Private sales on Ebay and Co. are now taxable

New year, new tax law. Above all, those who like to regularly earn something extra via online marketplaces such as Ebay should know this. This was tax-free for a long time – until now. Because from now on, in many cases private income via Ebay and Co. must also be reported to the tax office. Read TECHBOOK to find out who is affected by the new regulation.

Online marketplaces such as Ebay, Ebay classified ads, Vinted and Co. have been enjoying increasing popularity for several years. On the one hand, they often make it possible to shop more cheaply and more sustainably, for example when used items are given a second life through an uncomplicated sale. It can be quite lucrative for the private dealers themselves to sell something that they no longer need themselves. Especially since the proceeds usually go tax-free into your own pocket, and quite legally. But in many cases that has now come to an end. A new law has been in force since the beginning of 2023, which often makes private sales via Ebay and other platforms taxable.

Which sales on Ebay and Co. are now taxable

Don’t worry, a one-off sale worth about 50 or 400 euros is still of little interest to the tax authorities. It looks a bit different if corresponding trades take place regularly. 30 sales per year make private users “heavy users” and report them accordingly. Likewise, the platform must report your data to the tax office if you more than 2000 euros Earn – whether with a single transaction or as a total of all your private sales made in 2023. The basis of this new regulation is the Platform Tax Transparency Act (PStTG), which has been in force since January 1, 2023, as can be seen on the eBaywebsite can read.

Also interesting: Regional online marketplaces as an alternative to Amazon and Co.

These platforms are affected

Private traders should be prepared that the tax office will pay close attention to whether any sales are listed properly and completely in their tax return. In addition to Ebay, the law applies to all other online trading venues. This also means Etsy, Vinted and Co. – and platforms for arranging accommodation, such as Airbnb, and services.

The new rule comes as no surprise

Even before the introduction of the new tax law, the tax office certainly did not welcome it when someone regularly earned large sums of money through private online transactions without reporting them. Any suspicion of “commercial trade” made the authorities take a closer look in individual cases, but of course they can’t have their eyes on everything. Thanks to the new law, which defines official upper limits and transfers control responsibility to the platforms, it no longer needs that.

The corresponding draft law has been in the planning for some time and was passed by the Bundestag in November 2022. Incidentally, the new regulation is based on an EU directive and accordingly also applies to foreign providers from the European Union.

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