According to new legislation in the German tax system, online marketplaces are now obliged to report their users' sales to the relevant tax office (Finanzamt). This is what savvy sellers on Ebay, Vinted and Etsy should know:

Online marketplaces must share data with Finanzamt

If you’re one of the many people in Germany who gets your kicks from the high-stakes bartering happening in the depths of Ebay Kleinanzeigen, recent law changes could well impact your little side hustle.

Online marketplaces, such as the aforementioned Kleinanzeigen, Vinted and Etsy are now required to share the sales of their users in Germany with local tax offices. According to the new law, companies will share the data of users who make more than 30 sales in one year or sell more than 2.000 euros worth of goods.

The new law intends to provide more transparency in online marketplace transactions and to avoid lost tax revenue.

Time to keep a log of online sales?

If you’re a chronic Kleinanzeigen vendor, desperate to rid your wardrobe of jumpers gathering dust, it can be easy to reach that 30-item limit within a year.

However, speaking to Berliner Morgenpost, tax specialist Tobias Gerauer said that vendors who exceed this limit by selling every day secondhand items should be okay. You are unlikely to get a big bill from the Finanzamt if you’re selling below the original price and you aren’t looking to make a profit.

But selling cameras, jewellery, antiques and expensive trainers is another story. For the sale of luxury goods up to 600 euros per year there must be a 12-month period between each sale, otherwise, the sale will be taxed. With all of these new rules to remember, it might be time for Kleinanzeigen stalwarts to keep a record of their income.