eBay TAX Invoice
Hello!
We are a company registered in Romania, and under local accounting and tax compliance rules, we are required to hold a commercial/tax invoice for every piece of equipment purchased and used internally by our company.
To be very clear: this is not about VAT refund. This is about having a valid commercial invoice (TAX Invoice) for each item we purchase, showing the seller details, VAT amount, buyer details, item description, quantity, unit price, total, date, and invoice number.
At the moment, you do not provide these invoices for "some" of our orders. Without an invoice for each equipment purchase, our accountant cannot properly register the assets, and during an inspection, we risk penalties and serious compliance issues. In practice, if we cannot document the purchase with an invoice, it can be treated as an undocumented acquisition, which creates the appearance of “black market†procurement—something we must avoid entirely. Do you understand that? We can't provide "Printer friendly page" as a commercial invoice; this is very wrong.
And the seller can't send a commercial invoice, and he is right! His reply: "This order was paid for and delivered via eBay International, so eBay will be the one providing the invoice for it."
It's about this order:
Time placed Nov 11, 2025 at 2:26 PM
Order number 16-13813-16681
I sent several emails to your support.. But without luck, no longer human at the desk?
Why don't you introduce a new eBay service: "human representative", eBay agent, for a monthly fee? I will be glad to pay for someone who replies to my emails and understands my situation!
Thanks,
Gabriel
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months ago@stainlessenginecovers
1.) An 'invoice' number- which again, the 'order number' IS an 'invoice number'.
Invoice Number IOSS-492711-RO
Order No. 12-13849-43657
Looks the same to you? Or its rude to say that? This community looks so fragile.
2.) A 'Company Registration Number' (that does NOT even exist in the USA)
I also have a USA company, and I have a number, EIN (Tax ID Number) 36-51009**
So you are wrong here as well?
3) A VAT number because ebay does all that (collects tax and remits to that country, just like sellers do NOT need a 'resale' number because ebay collects state sales tax for the entire 45 states (that actually charge buyers sales tax).... therefore NOBODY selling on ebay.com (the US site) needs a VAT number.
I am not talking about you as a seller.. but you jump to discussion without even understanding the subject.
I am talking about eBay, which sometimes provides a TAX invoice and sometimes doesn't. The sellers are companies from the USA.
4) You need to research this more because a business CAN buy from 'another entity' that may NOT have all those things and STILL be legal- even in Romania.
Right. Most of you don`t have a clue about the subject or the facts. Just start the conversation to waste time... and to have more posts in statistics..
@lacemaker3, at least he tried to understand the problem and come up with an answer. I will check that with the sellers, companies with +12k items sold...
@soh.maryl I appreciate your time, but (IMHO) it would be better to leave room for users who really know what it's about. I am very sure the US eBay community has a lot of users with experience in TAX invoices..
Thank you for your time,
Gabriel
PS. Wrong hour.. wrong day 🙂
stainlessenginecovers
·8 months agoI don't care about 'statistics'. Was trying to shine a light on someone that really doesn't know what they need.
But, it's good that you continue on a 'help forum' being 'rude' to all that come.
soh.maryl
·8 months ago". . .it would be better to leave room for users who really know what it's about."
Thank you for your gracious suggestion.
pawool89
·7 months ago@infinitytelecomsrl
Ok so I read the entire thread and all the discussions.
For the record, I am from Romania and have a business. I did buy stuff from Ebay for my business before, BUT I always contactred the seller prior to making the purchase to make sure I'll get the necessary paperwork (INVOICE - Factura) for the local authorities. Furthermore, you do not need anything else from the seller other than an official invoice (Factura). The import paper you need is supplied by the shippment company, not by Ebay. So the Customs authorities need the shippment list that your last-in-the-chain shippment company gives you (AWB). All the shippment guys in Romania stick an AWB to the box you get (even if the box is from Honolulu or Beijing). That piece of paper along with the Invoice (that you should have asked the Seller for, and not Ebay) is all you need for the Romanian authorities.
As stated by the others, Ebay is a platform, and is not responsable for you to get an invoice. It does not make it mandatory for all sellers to supply an invoice (just like OLX platform in Romania). You should contact the seller directly.
Hope that helps.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months ago@stainlessenginecovers You don't have this information on the order page:
1) Invoice Number
2) Company Reg. Number
3) VAT ID
*eBay acting as deemed reseller as per Art.14a of VAT Directive 2006/112/EC has accounted for any VAT due in accordance with the local VAT legislation.
Everything is clear on the TAX Invoice.
@lacemaker3 Lucky you, we need invoices for any goods that we buy with the company's money. Moreover, if you buy something that is not useful to the company, you risk a fine.
lacemaker3
·8 months agoIf you can't get the tax invoice you need, then you need to either:
Just FYI (for your information): I will not compete with you in the rudeness competition. But you have no chance competing against some of the American responders here, who can out-do you in rudeness with both arms tied behind their backs and no keyboards.
stainlessenginecovers
·8 months agoBecause you chose to purchase from ebay, which is made up of approx 80% 'non business people' as well as even business doing business on ebay do NOT need:
1.) An 'invoice' number- which again, the 'order number' IS an 'invoice number'.
2.) A 'Company Registration Number' (that does NOT even exist in the USA)
3.) A VAT number because ebay does all that (collects tax and remits to that country, just like sellers do NOT need a 'resale' number because ebay collects state sales tax for the entire 45 states (that actually charge buyers sales tax).... therefore NOBODY selling on ebay.com (the US site) needs a VAT number.
You need to research this more because a business CAN buy from 'another entity' that may NOT have all those things and STILL be legal- even in Romania.
Can't you buy 'sticky labels' or 'Velcro' or 3M Tape or screws or caps from 'just plain ol folks' selling stuff out of their garage' like I do all the time for MY Business, from someone that is NOT a business?
I'll answer for you. Yes, you can.
So again, I suggest you research your 'country requirements' a little deeper.
redmodelt
·8 months agoMaybe the OP should log into their home community chat and ask this question there. These questions are outside of what buyers deal with purchases made and shipped within our boarders.
"Here in EU, when you are not sure about something, just don`t start the conversation. No point in doing that."
Here in the USA anyone is allowed to participate in any post made on the community platform and if you don't like the reply just scroll past it. What isn't allowed is to tell someone that they can't reply. This is NOT an international chat board.
stainlessenginecovers
·8 months ago@infinitytelecomsrl
"Tax Invoice", in the US, means something completely different than what you may need. You would have to look at your 'payments' tab on the ebay.co.uk' or 'ebay.eu sites to see if they are different.
Here, it is simply a list of transactions giving what sold, how much, order number, date etc. all on 1 line, with 100's per month depending on what a seller sells and NOTHING to do with WHAT WE, as a BUSINESS- purchase.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoI have the same thing in my seller account, but I am here as a buyer. As a seller, I have the same dashboard as you.
soh.maryl
·8 months agoSince most of us here are buyers and/or sellers in the USA, we did not understand exactly what you needed.
But we tried to help anyway. None of us deserved the kind of replies you offered in return. And, BTW, anyone can post here any time.
It can be frustrating to not be getting the help you need, but that doesn't excuse rudeness.
Hope you find out what you need.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months ago@stainlessenginecovers
Please take a look at what a TAX Invoice is. That is a proper document that can be sent to local authorities and includes a few DISTINCT and necessary elements. I will not spoil the pleasure of finding those elements 🙂
Information on the order page is for your own use.. zero value for authorities.
stainlessenginecovers
·8 months ago@infinitytelecomsrl really looks NO different; gives the SAME info as well as this one if from GERMANY; US businesses doing business on ebay don't do such a thing (I haven't in 15 years of being a 'business') and THAT is why you 'get some sometimes and not for others'. US sellers do not do such a thing for some penny-anny sale for $32.
lacemaker3
·8 months agoOK, that shows that eBay Germany provided a tax invoice for 3 items imported into the EU, by an EU buyer from a US seller, for items sold on eBay USA, that are valued below €150 in total.
Such tax invoices are not available (nor needed) for buyers in the USA. Under exactly what circumstances such an invoice is made available, we have no way to know.
Still rude. "I will not spoil the pleasure..."
lacemaker3
·8 months agoThat Tax Invoice is very clearly for Value Added Tax (VAT). The Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) is only for collecting VAT, and IOSS only collects VAT when the purchase is below the €150 threshold. That invoice is issued by eBay as a record of the VAT that eBay was required to collect and submit through IOSS.
The taxable amount for that purchase is shown in the VAT Breakdown table. US$ 172.59, which at the time was equivalent to €148.89. The VAT was collected and remitted through IOSS because it was below the maximum €150 threshold.
We don't have VAT in the USA, so the sellers you purchased from had nothing to do with collecting the VAT. The order details page in the USA serves as an invoice, because we have no need for IOSS documentation on purchases.
From the screenshots you shared, the items you are concerned about were shipped by eBay International Shipping (eIS) and were above the maximum €150 threshold. The eIS collects the VAT and (if applicable) import charges as a courtesy to the buyer. Before eIS, eBay used the eBay Global Shipping Program (GSP), and there is still a similar GSP available to UK sellers. That was before eBay was required to collect VAT, it was just a courtesy.
I remember that, with the GSP, VAT invoices were not available, because the terms of the GSP program were that it was not to be used for commercial purchases. The eIS also has a clause in the terms which says that it is to be used only for non-commercial purchases, to be used personally by the recipient, and not for commercial use.
https://pages.ebay.com/internationalshippingprogram/buyer/terms/ (Paragraph 4 c.)
This suggests that you don't have a tax invoice available for those purchases because they were valued over the €150 threshold, and were not processed through IOSS.
With any other shipping method, you would have been charged VAT (and import charges if applicable) when your package was delivered. With the eIS shipping method, the VAT and import charges were collected as a courtesy, with the understanding that this was a non-commercial purchase. Presumably, a tax invoice is not needed for non-commercial purchases.
You should confirm with eBay that it was because of the €150 threshold for IOSS processing. I would recommend that you contact eBay UK to ask about this, as they will be familiar with VAT invoices, and you are very fluent in English. If you speak German also, you could try eBay Germany as that is the main eBay website in Europe.
I suspect that there is no way, now, to get a tax invoice retrospectively for those purchases. Once you confirm that this is because of the €150 threshold for eBay to collect and remit VAT through IOSS, then you should avoid making purchases valued at €150 or more, if they will be shipped by eIS (from USA or Canada) or GSP (from the UK).
stainlessenginecovers
·8 months agoEVERYTHING you stated you NEEDED is shown on the 'order details' that YOU displayed.
The ONLY difference is ebay uses an
ORDER NUMBER
does NOT say 'INVOICE NUMBER'.
Therefore, this would NOT be ''toilet paper' to the authorities.
If it would, show us an example of what is DIFFERENT about said 'Tax Invoice'.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months ago@kathiec Here in EU, when you are not sure about something, just don`t start the conversation. No point in doing that.
I will do what @lacemaker3 said. I will ask sellers that are +12K items sold.. if they are "opt-in for the downloadable tax invoice"..
Thank you for your time,
Gabriel
kathiec
·8 months ago@infinitytelecomsrl
You have been exceptionally rude in this entire thread. You are posting about a very specific EU-based requirement on a US-based forum of volunteers with no previous knowledge of how things work in Romania. The appropriate response would have been just the "thanks for your time" without the constant and condescending "that's not helpful".
As for your requirements for the respondent you're looking for, your chances of finding them on the US-based forums are slim and none. You'll be much better served by going to the Community of one of the EU eBay sites. Hopefully they'll be more to your liking.
lacemaker3
·8 months agoActually, @kathiec, I think I have already supplied the answers that @infinitytelecomsrl needs. Two options.
But he just doesn't like the answers.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoWhat exactly is rude here?
"The link is not helpful" or
"Thanks for your time, Gabriel"
Anyway, I still wait for someone who:
1) have a company
2) buy as a company
3) knows what an invoice is
4) needs invoices to document the purchase on company
A reply from that user will be the best candidate! Everything else will be just a waste of time!
Thanks for the time!
Gabriel
lacemaker3
·8 months agoEverything, including "Thanks for your time" because that was sarcastic.
I told you what you need to do. Ask your seller to opt-in for the downloadable tax invoice link to be available. Or, you can ask eBay if downloadable tax invoices are available for purchases valued above €150.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoUnfortunately, no really helpful reply yet, maybe because companies that understand and need TAX invoices aren't online here.
Anyway, thanks for your time.
I will try to call eBay. Even on chiness website i get invoices.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months ago@lacemaker3
You point me to the "Printer-friendly page".
Unfortunately, authorities work based on a valid commercial invoice, not on a copy-paste webpage. You know why? These invoices must be registered on both ends, which makes them so important!!
Anyway, if I understand correctly, if the seller from whom I buy the item is over 20k per year, I will not see the TAX Invoice. That is? 🙂
But without invoices, it's just a black market? If I buy something from a guy on the street and I don`t get any invoice or a receipt, it's the same thing. A selfie of me and him its not good enough 🙂
As a company, you need TAX invoices
As a private person, you must pay taxes to the authorities on your income. You go with a webpage print and a little Photoshop? 🙂
Thanks,
Gabriel
PS. Just in case you think I should use copy-paste webpage and Photoshop to make some adjustments.. its illegal and results in high penalties for a company.. Commercial TAX invoices are tracked.
soh.maryl
·8 months agoBack to the beginning: Exactly what kind of tax are we talking about here?
Here in the USA, about 45 states have a state sales tax and, on eBay, that tax is paid by the buyer.
So you have something similar in Romania?
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoHere in Romania, and I think in the EU, when you buy something with the company's money, you must have an invoice that comes with the purchase, a real invoice with a number and all details. You can’t use company funds at your discretion without supporting documentation. It's illegal!
eBay provides invoices, TAX Invoices on the order page.. But sometimes don't. I don`t think it's random.
lacemaker3
·8 months agoNo, what the eBay policy says, is that if a seller based in the USA sells more than US$20,000 per year, then their name and address will be shown on the order details page for their buyers.
Here is some information about the invoice that is viewable through a link on the order details page for buyers in the UK and EU. eBay calls this a "Tax invoice":
https://www.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/selling-policies/tax-policy?id=4348
That says that eBay collects VAT for purchases valued up to €150, but your screenshots showed that your purchases were being shipped with eBay International Shipping, in which case the VAT and import charges are paid up-front, at checkout, as a courtesy to the buyer. The one without an invoice was for more than €150. It is possible that the downloadable tax invoices are only available for purchases valued up to €150.
According to this announcement, downloadable VAT invoices were being rolled out beginning in Jan 2025, and UK sellers could opt-in for this. The policy above sounds as though the roll-out should be complete, and doesn't say anything about whether sellers need to opt-in for this or not. You may need to ask your sellers to opt-in for tax invoices, so that you can access them.
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Announcements/Introducing-downloadable-VAT-invoices-for-sellers-opt-in-to/ba-p/7758272
That announcement and policy applies to eBay UK and eBay sites in the EU, so if you have more questions about this tax invoice, you should ask one of the eBay communities in the UK or EU.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoYour link it's about "Introducing downloadable VAT invoices for sellers - opt-in to enrol in this trial"
That link is not helpful. I am the buyer here. I just need confirmation (an invoice) of my purchase.
Thanks for your time.
Gabriel
lacemaker3
·8 months agoWell, that's rude. Read the whole post. Try engaging your manners before you type. Courtesy always helps.
It sounds like you need to ask your sellers to opt in.
https://community.ebay.co.uk/t5/Seller-News-April-2025/Simplifying-VAT-invoicing/m-p/7814692
Or, you can ask eBay if downloadable tax invoices are available for purchases valued above €150.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoI have logged in via the UK to the same order page, but there is no "View Invoice".
I believe the answer is more complicated than the seller location. It has something todo with numbers.
Thanks,
Gabriel
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months ago@lacemaker3 Here is my order page. As you can see its missing "View Invoice".. The only difference between my order pages is the amount.. 🙂 when its high amount, no TAX Invoice 🙂
Thank you,
Gabriel
lacemaker3
·8 months agoThat seller is a business seller, and their listings show their business name and address when they are viewed on eBay UK, which has the same requirements for business sellers as the EU does, as far as I know. They do not show their business info when their listings are viewed on eBay USA.
I don't know why that purchase order doesn't show the seller's business name and address.
What happens if you log on to www.ebay.co.uk and view the purchase order from there, on eBay.co.uk?
Maybe you could print the seller's business name and contact info from eBay UK, and then print the order details onto the same page.
lacemaker3
·8 months agoI did some more research, and on eBay USA (eBay.com), because of USA law, eBay has to display the seller's business name and address on the order details page if their annual volume of sales is more than US$20,000.
https://www.ebay.com/sellercenter/resources/inform-consumers-act
Based on your screenshots, it appears as though you only see the "View invoice" link if the seller's business info is shown. Otherwise, the link is not there.
For buyers based in the USA, we will see the seller's business info if the criteria above are met, but we do not see a View Invoice link at all.
For example, here is the order details page for a recent purchase, which shows the seller's business info. There is no View Invoice link, but I can highlight what I need to print (as shown with blue background) then right-click and choose "Print selection" in order to print the page with all the information you said you needed to print.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoHello, lacemaker,
This seller is a business seller
https://www.ebay.com/str/unitedtelsupplyandrepair
And I don`t have the TAX Invoice on the order page
Also, this is another business seller
https://www.ebay.com/str/lonestarnetworks
Same, no TAX Invoice on the order page..
Thank you for the reply,
Gabriel
lacemaker3
·8 months ago@infinitytelecomsrl
I don't know why some of those order details have the tax invoice link or not. I don't see a link like that on any of my purchases, whether the seller was a business seller or a private seller. Maybe it is because you are registered in Europe, or because you are registered as a business seller yourself.
However, as I said before:
"If the "Printer friendly" link does not have the info you need, then highlight all the text you need, right click on the page, and choose "Print selection" then follow the prompts. (This works on the Firefox browser, you may need to use slightly different steps for a different browser.)"
On my purchase orders, the seller's business name and address are shown on the order details page if the seller is a business seller, and I can print the order details page with the seller's business information as described above. From what you said, I think that has all the information you need for a tax invoice.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoHello,
Guys, if you aren't a company that cares about TAX Invoices, please stop replying to this thread; it's not helpful for me with these wrong answers. Thank you!
"The only invoice you would receive from eBay is what they send you before making the payment." ??
I have a dozen invoices on the order page, "View Invoices," that are TAX/Commercial Invoices.. But some purchase/orders dont have a TAX Invoice, especially the ones over $ 500 !
"Ebay is the platform you sell on they are not the carrier." ??
When eBay handles shipping, I pay the shipping to eBay International. I don`t care if at my door ring DHL/FedEx (carrier). I pay the fee to eBay.. I expect the Invoice from eBay, not from DHL/FedEx.. Make sense for you?
"They do have human representatives but you need to go through chatbox and request a phone call back. "
Really? These are some emails with them about the purchase, where there is no "TAX Invoice"
Re: 1-501262728489 SR# 1-501262728489
Re: SR#: 1-500874925976 SR# 1-501041517608
As I mentioned before, I would appreciate it if you reply only to users from this great community who have the same situation: a company, buys from eBay, and needs a TAX invoice! Special for orders over $ 500
Thanks,
Gabriel
lacemaker3
·8 months ago@infinitytelecomsrl
That order details page that you showed in your screenshot is from a business seller. That is why their business name and address are shown, and perhaps that is why there is a link to an invoice.
For the other purchases, were they made from business sellers (their business name and address will be shown) or from private sellers (no business name or address is available)?
lacemaker3
·8 months ago@infinitytelecomsrl
To my knowledge, the only "invoice" that is available for a buyer, after an eBay purchase, is the Order Details page. For the item you mentioned, you should be able to view that here:
https://order.ebay.com/ord/show?orderId=16-13813-16681#/
That link will only work if you are logged in to the account that made the purchase (or possibly for the seller). If the "Printer friendly" link does not have the info you need, then highlight all the text you need, right click on the page, and choose "Print selection" then follow the prompts. (This works on the Firefox browser, you may need to use slightly different steps for a different browser.)
If that invoice is not sufficient, what is missing?
If the problem is that the seller was registered as a private seller (so the seller's name and address are not shown), and not as a business seller (which will show the seller's business name and address in the order details), then you would need to be sure that you only make commercial purchases from business sellers.
For private sellers, eBay can't show the seller's business name and address because they are not registered as a business.
infinitytelecomsrl
OP8 months agoHello, soh.maryl
So this eBay community has no official support from eBay? 🙂 But it's hosted by eBay. 🙂
Regarding your questions, there is no invoice on the order page: only the "Printer-friendly page," which is toilet paper for the authorities. They require only a valid commercial invoice.
Thanks,
Gabriel
kensgiftshop
·8 months agoThe only invoice you would receive from Ebay is what they send you before making the payment.
After you make the payment, it would be a receipt.
bonanza125
·8 months ago"So this eBay community has no official support from eBay?"
Correct. This is a peer to peer community who answers questions and gives you advice.
"This order was paid for and delivered via eBay International, so eBay will be the one providing the invoice for it."
Ebay is the platform you sell on they are not the carrier.
Why don't you introduce a new eBay service: "human representative", eBay agent, for a monthly fee? I will be glad to pay for someone who replies to my emails and understands my situation!
They do have human representatives but you need to go through chatbox and request a phone call back.
soh.maryl
·8 months agoFirst of all, when you post a message here, you are not addressing eBay or its employees.
The people who reply here are fellow eBay buyers and sellers who volunteer their time here to help others if possible. Therefore, as you can see, most of the times you've referred to "you", it does not apply to us.
And I know little to nothing about invoices, but couldn't the original invoice from eBay where you made payment for your purchase serve this purpose? It seems like this would include at least most of the required information.