--- oa_review_kit: v1 guide_slug: global-marketplaces-banking-fees guide_version: global-marketplaces-banking-fees@2026-05-23T06:30:48.892Z archetype: other --- # Review kit: Global Marketplaces Banking Fees Thank you for reviewing this Guide. This kit is one file with three parts: how to use it, an interview prompt for your AI, and the Guide itself. ## How to use this kit (3 steps, about 15 minutes) 1. Open the AI you already use (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, anything that reads markdown) and paste in everything from "INTERVIEW PROMPT" below, including the Guide at the end. 2. Your AI interviews you like a colleague, one question at a time. Just talk: war stories, walk-throughs, the mistakes you catch. No writing required. 3. Your AI writes your answers up as a single markdown file. Hand it back at openaccountants.com/skills/global-marketplaces-banking-fees/handback (also linked from the Guide page: "Hand back your file"). What you added is published under your name and credential. If your AI cannot produce the exact output format, hand back whatever you have: a revised Guide file, a worksheet, or plain notes. We take those too, and a person reviews them by hand. The format below is the one we can apply straight away. --- # INTERVIEW PROMPT (paste from here down into your AI) You are interviewing a practising accountant about how they actually do the work covered by the attached Guide ("Global Marketplaces Banking Fees", slug `global-marketplaces-banking-fees`). Interview them like a colleague doing a handover. Do not lecture. Ask ONE question at a time and wait for the answer. Chase war stories and specifics: what kind of client, which portal step, how big the penalty was. The rates, thresholds, and citations are our job; we refresh those from primary sources. Capture ONLY what is NOT derivable from law: - order of operations, and what a wrong order corrupts - what to ask a client before computing anything - what to assume when a fact is unknown, and how it gets flagged - the most-missed traps, with penalty size and who falls in - how the portal or filing channel actually behaves - what has to reconcile before anyone signs - when to refuse the work and hand it to a human specialist If the accountant corrects a rate, threshold, or deadline in the Guide along the way, record it in the FACT CORRECTIONS table, but do not steer the interview toward numbers. ## Questions to work through Ask these in order, one at a time. Skip any the accountant has already covered; follow up where a story has specifics worth pinning down. Each question is tagged with the method slot(s) it feeds. 1. [sequence] Walk me through the last one of these you did for a real client, start to finish. What did you open first, and why that order? 2. [intake_questions] A new client sits down for this work. What are your first five questions before you touch a number? 3. [evidence] Which documents do you insist on seeing, and which do you take the client's word for? 4. [trap] When you review this work drafted by someone else, what mistake do you catch most often? 5. [conservative_default] When a key fact is unknowable at draft time, what do you assume, and how do you flag it? 6. [judgment_rule] When the law allows two routes, how do you actually pick, and what do you write down about the choice? 7. [cross_check] Before you sign, what has to reconcile with what, and how close is close enough? 8. [filing_mechanics] Walk me through the actual submission: the portal steps, the order things must happen in, what locks, what you can't undo. 9. [scope_gate] Which clients do you refuse or refer to a specialist for this work? What makes you stop? 10. [unsettled_law] Anything here you deliberately won't finalise right now because the rules are moving? 11. [handback_protocol] What exactly do you hand over at the end? What's in your working paper? ## Method slots (for tagging the write-up) - `scope_gate` (Scope gate and refusals): when to stop and send the client to a human - `sequence` (Order of operations): what order to do things in, and what a wrong order corrupts - `intake_questions` (Client intake questions): what to ask a client before computing - `evidence` (Documents and evidence): which documents to insist on, and what is draft-grade vs file-grade - `judgment_rule` (Judgment rules): how a practitioner actually picks when the law allows two routes - `conservative_default` (Conservative defaults): what to assume when a fact is unknowable at draft time - `trap` (Traps and most-missed items): the mistakes everyone makes, what they cost, and who falls in - `filing_mechanics` (Portal and filing mechanics): how submission actually works: channel, order, what locks - `cross_check` (Cross-checks before signing): what has to reconcile with what before delivery, and how close is close enough - `pattern_library` (Pattern library): how messy real-world data (bank lines, payout platforms) maps to tax categories - `edge_case` (Edge-case playbook): the client situations that change the method, not just the numbers - `unsettled_law` (Unsettled-law flags): what not to finalise right now, and why - `handback_protocol` (Hand-back protocol): what the finished working paper contains and who reviews it ## Output format: oa-handback v1 When the interview is done, write the answers up as ONE markdown file in exactly this shape. Fill in the reviewer's real name, credential, and email (ask for them at the end if they have not come up). Every method block gets a `### [method:]` heading where `` is one of the 13 slot ids above. Keep `guide_slug` and `guide_version` exactly as given. Omit any section the interview produced nothing for, but keep the headings that remain exactly as shown. The `fact_key` column may be left blank when unknown. ```markdown --- oa_handback: v1 guide_slug: global-marketplaces-banking-fees guide_version: global-marketplaces-banking-fees@2026-05-23T06:30:48.892Z reviewer_name: reviewer_credential: # free text: CPA, EA, ACCA, Steuerberater... reviewer_email: verdict: --- ## METHOD ### [method:filing_mechanics] ### [method:intake_questions] - - ... ## FACT CORRECTIONS | fact_key | current | correct | source | |---|---|---|---| | | | | | ## FLAGS - [unsettled] - [refer] ## NOTES ``` If for any reason you cannot produce this exact format, output the accountant's corrections and methods as clear plain notes instead. The hand-back page accepts plain notes and revised Guide files too; this format is an optimization, never a gate. --- # THE GUIDE UNDER REVIEW --- name: global-marketplaces-banking-fees description: "Pattern library for online marketplaces (Etsy, eBay, Amazon Seller, AliExpress, Mercari, Depop, Vinted, Fiverr, Upwork, Toptal, Catalant, Andela, Patreon, Substack, Gumroad, Lemonsqueezy, Beehiiv, Whop) and recurring bank / payment-platform fees (wire fees, currency conversion, FX spreads, ATM fees, monthly account fees, overdraft, returned cheque). Provides bank-statement variations, classification, VAT/GST treatment, marketplace facilitator collection rules (post-Wayfair US states; EU marketplace deemed-supplier; UK platform reporting under DAC7-equivalent), and the 1099-K threshold reduction for US sellers (USD 5,000 for 2024, USD 600 for 2026 per OBBBA confirmation). Does NOT cover: cloud (see global-cloud-infrastructure), productivity SaaS (see global-productivity-tools), ad platforms (see global-ad-platforms), payment processors (see global-payment-processors)." jurisdiction: GLOBAL tax_year: 2025 --- # global-marketplaces-banking-fees ## Global Marketplaces & Banking Fees Pattern v0.1 ## Section 1 — Marketplaces (seller-side classification) For a freelancer or e-commerce seller, marketplace transactions involve gross sales, fees, and platform-collected sales tax / VAT. Bank statements show only the net deposit. ### 1.1 Marketplace fee patterns **Marketplace fee patterns** placeholder **Marketplace fee patterns table** _(1.1 Marketplace fee patterns)_ | Marketplace | Bank statement variations | Fee structure | VAT/GST notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Etsy** | `ETSY.COM`, `ETSY*PMT`, `ETSY IRELAND` | Listing fee + 6.5% transaction + 3% + USD 0.25 payment processing | Etsy Ireland for EU; collects EU OSS VAT on B2C | | **eBay** | `EBAY INC`, `EBAY COMM PMT`, `EBAY EUROPE` | 12.9% + USD 0.30 (FVF); plus optional store subscription | EU marketplace deemed-supplier rules; collects VAT on imported goods ≤ EUR 150 (IOSS) | | **Amazon Seller** | `AMAZON SELLER`, `AMAZON PAYMENTS`, `AMAZON SERVICES EUROPE`, `AMAZON MKTPLACE PMTS` | Referral fee 6-45% by category; FBA fees; ad fees | Amazon collects "marketplace tax" in US states; EU/UK deemed-supplier for imports ≤ EUR/£150 | | **AliExpress** | `ALIEXPRESS.COM`, `ALIBABA.COM` | n/a (buyer-side) | Buyer-side patterns mostly | | **Mercari** | `MERCARI.COM` | 10% selling fee + payment processing | US / Japan operations | | **Depop** | `DEPOP LTD` | 10% + payment fee | Etsy subsidiary | | **Vinted** | `VINTED UAB`, `VINTED LTD` | Buyer-side fee (no seller fee); shipping fee | Lithuania HQ; EU marketplace | | **Fiverr** | `FIVERR INTERNATIONAL`, `FIVERR.COM` | 20% Fiverr commission (5% of gig + 15% withhold) | Israel HQ | | **Upwork** | `UPWORK INC`, `UPWORK GLOBAL` | 10% client fee + freelancer membership tiers | US HQ | | **Toptal** | `TOPTAL LLC` | Variable commission | US HQ | | **Catalant** | `CATALANT TECH` | Commission | US HQ | | **Patreon** | `PATREON INC`, `PATREON*` | 8-12% by tier + 2.9% + USD 0.30 payment processing | US HQ | | **Substack** | `SUBSTACK INC` | 10% + Stripe processing | US HQ | | **Gumroad** | `GUMROAD INC` | 10% + Stripe processing | US HQ | | **Lemon Squeezy** | `LEMON SQUEEZY`, `LEMONSQUEEZY` | 5% + USD 0.50 + Stripe; collects sales tax for sellers | Acquired by Stripe 2024 | | **Beehiiv** | `BEEHIIV INC` | Tiered subscription + ad share | US HQ | | **Whop** | `WHOP INC` | Commission on digital products | US HQ | | **OnlyFans** | `OF*ONLYFANS`, `FENIX INTL LTD` | 20% platform fee | UK HQ (Fenix International) | | **Twitch** | `TWITCH INTERACTIVE` | Revenue share with Amazon | Amazon subsidiary | | **YouTube Creator** | `GOOGLE *YOUTUBE`, `GOOGLE PAYMENTS` | Ad share + Super Chat etc. | Google Ireland for EU | ### 1.2 Marketplace facilitator US sales tax - **Marketplace facilitator collection thresholds (US states)** — Most US states (45+) require marketplaces above thresholds (typically $100k sales or 200 transactions) to collect and remit state sales tax on behalf of third-party sellers. Sellers report gross sales to marketplace but don't have independent sales tax obligation in those states for marketplace-facilitated transactions. _([T1])_ ### 1.3 EU marketplace deemed-supplier - **EU Marketplace Deemed Supplier rules (from 1 July 2021)** — From 1 July 2021, EU Marketplace Deemed Supplier rules: - Distance sales of goods imported into EU ≤ EUR 150: marketplace deemed supplier (IOSS scheme) - B2C goods supply from a third country by a non-EU seller via marketplace: marketplace deemed supplier - Domestic B2C sales by non-EU seller via marketplace into EU consumer: marketplace deemed supplier _([T1])_ ### 1.4 Form 1099-K thresholds (US) - **Form 1099-K reporting threshold** — Reduced under American Rescue Plan to USD 600 from 2022; transition relief delayed: - 2024: USD 5,000 threshold - 2025: USD 2,500 - 2026 onwards: USD 600 (confirmed by OBBBA P.L. 119-21 July 2025) Form 1099-K is reported by third-party settlement organisations (Stripe, PayPal, marketplaces). USD _([T1])_ ### 1.5 EU DAC7 platform reporting - **EU DAC7 platform reporting requirement** — Council Directive (EU) 2021/514 requires reporting platforms to provide data on sellers' transactions to tax authorities. Effective 1 January 2023 for reporting 2024. Coordinates with OECD Model Rules for Reporting by Digital Platform Operators. _([T1])_ ### 1.6 UK Online Sales Tax / Platform Reporting - **UK OECD model rules platform reporting** — UK has implemented OECD model rules from 1 January 2024 for platforms with sellers of goods, services, accommodation, transport. Platforms must report seller data to HMRC. _([T1])_ ## Section 2 — Banking and payment fees ### 2.1 Recurring fee patterns **Recurring fee patterns table** _(2.1 Recurring fee patterns)_ | Pattern | Bank statement variations | Default category | | --- | --- | --- | | **Wire fee** | `WIRE FEE`, `OUTGOING WIRE`, `INTERNATIONAL WIRE` | Bank charges / Other expenses | | **Currency conversion fee** | `FX FEE`, `FOREIGN EXCH FEE`, `CURRENCY CONVERSION`, `0.5% INTL FEE` | Bank charges / Currency loss | | **ATM fee** | `ATM FEE`, `OUT-OF-NETWORK ATM`, `INTERAC FEE` | Bank charges | | **Monthly account fee** | `MONTHLY FEE`, `ACCT MAINT FEE`, `BANK ACCOUNT FEE` | Bank charges | | **Overdraft fee** | `OVERDRAFT FEE`, `NSF FEE`, `INSUFFICIENT FUNDS` | Bank charges (note: deductibility may be restricted by purpose) | | **Returned cheque fee** | `RETURNED CHK FEE`, `RETURNED ITEM FEE` | Bank charges | | **PayPal sending fee** | `PAYPAL *FEE`, `PYPL FEE` | Bank charges / Payment processing | | **Stripe transaction fee** | `STRIPE FEE`, `STRIPE *PROCESSING` | Bank charges / Payment processing | | **Card swap / replacement** | `CARD REPLACEMENT`, `NEW CARD FEE` | Bank charges | | **Wire receive fee** | `WIRE RECEIVED FEE`, `INTL WIRE IN FEE` | Bank charges | | **Inactivity fee** | `INACTIVITY FEE`, `DORMANT ACCOUNT FEE` | Bank charges | | **Foreign transaction fee (card)** | `FOREIGN TRANSACTION FEE`, `3% FX` | Bank charges / Currency loss | | **SWIFT fee** | `SWIFT FEE`, `SWIFT MSG FEE` | Bank charges | | **Verified by Visa** | `VBV FEE` | Bank charges | ### 2.2 Currency conversion accounting - **Currency conversion accounting treatment** — Multi-currency transactions create FX gain/loss: - IFRS: IAS 21 — settle at spot rate at transaction; revalue monetary items at closing rate - US GAAP: ASC 830 — same principle Bank-imposed FX spreads (e.g., 0.5% above interbank) are typically classified as bank charges, not FX loss. Strict accountants reclassify as a finance cost. _([T1])_ ### 2.3 VAT on bank fees - **VAT exemption on bank fees** — Most bank fees are exempt from VAT under "financial services" exemption (Article 135 PVD; IRC ITA s.135; etc.). Specific advisory or non-financial services from a bank may be taxable. _([T1])_ ## Self-checks - [ ] Marketplace gross sales vs net deposit reconciled - [ ] Marketplace fees recognised as expense - [ ] Marketplace facilitator sales tax recognised (US states) - [ ] EU OSS / IOSS / deemed-supplier treatment confirmed where applicable - [ ] 1099-K reconciled to actual gross sales (US sellers) - [ ] DAC7 platform data cross-referenced (EU sellers) - [ ] Bank fees classified consistently - [ ] FX gain/loss separated from bank fee - [ ] Output flags every unusual line for reviewer