Ebay selling/getting paid question
 

Hi Gang:

I seldom sell on eBay. However I did have a recent sale and I received an email from eBay asking for "new" personal information. See email below.

My basic question is it says this updated info must be provided by August 19, 2025. So will I get paid for this sale without updating the info now?

I want to get paid now without giving them my SSN etc. and hopefully put off giving the info till August.

Have any of you been through this to provide guidance?

Thanks, here is the email from eBay:

Congrats on your recent sale! We wanted to let you know that in order to receive payouts, you’ll need to update your account details. This information helps us keep our marketplace safe.

Provide or confirm the following:

Payout information
Date of birth
Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN)
We'll only use this information to pay you, to verify your identity, and for tax and consumer-protection purposes. This information will be encrypted and stored securely.

Please make sure you update your account details by Aug 19, 2025 to avoid account restrictions and further payout delays. Once you've made the requested updates, we'll verify your information, process any pending payouts, and you'll be good to go.

Hi Fred:

I’m not 100% sure. They obviously need this detail for tax reasons, but it’s not clear to me whether they will hold up your payment on this transaction until you provide it.

I tend to be a lot more active selling on eBay, so when they asked for it, I just gave it to them. But I’m sure you have important reasons for wanting to delay.

Seems pretty clear that they are waiting for that information before processing payouts.

Doesn't a vendor only need information like this if you surpass a certain thresh hold in sales and require tax documents for your return?

I don't casually give out my SSN and wouldn't really have any reason to. I make sales in the hundreds of dollars a year, if at all.

double post

It does indeed sound as if Ebay wants to provide the IRS with information. When did you first register on Ebay?

:confused:

They need it for tax reasons. If you go above the threshold (depends on your state), they issue you a 1099-K

https://www.taxpayeradvocate.irs.gov...099-k/2025/02/

Hi Guys

to answer some questions... I have been on eBay since 1998. I sell so little I have not nor will I exceed the threshold

I KNOW why they want the info. My question is will I get paid now before August if I don't provide them with my info? Why would they say they need it to pay me then say they don't have to have it till August?

Fred, based on the part I put in bold from what they sent you, my best guess would be you won't get paid until you provide them the info they need. As to why they don't need it until August, I guess they figure they're in no rush to pay you if you're in no hurry to get your money.

You probably won't get paid until you provide the info. Even though you won't go above the threshold, in their eyes they need the info in case you go above it.

When I opened my third ebay account, I had to provide ebay with my information before they released any payments.
Bob

Surprised no one has chimed in yet blaming eBay for following the law.

Not that following the law is a thing anymore.

Damn eBay and their picayune insistence on following such a loathsome reporting requirement.

/shaking fist emoji

Fred-

Reading it a little more carefully again, I agree that the email seems to suggest that you’re getting bupkis until such time as they get your data.

The wording around “further payout delays”, coupled with the August deadline in the same sentence reads a little clumsy to me, and makes me wonder what they meant by this, because the rest of the email just seems to suggest that you’re not getting paid, period, whether it’s for sales from today or tomorrow or next month.

But I suspect that was just a bit of inelegant wording on their part, and the August deadline means they’ll further hammer you if you don’t comply.

You won't get paid without providing your SSN. Beyond tax reporting, its part of their KYC (know your customer) process. They can't pay money to people for whom they don't hold a basic level of info.

It's the same in the UK with the UK equivalent of the SSN.