Vinted tax in the UK: the HMRC reporting rules, how much you can sell before paying tax, and what changes for resellers

Every winter the same question comes up among UK Vinted sellers: is HMRC going to tax my Vinted sales? The worry started when online platforms began sharing seller data with HMRC in 2024. Plenty of people concluded that a new "Vinted tax" had arrived. It has not. HMRC itself says the change is not a new tax and that the rules for selling unwanted items have not changed (gov.uk).

This guide separates the two things that get mixed up: reporting (what Vinted tells HMRC) and tax (what you might actually owe). It then explains the line HMRC draws between selling your own belongings and buying to resell, which is the question that decides everything. Each rule links to the official page it comes from.

General information, not tax advice. It covers people who live in the UK. For your own situation, use HMRC's tools on gov.uk or speak to an accountant. Rules and figures checked on gov.uk and vinted.co.uk in October 2026.

The short answer

If you only sell your own unwanted belongings, there is usually no limit: you pay no tax, whatever Vinted reports, unless one item or set sells for more than £6,000. If you buy things to resell, you are trading: above £1,000 of sales in a tax year (before costs), you must register for Self Assessment.

Reporting and tax are two different things

Since 1 January 2024, UK digital platforms, Vinted included, have had to collect information about their sellers and send it to HMRC each year, by the following January. The first reports, covering 2024, were due by 31 January 2025 (gov.uk). These rules come from an international framework drawn up by the OECD, which is why Vinted quotes the threshold in euros.

The reporting threshold: 30 sales or about £1,700

A platform does not have to report you if, in a calendar year, you make fewer than 30 sales of goods and receive €2,000 or less (about £1,700) for them (gov.uk). Both conditions have to be met to stay out of the report. In practice, as Vinted puts it, you will be contacted if you reach at least one of these in the calendar year: 30 completed sales, or more than €2,000 (~£1,700) sold (vinted.co.uk).

So 30 T-shirts at £5 each is enough to be reported, even though you only took in £150. Selling a single coat for £1,800 is enough too.

Being reported does not mean you owe tax

This is the point HMRC repeats most often. "A platform reporting your details to HMRC does not automatically mean you owe tax" (gov.uk). The sharing of sales data also does not automatically mean you need to fill in a tax return (gov.uk). Vinted says the same: completing the seller report "doesn't mean there's an obligation to pay taxes on your Vinted sales" (vinted.co.uk).

The reverse is also true, and it matters for resellers: staying under 30 sales does not exempt you from anything. The reporting threshold is about what the platform sends. Your tax obligations depend on the tax rules below, and those apply from the first pound.

Selling your own belongings: usually no tax

If you are clearing out clothes you have worn, shoes you no longer use or things lying around the house, HMRC says you probably do not have to pay Income Tax on them (gov.uk). HMRC's side-hustle campaign gives the example of someone selling old jumpers and household items: nothing to report and no tax (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk).

The logic is simple. Most second-hand clothes sell for less than you paid. Vinted gives the example of a shirt bought for £30 and sold for £29: no profit, so no tax (vinted.co.uk). That holds however many items you sell: 200 sales of your own wardrobe in a year will get you reported, but it does not turn you into a business.

The exception: items sold for more than £6,000

Personal possessions can fall under Capital Gains Tax when they are sold at a gain. HMRC says you may need to tell it about the sale of a personal item for more than £6,000, and that this limit also applies to the total value of items that form a set (gov.uk). Some possessions are exempt anyway, such as a car you have not used for business (gov.uk).

Even above that level, tax is only due on a gain, and individuals have an annual Capital Gains Tax allowance of £3,000 (gov.uk). For almost everyone selling clothes and accessories on Vinted, this never comes into play. It concerns things like a valuable watch, a rare designer bag or a collection sold in one go.

Buying to resell: that is trading

Everything changes once you buy items in order to sell them for more. HMRC says you are probably trading if you sell goods you bought intending to sell at a profit, or goods you made, especially if you do it regularly (gov.uk). Its campaign lists buying regularly at car boot sales or charity shops to resell, and buying vintage clothing in bulk to resell, as activities to report once income passes £1,000 (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk).

That is exactly the model described in our complete guide to reselling on Vinted: source cheap, sell higher. It is legal, but in tax terms it is a small business.

How HMRC decides: the badges of trade

When the answer is not obvious, HMRC uses a list of indicators called the "badges of trade" (HMRC Business Income Manual, BIM20205). No single badge settles it. The ones that matter most for Vinted sellers:

• Profit-seeking motive: did you buy the item to make money on it?
• Number of transactions: frequent, regular sales point towards trading.
• Changes to the asset: cleaning, repairing or customising items to sell them for more.
• Time between purchase and sale: buying with a plan to resell soon after.
• Method of acquisition: things you were given or inherited are less likely to be trading stock.

Someone who buys a pile of jeans at a charity shop on Saturday, steams them and lists them on Sunday ticks most of these boxes. Someone selling their own coat after two winters ticks none.

The £1,000 trading allowance

If you are trading, the first figure to know is the trading allowance: a tax exemption of up to £1,000 a year on trading income (gov.uk). The tax year runs from 6 April to 5 April, not January to December like Vinted's reporting.

The £1,000 is income, not profit

This is the trap most resellers fall into. HMRC defines the figure as gross income: the total before any expenses are taken off (gov.uk). Its campaign says it plainly: it is the amount you earn before factoring in expenses (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk).

So if you resell £1,200 of clothes that cost you £900, your profit is only £300, but your income is above £1,000. You must tell HMRC.

Your situation in a tax year	What HMRC expects
Only selling your own belongings, no single item or set over £6,000	Usually nothing to report, no tax
Trading income of £1,000 or less (before costs)	No need to tell HMRC, unless other rules require a return
Trading income above £1,000 (before costs)	Register for Self Assessment and file a return
A personal item or set sold for more than £6,000	You may need to report it for Capital Gains Tax

One allowance for all your side income

There is a single £1,000 allowance per tax year, across all your side hustles combined (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk). Vinted, eBay, Depop and any other trading income are added together. Splitting your sales across platforms or accounts does not give you several allowances.

Allowance or real expenses: pick one

Above £1,000, you can still use the allowance, but you cannot then deduct your expenses. If your expenses are higher, it may be better to claim them instead (gov.uk). For a reseller, stock is usually the biggest expense, so compare both with real numbers.

Do you actually pay tax? The personal allowance

Registering does not always mean paying. Your profit is added to your other income, and Income Tax only starts once your total income passes the Personal Allowance of £12,570 (2026 to 2027 tax year). Above it, the basic rate in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 20% (gov.uk). Scotland has its own rates.

In practice, if you have a full-time job, your salary probably uses up the Personal Allowance already, so profit from reselling is taxed at your highest rate. A student with no other income might owe nothing, but still has to file a return once trading income passes £1,000. Your employer does not handle this for you: HMRC says it is your responsibility to tell it about money you make on the side (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk).

How to declare reselling income

• Check first: HMRC's online tool tells you whether you need to report income from online platforms (gov.uk).
• Register for Self Assessment as a sole trader by 5 October after the end of the tax year in which you started trading (gov.uk). For the 2025 to 2026 tax year, that means 5 October 2026.
• File your return: online by 31 January (31 January 2027 for the 2025 to 2026 return), or on paper by 31 October. Any tax owed is also due by 31 January (gov.uk).
• Keep records: HMRC expects full and accurate records of sales, income and business expenses (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk). Keep receipts from charity shops and car boot sales, not only your Vinted sales history.

What Vinted asks you for

If you reach a threshold, Vinted contacts you and asks you to complete a short HMRC form. It is pre-filled from your account: you confirm the details and add your National Insurance number, or confirm that you do not have one (vinted.co.uk). Pro sellers give business details instead, such as a company registration number (vinted.co.uk). On HMRC's side, the information platforms collect for individuals is your name, home address, date of birth and tax identification number, which is your NI number if you live in the UK (gov.uk).

You need to submit the form by the end of the calendar year in which you met the requirements. Vinted sends the information to the authorities in January of the following year, and you receive a copy. If Vinted does not contact you, you do not need to do anything (vinted.co.uk).

What happens if you ignore it

Ignoring Vinted's form

Platforms are legally required to collect this information, usually by 31 December of the year concerned. HMRC's guidance for platforms says they may limit an uncooperative seller's access, including temporarily suspending access to the platform until the information is provided (HMRC International Exchange of Information Manual, IEIM902350). Vinted's UK help pages do not spell out what it does in that case, so the safe assumption is that ignoring the form can block your selling.

Not declaring reselling income

Ignoring the form does not stop HMRC knowing about you, and filling it in does not settle your taxes. If you are trading and do not tell HMRC when you should, HMRC warns you could face an unexpected tax bill or a penalty, and it charges interest on late payment (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk). A late tax return alone means an initial £100 penalty, then more after three, six and twelve months (gov.uk). If you owe tax for past years, HMRC's advice is to contact it and pay as soon as you can; payment in instalments may be possible through a Time to Pay arrangement (Tax Help for Hustles, gov.uk).

What this changes for a reseller

Your tax is based on profit (or on income minus the £1,000 allowance), so track what you paid, what you sold for and what you spent on the way, from the first sale. The margin itself is made at the moment you buy. That is the part ResellTrack covers: it analyses sales observed on Vinted to show which brand and category combinations actually sell and at what price, so you can judge an item before paying for it. It does not file anything with HMRC or keep your accounts. To choose what to source, read our guides on what to sell on Vinted to make money and how to analyse a niche's profitability. For realistic income figures, see how much you can earn with a Vinted niche and how to make money on Vinted in 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How much can you earn on Vinted before paying tax in the UK?

If you only sell your own belongings, there is usually no limit and no tax, unless a single item or set sells for more than £6,000. If you buy to resell, you are trading: once your trading income passes £1,000 in a tax year, before expenses, you must register for Self Assessment. Whether you then pay tax depends on your profit and your other income.

How many items can I sell on Vinted before HMRC is told?

Vinted reports you to HMRC once you make 30 sales or receive more than €2,000 (about £1,700) in a calendar year. One of the two is enough. It is not a selling limit and not a tax threshold: you can sell beyond it, and being reported does not mean you owe anything.

Do I have to pay tax on Vinted if I only sell my old clothes?

Usually not. HMRC says you probably do not have to pay Income Tax when you sell personal possessions, and most second-hand clothes sell for less than they cost. You may still be asked to fill in Vinted's HMRC form if you pass 30 sales, but that is reporting, not tax.

Is there a new Vinted tax?

No. HMRC has said the platform reporting rules that started on 1 January 2024 are not a new tax. The only change is that platforms such as Vinted now share seller information with HMRC. The tax rules for selling online are the same as before.

Can I stay under 30 sales to avoid tax?

No. The 30-sale threshold only decides whether Vinted reports you. If you are buying to resell, the £1,000 trading allowance applies to your income from the first sale, whether or not Vinted reports you, and across all platforms combined.