Why Vinted or eBay asks for your National Insurance number
The request is real. UK rules make Vinted, eBay and similar apps collect your National Insurance number so they can report sellers to HMRC. Giving it does not mean you owe tax.
Why the app asks
Apps that take the payment for you must report sellers who reach 30 sales, or get more than €2,000 (about £1,700), on that app in a calendar year. To report you, the app needs:
- your name
- the address where you normally live
- your date of birth
- your National Insurance number, if you live in the UK
Vinted asks when you reach one of the limits. Some apps ask earlier, before you reach a limit, so that they are ready if you do. How the Vinted reporting rule works.
It does not mean you owe tax
The app passes your details and your sales total to HMRC after the year ends. A report is information, not a bill. If you only sell your own clothes and things you have used, you very likely owe nothing. Why your own things are generally not taxed.
If you buy things to sell on, the trading allowance applies whether or not an app reports you. The trading allowance explained.
How to answer it safely
- Open the app yourself, or sign in on the app's own website.
- Give your National Insurance number only in the form inside the app or the signed-in website.
- Do not give it through a link in an email or a text message. Scammers copy requests like this one.
Your National Insurance number is on your payslip, your P60 and in your HMRC online account. Find a lost National Insurance number on gov.uk.
Questions
Is the National Insurance number request on Vinted a scam?
Not when it shows inside the Vinted app or on the Vinted website after you sign in. UK rules make the app collect it. Do not give your number through a link in an email or a text message.
Does giving my National Insurance number mean I owe tax?
No. It lets the app report your sales to HMRC. A report is information, not a bill. If you only sell your own things, you very likely owe nothing.
I sell on Vinted and eBay. Will both ask?
Each app that has to report you asks for it. Each app counts its own sales, so if you reach 30 sales on Vinted but not on eBay, only Vinted has to ask.
Sources
Rules last checked November 2026. This is guidance from HMRC's published rules, not tax advice. If you are unsure, check gov.uk or speak to an accountant.
