Sales Tax Charged on Tax-Free Items. Who Do I Contact?

[auntmame]

I was charged sales tax on at least two separate occasions that I believe should have been tax-free.  It is my understanding that a purchase of precious metals, in the amount of over $1000.00, in one transaction and on the same invoice, is tax-free. Yet, according to my interpretation of the NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance, Taxpayer Services Division, Technical Services Bureau, TSB-M-89 (20)S Sales Tax, I met that requirement and was charged sales tax.

If I am correct, I am looking for a refund of the sales tax paid.  However, I am at a loss as to who to contact on this.  Is there a phone number to call where I can actually speak with a human?  I would greatly appreciate any leads that are the correct number.  Or perhaps a link to a chat with a human? 

Many thanks for any advice.

[lacemaker3]

@auntmame,

Unfortunately, this situation is not quite as simple as that.

The exemption you are referring to, only applies if the precious metal (bullion/coins/bars/ingots/etc.) were purchased at a price which was determined only by the amount of precious metal involved, on the day of the sale. Since sales on eBay are not charged by the gram or troy ounce, this means that the amount of the sale would have to be compared to the closing price for the metal (or the average of the bid and asking price) on that day.

https://www.tax.ny.gov/pdf/memos/sales/m89_20s.pdf

If you have documentation that shows that your purchases were within the allowable threshold when compared to the actual value of the metal on the day you purchased, then you should contact eBay customer service on:

www.facebook.com/ebayforbusiness

and ask them how to submit the request for the sales tax to be refunded. I have heard that eBay will make a refund in this situation when they receive all the documentation that is needed to prove that the purchase was not taxable.