On the other hand, if you resell items regularly and for a profit, you'll need to report those earnings on Schedule C of your tax return. The money you make will be subject to federal (and possibly state) income tax.
Personal items sold at a gain
If you made a profit or gain on the sale of a personal item, your profit is taxable. The profit is the difference between the amount you received for selling the item and the amount you originally paid for the item.
Whether or not you receive a Form 1099-K, you must still report any income on your tax return. This includes payments for any: Goods you sell, including personal items such as clothing or furniture. Services you provide.
If collectibles are sold at a gain, you will be subject to a long-term capital gains tax rate of up to 28%, if disposed of after more than one year of ownership. Collectibles sold at a gain are subject to ordinary income tax rates if held for one year or less.
Payment apps and online marketplaces might issue a Form 1099-K, informing you and the IRS of how much money you got for selling things or providing a service. If you make a profit through these activities, it's considered taxable income.
The IRS requires you to report all your income; hobby income is no exception. You pay taxes on your income whether you profit from a hobby or a business. However, one key difference is that taxpayers with hobby income (not considered business income) can avoid self-employment taxes.
The new "$600 rule"
Under the new rules set forth by the IRS, if you got paid more than $600 for the transaction of goods and services through third-party payment platforms, you will receive a 1099-K for reporting the income.
Whether or not you will owe taxes for selling personal items, goods, or services online will depend on several factors, including whether you made a profit. Usually, you need to pay federal income taxes and self-employment taxes if you make more than $400 during the tax year.
You must include on your return income from an activity from which you don't expect to make a profit. An example of this type of activity is a hobby or a farm you operate mostly for recreation and pleasure. Enter this income on Schedule 1 (Form 1040), line 8.
The short answer is yes. In most cases, the IRS and your local tax agencies expect tax payments for gains received on private sales transactions.
Personal selling involves person-to-person communication, which requires interpersonal skills and expertise to persuade leads to buy products and services. There are many different types of personal selling, including retail sales, business-to-business sales, and telemarketing.
Key Takeaways:
Gifts of up to $19,000 in cash are exempt from reporting in 2025. Those who have household employees must report cash payments that exceed $2,800 in 2025. All cash income should be reported on federal tax returns, regardless of whether a person receives a W-2 or 1099 Form from the entity that paid them.
If you sell at a gain (that is, you get more than you paid for the item), you have income.
Do You Have to File Taxes If You Made Less than $5,000? Typically, if a filer files less than $5,000 per year, they don't need to do any filing for the IRS. Your employment status can also be used to determine if you're making less than $5,000.
With the rise of online marketplaces, becoming an online reseller has never been more accessible—similar to making money as an influencer. By mastering the art of reselling, you can turn a side hustle into a thriving business and learn how to make money reselling effectively.
The Internal Revenue Service is very clear: you must file a tax return and report earnings from self-employment of $400 or more, even if it's from gig work, a side hustle app, or a temporary job. If you don't report your income as the IRS requires, there can be serious repercussions.
Your earned money from selling on Marketplace could be subject to taxes. Even if you don't claim the income when you file your annual taxes, we will submit a Form 1099 and report your income to the IRS.
Generally, resellers to do pay sales tax when they purchase the items, but must collect sales tax when those items are sold to the end user. While the products sold by resale businesses may be very different, they all buy products and then resell them in the same form in which they were acquired.
Payments you collect on the Cash App only count as income if you received them in exchange for goods or services. In contrast, personal payments between friends and family don't count, and you don't have to report them on your taxes.
For background: The ARPA lowered the reporting threshold to impose a reporting requirement on TPSOs on Form 1099-K from gross payments of more than $20,000 and 200 transactions for a payee to gross payments totaling more than $600 (regardless of the number of transactions) for a payee.
The IRS has lowered this threshold for tax year 2024, meaning eBay and other marketplaces must report gross sales that equal or exceed $5,000 on a Form 1099-K beginning in tax year 2024. This is part of a phase-in process by the IRS to eventually implement a $600 threshold in 2025.
Your hobby is the thing you engage in after work hours and in your spare time, but you also may exchange the results of those hobbies for cash. In the eyes of the government, that hobby income is real income that you may need to claim. The true difference between a hobby and a business comes down to tax law.
Regarding you question, how much can you sell before paying tax on your earnings, as a self-employed individual, generally you are required to file an annual return and pay estimated tax quarterly. You must file a return if you earn $400 or more in net earnings from your business.
Examples of items that aren't earned income include interest and dividends, pensions and annuities, Social Security and railroad retirement benefits (including disability benefits), alimony and child support, welfare benefits, workers' compensation benefits, unemployment compensation (insurance), nontaxable foster care ...