eBay

sin-n-dex · ‎05-13-2024

Due to a change in shippers, I may be changing my item location back to Canada, but I list on the eBay.com site.

Wanted to know if anyone else lists from Canada (with item location in Canada), I have a question if you list on the eBay.com site.

Does eBay charge your customers GST/HST on sales within Canada if the listing is on the dot com site? Or is this only for the dot ca site?

My understanding for Canada is that if you are listing from Canada to sell within Canada, eBay will charge taxes to your Canadian customer. However I don't know if this applies on the dot com site as well...

As it is, my customers don't pay any taxes, but my item location is currently New York. The new shipper is a partner of USPS and I can upload their tracking number from where the package starts in Canada (as it is, the start of the package tracking is in New York, so item location is correct, but if I provide my carrier's tracking number before it reaches USPS I can use Canada as my item location).

C.

pjcdn2005 · ‎05-13-2024

I list on both sites though the ones that I list on .com always sell to US buyers so I can't answer your questions from a seller's point of view. But if I put one of your items in my cart I'm not charged GST. There is a Canadian stamp seller who lists on both sites and when I put one of his .com listings in my cart, I am charged GST. I assume that is because his location is set to Canada but can't confirm that's why but can't think of any other reason why there would be a difference.

sin-n-dex · ‎05-13-2024

@pjcdn2005 wrote:
I list on both sites though the ones that I list on .com always sell to US buyers so I can't answer your questions from a seller's point of view. But if I put one of your items in my cart I'm not charged GST. There is a Canadian stamp seller who lists on both sites and when I put one of his .com listings in my cart, I am charged GST. I assume that is because his location is set to Canada but can't confirm that's why but can't think of any other reason why there would be a difference.

Since I print postage on eBay my return address is NY, so when I ship from NY, I'm not allowed to collect HST (even though I'm registered in Canada and still have to remit it). That's one reason I wanted to switch locations now that the start can show in Canada instead of just starting in NY, then I can collect HST and eBay will remit it for me, then I just file a zero return and keep all the credits.

It's a win for me, but not a win for the buyer... the buyer will have to start paying HST.

I have time away planned in October/November, so that might be a good time to make the change (like go away and come back in a few weeks). I'm afraid if I just change all my listings people who bid on auctions last week who suddenly have to pay HST might get upset.

With Chit Chats, I always uploaded the USPS tracking (well it's printed on ebay, it uploads automatically) and it shows label created and the origin scans for Niagara Falls NY. Since Stallion Express (the new shipper I use due to problems with Chit Chats) is apparently integrated with USPS, so if I upload their tracking to my eBay listings, it will start tracking in Canada right away (so buyers know their stuff is shipped, not a couple days lag to track), and it will continue with USPS. I think on the USPS site it will show Stallion Express tracking as a partner carrier and I don't remember that being the case with Chit Chats.

C.

msmaggie060 · ‎05-13-2024

I list on .com and my Canadian buyers always get charged gst/hst. Just like my US buyers are charged their federal and state taxes. Doesn’t seem to matter where you are shipping from, it’s where you are shipping to.

sin-n-dex · ‎05-13-2024

@msmaggie060 wrote:
I list on .com and my Canadian buyers always get charged gst/hst. Just like my US buyers are charged their federal and state taxes. Doesn’t seem to matter where you are shipping from, it’s where you are shipping to.

I'm presuming you're shipping from Canada. As far as i recall, the regulations with CRA say that it's a Canadian seller shipping to a Canadian buyer, taxes are charged. If a Canadian buyer is buying from outside Canada, taxes are charged at import (unless it's an EIS shipment, or something like that where duties are paid at time of purchase).

I'm registered in Canada, but my ship from address that's printed on all my eBay labels is New York, and packages get shipped from New York (by means of Stallion Express couriering the packages there in batches).

I'm planning on making changes so that the tracking of my packages starts in Canada and everything shows shipping from Canada, but wanted to know the ramifications for my buyers before making such a change. Sounds to me like this is a good transition to make while in away mode, not as likely to be noticed that way. The change would be good for me though (to be collecting taxes instead of remitting a portion of my profits as taxes, as it stands all my Canadian sales include sales tax because I have to remit that each month).

C.

sakic92710 · ‎05-13-2024

Sellers pay a GST fee if they are a Canadian. Not sure about the buyers. I sold an item to Vermont & had to pay $0.39 for selling it.

sin-n-dex · ‎05-13-2024

@sakic92710 wrote:
Sellers pay a GST fee if they are a Canadian. Not sure about the buyers. I sold an item to Vermont & had to pay $0.39 for selling it.

You're talking about GST/HST associated with your sellers fees. That I do have to pay (being registered in Canada, I get my invoices for my monthly store from eBay.ca, and my managed payments were set up on eBay.ca).

I'm talking about if you sell to a buyer in Canada with a listing on eBay.com, does the buyer pay GST/HST. This would be on the invoice, if you don't print invoices, you won't see that. There's no GST/HST for my Canadian buyers but that's because my item location is New York (and I ship from New York). Just wondering if changing the location while listing on eBay.com will cause my Canadian buyers to start paying GST/HST.

Survey says... they will.

C.

msmaggie060 · ‎05-13-2024

Hi, yes I ship from Canada and eBay.com collects and remits the taxes to the Canadian government when I sell to other Canadians. I have never had to collect and remit them myself.

sin-n-dex · ‎05-13-2024

@sakic92710 wrote:
Sellers pay a GST fee if they are a Canadian. Not sure about the buyers. I sold an item to Vermont & had to pay $0.39 for selling it.

Oh one more thing... if you get HST registered (as much as it's a nuisance to file the returns), you get that HST back when you file.

If eBay is collecting your HST, then your sales are Zero rated in Canada, therefore you won't collect/remit HST for eBay sales. But when you buy postage at the post office, pay eBay fees, buy envelopes, buy merchandise, you can claim that HST.

It might not be a lot of money, but I get back $100 a month due to HST on my eBay store (since I have way more credits than the amount I owe). Once eBay is collecting and remitting HST from my store, I will not owe CRA any HST, and can still claim my credits. They might not like this, but they made the rules that I had to follow 10 years ago when my bookkeeping business caused me to go over 30K in sales.

C.

sin-n-dex · ‎05-14-2024

@msmaggie060 wrote:
Hi, yes I ship from Canada and eBay.com collects and remits the taxes to the Canadian government when I sell to other Canadians. I have never had to collect and remit them myself.

Do you file an HST return? If so, do you put it down as "supplies in Canada zero rated"?

Since I have to remit HST on Canadian sales, and eBay doesn't collect them from my orders, I need to remit them myself. Shipping from the US doesn't circumvent the fact my business is located in Canada.

C.