SIN Requirement From Ebay. Thinking of changing to Business Account. Any advice?

[stringers_books_and_collectibles]

I just received the notification from ebay for my SIN for CRA (or I can be fined by the CRA up to $500). I declare ALL my sales on all platforms so I'm not hiding any income. But I still don't feel comfortable at all giving ebay my SIN. I sell on another bookselling platform and there I'm using my business number which is fine. So, I'm thinking of changing my ebay account from Individual to Business (ebay business accounts enter the business number for CRA, not the SIN). Before I do though I just want to solicit any opinions on this, especially from sellers who have done this already. I'm wondering if it will affect any of my listings? My banking info will stay they same, will that work? What about fees and such?

Any help and info on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Norm

[femmefan1946]

Because we are making money on eBay (and if we are buying for resale that is at least in theory what we are doing)  giving eBay our SIN is no different than having it on an employer's records, or a bank's.

EBay is simplifying your income reporting by preparing a list of the customer payments you recieved.

For some sellers, this is the first time they have ever seen this. For others, it is a useful cross-check of their own records.

One purpose of the SIN was to coordinate taxation, pension, pogey, and other government programs.

[flipistics]

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@stringers_books_and_collectibles wrote:

I just received the notification from ebay for my SIN for CRA (or I can be fined by the CRA up to $500). I declare ALL my sales on all platforms so I'm not hiding any income. But I still don't feel comfortable at all giving ebay my SIN. I sell on another bookselling platform and there I'm using my business number which is fine. So, I'm thinking of changing my ebay account from Individual to Business (ebay business accounts enter the business number for CRA, not the SIN). Before I do though I just want to solicit any opinions on this, especially from sellers who have done this already. I'm wondering if it will affect any of my listings? My banking info will stay they same, will that work? What about fees and such?

Any help and info on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Norm

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I'm registered as a business (sole proprietor) and it did NOT allow me to use my business number. I got the impression that option is only available for corporations, etc.

[brettjet38]

It is the SIN or a possible fine, I used my SIN when I signed up (forced like us all) for MP and have not been asked since then...

This was planned back in 2021/22 OCED rules to be in place by the end of this year, 2025.

[tryubik-useonlyasdirected]

I used a business number. (And may or may not have, at some point, provided my license as ID.)

eBay is NOT an employer and does not legally have a right to your SIN.

[brettjet38]

But the CRA does and eBay will get it from you...

[stringers_books_and_collectibles]

I understand the reason for the SIN to be required but I'm a sole proprietor and I have a CRA issued Business Number (BN) that I want to use in place of my SIN. I sell on other platforms and they are all fine with my BN. Why not ebay?

I'm sorry, but at this stage in time I do not trust a US-based company with my SIN. Not one bit.

[marnotom!]

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@tryubik-useonlyasdirected wrote:

eBay is NOT an employer and does not legally have a right to your SIN.

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I'm not employed by my bank and credit union, either, but they have a right to my SIN as they have to issue me a T5 for interest income.

Any entity that generates on your behalf a report of income can legally request and obtain your SIN, not just employers.  More info here:

https://www.consumerprotectionbc.ca/2015/04/social-insurance-number/

[marnotom!]

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@stringers_books_and_collectibles wrote:

I understand the reason for the SIN to be required but I'm a sole proprietor and I have a CRA issued Business Number (BN) that I want to use in place of my SIN. I sell on other platforms and they are all fine with my BN. Why not ebay?

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Are those other platforms based in Canada and generating reports to you and CRA of income you've earned on those platforms?

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@stringers_books_and_collectibles wrote:

I'm sorry, but at this stage in time I do not trust a US-based company with my SIN. Not one bit.

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eBay Canada Limited is headquartered in Toronto.  My understanding is that seller data such as SINs remain in Canada.

[stringers_books_and_collectibles]

I list on a bookselling site owned by the river, the bookselling site is operated out of Victoria, BC. 

[marnotom!]

@stringers_books_and_collectibles, I’m hypothesizing that CRA regards Abebooks as more of a network of independent booksellers that have an online presence as well as a more conventional retail presence rather than it being a facilitator in the platform economy that attracts a broader range of sellers from various and sundry backgrounds.  As such, most sellers on Abebooks are more likely than most eBay sellers to have business licences and more likely to be reporting their income as part of their other business-generated income.

You didn’t say if Abebooks reports its sellers’ income to CRA the way eBay now has to do, but I’m guessing that it doesn’t.

My understanding is that it's the CRA that requires a SIN as part of the seller data collected by eBay, not eBay itself.