Overview: DAC7 implications for Wallapop users
Wallapop estimates that fewer than 1% of its app users will need to report their sales to the tax authorities. The data suggest only this small share would reach the limits of the European directive DAC7, which requires digital platform operators to inform on sellers who complete more than 30 goods transactions or surpass 2,000 euros in a given year. The disclosure comes as a counterbalance to concerns raised by the tax agency, which has introduced control measures aimed especially at users who treat the platform as a professional tool.
According to the Spanish Association of Tax Advisors (Aedaf), there is reassurance for users despite DAC7 taking effect. The way products from second-hand marketplaces are taxed has not fundamentally changed. Wallapop reports that the vast majority of its more than 19 million users will not owe taxes on their sales. The platform believes fewer than 1% would meet DAC7 thresholds in a typical year. [Source: Wallapop internal projections; Aedaf statements]
Taken together, Aedaf and Wallapop emphasize there is no need to fear this process. In general, personal, second-hand sales by private individuals do not trigger income tax on the sale of used goods, provided no profit is realized. Since the sale price is often lower than the new price, capital gains are unlikely to arise, which means these transactions may not need to be declared. [Source: Aedaf guidance; Wallapop guidance]
Cerco al profesional
Within these platforms there are two types of sellers: private individuals and professionals. Professional sellers must pay taxes under the same rules as any other business, issuing VAT invoices for each item sold to the buyer and reporting these incomes in their tax return. However, Aedaf notes that for private individuals, only gains that constitute a patrimonial profit—selling a reused item for more than its purchase price—are taxed under the IRPF. [Source: Aedaf guidance]
In such cases, the seller should include this information in the tax return under the section for gains and losses derived from transfers of other patrimonial elements, starting from the field corresponding to the tax form. The taxpayer may owe between 19% and 23% in accordance with the realized benefit, applied progressively. In practice, enforcement can be complex for the tax authorities unless the operation is notable or directly reported by the platform managers. [Source: Aedaf guidance]
Wallapop expansion plan
Wallapop remains focused on international growth and on capitalizing the market for reused goods, even as several brands explore ways to offer second-life products as an additional service for customers. Ikea, for instance, has announced a new intermediary service for buying second-hand furniture. Fashion brands and technology-oriented firms are also exploring similar resale or consignment models. [Source: market observations]
The company, founded in 2013, reached its tenth anniversary in 2023 and closed the year with roughly 91 million euros in revenue, up 26% from 71.6 million euros the prior year. Since 2019, Wallapop has posted a revenue increase of about 355% and is valued around 806 million euros. [Source: Wallapop annual report; market valuation]
Since its inception in 2013, Wallapop has shown continued growth: the user base has expanded from about 170,000 to over 19 million, and more than 640 million items have found a new home. The platform generates around 100 million advertisements each year. [Source: company milestones]
International expansion
In recent years, Wallapop has begun expanding into international markets such as Italy and Portugal, entering those markets in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Both markets have shown promising results for this new marketplace model. To date, Wallapop has accumulated more than 7.5 million downloads in Italy, with annual traffic growth around 67%, while the app already exceeds a million downloads in Portugal. [Source: regional rollout data]
Founded in Barcelona in 2013, Wallapop stands as a prominent example of the circular economy by enabling the buying and selling of goods across categories. In the automotive category, it ranks as a leader among private sellers in Spain. [Source: company position]