Do you sell goods on Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace or another platform? These transactions may result in taxable income. They may be considered dispositions of capital property, eligible capital property, personal-use property, listed personal property, or inventory, each of which has a different tax treatment.
If the sales are determined to be business income, the value is included in income when determining whether the person has reached the threshold of income where he must become a GST registrant. The seller may also be required to collect provincial sales tax.
Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) previously obtained a court order requiring eBay Canada to release to them information on certain Canadian eBay sellers. The information includes names, contact information, and sales records for
The eBay seller did not have to be an eBay PowerSeller in order for the records to be released, as long as the criteria above were met. The court order refers to sales on eBay.ca or eBay.com.
CRA issued a news release on eBay selling, and indicates that sellers can avoid penalties by providing information to CRA under the Voluntary Disclosures Program (VDP). However, this information must be disclosed to CRA prior to their initiation of an audit or other compliance action.
Tax Tip: If you are an seller on EBay or other online shopping platforms and are not sure if the income is taxable, talk to your professional tax advisor.