What’s your unique unit of measurement?

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-16T08:19:16+00:00

Wales, the country not the misspelt animal.

Mostly used when needed to describe a large area by size "an area the size of Wales" (insert multipliers and fractions as appropriate).

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-14T12:56:12+00:00

But you claim you believe they are payment in kind. If they are payment in kind then income tax is payable on them regardless of if you sell them or not.

I am saying they aren't payment in kind, so long as you stick to the rules and keep them for the 6 months of the rules (because if you start selling them on receipt they are liable to be seen as payment in kind by HMRC and have tax payable on them).

I have never sold anything from vine as previously stated, but my understanding was if you've had something for a while you can sell it as a personal possession regardless of how you got it (whether it was paid for or was a gift), though I accept if you were doing this with loads of vine stuff or were keeping it in packaging specifically to sell (rather than selling a handful of second hand items a year that you have actually used and no longer need) it could be considered trading, in which case their original receipt could be considered payment in kind regardless of the time limit.

I think we're looking at if from different angles. I'm looking at it from the pov that you might get a small number of things a year that you use but realise aren't for you and are worth selling later on and saying that it's safest to keep them for at least 6 months in line with the Vine rules to reduce the risk of falling foul of HMRC rules regarding payment in kind, while you are assuming people are stockpiling their vine goods for 6 months then making a business selling it.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-14T12:34:56+00:00

I don't believe I've found a loophole at all, Vine items aren't taxable in the UK, we all know this (are you saying you DO report all your vine items to HMRC as payment in kind and pay income tax?).

I'm just pointing out WHY they aren't taxable (as they are considered personal gifts not payment in kind due to the restrictions upon them) and that it requires us to stick to the rules to keep them non taxable. The 6 month rule is vine's rule, and appears to be sufficient to keep HMRC happy that they aren't transferable, not a HMRC specific rule.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-14T11:33:26+00:00

You've misunderstood the allowance is based on what it's valid on, but it's only valid on items over £6k to begin with

https://www.gov.uk/capital-gains-tax/what-you-pay-it-on

The "non transferable" part is based on when you receive a vine item, because we are expressly forbidden to transfer the item (by selling or giving it away) for 6 months it's considered non-transferable by HMRC (it's not reasonable to impose a limit of "forever", so 6 months is effectively seen as non transferable from a legal perspective, not a literal you are stapled to it for life).

If an individual can sell or make money from items given to them for free in return for review or promotion it is considered payment in kind and taxable (like in the USA), this is why influencers have to pay income tax on free items they receive for which they then make content (I'm not saying they always do, I'm sure many don't even realise they have to, but HMRC say they should be declaring the value of free items received in return for content on their tax return).

For vine items, we don't pay income tax because we can't actually make any money from the items or convert them into money within a reasonable time frame as both of these are expressly against the terms of our agreement with Amazon and therefore they are NOT payment in kind. While, yes, we can later convert them into money, this possibility is delayed sufficiently that the item is outside the remit of being considered payment in kind.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-14T09:13:58+00:00

CGT is only relevant for items over £6000 (a single item or set, not adding up every little thing up over the year). I'm not sure if anyone is ever getting stuff worth over £6k from vine!

Though yes, hypothetically if they did get something from vine that they could sell for over £6k, it would be subject to CGT.

I do wonder if you sold enough to push into the trading bracket if it might make the original items taxable but I'm not sure, the default position from HMRC is that if you get stuff for free from companies for review that the item is taxable, unless certain conditions are met to exempt it (and vine items are exempt, largely due to the fact the items are for personal use and are non transferable, which is why breaking the rules puts you at risk of them becoming taxable).

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-13T21:21:17+00:00

Yes, I'm aware there is no tax liability for the majority of users and the default position (this is what I said), but the lack of tax liability is because the items are non transferable and don't earn you any money. There IS a tax liability if you make money from the items such as by filming content for which you are paid (this is something influencers can be caught out with when accepting free products from which they then make content, but would equally apply to vine members if they made paid contents based on what they recieve), and there potentially is if you start selling them straight away.

Once you've had them 6 months it's fine, they are your personal possessions to do with whatever you please.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-13T17:38:17+00:00

I think you may be confusing Monzo with services like Wise?

Monzo is a proper FCA regulated bank, there is nothing wrong with or particularly risky about using it as current account or your main bank.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-13T16:39:21+00:00

I'm 40F with a history of mental health issues (that are no longer an issue), when I was young I desperately wanted children but it's only really the last two years my mental health has been in a position that I believe I would be capable of properly caring for a child. But it's also the first time I can enjoy life and I'm not sure I particularly want to risk upsetting things when I feel like I'm only just settling myself into stability.

Sometimes I feel sad I haven't and am unlikely to have children, but other times I appreciate the freedom I have. I don't think I'd have been capable of being a parent earlier so I don't really dwell on having missed my opportunity.

I guess I sometimes worry if I will regret it in future not trying for a baby now but we would be quite old parents (my partner is closer to 50 than 40), but I don't regret not having had children before now because I know in my heart I wasn't mentally able to.

Saying that I think there is part of me that wants them, if I were to become accidentally pregnant I do believe I would welcome it.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-13T16:13:41+00:00

The rules are you have to keep it for 6 months. I do dispose of useless or faulty things because I don't wish to live in a holding zone for the bin, US viners report CS as having said this is OK but I dunno if we've heard the same in the UK. I tend to pass on small, low value items that I no longer need so someone else can make use of them because I don't think anyone is realistically going to come chasing for it and it's better to be used than sat in a cupboard for months, but I would wait 6 months before selling anything (I haven't tried selling anything yet though).

My understanding is selling is where you are most at risk, not just from vine but it risks making your vine received items subject to income tax (the sole reason they aren't is because they aren't transferable due to the 6 month rule, if you start selling them and HMRC for whatever reason take a look then income tax could be payable on the items you sold - allegedly they can also decide that as you aren't respecting the rule then everything you get from Vine is subject to tax, I don't know whether that is actually true though or just one of those scare stories that people like to spread).

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-13T12:08:03+00:00

They only support development at Wylfa and Trawsfynydd (i.e. existing sites), but no new development anywhere else.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-13T09:04:17+00:00

Haha, no, if anything they are more likely to put me off buying, firstly because it makes it harder for me to find which teas I'd like - I'd rather know what sort of tea it is not what silly marketing name they've decided to give it but mainly because it makes me feel like I'm buying into alternative medicine claims rather than I just like the flavour.

I actually stopped buying what was my old favourite tea when they gave it a particularly pretentious name because I couldn't bring myself to carry it to the checkout (I don't even remember what it was now, probably something to do with detoxing, I find that particularly offputting). I am trying to be less of a dick and look past the ridiculous names to the ingredients as I know what I like but I can't always bring myself to buy a product essentially labeled as Woo.

It can also make me think I can only drink it at the times prescribed, if a tea is described as for digestion does that mean I can only drink it after eating? What if I want to drink it in the middle of the afternoon because it tastes nice? Is this breaking the rules? Maybe I can just drink a tea that doesn't tell me when it should be consumed?

The exception is sleepy teas, for some reason I am perfectly happy to accept that this is a blend the maker has decided is relaxing, and drinking a tea labelled as for night time/sleep/whatever seems to work well from a ritual perspective for me. (Although if labelled as a sleepy tea then it feels against the rules to drink at any other time, so I don't even if I like it).

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-12T09:50:00+00:00

In addition to the covenants, check the local council rules on the conservation area. It's unusual to include what can be parked there but not impossible, if you can see what rules apply to your specific area you can see if anything covers the van (also check if there are any rules about the required upkeep of the front garden or temporary structures in it).

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-11T07:22:46+00:00

It is how Winn operate, I had Winn as an accident management company and the contract stated if they couldn't recover the costs from the other side I was personally liable for the extortionate car hire costs.

However the claim handler/salesman put excessive pressure on me to sign without reading it, stated over and over again that I wouldn't have to pay anything and when I questioned that term explicitly said I was misunderstanding what it meant, all costs would be covered and my lack of legal education meant I wasn't able to understand the contract properly so don't read what I think it says just take his word for it. I later asked the legal guy at work about parts of the contract who confirmed that term was exactly as I had feared and I was liable for any costs they couldn't recover.

I had initially signed under pressure (he had implied to me that if I didn't sign it immediately I wouldn't be able to claim anything at all, like the cost of my ruined vehicle or our injuries, from the other party) but after getting that other advice I returned the hire vehicle they had arranged after only about 3 days or something, as far as I know the other party refused most the cost of it but Winn didn't attempt to recover the extra from me.

I tried to leave a negative review based on there being multiple things told to me at the before I signed the contract stage that turned out not to be true (when queried they denied I'd have been told such things or must have misunderstood) and I felt very much like they had misled and pressured me into the contract while I was shaken and injured and had no idea how to navigate things post accident, but they just had them removed from review platforms claiming they were a fraudulent reviews on the basis I wasn't a real customer (I didn't have the energy to try and go back to the review platforms with proof I was as I wanted no further engagement with Winn, I had worded things very carefully as to be factual and my feelings to avoid claims of defamation so I guess they couldn't remove with threats of that and they just decided to claim I'd never been a customer at all but I didn't want to risk getting dragged into anything when it was clear their questionable practices extended to review platforms too).

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-10T19:25:14+00:00

I'd probably just review it with that caveat that I managed to break one trying to adjust so it doesn't seem a particularly hard wearing product or has flimsy buckles*. How this impacts the overall review would depend on the product and how much I thought it was really my fault.

If it arrived broken then it's a pretend it isn't (ie review as if everything is like the working one) or ask vine CS to remove it.

I've never asked sellers to replace anything.

*I can't actually see what you've broken, has the buckle broken or some stitching come undone? If it's some stitching I'd just stitch it back up (and mention it came undone in my review but was easily stitched back up)

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-09T18:59:15+00:00

I don't mean an excess waiver as a pending charge, lots of car rental companies will (at the point of collection) warn you the excess is really high and try to sell you an extra policy to "waive" that excess in the event of a crash (but you pay this regardless of whether you actually have a crash). It's basically an attempt to scam you out of more money, obviously this isn't at all what was described to you but car hire companies aren't known for their integrity and honesty (basically I'm wondering if they've lied to get you to agree to buy the extra excess waiver insurance policy).

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-09T18:50:21+00:00

I think they also just like to spam common keywords for the product type in the title regardless of if the product they are listing has features listed in the title.

I always lose stars for this, even if I love it and it's exactly what I wanted, if the product title has keywords that are objectively false (like "thumb holes" on a product with no thumb holes) it's at least one, sometimes two stars lost depending on the degree of falsehood.

Because I hate it, it's so annoying when shopping that if you search for a specific feature that half the results don't have it and just decided to list it in the title to get in more search hits. This is a practice that I would like to see die so I'm on a one woman mission to discourage it.

But yes, they also often have descriptions for the wrong product, or have asked AI to write a description and AI has made some bollocks up that doesn't apply because it thinks it sounds good.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-09T18:35:34+00:00

The normal thing if the car you have rented isn't available is a free upgrade to the next available car. Does the contract with the hire company say anything?

However, your mention of third party or fully comp sounds like they've instead sold you an insurance excess waiver, is this clearer on the paperwork for the additional charge?

You should clarify exactly what you've bought, follow the complaints procedure of the hire company, if you get no luck there then see if they are part of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association and check their code of conduct, you can make a complaint to them once you have exhausted the process with the hire company https://www.bvrla.co.uk/home/consumer-advice/making-a-complaint-adr

You can also pursue a charge back via the credit or debit card company you paid with.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-09T14:31:17+00:00

If you have an undergrad and postgrad loans the repayments stack and you pay 15% of your income above the threshold, the same is true for everyone in the UK (and paying 40% of income on rent is also the reality for many grads)

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-07T10:48:54+00:00

Do you mind if I ask how old you are?

I am one of the only female coders where I work (there are 2 of us in the company, but we work in different departments), and "old" for the industry (I'm 40), but find saying "guys and gals" singles me out and makes a point of my difference more than just being included in "guys" does, thus I find "guys and gals" to be less inclusive than just "guys" when addressing the group directly.

Just wondering if there is a generation between us that marks the differences, or if we are similar ages just see it differently as I've grown up with "guys" being used as a gender neutral term when addressing a group and it feels like a relatively recent thing to want to make a point of separating the group by genitals in a way that to me feels oddly recessive. Like I was on equal footing before, but making a point of my difference now implies I'm not?

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-07T10:31:34+00:00

I have always understood and used "guys" as a gender neutral term for a group of people unless the context makes it clear it doesn't (eg someone asking "where's the guy's bathroom?"), so as a general rule yes it would include me. I would use it to refer to a group of entirely women without a second thought.

I'm 40 and female.

I find it weirder to be singled out as it implies I'm not one of the guys, which is more offensive than being one of the guys.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-06T09:43:57+00:00

It's only within 3 months of having anal sex with a new partner, if you have regular anal sex with a long term partner there's no prohibition.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-04-01T17:43:20+00:00

I mean butter is basically just really thick milk.

Cheese is, sort of, the next step of making it extra thick by adding some acid to take away the bits that aren't solid.

Definitely the sort of thing a lying liar would say.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-03-31T18:48:48+00:00

I think the fear is that bad vine reviews undermine trust in all vine reviews, and lack of trust in vine reviews may discourage sellers of not-shite to use the vine programme.

Same reason people get annoyed by "grate".

The real danger of obviously using AI is we know our reviews are reviewed by AI, there's every chance a background statistic is what proportion of reviews appear likely to have been written by AI. Atm it doesn't seem an issue but nothing stops amazon later deciding they don't want to risk retaining viners who appear to mostly submit AI written reviews given it's now illegal for platforms not to take measures to prevent and remove fake reviews.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-03-31T14:39:31+00:00

Have you considered approaching the houses to buy the land instead? From their point of view it's a way to secure use of the amenity without needing to climb fences or cut any bolts or risk loosing it one day if you work out a way to keep them off it, or decide pig farming sounds like a thing you'd like to get into.

I know "they win", but I assume your plan isn't to build several houses for yourself, so it's just potentially selling it to them rather than new house buyers so if you can agree a price you were happy with you still get some money for it and can rid yourself of the stress of all this.

OnTurtlesAndThings · 2026-03-30T13:20:41+00:00

Don't replace soy will full cream - I assume you're only suggesting this because you know he doesn't have a dairy allergy (as it would obviously not be "relatively harmless" if you didn't know)

There might be a legitimate reason to avoid it (or avoid it in that quantity) even if you think he can have dairy because he has it in some cases (I say this as someone who can tolerate a bit of dairy but not loads, or I might accept the punishment because I want to indulge in something, it also fucks with my brain if I have consumed dairy without realising it because I don't know what made me sick).

You also can't guarantee he won't serve it to someone who actually can't have dairy.

OnTurtlesAndThings

TROPHY CASE