Help & user guide

Getting started

FreeAgent included with some UK banks
If you bank with Mettle, NatWest Business or RBS Business, FreeAgent is included free of charge — no separate subscription needed. Check if you qualify →

Setup takes about five minutes. Follow the checklist on your Dashboard — it guides you through each step in order.

1
Connect eBay
Dashboard → step 1 → Connect eBay. You'll be redirected to eBay's OAuth page to authorise read access to your Managed Payments account. We never see your password.
2
Connect FreeAgent
Dashboard → step 2 → Connect FreeAgent. Same OAuth flow — FreeAgent issues us a token so we can create invoices and bills on your behalf.
3
Choose the FreeAgent account we import eBay into
Step 3: select the FreeAgent bank account where eBay activity will be posted. Most sellers create one called 'eBay UK seller Account' in FreeAgent Banking → Add account.
4
Choose transaction categories
Step 4: pick which FreeAgent categories sales, fees, postage and promoted listings land in. System defaults match your existing FreeAgent chart of accounts — most sellers just hit 'Use defaults'. You can change them later in Settings.
5
Enable auto-sync
Step 5 → click Set up. If you're on cash basis, first choose how income is dated — payout date (recommended, matches bank deposits) or sale date. Then pick your start date — Latest payout gives the cleanest opening; This tax year / Last tax year let you cover a full tax year. Click Activate auto-sync.
Need to create the eBay bank account in FreeAgent first?
In FreeAgent go to Banking → Add a bank account → Manual account and call it "eBay UK seller Account". Then come back to step 3. FreeAgent's eBay guide

How auto-sync works

Every night, TransactionMerge pulls the previous day's eBay activity, groups it by type, and posts proper accounting documents to FreeAgent — all automatically. Here's what that looks like:

Type
eBay activity
Appears in FreeAgent as
SaleOrder sale proceedsLine on daily invoice → Sales category · auto-explained ✓
FeeFinal value fee, listing feeLine on daily fees bill → eBay Fees category · auto-explained ✓
PostagePostage label chargeLine on daily fees bill → Postage category · auto-explained ✓
PromotedPromoted Listings feeLine on daily fees bill → Advertising category · auto-explained ✓
RefundRefund for orderDaily credit note → Sales category · auto-explained ✓
PayoutPayout to bank accountBank transfer · auto-explained both sides ✓

Cash vs accrual accounting

TransactionMerge's two-account model works for both accounting methods. This follows FreeAgent's recommended approach for eBay sellers .

How it works — two accounts in FreeAgent
  1. eBay Account (tracking) — TransactionMerge posts daily sales, fees, refunds, and the auto-created payout debit here
  2. Main Bank Account (real bank e.g. Mettle) — payout deposits arrive via bank feed and are auto-explained as transfers from your eBay Account
eBay Account (FreeAgent)
├── +£100  Sale           (15 May — transaction date)
├──  –£10  eBay fee       (15 May — transaction date)
└──  –£90  Payout debit   (20 May — auto-created by TransactionMerge)
           Balance: £0

Mettle / Main Bank (FreeAgent)
└── +£90  Payout deposit  (21 May — arrives via bank feed)
          Auto-explained as transfer from eBay Account ✓

Cash basis means recording income when the money is available to you. It's the HMRC default for sole traders.

On cash basis you can choose how eBay income is dated, under Settings → Sync → Income dating:

  • Sale date (FreeAgent's "Method 2", the default) — income posts when the sale happens. Money in your eBay balance counts as received. Sale on 15 May, payout on 20 May → income on 15 May.
  • Payout date — income posts when eBay pays out to your bank, so it lines up with your bank deposits. Sale on 15 May, payout on 20 May → income on 20 May. Sales in a payout period are grouped onto the payout date.

HMRC accepts either, as long as you use the same method consistently each tax return — so don't switch back and forth. The payout itself is always a zero-impact transfer to your bank. Most UK sole traders use cash basis; if unsure, ask your accountant.

Recovery sync

Auto-sync runs every night and picks up where it left off automatically — the sync cursor only advances after a successful run, so a failed night is retried and never skipped.

Need to restore deleted entries?
If you've accidentally deleted entries from FreeAgent and need them restored, email support@transactionmerge.co.uk with the date range affected. We'll re-pull from eBay and re-post to FreeAgent — already-correct entries are skipped automatically, so nothing is duplicated.

CSV export

Coming soon

Direct CSV export from Sync History for invoice-method accounts is coming — you'll be able to download your eBay transaction data as a spreadsheet without leaving the app.

Export now via FreeAgent
In the meantime, your accounting data already lives in FreeAgent as proper invoices, bills and credit notes. Use FreeAgent's built-in export tools: Accounting → Reports for P&L, or Banking → [account] → Export for transaction history. FreeAgent export guide

UK tax year & VAT

TransactionMerge dates every document to its eBay transaction date, so FreeAgent's P&L and VAT reports slice correctly by tax year automatically. The UK tax year runs 6 April → 5 April.

If you're VAT-registered, VAT is broken out per invoice line in FreeAgent:

  • Sales — default 20%, customisable per listing on the Listings page (e.g. zero-rate books, reduced-rate items, export sales outside the UK)
  • Fees & postage — 20% (eBay charges UK VAT on its own fees regardless of your buyer's location)

FreeAgent's built-in VAT Returns (Taxes → VAT Returns) pull directly from those invoices — no manual totalling needed.

To set per-listing VAT rates: Settings → Sync → Listings & VAT. Unmapped sales are flagged with an amber banner so nothing slips through at the wrong rate.

Disclaimer
TransactionMerge is a data synchronisation tool, not a tax or VAT advisor. Always verify your VAT calculations with a qualified accountant before filing.

Account & security

We strongly recommend enabling 2FA. Go to Settings → Security → Set up 2FA and scan the QR code with an authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, or 1Password).

You'll receive 10 single-use backup codes — store them somewhere safe (password manager or printed copy). If you lose your phone, these are the only way back in.

FAQs

Still stuck? Email support@transactionmerge.co.uk — we usually reply within a working day.