I've been in Vine for a few years and you can't get the full idea in 30 days. Yes, most of the time it's "weird" items and junk, but good stuff pops up as well. Also, the 6-month thing is only for selling or gifting. You can throw away any item the day you receive it, or any time after. I've been able to get name-brand food and household products that have a $0 tax liability and has saved us quite a bit of money. I can't remember the last time I've had to actually buy things like laundry detergent, name brand shampoo, and things like that.
@@missali81 Gold level is just anything valued over $100 and you can get up to 8 items in a day, where Silver is 3 items. Items that have $0 tax liability are usually things that are health items like supplements, food, consumables like laundry detergent and things like that, beauty items like shampoo and lotions and makeup, and some baby items. There are occasionally food items offered, but since there's a limited number of each product, it goes so fast, you rarely see it. When a 3rd party seller or Amazon itself list items on Vine, it usually 30 of each product and there are probably thousands of Vine Voice members, so competition to get those food items is tough. I got a case of assorted Kebler crackers once and another time I got Quaker granola bars, and a few other things, but food is tough to get.
@@missali81 Gold just means items valued at over $100 and you gan request 8 items instead of 3 on silver level. Some consumable things that are health related like supplements, heating pads, medical supplies, beauty items like makeup, shampoo, lotions, etc, some household products like laundry detergent, cleaners, etc, some baby items, and food are considered $0 tax liability. Food is hard to get because it's not offered often and when it is, it goes very fast. There's a limited number of each Vine item and good stuff like food can be gone in less than a minute after it's offered. Same with any of the good $0 tax items.
I'd like to point out, that you may DISPOSE of the item at ANY time you want to. You simply may not TRANSFER ownership for 6 mo's. Also, you do NOT need to make a video, nor take a picture: ever. Not required for reviews. Mine are 100% text. Also, you do not need to keep "using it" in the sense that you have to frequently order things. I'm gold level and as you stated, you need to do 80 items over 6 months. You do not need to do any set amount per day, per week, per month. It's voluntary. Nothing happens if you don't except they'll send you an email saying hey what's up? Also, ALL of the Amazon envelopes ARE recyclable. The paper ones, just remove the labels and recycle with cardboard. The plastic bubble ones? Remove the labels and return them to your Grocery Store lobby where they take their plastic bags for recycling. A lot of people do not know this.
You legally own it the moment it's delivered, even Amazon says so "... delivery to the Vine Voice, at which point all right, title and interest in such unit passes to the Vine Voice." (taken from seller, not Viner, TOS). The whole contradictory bit about being disallowed "transfer" isn't legally binding, though if they found out, I'm sure they'd kick you out. However, I've also heard that Vine CS is extremely useless for anything but removing etv and items for review so probably nobody actually cares. More likely to get kicked out for something NOT against TOS than something that is. If you ARE re-selling, is anyone paid enough to care, doubtful IMO? I don't have any interest in reselling, but looking at how fast things that hold value disappear I would be willing to bet that a healthy percentage of Viners ARE reselling! There's already a guy in my 'hood dealing hemp oil, cake toppers, and (probably fake) gummy supplements on the street corner, kidding.
Something something... possession is 9/10ths of the law... at least that's what my brother used to say when he stole my stuff. Seriously though, this kind of issue comes up with the Walmart checkers too, violates the Constitution to search because immediately after POS, it's your stuff. Here it isn't exactly POS... though if it wasn't entirely yours, how could you have to pay taxes on it for anything ordered after June? If it doesn't legally belong to me, how is it legal for Amazon to send a 1099-NEC essentially stating that it does? If they still hold ANY ownership rights, they can pay my tax bill... they're just squawking, it's not illegal to be wrong nor to have your own "rules"... those rules aren't law though. I agree with everything else you've said, btw. And you didn't differentiate between legal obligation and Vine obligation to remain in the program, so I'm likely not even arguing with you. Also, if you got that foot callous remover, BE CAREFUL. The insane razor they send in that is not at all safe (he says, while limping around on a stump).
@@vivifieduniverse1032 I don't know if I got ya with the hemp oil dealer or the callous death razor... the second one is actually true, I got a little cut and I usually use a utility razor blade so I got mad skills, but that flesh shaver is legit dangerous!
So I don't have to request a certain amount of items within 6 months? Just joined Vine and definitely wanna try to become a gold member as quick as possible. I heard they do reviews every 6 months, is that correct? Hoping to become gold in 6 months. And then be able to request whatever.
I guess I'm lucky - here in Australia Vine products aren't assessed as income, so costs us absolutely nothing in taxes etc. I feel for you guys in the States.
Matt - thank you the great info! You are one of the few people that speak honestly about the down side of the program, other videos say "Why Amazon sent me 60,000 dollars of products free" I almost exclusively use the search feature. As you said it is WISE to buy ONLY what you were already are planning on buying. I have a list, my shopping list, really :-) I add to it all the time, then when I find an item it gets crossed off. As you remind people - There IS A TAX obligation. Matt - 2 things - you can contact Amazon and they will remove those items that 'disappear' since it seems like you will be withdrawing from the program - that info is more for your viewers 🙂 Second If you are in the U.S. Target stores accepts all those plastic mailing bags, also many grocery stores do. Sometimes it is hard to find exactly were, but typically it is in the front of the store.
YES on the recycling! Trex decking also has a community recycling project you can check out, they accept a variety of "film" plastics through many local places, Kroger is one Target might be as well. With that amount of plastic waste it's defiantly worth checking into.
If the item disappears, or if the item gets lost, or is defective when delivered, you simply have to email Vine, and they remove the item from your orders, and the tax amount is subtracted so you do not owe it. Just be sure to NOT write a review of it. Once you write a review, Vine will not remove the item from your orders and from your tax total.
I recently became a Viner and I am loving it! First off, I have always enjoyed doing reviews for the simple fact of helping other consumers. I find it very helpful to read reviews when shopping online because it could save me time, money, energy, gas, etc., for having to return something. You completely left out showing a shot of the 'CATEGORY' list on the left!! Why?? That wasn't being a very good reviewer! lol, There are categories on Everything there, and drop downs from those. You don't have to sit there and spend hours scrolling. You can go straight to the categories you are interested in. But seriously, it also depends on your STATE and your tax bracket. I look for items I can use, and that have No Taxable Income bracket. If you get things you need it won't be hard to "find a way to use it" to make a review! I'm not a seller or influencer, so I am not looking for "likes" nor is there an Actual dollar Income being a Viner. I just enjoy helping others, and I am retired so I don't mind spending half an hour to shoot some pics, edit if necessary, upload and write a review. For me it's a Win, Win opportunity. I receive things I need or want, and a seller get's a review. What's not to like about that!? If I were a seller, I would hope folks would take a few minutes and leave a review. If you are in a high tax bracket, just don't do it. Simple.
@@natswayAmazon keeps an itemized list for you with all your items, plus your taxable total. To be safe just assume all items are taxable and some basic math will keep you up to date if you have orders you haven't received yet.
As a fellow silver-level Vine participant, I can agree with everything you said. After using search terms to make it easier to find things I might actually be interested in, I did manage to find about 25 items that I have now received and largely reviewed (I haven't yet used a few, and I don't feel like I should review anything I haven't legitimately used). However, it has become VERY difficult to find anything new to order that I want. Loads of crap I can't imagine anyone going onto Vine to look for. And since I'm trying to stay under the $600/year limit (after which I will be taxed), I've gotten very choosy. I also don't like that you can't return things you don't like. For instance, I ordered a piece of clothing I just didn't like, but within the program there's no way to return it, and it will stay on my list of orders and count in the value of my orders. After the initial fun wears off, this program loses its appeal.
That's a great tip and definitely narrowed it down from tens of thousands to tens of pages, but I still found scouring through tens of pages for each of three items to be very time consuming--again, sometimes taking thirty minutes. WHO'S GOT THIRTY MINUTES?! Ya know?
No, even if you email the executive customer service team, if they fail to send you an item or send you broken items, which in my experience most of them are, you are stuck with the tax liability. I'm wondering what accounting bonus they get ... maybe a write-off for getting useless, unwanted or defective products off their hands? They won't publish many reviews, especially the negative ones or if you mention damages or never received the items. It was interesting.
@@brichard9485 From other sources/users, you can only delete these items (now unlisted, or defective, returned, etc) if you did NOT write a review yet...
Thank you so much for taking the time to put together this video and post it. You saved me time, money, and a lot of frustration, I'm certain. I declined the Vine Voice offer and am so relieved I did.
No, even if you email the executive customer service team, if they fail to send you an item or send you broken items, which in my experience most of them are, you are stuck with the tax liability. I'm wondering what accounting bonus they get ... maybe a write-off for getting useless, unwanted or defective products off their hands? They won't publish many reviews, especially the negative ones or if you mention damages or never received the items. It was interesting.
i'm a viner as well and am so far enjoying it. I luckily am really into skincare and it was some of the first things I selected, all skincare products are $0.00 taxable income because you have to use them up so you can't resell them. Because I ordered skincare right off the bat I frequently get skin care on my for you page so I get lots of products I can review for $0.00 taxable value. I've been impressed too with some of the brands- Kiehls, Caudalie, Sol de Janeiro, Innisfree- lots of good skin care brands (I never see these brands on the additional items page- only on the for you page). I haven't had to buy my own skincare all year. In addition to skincare products I've been able to update a lot of things in my apartment- sur la table brand silverware, new rugs, a countertop juicer machine, etc. I really can't complain as i only select things I want or need. If you order something that comes in broken or you don't like you can still return it within 30 days and it won't count against you. I think whatever you select initially helps set you up for the products that are shown to you on your for you page.
It does seem like a worthwhile program in some niche product categories, but for general reviewers and sellers hoping to get reviews, I'm skeptical there's reciprocal value. But actually very interesting to hear it's working out for you, keep it up!
@@MattRamseyTube some other things I’ve noticed when I see other viners review products- they do really in depth reviews and include photos…. The consensus in Reddit seems to be you might be kicked out of the program if you don’t… when I started I fully expected to get kicked out after my initial 6 months because I wasn’t doing long reviews - literally two to four sentences and only posted three pictures…. I never had a review rejected and was upgraded to gold….. I don’t know if I will retain gold but I don’t stress out about it…. I have a full time job so don’t stress out about vine reviews and even if they don’t renew me I would be happy with the time I had in the program…..
@@559mile You are actually doing Vine right, most Amazon customers don't want to read hugely in-depth reviews unless the product is complicated or expensive or both. And the Redditors in the groups on Amazon Vine forget that the real audience for the reviews is the 3rd party sellers who pay Amazon to get reviews so they can get their product served 1st in search results, be the top product in a category or get designated an 'Amazon's Choice', the Vine review is secondarily for the actual Amazon customers. You have to balance honesty with a potentially upset 3rd party seller who didn't get a 4 star or higher review or didn't get a review with a video or photos (not required & since all that equipment costs money & since Amazon isn't giving me that for free, I just do written reviews) but it is on 3rd party sellers to not put garbage items into Vine in the 1st place (& a significant number of 3rd party sellers do this so that's 100% within their control & on them) Also to just merely stay in Vine, you only have to review 60% of the items you select (which can be none for weeks or months on end) & spend $50 per year with Amazon (not in the form of an Amazon Gift Card, use your credit card or bank account or one of those pre-paid credit card gift cards as your form of payment). The 'must review at least 80 items & must have 90% of your turned in reviews accepted & approved' rule is just for getting into or staying in the Gold tier (which gets you 8 selections per day instead of 3 per day & items valued at $100+ in addition to all the $0-$99.99 items). Gold may not matter to you if you plan on not buying much at all on Amazon or not buying expensive items all that often. From what I saw of Matt's stats, he'll pass his evaluation as a Silver member just fine even if he doesn't ever take out another item to review for the rest of this period (6 months). And he could let it lapse in the 2nd 6 month period if he wants to.
Same, I love skincare & hair & nails lol! Lucky for me that's usually the 0 ETV! I'm a stylist, so, all of these things are right up my ally lol! I'm not interested in getting profit from this, I'm interested in saving some money & getting to try some new brands that I might not have otherwise & using my knowledge as a cosmetologist to help others in their purchasing, etc. I've gotten hair tools, face creams, shavers/clippers, face wipes & towels for 0 that I now don't have to buy, all sorts of things, even an AWESOME name brand Harry Potter Bath set, full sized, in a really cool display case (I'm keeping this awesome item lol), full birthday gift spa sets that, in 6 months I can gift to some of my nieces & nephews if I want to ~ this is great! I'm having a blast with vine. I'm not going to stress myself out trying to resell anything. Most of it I get for myself, family or some items I will be purchasing again in the future I like them so much (That is, if I ever run out of the 0 ETV things I keep getting lol)! I was thinking if anything, I might donate some of the wigs & hair tools & clippers to my local domestic abuse center, I think some of the people there would love to have some of these things! The bummer is, there's so many viners using the program as a business (no hate, just saying), that the people who are trying to use it as this guy does, won't have a chance. The good stuff he would want will be gone almost as soon as it populates.
@@559mile Ah, you post actual reviews unlike the Viner I saw that reviewed dozens of items with... Title: Awesome Review: Awesome... I'm not kidding. I can get long winded, but mostly try to keep it brief for simple things. How much can you say about a bar of soap or wrapping paper? No, I'm literally asking... please help me review this wrapping paper?!?! I've got "looks nice, cuts nice, not translucent"... I need some filler 🤣 Ah I got it "Warning: improper handling may cause paper cuts. Please do not eat this, it's not food"!
I am part of vine as well. However, I am not real sure how they can do the taxes the way they expect us to. For one, I am not an employee of Amazon vine nor do I get paid for check for services. I don't get paid for my time either. They do let you have the merchandise, but it's not for free. In exchange they get a review which is not only vital for the seller but for Amazon. When an item is broken or doesn't work as it should. You can't exchange it for another. They just tell you to keep it, throw it away ect... However, according to Amazon it's still counted as a taxed item. There in lies my other issue with it. I am not a tax guy or a lawyer but how would it be legal for them to still claim a broken item as a taxable item? And even if they did, it would be impossible for Amazon to know the validity of that item since they don't allow exchanges. Lastly, they really mark up these items as wee and are not the norm if you check with other like items. I believe this entire tax idea mess is exactly what it is a mess. There is no disclaimer about this when it comes to taxes. To some up my questions/issues.... 1. It is illegal to tax a person on merchandise that doesn't work or is broken. And since Amazon doesn't have a way of fixing this issue anyone can claim that most of the items sent were broken or don't work for them. And since there is no way to return that falls on Amazon. 2. Amazon is not giving these items away. They are getting a service in return without paying for it. Any person can buy from Amazon. The person would have to pay for that item and can choose rather or not to give a review for such item. It's a requirement to be a part of Amazon Vine. 3. Amazon doesn't specifically say that these items are their form of compensation. It has to be clear and stated that the items is their form of compensation. In fact, goods are not a legal or a standard way of compensation. In most jurisdictions it would have to be clear and transparent between both parties...which it is not if you read their terms and conditions. It would have to be agreed upon that the value of the such goods are equal or equivalent to an agreed upon wage. While the agreement talks about exchange of free goods, it only refers to paying the taxes on those goods. There is nothing that states in the terms and conditions that anyone agrees that is substitutes a wage and agreeing to it as fair compensation. In fact, in some states paying with goods alone violates labor laws. Lastly, what if the value of the goods reviewing is really not it's true value? Are you still required to pay taxes on Amazon's price? Most every item on Amazon Vine is over priced. So, even if a person is paying taxes on this merchandise it's not at a fair market price. Who gets the benefit of an over priced item. Amazon and the seller do of course. Why is a review more valuable than free goods? Think about it for minute. Most people purchase goods today based on the reviews. A great review can change a good seller into a great seller. In turn, making them more reliable and trustworthy which will bring them more buyers to all of their products. It can also put them in a position to charge a little more because of that. I suggest you check the laws in your state. Be sure to read over the terms and conditions and even give a copy to your lawyer. I have friends on Vine that have never claimed Vine goods to their taxes.
Neato. You'd have to consider that you also don't get wage income for free--just like writing a review, you get its value in exchage for a service, and you pay tax on it. However, I'm not a tax attorney, and would advise you to consult a tax professional's, Amazon's, your state's, and the federal revenue dept.s' guidance on the matter, which in my case are not ambiguous.
At the very beginning, you should have stated that you can SEARCH for items. You don't have to suffer through endless scrolling through unwanted items.
It’s true that a person could compile a list of everything around the house they needed to buy, type those things into the search bar, and hope there would happen to be a coincidental offering, but that was a bigger waste of time than just browsing what was available in my experience. But yes, of course, there’s a search bar.
Jeff Bezos comes by your house, with a list, and asks to see them all. Just don't answer the door when he comes. Unless you got your doorbell and front porch light from Vine.
I've only ordered 3 items so far, but I ensured they are all items I will use - provided they perform as expected. I passed by some pretty cool things today because, as cool as they were, I knew I wouldn't use them. Depending on your personality, it can be really easy to order up a bunch of stuff because "But it's free!". Just choose wisely. I'm not really concerned with moving up a level.
Been a voice for a month myself. Taxes suck, although for my tax bracket and being a hobbyist I think I only have to pay 15.3% If I had to warn anyone about anything outside the obvious tax responsibility, it would be that this is counted as income and can hurt people on SSI/SSDI and food stamps, etc.
The hobbyist route is interesting, I've seen discussions saying that's a legit classification and others saying that the IRS could take your house, car and pet hamster for filing as such.
@@Mike_H76 Be very careful with the assumption that it could not hurt. If you are in NY and QMB status for instance, then you have a maximum monthly income limit if you wish to utilize it. That amount is only a total of about 1700 dollars. This means that an average recipient is only going to have a few hundred dollars a month to "play with". Vine income is Earned Income in the eyes of Fed and NY state. There may be *some* disregards for individual cases such as if elderly or disabled.. You simply MUST contact your county DSS and ask "what is the MAXIMUM amount of Earned Income I can have each month without losing any of my benefits?"
@@tvtoms Thanks for the additional info. I lived the first few decades with no insurance of any kind... nor doctor/dentist visits. When the ElectroPhysiologist suggested an implantable loop recorder (which I never got)... I said "I don't think Medicaid would pay for that", he replied "I would make them"... he must have been a wizard in a doctor coat! I'm not concerned about myself, I'm in Vine through my "girlfriend", 28 years unmarried, SSI hates marriage. She's off the books (I didn't say that) so likely will just file for Vine... though I'm trying to encourage her to declare SOME income since she got a good amount in personal checks with the memo "landscaping services" and her name!!! Add in the cash she deposits fairly regularly and I'm scared to death about an audit (for her, but that's for us as well). Pretty sure the first year on Vine, she should hire an accountant... then copy from him as usual in subsequent years. I hadn't thought of Medicare at all for indigent elderly. I feel like I should delete my comment so I don't get someone messed over by my ignorance!
I was just invited to be an Amazon Vine member and signed up. I was not limited to just 3 items. I was allowed to order 5 items. All of which I was excited to pick out and would have ordered. Can't wait to see how this all goes.
I'm on Vine but I feel no need to get "gold" level. I'm pretty happy with silver where the requirements are much less onerous though you can "only" order 3 a day and review at least 60%. Also, 25% income tax? For a single person, that's the bracket for $100K to $200K taxable income (after deductions). For married, 25% bracket is roughly $200K to $400K taxable. My wife and I are retired and are in the top of 12% bracket taxable, which chances the equation somewhat. I give honest reviews as is encouraged by Amazon. I don't include videos but, as a lifelong amateur photographer, I do include pictures if appropriate. I agree with you in that I don't just order everything, it has to be something I want and need.
I'm not sure how he got 25%, but I calculate that it is just that (or more). They report your FMV as income, as a consultant (1099), which means that not only do you pay income tax on the value of the goods but you also have to pay self-employment tax (15.3% usually). Self employment tax is in addition to regular income. So if you are in a low tax bracket (12%), then you pay 12% (for regular income) plus 15.3% (for self employment tax) - or 27.3% total. I'd be very happy to be wrong on this, but it's how I read it on HRBlock's website and Intuit's. Those vine voices who have actually filed taxes on their FMV, please respond if I am incorrect.
I just joined today. I’m trying to figure it out. Based on this video (if it isn’t actually done this way) I feel like it would be nice if they weighted the reviews somehow. Like video reviews give you more “credit” towards your reviews than those reviews with a photo or only written.
Be sure you understand the tax implications before you go crazy and start ordering! You will be paying taxes on the estimated tax value of each item. Like he said, you have to think of it as getting an item for 75% off. But people get tempted, just start ordering, and end up with a huge tax bill. Since it counts as income, it also affects your income level for benefits, buying a house, etc etc and some people have run into trouble with that. That all being said, there are lots of $0 tax items that can be found. Most anything that involves the body (makeup, kids tattoos, nail files, knee braces, fake eyelashes, etc), Medical goods (blood pressure, old people walkers, toilet rails, etc), baby stuff (baby car seat covers, baby gates, some baby toys, dog gates), food items (they go fast, hard to get except for cake decorating sprinkles or coloring, weird tea). To keep it from wasting all your time scrolling all the product pages, just do targeted searches, and start to get a feel for what is there and what is free,. And join the Vine Discord to see the kinds of things that are available everyday, which can help you create targeted search terms to use each day to find what you want. If you see it on Discord and missed it, chances are very good that it will reappear in the next several weeks. There is no kind of "credit" for anything like the review quality or length, so just write enough to make it helpful and thorough. They are each approved, but I doubt they are all reviewed and approved by an actual person, it is likely an automated process. It does not seem that short reviews or lack of photos/ videos count against you in any way.
Sort of. There are a lot of teas, coffees & non alcoholic drinks, there are a lot of cake decorating items (like edible glitters & sprinkles for cakes, cupcakes & donuts, also food colorings) more rarely there are spices & seasonings but anything else edible is super rare & disappears within seconds.
Yes. There are tons of food items, but there are over 20,000 vine reviewers in the US, and each item on vine only has a max of 30 (most have 1-2 available), so when food comes up, if you're not refreshing the page at the exact second that the food is posted, you aren't getting it.
@@ekat1 True food literally goes in seconds, this morning I saw a kilogram (2.2 pound) package of coconut flour (use it in baking it is keto & gluten free) & it was gone in 90 seconds.
@@zzfeelhealthy5044 Sorry I meant 1099-NEC income, not tax liability! That would be an enormous amount to incur that much in taxes heh. I ordered a lot during my first month.
@@MattRamseyTube It's best to think of Vine as a (maybe) deeply discounted stuff program where instead of paying Amazon you pay the IRS & other state & local tax authorities.
WOW! You obviusly can't be in the programe now as that's too much info to share - showing the actual website in your video! I've also had many, many inexpensive items and am slowly renovating my house with the items I receive and actually need. I've also had some high ticket items too that I would never be able to afford. These items have had a massive impact on my life and I certainly wouldn't have felt that full benefit in just 30 days. I also like lots of odd items, just this week I ordered some bolts that I needed!
Talk about first world problems- "its so hard to find products that Amazon is going to send me for free/just the cost of taxes." Amazon Vine is not meant to be a small business. I cant believe the number of people who sh!t on this program for such ridiculous or petty reasons. If you're invited to join read the terms and conditions and use some common sense.
Hey, like I said, it's right for some people, but if Amazon needs me to do something that takes away from my time to work or be with family, there has to be a commensurate incentive, or I'll just pick the thing up at the store.
@MattRamseyTube Sorry, I came off rather mean, but I was reading a lot of comments from people on multiple videos and the cumulative level of negativity for to me. I 💬 minutes a great program if you don't look at it as some type of side hustle or a golden ticket.
Of course if you struggle with job, housing or health issues, receiving cheap gifts is maybe not your priority... I got their "invitation" months ago, but I have yet to accept it.
Hey thanks for that info, Pam. I looked into it (which, Amazon sent me through a string of web sites, there's some time right there). I'm fortunate that there's a recycling hub in my town, so that's great to know. I can drive my recycling and drop it off in a 4 mile trip, in about 30 minutes, so that's a manageable expense, but certainly not free and, of course, the fewer of those trips I take, the more space that recycling will take up in my residene. However, a person using the Vine program in many towns in my area (for example, the neighboring town of Washington, Indiana) can expect a round trip of 48 miles or more, so hopefully I don't have to elaborate on how there is a considerable expense in time and money for that person to recycle their bags but, aside from the fuel and vehicle ownership expense, a hairdresser in Washington, Indiana, for example, would probably have to decline several appointments to do that task during business hours. Hope that was clarifying!
I really wish when I called amazon they would not be rude and say they have nothing to do with Chase bank. I mean they couldn't even give me a phone number.
I'm unemployed so I don't pay any taxes, in my case even if Amazon submits a tax form to the IRS on my behalf for things I've ordered on Vine, would I still have to pay taxes? If I stay under $600 will I still have to pay taxes? How much tax are we paying, is it just the sales tax based on the estimated value of the item?
Well, I’m not qualified to give you tax advice, but you should expect to pay tax on the value of what you order just as if it were a wage or other income.
"The minimum income amount depends on your filing status and age. In 2023, for example, the minimum for Single filing status if under age 65 is $13,850. If your income is below that threshold, you generally do not need to file a federal tax return." Straight from Google, referenced from HRBlock website. So sounds like if your product you get on vine plus other income go over that threshold, then you will pay taxes. But Amazon won't even send you a tax form to file if it's under a certain amount.. looks like $600? Not sure about taxes for your state though.
Vine will make you a hoarder. The items have uses but do you need them? I am a silver now Ive been gold and didnt find anything great or valuable to me that was over 100usd. Finding items is a pain. Where this was good for me is in Garage and household items. Paper products were pretty good. You will never need to buy a planner again and I was able to find 20 hole a5 paper quality OK with fountain pens certainly usable vs a walmart brand. Im curious if you can pause the membership then turn it back on. Right now I dont want it but why would you want to lose it. Just do 10-20 per 6 months thats about what I did last 6 months and it dropped to silver. Your delivery drivers really get to know you when your gold and you should tip them on the holidays.
I've been with Vine like forever and if you're smart enough you can rake it in. Thing is for a start you are in the USA, ok big choice of products to choose from but not so easy to get rid of them. Tax evasion no, Tax avoidance yes perfectly legal you just have to know how. Another thing...why did you spend 2h writing a review on a roll of Tape ? It's a 5-10 min job at most, say what you liked or didn't like and that's it. Viners are not Influencers no one pays me to say nice things about something that's rubbish, if it is I say so it's JMO after all. Waste packaging building up ? c'mon now are you saying you don't visit the Waste bins every day.....oh dear...
Cool. Sorry if I didn't state it clearly, but my contention was that finding the tape (or any other useful purchase) among the Vine offerings, unpacking it, thinking of a way to use it that would provide all the necessary information for a helpful review, using it in that way, photographing it, typing and publishing the review, and storing the item, was inclusively up to a two hour process for every item I ordered. Maybe I'm too slow or thorough, but I definitely can't do all of that in ten minutes (I couldn't even find a useful item to order in ten minutes), and that's why I concluded the program was not for me. It's for you! Thanks for the question.
I just joined and so far am only ordering things that I can use to help organize my house -- I'm not looking for things I don't need. I don't "store' my reviews anywhere.. WTF? Also I only do reviews when I have time -- so a couple days a week. I already review stuff I order so I don't see it as costing me time. My problem is a lot stuff doesn't come with directions -- or I need my spouse to help me to install it which sucks. I'm trying to not order things that require me to put together or install something.
Must be a bronze tier cause platinum knows not to talk about stuff prohibited by the contract you know "inner workings". Vine ain't for everyone, I wouldn't know though I'm definently not platinum tier. Not cool talking about a program I'm definently not a member of and love more than the air I breath.
I've been in Vine for a few years and you can't get the full idea in 30 days. Yes, most of the time it's "weird" items and junk, but good stuff pops up as well. Also, the 6-month thing is only for selling or gifting. You can throw away any item the day you receive it, or any time after. I've been able to get name-brand food and household products that have a $0 tax liability and has saved us quite a bit of money. I can't remember the last time I've had to actually buy things like laundry detergent, name brand shampoo, and things like that.
How do you get anything that has a 0% tax liability through Vine? Also, food? Is that at the gold level?
@@missali81 Gold level is just anything valued over $100 and you can get up to 8 items in a day, where Silver is 3 items. Items that have $0 tax liability are usually things that are health items like supplements, food, consumables like laundry detergent and things like that, beauty items like shampoo and lotions and makeup, and some baby items. There are occasionally food items offered, but since there's a limited number of each product, it goes so fast, you rarely see it. When a 3rd party seller or Amazon itself list items on Vine, it usually 30 of each product and there are probably thousands of Vine Voice members, so competition to get those food items is tough. I got a case of assorted Kebler crackers once and another time I got Quaker granola bars, and a few other things, but food is tough to get.
@@missali81 Gold just means items valued at over $100 and you gan request 8 items instead of 3 on silver level. Some consumable things that are health related like supplements, heating pads, medical supplies, beauty items like makeup, shampoo, lotions, etc, some household products like laundry detergent, cleaners, etc, some baby items, and food are considered $0 tax liability. Food is hard to get because it's not offered often and when it is, it goes very fast. There's a limited number of each Vine item and good stuff like food can be gone in less than a minute after it's offered. Same with any of the good $0 tax items.
@@missali81I’m in silver and not one single bit of food on there, nor any soaps, etc.
@@CindymeCindy I think the quantity is so limited, that these products are gone in a few minutes after listed online.
I'd like to point out, that you may DISPOSE of the item at ANY time you want to. You simply may not TRANSFER ownership for 6 mo's.
Also, you do NOT need to make a video, nor take a picture: ever. Not required for reviews. Mine are 100% text.
Also, you do not need to keep "using it" in the sense that you have to frequently order things. I'm gold level and as you stated, you need to do 80 items over 6 months. You do not need to do any set amount per day, per week, per month. It's voluntary. Nothing happens if you don't except they'll send you an email saying hey what's up?
Also, ALL of the Amazon envelopes ARE recyclable. The paper ones, just remove the labels and recycle with cardboard. The plastic bubble ones? Remove the labels and return them to your Grocery Store lobby where they take their plastic bags for recycling. A lot of people do not know this.
You legally own it the moment it's delivered, even Amazon says so "... delivery to the Vine Voice, at which point all right, title and interest in such unit passes to the Vine Voice." (taken from seller, not Viner, TOS). The whole contradictory bit about being disallowed "transfer" isn't legally binding, though if they found out, I'm sure they'd kick you out.
However, I've also heard that Vine CS is extremely useless for anything but removing etv and items for review so probably nobody actually cares. More likely to get kicked out for something NOT against TOS than something that is. If you ARE re-selling, is anyone paid enough to care, doubtful IMO?
I don't have any interest in reselling, but looking at how fast things that hold value disappear I would be willing to bet that a healthy percentage of Viners ARE reselling! There's already a guy in my 'hood dealing hemp oil, cake toppers, and (probably fake) gummy supplements on the street corner, kidding.
Something something... possession is 9/10ths of the law... at least that's what my brother used to say when he stole my stuff. Seriously though, this kind of issue comes up with the Walmart checkers too, violates the Constitution to search because immediately after POS, it's your stuff. Here it isn't exactly POS... though if it wasn't entirely yours, how could you have to pay taxes on it for anything ordered after June? If it doesn't legally belong to me, how is it legal for Amazon to send a 1099-NEC essentially stating that it does? If they still hold ANY ownership rights, they can pay my tax bill... they're just squawking, it's not illegal to be wrong nor to have your own "rules"... those rules aren't law though.
I agree with everything else you've said, btw. And you didn't differentiate between legal obligation and Vine obligation to remain in the program, so I'm likely not even arguing with you.
Also, if you got that foot callous remover, BE CAREFUL. The insane razor they send in that is not at all safe (he says, while limping around on a stump).
@@Mike_H76 🤣
@@vivifieduniverse1032
I don't know if I got ya with the hemp oil dealer or the callous death razor... the second one is actually true, I got a little cut and I usually use a utility razor blade so I got mad skills, but that flesh shaver is legit dangerous!
So I don't have to request a certain amount of items within 6 months? Just joined Vine and definitely wanna try to become a gold member as quick as possible. I heard they do reviews every 6 months, is that correct? Hoping to become gold in 6 months. And then be able to request whatever.
I guess I'm lucky - here in Australia Vine products aren't assessed as income, so costs us absolutely nothing in taxes etc. I feel for you guys in the States.
Uncle Sam is a greedy dickhead.
Matt - thank you the great info! You are one of the few people that speak honestly about the down side of the program, other videos say "Why Amazon sent me 60,000 dollars of products free"
I almost exclusively use the search feature. As you said it is WISE to buy ONLY what you were already are planning on buying. I have a list, my shopping list, really :-) I add to it all the time, then when I find an item it gets crossed off. As you remind people - There IS A TAX obligation.
Matt - 2 things - you can contact Amazon and they will remove those items that 'disappear' since it seems like you will be withdrawing from the program - that info is more for your viewers 🙂
Second If you are in the U.S. Target stores accepts all those plastic mailing bags, also many grocery stores do. Sometimes it is hard to find exactly were, but typically it is in the front of the store.
YES on the recycling! Trex decking also has a community recycling project you can check out, they accept a variety of "film" plastics through many local places, Kroger is one Target might be as well. With that amount of plastic waste it's defiantly worth checking into.
If the item disappears, or if the item gets lost, or is defective when delivered, you simply have to email Vine, and they remove the item from your orders, and the tax amount is subtracted so you do not owe it. Just be sure to NOT write a review of it. Once you write a review, Vine will not remove the item from your orders and from your tax total.
This is so helpful!!! I just got invited and this definitely helps me make my decision about how I want to do this.
I recently became a Viner and I am loving it! First off, I have always enjoyed doing reviews for the simple fact of helping other consumers. I find it very helpful to read reviews when shopping online because it could save me time, money, energy, gas, etc., for having to return something. You completely left out showing a shot of the 'CATEGORY' list on the left!! Why?? That wasn't being a very good reviewer! lol, There are categories on Everything there, and drop downs from those. You don't have to sit there and spend hours scrolling. You can go straight to the categories you are interested in. But seriously, it also depends on your STATE and your tax bracket. I look for items I can use, and that have No Taxable Income bracket. If you get things you need it won't be hard to "find a way to use it" to make a review! I'm not a seller or influencer, so I am not looking for "likes" nor is there an Actual dollar Income being a Viner. I just enjoy helping others, and I am retired so I don't mind spending half an hour to shoot some pics, edit if necessary, upload and write a review. For me it's a Win, Win opportunity. I receive things I need or want, and a seller get's a review. What's not to like about that!? If I were a seller, I would hope folks would take a few minutes and leave a review. If you are in a high tax bracket, just don't do it. Simple.
How do you know what items are taxable?
@@natswayAmazon keeps an itemized list for you with all your items, plus your taxable total. To be safe just assume all items are taxable and some basic math will keep you up to date if you have orders you haven't received yet.
As a fellow silver-level Vine participant, I can agree with everything you said. After using search terms to make it easier to find things I might actually be interested in, I did manage to find about 25 items that I have now received and largely reviewed (I haven't yet used a few, and I don't feel like I should review anything I haven't legitimately used). However, it has become VERY difficult to find anything new to order that I want. Loads of crap I can't imagine anyone going onto Vine to look for. And since I'm trying to stay under the $600/year limit (after which I will be taxed), I've gotten very choosy. I also don't like that you can't return things you don't like. For instance, I ordered a piece of clothing I just didn't like, but within the program there's no way to return it, and it will stay on my list of orders and count in the value of my orders. After the initial fun wears off, this program loses its appeal.
Kinda how I feel, thanks for sharing!
Having a list of keywords to search , helps you select items that a useful to you, household upgrades, or your sports or hobbies.
That's a great tip and definitely narrowed it down from tens of thousands to tens of pages, but I still found scouring through tens of pages for each of three items to be very time consuming--again, sometimes taking thirty minutes. WHO'S GOT THIRTY MINUTES?! Ya know?
@@MattRamseyTube, kids don't understand the pleasures of shopping. 😊
If something disappears it is incredibly easy to send a request for it to be deleted through the vine control panel.
No, even if you email the executive customer service team, if they fail to send you an item or send you broken items, which in my experience most of them are, you are stuck with the tax liability. I'm wondering what accounting bonus they get ... maybe a write-off for getting useless, unwanted or defective products off their hands? They won't publish many reviews, especially the negative ones or if you mention damages or never received the items. It was interesting.
@@brichard9485 From other sources/users, you can only delete these items (now unlisted, or defective, returned, etc) if you did NOT write a review yet...
Thank you so much for taking the time to put together this video and post it. You saved me time, money, and a lot of frustration, I'm certain. I declined the Vine Voice offer and am so relieved I did.
You can contact vine to have them remove the items that are duplicate or not reviewable.
No, even if you email the executive customer service team, if they fail to send you an item or send you broken items, which in my experience most of them are, you are stuck with the tax liability. I'm wondering what accounting bonus they get ... maybe a write-off for getting useless, unwanted or defective products off their hands? They won't publish many reviews, especially the negative ones or if you mention damages or never received the items. It was interesting.
i'm a viner as well and am so far enjoying it. I luckily am really into skincare and it was some of the first things I selected, all skincare products are $0.00 taxable income because you have to use them up so you can't resell them. Because I ordered skincare right off the bat I frequently get skin care on my for you page so I get lots of products I can review for $0.00 taxable value. I've been impressed too with some of the brands- Kiehls, Caudalie, Sol de Janeiro, Innisfree- lots of good skin care brands (I never see these brands on the additional items page- only on the for you page). I haven't had to buy my own skincare all year. In addition to skincare products I've been able to update a lot of things in my apartment- sur la table brand silverware, new rugs, a countertop juicer machine, etc. I really can't complain as i only select things I want or need. If you order something that comes in broken or you don't like you can still return it within 30 days and it won't count against you. I think whatever you select initially helps set you up for the products that are shown to you on your for you page.
It does seem like a worthwhile program in some niche product categories, but for general reviewers and sellers hoping to get reviews, I'm skeptical there's reciprocal value. But actually very interesting to hear it's working out for you, keep it up!
@@MattRamseyTube some other things I’ve noticed when I see other viners review products- they do really in depth reviews and include photos…. The consensus in Reddit seems to be you might be kicked out of the program if you don’t… when I started I fully expected to get kicked out after my initial 6 months because I wasn’t doing long reviews - literally two to four sentences and only posted three pictures…. I never had a review rejected and was upgraded to gold….. I don’t know if I will retain gold but I don’t stress out about it…. I have a full time job so don’t stress out about vine reviews and even if they don’t renew me I would be happy with the time I had in the program…..
@@559mile You are actually doing Vine right, most Amazon customers don't want to read hugely in-depth reviews unless the product is complicated or expensive or both. And the Redditors in the groups on Amazon Vine forget that the real audience for the reviews is the 3rd party sellers who pay Amazon to get reviews so they can get their product served 1st in search results, be the top product in a category or get designated an 'Amazon's Choice', the Vine review is secondarily for the actual Amazon customers. You have to balance honesty with a potentially upset 3rd party seller who didn't get a 4 star or higher review or didn't get a review with a video or photos (not required & since all that equipment costs money & since Amazon isn't giving me that for free, I just do written reviews) but it is on 3rd party sellers to not put garbage items into Vine in the 1st place (& a significant number of 3rd party sellers do this so that's 100% within their control & on them)
Also to just merely stay in Vine, you only have to review 60% of the items you select (which can be none for weeks or months on end) & spend $50 per year with Amazon (not in the form of an Amazon Gift Card, use your credit card or bank account or one of those pre-paid credit card gift cards as your form of payment). The 'must review at least 80 items & must have 90% of your turned in reviews accepted & approved' rule is just for getting into or staying in the Gold tier (which gets you 8 selections per day instead of 3 per day & items valued at $100+ in addition to all the $0-$99.99 items). Gold may not matter to you if you plan on not buying much at all on Amazon or not buying expensive items all that often.
From what I saw of Matt's stats, he'll pass his evaluation as a Silver member just fine even if he doesn't ever take out another item to review for the rest of this period (6 months). And he could let it lapse in the 2nd 6 month period if he wants to.
Same, I love skincare & hair & nails lol! Lucky for me that's usually the 0 ETV! I'm a stylist, so, all of these things are right up my ally lol! I'm not interested in getting profit from this, I'm interested in saving some money & getting to try some new brands that I might not have otherwise & using my knowledge as a cosmetologist to help others in their purchasing, etc. I've gotten hair tools, face creams, shavers/clippers, face wipes & towels for 0 that I now don't have to buy, all sorts of things, even an AWESOME name brand Harry Potter Bath set, full sized, in a really cool display case (I'm keeping this awesome item lol), full birthday gift spa sets that, in 6 months I can gift to some of my nieces & nephews if I want to ~ this is great! I'm having a blast with vine. I'm not going to stress myself out trying to resell anything. Most of it I get for myself, family or some items I will be purchasing again in the future I like them so much (That is, if I ever run out of the 0 ETV things I keep getting lol)!
I was thinking if anything, I might donate some of the wigs & hair tools & clippers to my local domestic abuse center, I think some of the people there would love to have some of these things! The bummer is, there's so many viners using the program as a business (no hate, just saying), that the people who are trying to use it as this guy does, won't have a chance. The good stuff he would want will be gone almost as soon as it populates.
@@559mile
Ah, you post actual reviews unlike the Viner I saw that reviewed dozens of items with... Title: Awesome Review: Awesome... I'm not kidding. I can get long winded, but mostly try to keep it brief for simple things. How much can you say about a bar of soap or wrapping paper? No, I'm literally asking... please help me review this wrapping paper?!?! I've got "looks nice, cuts nice, not translucent"... I need some filler 🤣 Ah I got it "Warning: improper handling may cause paper cuts. Please do not eat this, it's not food"!
I am part of vine as well. However, I am not real sure how they can do the taxes the way they expect us to. For one, I am not an employee of Amazon vine nor do I get paid for check for services. I don't get paid for my time either. They do let you have the merchandise, but it's not for free. In exchange they get a review which is not only vital for the seller but for Amazon. When an item is broken or doesn't work as it should. You can't exchange it for another. They just tell you to keep it, throw it away ect... However, according to Amazon it's still counted as a taxed item. There in lies my other issue with it. I am not a tax guy or a lawyer but how would it be legal for them to still claim a broken item as a taxable item? And even if they did, it would be impossible for Amazon to know the validity of that item since they don't allow exchanges. Lastly, they really mark up these items as wee and are not the norm if you check with other like items. I believe this entire tax idea mess is exactly what it is a mess. There is no disclaimer about this when it comes to taxes. To some up my questions/issues....
1. It is illegal to tax a person on merchandise that doesn't work or is broken. And since Amazon doesn't have a way of fixing this issue anyone can claim that most of the items sent were broken or don't work for them. And since there is no way to return that falls on Amazon.
2. Amazon is not giving these items away. They are getting a service in return without paying for it. Any person can buy from Amazon. The person would have to pay for that item and can choose rather or not to give a review for such item. It's a requirement to be a part of Amazon Vine.
3. Amazon doesn't specifically say that these items are their form of compensation. It has to be clear and stated that the items is their form of compensation. In fact, goods are not a legal or a standard way of compensation. In most jurisdictions it would have to be clear and transparent between both parties...which it is not if you read their terms and conditions.
It would have to be agreed upon that the value of the such goods are equal or equivalent to an agreed upon wage. While the agreement talks about exchange of free goods, it only refers to paying the taxes on those goods. There is nothing that states in the terms and conditions that anyone agrees that is substitutes a wage and agreeing to it as fair compensation.
In fact, in some states paying with goods alone violates labor laws.
Lastly, what if the value of the goods reviewing is really not it's true value? Are you still required to pay taxes on Amazon's price? Most every item on Amazon Vine is over priced. So, even if a person is paying taxes on this merchandise it's not at a fair market price. Who gets the benefit of an over priced item. Amazon and the seller do of course.
Why is a review more valuable than free goods? Think about it for minute. Most people purchase goods today based on the reviews. A great review can change a good seller into a great seller. In turn, making them more reliable and trustworthy which will bring them more buyers to all of their products. It can also put them in a position to charge a little more because of that.
I suggest you check the laws in your state. Be sure to read over the terms and conditions and even give a copy to your lawyer. I have friends on Vine that have never claimed Vine goods to their taxes.
Neato. You'd have to consider that you also don't get wage income for free--just like writing a review, you get its value in exchage for a service, and you pay tax on it. However, I'm not a tax attorney, and would advise you to consult a tax professional's, Amazon's, your state's, and the federal revenue dept.s' guidance on the matter, which in my case are not ambiguous.
Too funny, probably just a cut and paste thing but, I like your spirit in trying to apply logic to reality.
At the very beginning, you should have stated that you can SEARCH for items. You don't have to suffer through endless scrolling through unwanted items.
It’s true that a person could compile a list of everything around the house they needed to buy, type those things into the search bar, and hope there would happen to be a coincidental offering, but that was a bigger waste of time than just browsing what was available in my experience. But yes, of course, there’s a search bar.
How do they know you've gotten rid of an item before the 6 month time frame?
Jeff Bezos comes by your house, with a list, and asks to see them all. Just don't answer the door when he comes. Unless you got your doorbell and front porch light from Vine.
I've only ordered 3 items so far, but I ensured they are all items I will use - provided they perform as expected. I passed by some pretty cool things today because, as cool as they were, I knew I wouldn't use them. Depending on your personality, it can be really easy to order up a bunch of stuff because "But it's free!". Just choose wisely. I'm not really concerned with moving up a level.
Been a voice for a month myself. Taxes suck, although for my tax bracket and being a hobbyist I think I only have to pay 15.3%
If I had to warn anyone about anything outside the obvious tax responsibility, it would be that this is counted as income and can hurt people on SSI/SSDI and food stamps, etc.
Vine income is Earned Income, so definitely it figures in for initial and continuing eligibility for state benefits.
The hobbyist route is interesting, I've seen discussions saying that's a legit classification and others saying that the IRS could take your house, car and pet hamster for filing as such.
@@Mike_H76 Be very careful with the assumption that it could not hurt. If you are in NY and QMB status for instance, then you have a maximum monthly income limit if you wish to utilize it. That amount is only a total of about 1700 dollars. This means that an average recipient is only going to have a few hundred dollars a month to "play with".
Vine income is Earned Income in the eyes of Fed and NY state. There may be *some* disregards for individual cases such as if elderly or disabled.. You simply MUST contact your county DSS and ask "what is the MAXIMUM amount of Earned Income I can have each month without losing any of my benefits?"
@@tvtoms
Thanks for the additional info. I lived the first few decades with no insurance of any kind... nor doctor/dentist visits. When the ElectroPhysiologist suggested an implantable loop recorder (which I never got)... I said "I don't think Medicaid would pay for that", he replied "I would make them"... he must have been a wizard in a doctor coat!
I'm not concerned about myself, I'm in Vine through my "girlfriend", 28 years unmarried, SSI hates marriage. She's off the books (I didn't say that) so likely will just file for Vine... though I'm trying to encourage her to declare SOME income since she got a good amount in personal checks with the memo "landscaping services" and her name!!! Add in the cash she deposits fairly regularly and I'm scared to death about an audit (for her, but that's for us as well). Pretty sure the first year on Vine, she should hire an accountant... then copy from him as usual in subsequent years.
I hadn't thought of Medicare at all for indigent elderly. I feel like I should delete my comment so I don't get someone messed over by my ignorance!
Tvtoms isn't crazy, I deleted what he's replying to... in case nobody reads the long comment above. (IRS, you aren't allowed to read that!!!).
I was just invited to be an Amazon Vine member and signed up. I was not limited to just 3 items. I was allowed to order 5 items. All of which I was excited to pick out and would have ordered. Can't wait to see how this all goes.
So how does it go? Also what is the value of these items, I understand only "Gold" members get to receive $100+ products? not sure about "silver"...
Wow, thanks so much for this video! You've helped me decide on whether to accept the Vine invitation. No, thank you!
You can order up to $600 a year with no tax reporting. Yes, please.
Thanks Matt. Great synopsis! Just the info
I was looking to find.👍🏼
Doing this since April ... that list for every body? Still weird. It's like build a car.
I'm on Vine but I feel no need to get "gold" level. I'm pretty happy with silver where the requirements are much less onerous though you can "only" order 3 a day and review at least 60%. Also, 25% income tax? For a single person, that's the bracket for $100K to $200K taxable income (after deductions). For married, 25% bracket is roughly $200K to $400K taxable. My wife and I are retired and are in the top of 12% bracket taxable, which chances the equation somewhat.
I give honest reviews as is encouraged by Amazon. I don't include videos but, as a lifelong amateur photographer, I do include pictures if appropriate. I agree with you in that I don't just order everything, it has to be something I want and need.
I'm not sure how he got 25%, but I calculate that it is just that (or more). They report your FMV as income, as a consultant (1099), which means that not only do you pay income tax on the value of the goods but you also have to pay self-employment tax (15.3% usually). Self employment tax is in addition to regular income. So if you are in a low tax bracket (12%), then you pay 12% (for regular income) plus 15.3% (for self employment tax) - or 27.3% total. I'd be very happy to be wrong on this, but it's how I read it on HRBlock's website and Intuit's. Those vine voices who have actually filed taxes on their FMV, please respond if I am incorrect.
TomD, No state income taxes?
I just joined today. I’m trying to figure it out. Based on this video (if it isn’t actually done this way) I feel like it would be nice if they weighted the reviews somehow. Like video reviews give you more “credit” towards your reviews than those reviews with a photo or only written.
Be sure you understand the tax implications before you go crazy and start ordering! You will be paying taxes on the estimated tax value of each item. Like he said, you have to think of it as getting an item for 75% off. But people get tempted, just start ordering, and end up with a huge tax bill. Since it counts as income, it also affects your income level for benefits, buying a house, etc etc and some people have run into trouble with that. That all being said, there are lots of $0 tax items that can be found. Most anything that involves the body (makeup, kids tattoos, nail files, knee braces, fake eyelashes, etc), Medical goods (blood pressure, old people walkers, toilet rails, etc), baby stuff (baby car seat covers, baby gates, some baby toys, dog gates), food items (they go fast, hard to get except for cake decorating sprinkles or coloring, weird tea). To keep it from wasting all your time scrolling all the product pages, just do targeted searches, and start to get a feel for what is there and what is free,. And join the Vine Discord to see the kinds of things that are available everyday, which can help you create targeted search terms to use each day to find what you want. If you see it on Discord and missed it, chances are very good that it will reappear in the next several weeks.
There is no kind of "credit" for anything like the review quality or length, so just write enough to make it helpful and thorough. They are each approved, but I doubt they are all reviewed and approved by an actual person, it is likely an automated process. It does not seem that short reviews or lack of photos/ videos count against you in any way.
Do they have food items because I think that would be super ideal to review.
Sort of. There are a lot of teas, coffees & non alcoholic drinks, there are a lot of cake decorating items (like edible glitters & sprinkles for cakes, cupcakes & donuts, also food colorings) more rarely there are spices & seasonings but anything else edible is super rare & disappears within seconds.
Yes. There are tons of food items, but there are over 20,000 vine reviewers in the US, and each item on vine only has a max of 30 (most have 1-2 available), so when food comes up, if you're not refreshing the page at the exact second that the food is posted, you aren't getting it.
@@ekat1 True food literally goes in seconds, this morning I saw a kilogram (2.2 pound) package of coconut flour (use it in baking it is keto & gluten free) & it was gone in 90 seconds.
10:31 Haha my 1099-NEC income (not liability, sorry) for the first 30 days was $3,300.
wait what? Vine just invited me to join, but can you explain this please? I don't want to get stuck with some weird large tax bill
@@zzfeelhealthy5044 Oh sorry I'm dumb, I meant taxable income.
@@zzfeelhealthy5044 Sorry I meant 1099-NEC income, not tax liability! That would be an enormous amount to incur that much in taxes heh. I ordered a lot during my first month.
Well done. Informative & entertaining. You did it so I don't have to.
Thanks. No cost to try it but, in my opinion, not much benefit either.
@@MattRamseyTube It's best to think of Vine as a (maybe) deeply discounted stuff program where instead of paying Amazon you pay the IRS & other state & local tax authorities.
WOW! You obviusly can't be in the programe now as that's too much info to share - showing the actual website in your video!
I've also had many, many inexpensive items and am slowly renovating my house with the items I receive and actually need. I've also had some high ticket items too that I would never be able to afford. These items have had a massive impact on my life and I certainly wouldn't have felt that full benefit in just 30 days. I also like lots of odd items, just this week I ordered some bolts that I needed!
I thought you can't be an Amazon associate to join. That's what I read!
I've been an Amazon Associate for 10 years, and I got invited to join Vine this year.
Talk about first world problems- "its so hard to find products that Amazon is going to send me for free/just the cost of taxes."
Amazon Vine is not meant to be a small business. I cant believe the number of people who sh!t on this program for such ridiculous or petty reasons. If you're invited to join read the terms and conditions and use some common sense.
Hey, like I said, it's right for some people, but if Amazon needs me to do something that takes away from my time to work or be with family, there has to be a commensurate incentive, or I'll just pick the thing up at the store.
@MattRamseyTube Sorry, I came off rather mean, but I was reading a lot of comments from people on multiple videos and the cumulative level of negativity for to me. I 💬 minutes a great program if you don't look at it as some type of side hustle or a golden ticket.
@@roguered706 No worries, I know you were saying what a lot of viewers were thinking.
Of course if you struggle with job, housing or health issues, receiving cheap gifts is maybe not your priority...
I got their "invitation" months ago, but I have yet to accept it.
I take the packages to my local Amazon hub & throw the bags away there -- don't understand how any of this is 'at your expense'
Hey thanks for that info, Pam. I looked into it (which, Amazon sent me through a string of web sites, there's some time right there). I'm fortunate that there's a recycling hub in my town, so that's great to know. I can drive my recycling and drop it off in a 4 mile trip, in about 30 minutes, so that's a manageable expense, but certainly not free and, of course, the fewer of those trips I take, the more space that recycling will take up in my residene. However, a person using the Vine program in many towns in my area (for example, the neighboring town of Washington, Indiana) can expect a round trip of 48 miles or more, so hopefully I don't have to elaborate on how there is a considerable expense in time and money for that person to recycle their bags but, aside from the fuel and vehicle ownership expense, a hairdresser in Washington, Indiana, for example, would probably have to decline several appointments to do that task during business hours. Hope that was clarifying!
Very interesting, and informative, thank you
I really wish when I called amazon they would not be rude and say they have nothing to do with Chase bank. I mean they couldn't even give me a phone number.
I'm unemployed so I don't pay any taxes, in my case even if Amazon submits a tax form to the IRS on my behalf for things I've ordered on Vine, would I still have to pay taxes? If I stay under $600 will I still have to pay taxes? How much tax are we paying, is it just the sales tax based on the estimated value of the item?
Well, I’m not qualified to give you tax advice, but you should expect to pay tax on the value of what you order just as if it were a wage or other income.
"The minimum income amount depends on your filing status and age. In 2023, for example, the minimum for Single filing status if under age 65 is $13,850. If your income is below that threshold, you generally do not need to file a federal tax return." Straight from Google, referenced from HRBlock website. So sounds like if your product you get on vine plus other income go over that threshold, then you will pay taxes. But Amazon won't even send you a tax form to file if it's under a certain amount.. looks like $600? Not sure about taxes for your state though.
Vine will make you a hoarder. The items have uses but do you need them? I am a silver now Ive been gold and didnt find anything great or valuable to me that was over 100usd. Finding items is a pain. Where this was good for me is in Garage and household items. Paper products were pretty good. You will never need to buy a planner again and I was able to find 20 hole a5 paper quality OK with fountain pens certainly usable vs a walmart brand. Im curious if you can pause the membership then turn it back on. Right now I dont want it but why would you want to lose it. Just do 10-20 per 6 months thats about what I did last 6 months and it dropped to silver. Your delivery drivers really get to know you when your gold and you should tip them on the holidays.
I've been with Vine like forever and if you're smart enough you can rake it in. Thing is for a start you are in the USA, ok big choice of products to choose from but not so easy to get rid of them. Tax evasion no, Tax avoidance yes perfectly legal you just have to know how.
Another thing...why did you spend 2h writing a review on a roll of Tape ? It's a 5-10 min job at most, say what you liked or didn't like and that's it. Viners are not Influencers no one pays me to say nice things about something that's rubbish, if it is I say so it's JMO after all.
Waste packaging building up ? c'mon now are you saying you don't visit the Waste bins every day.....oh dear...
Cool. Sorry if I didn't state it clearly, but my contention was that finding the tape (or any other useful purchase) among the Vine offerings, unpacking it, thinking of a way to use it that would provide all the necessary information for a helpful review, using it in that way, photographing it, typing and publishing the review, and storing the item, was inclusively up to a two hour process for every item I ordered. Maybe I'm too slow or thorough, but I definitely can't do all of that in ten minutes (I couldn't even find a useful item to order in ten minutes), and that's why I concluded the program was not for me. It's for you! Thanks for the question.
I have a giant house.
I just joined and so far am only ordering things that I can use to help organize my house -- I'm not looking for things I don't need. I don't "store' my reviews anywhere.. WTF? Also I only do reviews when I have time -- so a couple days a week. I already review stuff I order so I don't see it as costing me time. My problem is a lot stuff doesn't come with directions -- or I need my spouse to help me to install it which sucks. I'm trying to not order things that require me to put together or install something.
Cool 👏
Must be a bronze tier cause platinum knows not to talk about stuff prohibited by the contract you know "inner workings". Vine ain't for everyone, I wouldn't know though I'm definently not platinum tier. Not cool talking about a program I'm definently not a member of and love more than the air I breath.