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Colorado Retail Delivery Fee (Tax) - Not Refunded
Summary: coachjt1 shared an issue they faced with a seller on eBay who backed out after a completed purchase, noting that while the transaction was refunded, the $0.31 Colorado delivery fee was not returned. They inquired about eBay's policy on refunding this fee, as no delivery took place. monroe67 suggested eBay should have refunded the fee if the sale tax was refunded unless Colorado law deems it non-refundable. They recommended contacting Colorado's treasury department for assistance.
I had a seller back out of a Buy It Now sale after I had already purchased and immediately paid for the item. The seller created a shipping label but never actually shipped the item and stopped responding to all communications. I am located in Colorado and they charge a $0.31 deliver tax over and above the sales tax.
While I understand that the amount is only $0.31, I am trying to understand the principle involved. The seller accepted my payment, created a shipping label, never shipped the item, and then stopped responding. eBay ultimately refunded the purchase because the seller failed to complete the transaction.
Why, under those circumstances, was the Colorado retail delivery fee not also refunded? No delivery ever occurred, and the cancellation was entirely the result of the seller's failure to perform. Is it eBay's policy that a buyer remains responsible for this fee even when the seller never ships the item?
monroe67
Mentor1 month ago · EditedThat's a good question.
Trying to apply logic (I know, I know), it seems that eBay certainly should have refunded those 31 cents.
eBay did refund your sales tax, right?
Therefore, eBay should have refunded your 31 cent delivery fee*.
And I really dislike the use of the words "eBay should" in these forums.
*UNLESS Colorado laws state that the delivery fee is non-refundable once it is paid.
Ultimately, you may need to contact Colorado's treasury department (or whatever it is called in Colorado) in order to request a refund. Start with Colorado's official website.
coachjt1
OP1 month agoColorado law does not state that the $0.31 Retail Delivery Fee (Tax) becomes nonrefundable once it is collected. eBay has simply chosen not to refund this fee, even though it is effectively a state imposed tax/government mandated charge. Interestingly, eBay did refund the Colorado sales tax on the same transaction.
Because eBay refused to refund the $0.31, I completed the required Colorado refund form, attached four pages of supporting documentation, and mailed it to the Colorado Department of Revenue using an $0.82 stamp, since the request must be submitted by US mail.
If approved, Colorado will then issue a $0.31 refund check and mail it back to me, presumably at another postage cost of approximately $0.82.
So, in order to refund a $0.31 state imposed fee (tax) on a transaction that never occurred, the process requires at least $1.64 in postage, four printed pages of forms and supporting documents, and the administrative time necessary to receive, review, process, approve, print, and mail a refund check.
Typical government efficiency.