Do I have to pay tax when I sell my PS5 online in the UK?

Full answer

Selling your own personal PlayStation 5 online is not taxable. This applies to anyone clearing out personal belongings on platforms like eBay, Vinted, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree. There are two reasons there is no tax. First, Income Tax only applies if you are trading -- buying or making goods with the intention of selling at a profit, repeatedly and like a business. Selling a console you owned and used is not trading. Second, Capital Gains Tax on personal possessions (chattels) only applies where an item is sold for more than GBP 6,000, and even then only on the gain; a used PS5 sells for far less, so it is exempt. You will almost always sell it for less than you paid anyway, so there is no gain at all. When does tax apply? If you regularly buy consoles, accessories or games specifically to resell at a profit, HMRC treats that as a trade. Then the GBP 1,000 trading allowance covers your first GBP 1,000 of gross sales tax-free; above that you register for Self Assessment and pay Income Tax and Class 4 NI on the profit. Worked example: you sell your old PS5 for GBP 250 -- no tax, no reporting. Separately you buy ten consoles at GBP 300 and resell at GBP 450 each: that GBP 1,500 profit is trading income, taxable above the GBP 1,000 allowance. 2026/27 detail: online platforms now report seller data to HMRC under the digital platform reporting rules, so you may receive a copy of your sales figures. Receiving this does not mean you owe tax -- it simply means HMRC sees the data. Genuine sales of your own possessions remain tax-free.

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