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we need amazon vine review,how to contact you

I spoke with someone from IRS and was told that because I am not an independent contractor, nor am I self-employed, I should not have received a 1099 NEC from Amazon. Therefore, I was advised to write a letter explaining that this is a program that sends free products in exchange for honest reviews. I have no contract with Amazon, nor do I receive any financial compensation for the reviews. I was told to attach documentation like the Amazon Vine Program User Agreement to support my claims.

This couldn't be any more wrong. There is no such accounting method as "no cash received". The IRS is CRYSTAL clear that income doesn't have to be cash so 0 gross receipts - also wrong. Don't keep wishing for an audit, because they will rip this to pieces. Absolutely NONE of it will fly and NONE of it follows basic IRS or accounting rules. You can't just make up an accounting method for crying out loud. Man, what a giant mess. You can't depreciate these assets AT ALL unless you're a reseller. The value that you're taxed on is the ETV. Period. There is no wiggle room there. There may be a few deductions allowed for Sch C viners, but nothing even close to this. This not only risks late payment penalties and interest, but accuracy-related, substantial understatement, and frivolous position. What a serious mess!!! And the idea that the IRS doesn't understand this is ridiculous. Some representative on the phone may not, but that's not advice upon which you can rely. The IRS understands this perfectly which is why they began requiring Amazon to issue 1099s around 2017.... AND there is a reason why they require that they issue 1099NEC rather than MISC. You are performing a service in exchange for something of value. That is income, pure and simple. And it's taxable in the US.

When I was invited to join Vine, I got a LOT of information about how the program works, and unlike a lot of folks, I read it all before getting my feet wet. They clearly state that items you order to review, although free, are given an "estimated tax value" which will be sent to you annually on a 1099 form. I could go further explaining the program, but here's the bottom line. If you receive a 1099, from a company, it is a statement of earnings paid to you by that company, and in the end WILL BE treated as such by the IRS, no matter what anyone else tells you. For instance, I am retired, and can earn $9000 over my benefit amount before I am required to file a tax return. I make sure that I never go over that amount on Vine, and therefor am not even required to file. Point is, if you file taxes every year, a 1099 IS income, and that is all the IRS will look at. The problem is, if you receive SSI, EBT, or Medicaid, and that 1099 shows up, you WILL be held accountable for it, which means not only could it stop those benefits, but could trigger an overpayment as well, and you could even be made to pay those funds back for the period you were covered, and earning that "income". In some cases they could accuse you of fraud for not reporting it immediately. It is true you don't use money to actually buy those free items, but you agreed to their terms that clearly state it will be counted as if you bought the items, and could impact your taxes. Always remember, NOTHING is "free" in this world, and while getting stuff without paying cash is great, you have to read the fine print BEFORE you get in too deep. I hope everything works out for you, and don't believe you were scamming anyone, but if you have benefits to protect, and are required to file taxes, Vine is probably not a good option for you.

I think the UK is different.

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with the rest of us. As a new vine participant I too have so many questions and concerns. Thanks!

Taxation is theft, so saying "I want to pay my fair share" is like offering to donate to a mugger on the street so they won't rob you at gunpoint later.

I don’t know if I had a panic attack or this but I have memories coming up that I’ve been trying to avoid for about a year now. They just started coming up and the worst night was having to take a midnight drive…coming back to not being able to sleep still…I’m not a drinker but i saw beer and i knew I was light weight and i just wanted a quick buzz to help me fall asleep. I couldn’t keep my legs still because i felt so helpless while going thru it. I needed to let out. I resorted to banging my head a few times. I called 988 after. The memories were just screaming in my head.

LOL of course the government would try to accuse you of finding loop holes, DAMN Governments all of them nothing but violent dictators that love to do war, sow chaos, and control the public. There's no such thing as a poor politician or someone who works for the government. Bunch of rich assoles.

You should of just recorded the conversation then you can do what you want, you have evidence that tells you they don't know what to do for you, so you can do whatever you fancy lol

You can sell them after 6 months time, but yeah you do have to pay taxes on them if you sell it, but in USA i don't know what that's like.

I'm a vine member! I can say it's partialy addictive and other has made me miserable, because it kills out all my time reviewing something properly, and creates a hoarder style home, filled with too much junk, I gave to charity, friends, family free stuff, I never sold any item, I kept stuff I needed, but I could buy the stuff that I really wanted. I never did get a computer, a tv, a treadmill, portable aircon unit, the things I really need the most that I can't afford, instead you get things like dust bins, air fans, screw drivers, equipment, tapes, scissors, knives, nails that sort of thing, you can get anything with cheap junk really. It be lucky you can get anything decent. At the end of the day I was still miserable, and now I'm filled with junk and miserable at the same time. If I used that time constructively I could make money in a job that could buy me a computer, aircon unit, and treadmill with more money left over. I believe the phrase don't get attached to material objects comes into play here, things ruin people's purity, this is why I gave most of my stuff away to charity and that's the only thing I thank Vine for helping me help others. These days you have to order a certain amount and review upto 90% of all your items within a time limit, this video is 1 year old and the rules are new, you have to review I believe it was 100 items and upto 90% of them within 6 months, and you can only give things out or sell after 6 months of your review that has been published, not after writing your review, it has to get published then 6 months later you can do whatever you want with the item.

You actually don’t have a contract. You’re a non-contracted reviewer.

This is my 3rd video of yours i am watching straight. I am an amazon vine reviewer and i appreciate hearing about all the steps you went through to correctly file taxes. You seem like a very intelligant woman.

Also, you could bill your “review business” for an hourly rate that you work at using them and writing the reviews.

Hi thanks for sharing this and being open because I learned so much! One thought, have you considered donating the items at the end of their use (the 6 months) and getting a receipt for their value to cancel out the possession value for taxes?

Bottom line: the entity filing the 1099 is Amazon and we don't work for them. If we work for anyone it's 3rd party vendors. Those are the people giving us free items to review. All Amazon does is connect the sellers on it's site with some buyers on it's site, and Amazon is often but not always, paid by the vendors. Amazon is the middleman.

I have found your channel and feel like I found what i was looking at for long time, Thank you! you are doing a great job by showing us your experience and your recovery journy. wish you all the best, be patient in your journy.

1) you are under contract to keep the item 6 months, to ensure you're not reselling 2) this is NOT self employment, you are not under any employment contract with amazon. theres a couple really good videos about it from viners who talked to actual IRS agents. Please contact someone that really know what they are talking about before you file taxes.

So how did it work out ? Can we get a update

Idk if i get anxiety attacks. Yesterday i ate out with my mom. Cafe was packed. Loud. I felt nausea. Tingling in my hands and feet. Feet felt cold. Like i was losing control. I jumped up. Feeling dizzy like i was gonna faint. I rushed outside for air and i calm down. Im really scared i never had this before. Its started in 2021. 2022 no incidents. Yesterday 4/8/24 i got one.

I wonder if you claimed all received goods are "used"?

Good video, good information. I wonder what IRS would do if claimed that all items are tested to full inoperability so that in your review you could document how much use a consumer is likely to have from that item. Example, you get a golf bag and in your review you use and also loan it out to many for testing purposes, because after all, no one can golf EVERY DAY for a year, right? and you let others use it until it breaks, or becomes unusable. Now you have something of zero value and you can accurately document in your review that "this product lasts x hours/days/weeks under regular use..." or something like that. Now you don't ever have anything to keep, depreciate it all.

They will feed them to other animals they have. Trust me, I know!

It's been 10 months... any word from the IRS?

Thanks Heidi. I got my Vine membership in October and my first disability payment in December 2023. I never thought about how this could affect my payments. I had a little over $1800 for 2023 and already got $2400 for 2024. I am just grateful I was not offered vine and not find out about the taxes for a year. I thought if you keep your income below $2000 a month all was good my understanding, but not in this case. Amazon Vine has a resource section for members but nothing really about tax implications explained in detail. I wonder how many have suffered because of their failure to clearly inform. SSA reported to SNAP program in December I had no living expenses! They cut my disability almost 1/3 and I had my EBT cut to $63 for January 2024 with no notice. Great way to start off the year, not. SSA will come back on you and reduce you monthly and make you pay back if they think you were overpaid. However the SNAP program corrected the problem immediately and I was told in February everything will be back to normal. I asked what about the rest of this month? Sorry, we can't change or pay after a monthly payment has been made. So January was bean and rice month literally. I am thankful, no one owes me anything and I do not have an entitled attitude. I just wish they treated people with basic common curiosity. I do wish to say I have dealt with some extremely nice people at SSA too. I would love to be working again but I cannot. SSA called and had my 80 year old mother in tears accusing her of all sorts of deception. There is no justification for that type of treatment. I would love some feedback on this one. Amazon files a 1099 with IRS and SSA can and does get that information before a review, I think. So that being said there is no way to hide the vine activity even if you did not file a tax return. I am going to go ahead and file and let SSA ask me about it when and if they do. Again, best I can find but I think you have to file a tax return regardless that your below poverty level just due to the fact that this type of in kind income is IRS classified as self employment I am opting out of Vine. I truly hate to make that move but It took me 3 years to get through the SSA disability process and I can't risk it. Bluetooth speakers are nice but they don't pay the electric bill. I completely agree with you that the system wants to knock you back into place if you get the slightest opportunity. I can truly understand if you got a job and get a paycheck paying taxes but it is a bit overkill penalizing suffering people getting some complimentary items to review. Vine reviewers are not paid. You are not required to write a review if you don't wish so it is not service income as Amazon reports to the IRS. Yes you will lose your vine membership if you do not write, The items are given there are program requirements to retain membership but there are NO requirements to review when you receive an item. The rich seem to have no problems going around things like this at tax time, but if your just trying to get by with the help from SSA not a chance. Sorry for the rant but I just needed to get that out. Any feedback appreciated.

Greetings and thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make and share this video with us. I too am a Vine Voice and this tax season will be my first filing with the Amazon info and forms. Your video has definitely helped me to understand more about the process and what it looks like and requires. The terms and conditions are confusing and what forms need to be included and why is also unclear. I did receive my 1099-NEC form but have NOT yet filed my taxes. I've read most of the comments below and am wondering what they mean for my situation. Since I did not purchase them items, there is no Sales Tax. And I live in a state where there is no State Income Tax. Does that mean I own nothing and have no forms to file? That doesn't seem right, but at the same time, according to the rules, it does. Can anyone please help me understand how all this works and what I need to do? I'm sure any assistance will benefit me and many others with the same questions. Do I go see a consumer rights lawyer? Do I need a CPA? Do I even need to bother with the Form 1040, Schedule C -OR- Amazon's 1099-NEC form since *i* am NOT an independent contractor because I am not getting paid (or receiving any other incentive, monitarily or otherwise). I am simply providing a review on a product they chose to send me for no cash value. I thought this program and journey would be exciting, informational, helpful, and beneficial to me and my readers. So how does this taxing policy (or lack thereof) make any sense? If anyone would care to comment, explain, commiserate, please feel free to do so with my sincere thanks and appreciation!

Thanks for this video. I was just referred to the Discord group yesterday and I followed a link and joined but I'm clueless what to do next. I'm going through the FAQ's and hope I figure it out (your link still works, btw.) I've only been a "vine voice" since December 2nd of 2023 so I'm still figuring things out but think I know pretty much how it works. Really exasperating to be a few seconds too late when clicking "request item" and get the error message. I hate that I have to spend so much time on vine. Sometimes I feel it's such a time suck and wonder if it's even worth it.

Thank you for keeping us informed about this

I'm so sorry that you have to go through this tough situation. It is so hard, and you are so strong and courageous.

Love how you shared about it is okay to feel empowered to solve problems alone sometimes. Being in a Christian environment, I often have that impression of "it is bad to do things alone". I feel encouraged and validated by your share.

I finally found someone who understands me...Thank you so much for sharing this! You are so appreciated and heard.

Hi, I just finished my first year with Vine, it is tax time and I need to file, what have you all figured out since this video came out? I review and then keep the items or give them to friends and family, I have not sold a single item. I'm looking for how to file to pay the state sales tax they say I owe from the goods I received. Any info would be great.

Since you deducted the full amount, did you still owe any percentage for self-employment? Also, did this work out for your state taxes as well (so far)?

Vine did a really strange thing. I track the fair values, I pick a lot of items that have fair value of 0 and I keep my purchases under 600. I had a total of 592.50, and then they changed one item from 0 to 24.99 pushing me over the 600 reporting limit :-( I emailed them and they gave a not very helpful "We can't change the fair value." It was an item that I would never purchase in a million years except because if was tax free.

Doesn't really seem any different then winning a prize on a gameshow. That stuff is considered income as well and you need to pay taxes on it. It is something that Mr. Beast has mentioned when he gives away prizes or Islands, that is all considered income for the value of the items. Some people have had to not take their items because they couldn't afford the taxes on their winnings.

What ended up happening?

Just wondering did this work out Did they audit you?

After reflecting deeply about this problem i need to say...this woman is a genius... she actually runs a not for profit business.. and all returns are used as part of running the business.. indeed ..the items are used .. they become the expense for running the business....so they are deducted... net income is 0..net tax to be paid is zero... nobody can actually contest that. But she needs to pay attention that on the third year the business needs to be profitable to qualify as a business...well then indeed she can say she sells the items..and pay some small tax.

Hello Heidi, thank you for your videos. I watched them with great interest as I find myself in the same prick but for Amazon Germany. After reading a lot around and documenting myself I can definitely say that there is a BIG problematic with the tax system. One point of view is that those items have a "fair market value" and you need to be taxed as income tax based on this amount. But this is exactly the point which is absolutely senseless and I will put here all the reasons why: 1. If you do a job for someone and you receive as a payment for return of service an IPad, or if you do a job for someone and receive a lot of IPads or other goods as payment, it is important to note that there was a service and a payment in goods involved. In that case there would be an agreement from your side that you receive these goods as payment for your work. In that case I could understand the validity of an income tax. But in the case of Vine items to be tested this is not the case. I will explain below. 2. The item to be tested cannot be compared the same as the same item to be purchased. They cannot be considered as equivalent. Why? A purchased item has a guarantee, and you can also can get full monetary refunds if you choose not to keep it. This is not the case for a vine item. A vine item cannot be returned and has no guarantee. Also you can only claim it IF 6 months has passed and you were not requested to return it. Also you are not allowed to disclose or publish this item on any blog or website. All these restrictions definitely mean that a test product does not have the same market value as a purchased item. It is therefore a mistake from Amazon to claim that these products have the same "Fair Market Value" as a purchased item. Now the next point. The Fair Market Value of that item after 6 months of testing is only the amount Amazon would be willing to pay me if I return that item to them. Indeed if that would be the case Amazon would pay you only a few cents for them. Then this is the real Fair Market value of these items. 3. When I test a product I actually break it open and I subject it to all types of knocks and blows to check how good it actually is. I try to check the material, I scratch it etc. That is the whole point of testing. It is like if you give me a test car and I need to drive it and force it to the maximum to test it and am not allowed to sell it and I can only keep it if the seller does not request it within 6 months, it has no guarantee and the item cannot be returned, there is just no way that this item after 6 months and after being pushed to the max for testing be worth the same value as a newly purchased item which has a guarantee and which can be returned. This is just common sense. Next point. 4. If I test a product and it is NO GOOD. It is good for the dustbin and I dont want to keep it and I cannot return it. Why on earth should I pay 35% of its value when I dont even own it within 6 months and when I dont want to keep it? Next point. 5. There are items that are clearly overpriced. I make the test and I write that this product is overpriced. Again why should I pay 35% of the claimed value of an item that I cannot return and which I think is overpriced? Next point. 6. Most of the items on vine are from unknown brands.Hence after 6 months their value is just a few Euros that someone would be willing to pay on flee markets. They have a low resale value. Overall this whole thing makes no sense. 7. Those Fair market value prices are the original price the sellers would like to sell those items. They dont represent the actual value of a test product under those conditions. Also those fair market values have already a tax included in them. So how can I pay tax on something which is already taxed? Hence it is double taxed? If this applies, this can only apply for a case which I described in point 1. Which in the vine testing program clearly is not the case. 8. What about all items that get broken during the test phase? What about items you would not consider keeping? For me it looks like you are making me pay an expensive fee for testing an item. This is what it is. This is a 35% fee just for testing an item which is absurd. How can someone who buys the actual real product pay less tax? Instead of getting paid for testing you need to pay to test. How ridiculous is it that in the lucky case that you manage to sell an item lets say for 40% of its value, including additionally 20% as tax of that value additionally as VAT, this means the tax you paid is more than the amount you could hopefully get from selling it. In reality therefore you have been taxed 100% if not more. And they call this income tax?? This is absolute BS! 9. Most of the items have only between 0-50% of the value after 6 months after undergoing the tests and under the condition of no returns and no guarantee. There is also a big issue, the items were needed to have zero cost to the tester for the reviews to be properly legit. But if you need to pay a tax, this puts you in a pressure not to degrade the product either because you need to keep it in a good state because you paid taxes for it or you want to sell it to gain cash back. It makes no sense. 10.For the reviews to be truly fair the reviewer should have not have to pay anything. Hence whatever tax to be paid must have been paid by Amazon. The deal is that I receive a free item and I give a review in exchange. Hence it should be considered as a gift. Not the other way around, where I give a review and I get the item as a payment for my service. Also Amazon should claim the Fair Market Value of that gift to be much less than a purchased item because of all the attached conditions of receiving that gift. I believe that Amazon is missleading or misinforming and mostly missrepresenting the Fair Market Value of these items. In the case of Amazon.de they published the tax to be paid only after a year that the people had enrolled. These values are not Fair at all. They do not represent the real value and the authorities cannot force anyone to pay taxes for items they do not want to keep and cannot return.

Hello Heidi, thank you for your videos. I watched them with great interest as I find myself in the same prick but for Amazon Germany. After reading a lot around and documenting myself I can definitely say that there is a BIG problematic with the tax system. One point of view is that those items have a "fair market value" and you need to be taxed as income tax based on this amount. But this is exactly the point which is absolutely senseless and I will put here all the reasons why: 1. If you do a job for someone and you receive as a payment for return of service an IPad, or if you do a job for someone and receive a lot of IPads or other goods as payment, it is important to note that there was a service and a payment in goods involved. In that case there would be an agreement from your side that you receive these goods as payment for your work. In that case I could understand the validity of an income tax. But in the case of Vine items to be tested this is not the case. I will explain below. 2. The item to be tested cannot be compared the same as the same item to be purchased. They cannot be considered as equivalent. Why? A purchased item has a guarantee, and you can also can get full monetary refunds if you choose not to keep it. This is not the case for a vine item. A vine item cannot be returned and has no guarantee. Also you can only claim it IF 6 months has passed and you were not requested to return it. Also you are not allowed to disclose or publish this item on any blog or website. All these restrictions definitely mean that a test product does not have the same market value as a purchased item. It is therefore a mistake from Amazon to claim that these products have the same "Fair Market Value" as a purchased item. Now the next point. 3. When I test a product I actually break it open and I subject it to all types of knocks and blows to check how good it actually is. I try to check the material, I scratch it etc. That is the whole point of testing. It is like if you give me a test car and I need to drive it and force it to the maximum to test it and am not allowed to sell it and I can only keep it if the seller does not request it within 6 months, it has no guarantee and the item cannot be returned, there is just no way that this item after 6 months and after being pushed to the max for testing be worth the same value as a newly purchased item which has a guarantee and which can be returned. This is just common sense. Next point. 4. If I test a product and it is NO GOOD. It is good for the dustbin and I dont want to keep it and I cannot return it. Why on earth should I pay 35% of its value when I dont even own it within 6 months and when I dont want to keep it? Next point. 5. There are items that are clearly overpriced. I make the test and I write that this product is overpriced. Again why should I pay 35% of the claimed value of an item that I cannot return and which I think is overpriced? Next point. 6. Most of the items on vine are from unknown brands.Hence after 6 months their value is just a few Euros that someone would be willing to pay on flee markets. They have a low resale value. Overall this whole thing makes no sense. 7. Those Fair market value prices are the original price the sellers would like to sell those items. They dont represent the actual value of a test product under those conditions. Also those fair market values have already a tax included in them. So how can I pay tax on something which is already taxed? Hence it is double taxed? If this applies, this can only apply for a case which I described in point 1. Which in the vine testing program clearly is not the case. 8. What about all items that get broken during the test phase? What about items you would not consider keeping? For me it looks like you are making me pay an expensive fee for testing an item. This is what it is. This is a 35% fee just for testing an item which is absurd. How can someone who buys the actual real product pay less tax? Instead of getting paid for testing you need to pay to test. How ridiculous is it that in the lucky case that you manage to sell an item lets say for 40% of its value, including additionally 20% as tax of that value additionally as VAT, this means the tax you paid is more than the amount you could hopefully get from selling it. In reality therefore you have been taxed 100% if not more. And they call this income tax?? This is absolute BS! 9. Most of the items have only between 0-50% of the value after 6 months after undergoing the tests and under the condition of no returns and no guarantee. There is also a big issue, the items were needed to have zero cost to the tester for the reviews to be properly legit. But if you need to pay a tax, this puts you in a pressure not to degrade the product either because you need to keep it in a good state because you paid taxes for it or you want to sell it to gain cash back. It makes no sense. 10.For the reviews to be truly fair the reviewer should have not have to pay anything. Hence whatever tax to be paid must have been paid by Amazon. The deal is that I receive a free item and I give a review in exchange. Hence it should be considered as a gift. Not the other way around, where I give a review and I get the item as a payment for my service. Also Amazon should claim the Fair Market Value of that gift to be much less than a purchased item because of all the attached conditions of receiving that gift. I believe that Amazon is missleading or misinforming and mostly missrepresenting the Fair Market Value of these items. In the case of Amazon.de they published the tax to be paid only after a year that the people had enrolled. These values are not Fair at all. They do not represent the real value and the authorities cannot force anyone to pay taxes for items they do not want to keep and cannot return.

Hello Heidi, thank you for your videos. I watched them with great interest as I find myself in the same prick but for Amazon Germany. After reading a lot around and documenting myself I can definitely say that there is a BIG problematic with the tax system. One point of view is that those items have a "fair market value" and you need to be taxed as income tax based on this amount. But this is exactly the point which is absolutely senseless and I will put here all the reasons why: 1. If you do a job for someone and you receive as a payment for return of service an IPad, or if you do a job for someone and receive a lot of IPads or other goods as payment, it is important to note that there was a service and a payment in goods involved. In that case there would be an agreement from your side that you receive these goods as payment for your work. In that case I could understand the validity of an income tax. But in the case of Vine items to be tested this is not the case. I will explain below. 2. The item to be tested cannot be compared the same as the same item to be purchased. They cannot be considered as equivalent. Why? A purchased item has a guarantee, and you can also can get full monetary refunds if you choose not to keep it. This is not the case for a vine item. A vine item cannot be returned and has no guarantee. Also you can only claim it IF 6 months has passed and you were not requested to return it. Also you are not allowed to disclose or publish this item on any blog or website. All these restrictions definitely mean that a test product does not have the same market value as a purchased item. It is therefore a mistake from Amazon to claim that these products have the same "Fair Market Value" as a purchased item. Now the next point. The Fair Market Value of that item after 6 months of testing is only the amount Amazon would be willing to pay me if I return that item to them. Indeed if that would be the case Amazon would pay you only a few cents for them. Then this is the real Fair Market value of these items. 3. When I test a product I actually break it open and I subject it to all types of knocks and blows to check how good it actually is. I try to check the material, I scratch it etc. That is the whole point of testing. It is like if you give me a test car and I need to drive it and force it to the maximum to test it and am not allowed to sell it and I can only keep it if the seller does not request it within 6 months, it has no guarantee and the item cannot be returned, there is just no way that this item after 6 months and after being pushed to the max for testing be worth the same value as a newly purchased item which has a guarantee and which can be returned. This is just common sense. Next point. 4. If I test a product and it is NO GOOD. It is good for the dustbin and I dont want to keep it and I cannot return it. Why on earth should I pay 35% of its value when I dont even own it within 6 months and when I dont want to keep it? Next point. 5. There are items that are clearly overpriced. I make the test and I write that this product is overpriced. Again why should I pay 35% of the claimed value of an item that I cannot return and which I think is overpriced? Next point. 6. Most of the items on vine are from unknown brands.Hence after 6 months their value is just a few Euros that someone would be willing to pay on flee markets. They have a low resale value. Overall this whole thing makes no sense. 7. Those Fair market value prices are the original price the sellers would like to sell those items. They dont represent the actual value of a test product under those conditions. Also those fair market values have already a tax included in them. So how can I pay tax on something which is already taxed? Hence it is double taxed? If this applies, this can only apply for a case which I described in point 1. Which in the vine testing program clearly is not the case. 8. What about all items that get broken during the test phase? What about items you would not consider keeping? For me it looks like you are making me pay an expensive fee for testing an item. This is what it is. This is a 35% fee just for testing an item which is absurd. How can someone who buys the actual real product pay less tax? Instead of getting paid for testing you need to pay to test. How ridiculous is it that in the lucky case that you manage to sell an item lets say for 40% of its value, including additionally 20% as tax of that value additionally as VAT, this means the tax you paid is more than the amount you could hopefully get from selling it. In reality therefore you have been taxed 100% if not more. And they call this income tax?? This is absolute BS! 9. Most of the items have only between 0-50% of the value after 6 months after undergoing the tests and under the condition of no returns and no guarantee. There is also a big issue, the items were needed to have zero cost to the tester for the reviews to be properly legit. But if you need to pay a tax, this puts you in a pressure not to degrade the product either because you need to keep it in a good state because you paid taxes for it or you want to sell it to gain cash back. It makes no sense. 10.For the reviews to be truly fair the reviewer should have not have to pay anything. Hence whatever tax to be paid must have been paid by Amazon. The deal is that I receive a free item and I give a review in exchange. Hence it should be considered as a gift. Not the other way around, where I give a review and I get the item as a payment for my service. Also Amazon should claim the Fair Market Value of that gift to be much less than a purchased item because of all the attached conditions of receiving that gift. I believe that Amazon is missleading or misinforming and mostly missrepresenting the Fair Market Value of these items. In the case of Amazon.de they published the tax to be paid only after a year that the people had enrolled. These values are not Fair at all. They do not represent the real value and the authorities cannot force anyone to pay taxes for items they do not want to keep and cannot return.

Amazon is providing items for you to do a job for them but you aren’t allowed to send them back when you do the job. So Amazon doesn’t think they have value once they are used to do the job. Some items are unusable when received and worth nothing. Other than being able to use the items to do the job for Amazon they are not paying you. You get paid with used or unusable goods that cost you money to donate or take to the dump. As a vine reviewer I use gas to go to the post office to get the items. Sometimes in order to test the item I have to get supplies to use it on. You couldn’t participate unless you had internet and a computer. It’s a losing business but needs to be detailed because you get a 1099NEC. Just stop showing the expenses when you get to zero or a dollar profit.

2023 Tax Filing Season just opened January 29th. Wht is your plan fo reporting your Vine income for 2023?

If there is any tax paid it should be a sales tax. Amazon did not state anywhere that I was an employee or independent contractor. I never would have joined under those circumstances. I took the estimated values as something I would pay sales tax on. I wonder if the items are tax write-offs for Amazon and the actual seller. I feel like it is dishonest to tax it as income. It is a voluntary review that keeps us in the program. I am not an independent contract or a gig worker so why should I be reported to the IRS as one. They trap us with the 1099 form as a contract employee without our knowledge or consent. I can understand paying sales tax the same as if I purchased it. Our reviews are free marketing for Amazon and the seller. That is why I thought they were able to offer these items to us for free. This was a fun project for me to try products and have my opinion help other buyers. I am disappointed that I am now dealing with the IRS on income that I did not get. It is unfair that other countries don't have to pay anything for taxes from the same company and sellers. The United States is taxing the sh#@ out of every American. It is sad that the system works against its own citizens.

Thanks for sharing. I'm at 1/10 your volume and could probably handle it if I were flagged. Two years ago I got a 1099 late for $1000 review job and filed an amended return. I cost me $300 total. I could probably survive a $1500 taxes, penalties and fines if for 2 years I got to keep my returns or at least not have $1000 come out of my return. I'll discuss it with my wife. One question though; after 3 years of losses isn't the business reclassified as a hobby?

I was looking for an Air purifier on Amazon and came across one that only had vine reviews and loved the detail you guys all give. your reviews give me trust on brand new products that hit the market.

Hello! I'm pausing my avoidance to say hi too! I can relate to your journey....🍍I am a woman named Alex

0ETV is about use tax. It is not about income tax. Use tax is owed in states with sales tax. As for whether items received under the Vine program is taxable, that is addressed by a specific IRS publication. Read the publication about barter exchanges. Barter income is generally reported on Schedule C. Check out IRS Publication 525 (2023), Taxable and Nontaxable Income and Instructions for Form 1099-B.

thank you for being the guinea pig on this