New ebay payments require SS#?

• "It is not a sales tax issue but the linking (routing number & account number) of my Bank Account with my eBay account."

Okay, I just went onto my eBay account. They requested that I supply my bank account number and THE LAST FOUR DIGITS OF MY SS#.  This was so they could pay me for what I sell, and also charge me the eBay fees, if any. They already had my bank information through my PayPal account.

I'm not registered with eBay as a business, so there shouldn't be any 1099s. Unless tax laws have changed over time, there are no federal taxes due on hobby items bought and sold. 

Another thought ... On federal taxes; why isn't an allowance given for inflation? In other words, If I bought a MacIntosh amp in 1969 for  $300, and sold it today for $1000, I should be able to calculate the purchasing power of $1000 today vs the $300 in 1969 dollars and pay taxes on the difference, if indeed there is any true gain. 

All the more reason to abolish the 16th Amendment and go with a simple end-user federal sales tax. 

Frank

I suggest that the audiophile community ditch eBay and support the audio gear aftermarket selling/buying sites. eBay offers no protection. They say they do. From personal experience they don’t. They charge high fees and sales tax. It is not attractive at all. If I want to sell something and reach the audiophile community all you need is Agon and usaudiomart. If you want to, aufiophilestyle. This especially goes for expensive gear. 

If Paypal & the other services are doing it too, then everyone is screwed!
Great way to screw the little guy trying to make a buck.

Beat the irs communists at their own game. Keep your receipts to prove you sold the item at a loss. If you owned the item for more than one year use the loss to offset a cap gain from investments or ira distribution. Irs hates people with documented proof. They pray on the stupid. All socialist government money laundering starts with the irs feeding the system with our money! To the officer THANK YOU for your service. When you get the call to mr defunds residence make sure you do the speed limit getting there. You don't want to break the law!

@mtrot 

In the case where you don't have the receipt for a piece of gear you simply estimate it's original value. In 99.999% of the cases you lose money on the transaction.

This whole thing will only be an issue if you get audited. You will report no income from your audio sales on your 1040 and the only way the IRS would challenge that is if they audit you - and even then they wouldn't waste time worrying about a piece or two of stereo gear.

The only time a regular taxpayer who's not claiming bizarre deductions (under $200k income) gets an audit is if they win the IRS lottery and get a TCMP (Taxpayer Compliance Measurement Program) audit that goes through your return line by line. Most people go through their lifetime without ever getting an IRS audit. That means that the IRS takes your word for it when you file a tax return. It really is the honor system. If you claim that you received no income from selling your stereo gear then that is what the government will base your taxes on. You do not have to supply supporting documentation with your tax return.

Also, most people don't realize that the IRS us understaffed and they don't have the time to worry about nickels and dimes from regular taxpayers. Their decisions, virtually all the time, are based on common sense. If you inherited a 1970's vintage Marantz 2325 receiver that you sold for $1500 and have no receipt the auditor isn't going to waste time trying to research what it originally cost. The other interesting thing about inheritance is that you don't pay taxes on what you inherit - so there's no issue with that anyway.

In other words, don't get wrapped around the axle worrying about the tax implications of being an audiophile.