⚠️ Attention to those who practice buying and selling

Vinted Tips/Questions
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Many people get into flipping (buying and reselling) thinking it’s just “selling a few items on Vinted, eBay, Leboncoin, Facebook, etc.” But in France, you need to be careful: as soon as you buy items with the intention of reselling them for a profit, especially if it’s regular, you are engaging in a real commercial activity.

Selling your own used items from time to time is not the same as flipping. If you buy lots, stock, items at flea markets, on Vinted, Leboncoin, or elsewhere to resell them later, you may need to have a registered status, for example as a micro-entrepreneur, and declare your turnover. The tax authorities particularly focus on the idea of habitual transactions with the purchase made for the intention of reselling.

You should also know that a micro-entrepreneur who sells goods must comply with certain obligations: registration, turnover declaration, keeping a record of receipts and, for flipping, a register of purchases.

Another often overlooked point: when you sell as a professional to individuals, you do not have the same obligations as a simple individual. There may be rules regarding customer information, prices, sales conditions, the right of withdrawal, warranties, etc. The DGCCRF (General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention) also monitors online commerce.

So be careful: just because you sell on a platform doesn’t mean everything is automatically “outside the legal framework.” Platforms can transmit information, sales can be visible, and in case of an inspection, you must be able to explain your activity.

The goal is not to scare you, but to remind you of a simple fact:
selling your old items = occasional. Buying to resell = commerce.
And commerce, in France, must be declared.

Get informed before you seriously start, especially if you begin selling regularly or generating significant turnover.

DAC7 thresholds are not authorization thresholds for flipping. They are thresholds for platforms to transmit information to the tax authorities. Buying to resell for profit remains a commercial activity, even with few sales.

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It’s clear that some people think this will be overlooked… but they forget one thing… We’re in France :face_with_spiral_eyes: As soon as there’s « siphoning, » the state is there! Some should prepare their tissues…

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All the influencers who make videos like
« I’m flipping items on Vinted… »

  • Question: « Are you registered with URSSAF? »
  • Them: « No, because I haven’t exceeded the Vinted threshold and they haven’t asked me to go pro… »

Serious mistake…

I’m not even talking about those who receive benefits at the same time, like from the CAF, ARE, etc… There’s a lot to know. Honestly people, be careful, do your research before you start or follow influencers who don’t tell you everything, or worse, aren’t even aware of the laws in France. Everything is tracked now and it’s going to get worse soon. Even sending money to a relative must be declared.

If you don’t see the danger coming, wake up. They won’t give you any gifts.

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(Before I forget: are these posts written by an AI? No big deal, but it’s good to specify if that’s the case).

Otherwise, I don’t share these alarmist observations. There isn’t « a lot to know » but very little. Furthermore, platforms are designed so that one can start small, so questions of status, declarations, etc. only arise gradually.

And becoming a sole proprietor is also designed to be very simple.

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yes but remember that even then, there are those who are lost. When I see the number of people who don’t understand what DAC7 is.

Otherwise, I agree with you that it’s still not very complicated. The obligations are very light.

in theory, this must be settled before even starting to resell. Well, in fact, we know very well that 99% started by making a little bonus and then made it official.

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Are you also a self-entrepreneur?

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So yes, you can start small. But « starting small » doesn’t mean « no rules to know. » On the contrary, it’s better to understand the basics from the start rather than have to regulate in a panic later.

Regarding AI: Yes, I can use it as a writing or rephrasing tool, much like many people use a spell checker, but the substance of the message comes from my experience and research on the topic. There’s no point in specifying it when I use it. I don’t specify when I use a spell checker, it’s the same thing.

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Can you detail an example of « panic regularization » so we understand what you have in mind?

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The use of AI is immediately apparent, with posts that are too long to read and especially with the absence of concrete examples and the statement of (flat) generalities. One should ask this AI to summarize the point in three sentences :upside_down_face:

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Simply by achieving a certain turnover, followed by a report or a check. For example: request for proof of purchases, sales, transfers, origin of goods, etc. If you have to reconstruct and justify several years of purchases and sales afterwards, it can quickly become problematic.
Another example is someone who made crafts and had a turnover of around €50,000 in one year without any declared framework. URSSAF (French social security contributions collection agency) would then have intervened, demanding regularization, the creation of a business, and potentially the reimbursement of certain benefits received while the income had not been declared.
There are many examples like this. The core message isn’t to scare you, but simply to remind you that from the moment an activity becomes regular, organized, and generates turnover, it’s better to be squared away from the start rather than having to regularize everything afterwards.

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Here is a concrete example, the only conviction I could find concerning the sale of fashion items on Vinted.

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On eBay, I have this
The individual in question regularly bought items to resell them, as the analysis of the pseudonym history demonstrated. Furthermore, he had engaged in this activity frequently (470 times) and substantially (6,917.05 euros in sales between February and May 2005)

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They don’t care if you start or not. From the very first euro, it must be declared and under the professional status. After that, do as you wish. But I think this can inform people, because even people on Instagram and elsewhere who talk about buying and selling don’t know about it. I had an example again yesterday and I won’t name the person. Everyone has their responsibilities, and you can’t say you weren’t aware. The subject is too serious to summarize in 3 sentences.

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No, it shouldn’t be declared from the first euro. Imagine someone who bought clothes at a flea market and resells them for €1,000 in a year. How can the tax authorities know it’s for resale? It could perfectly correspond to reselling their own clothes, even if that’s not the case.

So, you can perfectly engage in undeclared small-scale resale!

It’s all a matter of scale.

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Here is a concrete example, the only conviction I could find concerning sales of fashion items on Vinted.

Thank you for this great, super interesting example.

What is held against the sellers is that they did not declare their income to URSSAF. It would have been so simple to do so, however.

The criminal offense of « undeclared work » is original. It’s the first time I’ve read this aspect since I’ve been frequenting forums. It applies perfectly to the absence of a legal entity.

The article then confuses many things, not surprisingly given the media, for example, no one can be blamed for reselling at a much higher price than the purchase price - otherwise the entire luxury industry would be in danger. It is also strange to sell so many « new » clothes by buying them " at flea markets" :thinking: .

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In fact, in principle and legally speaking, you have to declare from the very first euro earned (in the context of buying and selling). For small occasional sales, it usually goes unnoticed. However, and this is just my opinion, so nothing certain. If they notice unusual income and discrepancies in declarations, that’s when an audit can be triggered. And therefore, from the very first euro, you will have to provide justification and perhaps update your declarations. After that, I don’t know the methods used, I just know the main points. But for me, it’s mainly the money movements that are detected, or a tip-off, etc.

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The individual in question regularly bought items for resale,

This is, however, a very, very old case; it dates back to 2006.

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If they notice unusual cash inflows and discrepancies in declarations, that’s when an audit can be triggered. And so, from the very first euro, you’ll have to provide justification and maybe update your records.

Meh about that « from the very first euro » part. If there’s an audit – and I hypothesize you’d have to be quite clumsy to be audited – and you’re questioned “line by line,” it’s easy to explain differences, as long as they’re minor, by referring to goods received free of charge. There’s a whole gift economy.

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If you have time to read, here is an interesting post that explains some points to know in more detail.

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you confuse what is legal with what is possible to do by flying under the radar.

You know, it’s like driving a car, not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign, everyone does it and almost no one gets caught, that doesn’t mean it’s allowed.

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