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Subject: 
When a hobby becomes a business, cost basis, income taxes, etc.
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.market.buy-sell-trade, lugnet.market.auction, lugnet.market.theory
Followup-To: 
lugnet.market.theory
Date: 
Fri, 29 Sep 2000 20:34:12 GMT
Highlighted: 
(details)
Viewed: 
18 times
  
Posted to .buy-sell-trade and .auctions, FU set to market.theory

I notice that the trend is definitely toward selling parts rather than sets.
In the past I have sold, mostly on eBay, mostly complete sets. I have
purchased a selection of sets on clearance recently and have been planning on
parting them out for sale on brickbay.  I used to very carefully keep track of
the cost and quantity of every set I bought. Some months the profit from the
sets I sold would cover the cost of the sets I've kept. Other months I would
spend a whole lot more than I made from sales. Other months I would actually
make more than I purchased and kept. I think a lot of people auction and sell
their sets and parts to offset the ones they keep for themselves. No new news
here.  My question is about turning this "hobby" into a business.

If I buy a 100 piece set for $10 keep five or ten pieces, sell the rest of the
pieces for $15, do I say I made a profit of $5 (assuming no auctioning fees,
etc.). Do I need to adjust the cost figure for the pieces I kept? I'm not even
sure how to ask the questions in my mind.

I guess what it comes down to is does anyone know how much money you
can "make" at a hobby before the IRS requires you to claim it as income?  Or
conversely if you say this is a business and you are trying to make a profit,
what do you do about the pieces and/or sets you keep? Do you include this as a
Research and development cost?  I guess I need to talk to a CPA or bookkeeper
about what I can and cannot do if I want to jump into this selling thing with
both feet, or just one foot.

This is too long already so...
Any comments would be appreciated

BEN GATRELLE



Message has 6 Replies:
  Re: When a hobby becomes a business, cost basis, income taxes, etc.
 
Ben, If you have a job already, and you earn more than x (I think it is 500.00),any and all income is considered income, if i ti s not a business, including E-Bay, Brickbay, etc. You have to pay both state, national, and maybe local tax, depending (...) (24 years ago, 29-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)
  Re: When a hobby becomes a business, cost basis, income taxes, etc.
 
(...) In California at least, you can go to the State Board of Equalization (offices all over the place) and become a licensed reseller. If there is a fee, it is a paltry one. You have to keep track of expenses and sales and pay taxes (special state (...) (24 years ago, 29-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)
  Re: When a hobby becomes a business, cost basis, income taxes, etc.
 
Actually, the first thing to do is to see if what you're doing qualifies itself as income. If it is regular, if you regularly get money from doing this, if you consider this work, etc. Basically, are you going into this with the intent of being a (...) (24 years ago, 30-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)
  Re: When a hobby becomes a business, cost basis, income taxes, etc.
 
Ben, You raised some good points and I knew I remembered some details from the classes I took back in the high school (don't ask). Publication 17 from the IRS details that you are allowed to deduct your hobby expenses up to the amount of hobby (...) (24 years ago, 30-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)
  Re: When a hobby becomes a business, cost basis, income taxes, etc.
 
In lugnet.market.buy-sell-trade, Ben Gatrelle writes: After having thought about this awhile and calling the IRS (but I'm not an account and YMMV), my understanding is the following. If you aren't a business, then any individual sets you sell and (...) (24 years ago, 30-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)
  Re: When a hobby becomes a business, cost basis, income taxes, etc.
 
(...) snip... (...) I don't have the answers, but I'd like to know them. If you're going to shoot for a full-blown business, keep track of your expenses. Include not only the cost of the sets, but travel expense(keep track of mileage), try to set up (...) (24 years ago, 30-Sep-00, to lugnet.market.theory)

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