how much can you earn on vinted before paying tax

February 18, 2026

You can usually earn up to around £1,000 profit a year from casual selling on Vinted in the UK before tax normally becomes an issue, but there are a few important twists to understand around reporting rules and what “earning” really means.

Quick Scoop

Selling your own second‑hand clothes at a loss (less than you paid) is not normally taxable.

In the UK there is a £1,000 “trading allowance” – if your profit from trading-type activity (like buying to resell) is under this in a tax year, you generally do not owe income tax on it.

Platforms like Vinted must report your activity to HMRC once you pass certain sales thresholds, but that does not automatically mean you owe tax.

Separate rules apply if you sell a single high‑value item (around £6,000+), where capital gains tax can come into play.

So the rough answer for “how much can you earn on Vinted before paying tax?” is: up to £1,000 profit from trading , and usually no tax if you’re just selling your old stuff for less than you paid – but reporting rules can still be triggered at lower levels.

1. HMRC reporting vs actually paying tax

First key distinction:

Reporting thresholds = when Vinted has to send your data to the tax office.
Tax liability = when you actually owe tax.

Reporting thresholds (UK context)

Recent rules mean Vinted and other platforms must send HMRC details of “biggish” sellers. Common patterns in guidance and forum discussion show:

A sales threshold (total money in) and
A number‑of‑transactions threshold (number of items sold)

For example, one UK user noted Vinted saying reporting can kick in at around 30 sales or roughly £1,000–£1,700 of total sales , which lines up with HMRC’s wider platform-reporting rules. Crossing that:

Does NOT automatically mean you owe tax – it just means HMRC can see your numbers and may check whether it looks like casual selling or a small business.

So you might get a letter even if, in reality, your profit is tiny or zero.

2. When you actually start owing tax

A. Selling your own old clothes and stuff

If you are just decluttering:

Selling second‑hand items for less than you originally paid generally does not create taxable income – there’s no profit to tax.

This is true even if you sell a lot of items, as long as overall you’re not making a gain and it’s clearly personal possessions.

So if you bought a coat for £80 and sell it on Vinted for £25, that sale is normally outside income tax and capital gains tax.

B. When it starts looking like a “trade”

It changes once you start:

Buying items specifically to resell
Consistently selling at a profit
Treating it like a side business – regular listings, stock turnover, etc.

At that point, HMRC can treat you as trading, and:

The £1,000 trading allowance kicks in: up to £1,000 a year of trading income can be received with no income tax.

Above this, you may need to register for self‑assessment , declare your Vinted profits, and pay tax depending on your total income.

Some guidance and forum posts point out that if you’re “actively trading” and total sales hit around £1,000 , you should expect to be in HMRC’s self‑assessment territory, especially once the platform’s reporting flags your account.

3. High‑value items and capital gains

There’s a separate set of rules for high‑value items :

If you sell a single item for more than about £6,000 (for example, an antique, artwork, jewellery, collectible), capital gains tax may apply, even if it’s just a one‑off sale.

This is different from the day‑to‑day “trading” rules and can apply even if you’re not running a business.

For most ordinary second‑hand clothes and household items, this won’t apply, because they don’t usually reach that level and are sold for less than you paid.

4. Key UK numbers people mix up

Here’s a quick HTML table to keep the usual figures straight:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Threshold / rule</th>
      <th>Approx amount</th>
      <th>What it actually means</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Trading allowance</td>
      <td>£1,000 a year</td>
      <td>Profit from trading-type activity under this is usually not taxed, though you may still need to keep records.[web:5][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Platform reporting trigger</td>
      <td>Around 30 sales or about £1,000–£1,700 of sales</td>
      <td>Vinted must report your details to HMRC if you cross this, but it does not itself create a tax bill.[web:1][web:7]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>High-value item rule</td>
      <td>Single item over about £6,000</td>
      <td>May create a capital gains tax issue even if it is a one-off sale.[web:7][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Second-hand personal items</td>
      <td>Any amount, if sold for less than you paid</td>
      <td>Normally not taxable because you are not making a gain on the sale.[web:3][web:5][web:9]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

5. Forum flavour and “real life” Vinted chat

Forum threads and seller discussions show the same pattern:

UK Vinted users report being asked for their National Insurance number once they hit certain sales thresholds, because Vinted has to comply with HMRC’s data rules.

Many casual sellers with around £1,300 of sales in the year still do not end up with a tax bill, because their items were sold for less than the purchase price or their true profit was under the £1,000 allowance.

Accountants and tax blogs stress that Vinted doesn’t “handle” your tax – it merely passes data to the authorities; you remain responsible for declaring any taxable profit.

You’ll also see debates about “Vinted Pro” and whether commercial selling is allowed. Vinted increasingly offers ways for business sellers to be more official, which is another hint that HMRC sees regular profit‑making on platforms as a business like any other.

6. Practical tips if you’re unsure

If your question is literally “how much can you earn on Vinted before paying tax?” in practice:

Track what you originally paid for items and what you sold them for. If sales are mostly below cost, tax is unlikely.

If you buy to resell , keep a simple spreadsheet:
- Sale price
- Original cost
- Fees and postage you paid
- Profit per item (sale – costs).

Add up your total profit for the tax year.
- If profit is under £1,000 , you are usually inside the trading allowance.

 * If **over £1,000** , expect to declare it through self‑assessment if it counts as trading income.

If you sold a single expensive piece (e.g., jewellery or art) for well over £6,000, check the capital gains rules or speak to a tax adviser.

Mini story example

Imagine Emma:

She clears out her wardrobe and sells 40 items on Vinted for a total of £900. She originally paid over £2,000 for them.
Vinted may need to report her 40 sales and £900 to HMRC because she crossed the transactions threshold, but Emma has made no actual gain overall.

Emma is unlikely to owe any tax because she’s just selling personal clothes at a loss, not trading.

By contrast, Jake:

Buys branded trainers in sales for £40 and flips them on Vinted for £70 each, making about £2,000 profit a year after costs.
He’s trading , so that £2,000 profit is over the £1,000 allowance and should be declared, even if he never gets a scary letter.

TL;DR

Decluttering your own clothes at a loss? Usually no tax, no matter how many items, though your data might still be reported at higher volumes.

Buying to resell or clearly running a side hustle? Up to £1,000 profit a year is typically covered by the trading allowance; above that, you’re into self‑assessment territory.

Single item over ~£6,000? Capital gains rules may apply.

For anything borderline (lots of sales, mixed buying and reselling, or any big-ticket item), a quick chat with a UK tax adviser is worth it – HMRC will ultimately care about true profit , not just your Vinted balance.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.