. It also wouldn't change the £1,000 tax-free trading allowance. We'll update this page if the rules change.

Not sure where you stand?

• Use HMRC's free tool: Check if you need to tell HMRC about additional income.
• Read GOV.UK's guide to telling HMRC about income from online platforms.
• Speak to an accountant or tax adviser. If you're on a low income, the charity TaxAid gives free tax help.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Selling goods or services on a digital platform
• GOV.UK: Information for online sellers
• GOV.UK: Tax-free allowances on property and trading income
• GOV.UK: Capital Gains Tax on personal possessions and CGT allowances
• GOV.UK: Register for Self Assessment
• Vinted: HMRC requirements – what you need to know and How to complete your HMRC form