VAT exemption number (EU post-2025 scheme) refused/ignored by eBay — has anyone had this happen?
Hello everyone,
I'm running into a block with eBay customer service concerning VAT in Germany and I'm trying to find out whether other sellers have been in the same situation.
Background: eBay sent me a notification telling me that, since I had exceeded the €10,000 threshold for cross-border intra-EU sales, I had to provide a valid German VAT number (or intra-Community VAT number) and confirm registration for the OSS, or else my sales in Germany would be restricted within 14 days.
On my side, I've fulfilled my tax obligations: I submitted a VAT exemption request in several European Union member states (the EU VAT exemption scheme under EU Directive 2020/285), a process that was reviewed and validated by the German tax authorities themselves. I received an official exemption number (EX number) and a complete file confirming this exemption.
The problem: despite several exchanges with eBay customer service (documents sent, detailed explanations of the legal framework), I only get generic replies that repeat the standard procedure (regular VAT number + OSS), without this new European regime seemingly being taken into account by their tools or their agents.
For those who aren't familiar with this scheme, a reminder of the legal framework:
The EU VAT exemption scheme, based on Directive (EU) 2020/285 and entering into force on January 1, 2025, allows SMEs to benefit from a VAT exemption in other EU member states than their country of establishment, subject to conditions:
- Overall EU threshold: total annual turnover in the EU not exceeding €100,000
- National threshold: also complying with the exemption threshold specific to the member state concerned
- Equal treatment with a local business meeting these two caps
- Simplified process via an individual electronic identifier, declared to the tax authorities of the home country
(Official details: the directive text on EUR-Lex, and registration formalities in France on the impots.gouv.fr portal)
My question: has anyone already run into this kind of block with eBay for this post-2025 scheme? If so, how did you get the case escalated to the right department (VAT compliance) rather than standard support?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
