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Social Security Numbers
I recently sold an item on eBay for the first time in a long while. After accepting an offer, I received 2 emails from eBay, requesting name, address, DOB, bank account number, and social security number. I thought it was a scam to get my personal information, so I contacted an eBay agent. I was surprised to learn it wasn’t a scam and told the agent I would not disclose my social. He eventually agreed that I didn’t need to give my social but if I wanted to get paid I’d need to disclose my bank information, which I reluctantly did. But today I found out they will not give me my money unless I disclose my social. They have that right. But if the agent I spoke to had told me that, I could have cancelled the transaction. So I guess this multi-billion dollar company is going to keep my $200 bucks. Do I have any recourse?
monroe67
Mentor1 year ago"So I guess this multi-billion dollar company is going to keep my $200 bucks. Do I have any recourse?"
No; not immediately.
eBay will keep your $200.00 for as long as your state laws require.
Then eBay will send your $200.00 to your state's treasury.
Your state will probably try to contact you, to allow you to claim rightful possession of that $200.00.
Your state will want you to prove your identity, so that the state knows they're releasing $200.00 to its rightful owner.
Your state will probably ask you to do that by giving them your Social Security Number (SSN).
If you can't or won't give your SSN to your state, after awhile your state will keep that $200.00.
And it's perfectly legal for your state to do so.
OR -- you could save a few years of waiting for your $200.00 by simply providing your SSN to eBay.
eBay's computers may already have a million or two Americans' names and SSNs.
They've got mine. I haven't suffered any physical or financial difficulties related to that fact.
cclark78745
OP1 year agoI don’t want to argue with everyone. Remember, virtually everyone on this site has disclosed their social security number. I’ve had my information hacked before and I really don’t want to have it out there anymore than absolutely necessary. And while Texas does collect sales tax and have an interest in sales data, the legislature has not mandated that eBay collects social security number. Rather, the irs requires eBay to 1099 sellers with a certain level of sales. I don’t even approach that level which is something like $5,000. But eBay has a policy of collecting everyone’s social. The key word is ‘policy’. It’s not a law. And someone in authority at eBay could easily distribute my funds to me. I was simply trying to find out if there was any type of recourse.
lady_madonna
Mentor1 year ago@cclark78745
It IS a law that if you're engaged in financial transactions, such as on eBay, and eBay (Adyen specifically) is the financial institution collecting and dispersing money, then you are legally required to provide your social security number if you want your payouts from your sales, and regardless if you qualify for receiving a 1099 or not.
This has nothing to do with sales tax nor Texas law.
You're only recourse would be to wait a very long time until eBay turns your money over to your state and then you will have to contact your state Treasury Department to try to get your money disbursed to you, but you will have to provide your social security number to the state in order to do so.
lady_madonna
Mentor1 year ago@cclark78745
Since you did not provide the required information that all sellers have to provide, Ebay can withhold your payout.
You are required to provide your social security number in two situations: (both of which apply to Ebay sellers)
cclark78745
OP1 year agoI am an infrequent eBay user, occasionally buying something like an air fryer. My level of financial activity on eBay is probably less than $300 annually over the last 22 years. I probably have only sold 4 or 5 items over that entire period, maybe less, and hadn’t sold anything since this policy went into effect. My activity doesn’t even come close to reaching the IRS requirement to report. I’m an old guy who had an old set of hubcaps collecting dust and I wanted them to find a good home. A 22 year history of a handful of small purchases and one small sale every 4 or 5 years is about as accurate a picture of ‘Know Your Customer’’ as you can get. And an eBay agent told me in a phone call, probably recorded, that I didn’t have to provide my social security number. I imagine he just wanted to get me off the phone. Had he told me that I must provide my social security number before being paid, I would have cancelled the transaction.
lady_madonna
Mentor1 year ago@cclark78745
Sometimes Ebay customer service reps provide inaccurate information.
ALL sellers, even the ones that have been selling on Ebay for decades are required to provide their social security number.
According to Ebay: If you haven’t already given us your Social Security Number (SSN), Employer Identification Number (EIN), or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), we’ll ask you to provide it. We’ll only use this information to verify your identity and to comply with applicable laws, including those related to consumer protection, online platforms, and taxes. Rest assured, this information is encrypted and stored securely. Learn more about how eBay protects your personal information in our Security Center.
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/getting-paid/registering-seller?id=4792#section2
cclark78745
OP1 year agoI get it, everyone else has done it. They’ve made the choice to do so. And had I been accurately informed by the employee of eBay, I would have chosen not to do so. That’s the way it’s supposed to work. I would have chosen not to do what others have chosen to do. In the same way that some people choose chocolate and others vanilla. Nothing wrong with either.