How do taxes work for sellers on Vinted? You know you can't escape

Table of Contents

1. Who has to pay taxes for selling on Vinted?

2. How does it work for those who sell professionally?

3. What should you do in every case?

4. Takeaways

Once upon a time, this discussion was about the mini-jobs in the gig economy. Today, the question is different: do you have to pay taxes on what you earn from Vinted? The answer is obviously yes, because in today's world, the only free thing is the air we breathe. In recent years, Vinted has become (excuse the term) a kind of large collective market, where you can buy almost anything, but above all where two types coexist: on one hand, the 'normal' private individual who is simply emptying their closet, and on the other, the professional reseller who buys and resells for a living. It is precisely on this distinction that Vinted's taxation rules are based.

Who has to pay taxes for selling on Vinted?

To put it briefly: there is no magic threshold in euros, but habituality counts. If the sales are sporadic, there are no taxes; if they become regular and systematic, the Tax Authorities consider them an activity to be taxed. Therefore, for the first type of seller who is emptying their closet, which we could define as the casual seller, there are no problems: in Italy, there are no taxes on the occasional sale of used goods between private individuals because it is, in legal terms, a 'sporadic transfer' of private assets. Emphasis on 'sporadic'. And this applies to most marketplaces.

But as we were saying, there are thresholds. Since 2024, there has been a new European regulation that requires all platforms, including Vinted, to report to the Italian Revenue Agency (obviously referring to Italy) both sellers who earn more than 2000 euros a year from their overall sales, and users who sell more than thirty items in total in a year even without reaching the 2000 euros total. Clearly, in these cases, it is simply a matter of monitoring: those who sell thirty low-value items like books or low-cost t-shirts should not have problems.

The basic idea is therefore to create parameters so that the tax authorities can potentially check more suspicious cases. Last March, there was a Cassation Court ruling (which also concerned all marketplaces, not just Vinted) according to which anyone who regularly sells large quantities of items is effectively on a par with a professional seller and therefore must declare their income and pay taxes on it. 

So how does it work for those who sell professionally?

Legally speaking, when the thresholds set by the European regulation we mentioned above are exceeded, and thus the sales are very frequent and systematic, those earnings can be considered either self-employment income or even as business income in every respect. Anyone who exceeds the monitoring thresholds is reported but does not necessarily have to pay taxes, although they must declare IRPEF income on net earnings in the Redditi PF model, which provides for rates starting from 23% upwards, depending on total income. In general, the obligation to open a VAT number arises from the habituality of sales and not from a fixed euro threshold, but it is advisable to do so if revenues exceed 5,000 euros per year to regularize and avoid disputes.

If sales become frequent and habitual regardless of how much is earned, it will be necessary to open a VAT number, pay IRPEF on net income, plus VAT on margins (i.e., the difference between the sale and the purchase). For these cases, Vinted offers a program for more active sellers, with reduced fees on the app, but tax obligations remain the responsibility of the seller and there are no lower taxes managed by the platform. In this case, it is necessary to keep track of all the sales receipts that the app sends during the various transactions.

If earnings exceed 30,000 euros per year (for example, for operations more similar to those of a real shop), the VAT margin regime for used goods remains valid, but one may need to consider ordinary VAT at 22% on the total if new products are purchased for resale, and register with the VIES for intra-EU sales. Those who earn up to 85,000 euros a year, therefore already more professional, can either pay progressive IRPEF or opt for the flat-rate regime by opening a flat-rate VAT number and paying 15% on gross revenues. In this case, this tax already covers IRPEF and there is no need to charge VAT to the customer. Once the initial monitoring threshold has been exceeded, however, it is best to consult an accountant.

What should you do in every case?

Assuming that those who sell serially on Vinted will have to deal with an accountant, there are general precautions that are good to apply to sleep easy. First of all, keep track of all transactions, original purchase receipts, shipping costs, and reasons for sales. In the app, you can already find the sales history, but it is good to collect all the various receipts together. 

Those in a somewhat borderline situation who exceed the monitoring thresholds can also consult an accountant for a tax simulation. In general, even if you earn little, to avoid any problems (the penalties are hefty), it is always better to declare earnings in the RL section of the Redditi model.

All others, on the other hand, will have to get in line. Assuming that the most advisable is the flat-rate regime, for all other cases remember: it's always better to have an appointment with the accountant than with the Revenue Agency.

Takeaways

• If you empty the closet by selling little and in a non-habitual way, you don't pay IRPEF or VAT in Italy because it's a private transfer.
• If you exceed 2,000€ annually or 30 sales, Vinted reports the user to the Revenue Agency but it's only a check, not an automatic tax.
• If sales are systematic, it's like a job: you have to declare income and pay taxes. Based on the amount of earnings, you need to identify a suitable tax regime that can range from simple VAT to the flat-rate regime. In general, above 5,000 euros in annual earnings, it's better to consult an accountant.
• To avoid problems, regardless of how much you earn, it's better to keep track of everything, especially receipts and shipping data, and always declare every extra income.