BUYER FEES??????????

[marleymarlinu]

I've noticed that eBay charged me fees for two transactions where I made an offer, to the sellers, of the items I purchased. Are there such fees? If so, why would eBay charge a fee towards the buyer when 'making an offer' option is used? 

AND why can't you contact eBay via email?

[woodland_gnome]

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@marleymarlinu wrote:

So in other words, if you purchase with an American Address, that state will charge you a tax, BUT if you purchase with a European Address, there is not tax charge, correct?

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Most European countries have a VAT tax.  If the item is being shipped through the Global Shipping Program it will be collected by eBay; if the seller is shipping internationally directly that would be usually collected by the carrier before delivery along with any other import duties and fees.

[soh.maryl]

That is essentially correct.  Just wanted to remark that, if that European buyer uses a freight forwarder with an address in the US, like there is at least one in NJ and, I think, in FL, that tax will be collected from that European buyer based on the shipping address of his purchase, regardless of his actual place of residence.  

[lightlily_arts]

eBay just started collecting these taxes in July so it would be only for purchases you have made in the past month

[soh.maryl]

To make a few things more clear:

eBay will not be the only entity charging state sales tax.  ANY on line sale will be charged state sales tax.

The state sales tax is charged based on the buyer's shipping location NOT the seller's address.

eBay collects the tax, not the seller.  Many sellers apparently are not aware of the tax being charged.  The seller does not receive the money.  eBay does receive the money, but remits the tax to the appropriate department of the state involved.  

[soh.maryl]

An American SHIPPING address.

As I mentioned earlier, I believe, international buyers who use a freight forwarder in the USA will also be paying the state sales tax if the freight forwarder they use is in one of the states that is now charging state sales tax.  There is at least one freight forwarder in NJ that I am aware of as well as at least one in FL.  

[dtexley3]

  Use the shipping forwarder in Portland, OR.  NO SALES TAX HERE!

[7606dennis]

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@marleymarlinu wrote:

So in other words, if you purchase with an American Address, that state will charge you a tax, BUT if you purchase with a European Address, there is not tax charge, correct?

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That is partially correct.  If you purchase and have it shipped directly to you in Europe, any VAT or other taxes charged by your country would still be your responsibility, but the seller would not be collecting and remitting them.  You would get that pleasure yourself.

Of course, if you have the item delivered within a state in the US, even to a forwarder, the transaction would be deemed to have been completed within the state of the delivery and the tax would apply.  However, if you have the merchandise then forwarded to you in Europe, you may still and probably will be responsible for any taxes or duty owed to your country as the importer.

[femmefan1946]

Okay-- just to be difficult.

If I buy from a US seller who uses the Global Shipping Program to ship to me here in Canada, he sends my purchase to a freight forwarder (the GPS) in Kentucky.

Will I now be charged Kentucky sales tax, although I have never been to Kentucky, haven't been to the USA since 2017, and don't intend to for at least another 16 months?

Or, just as the GSP is a sub-contractor collecting and remitting Canadian duty and sales taxes for CBSA and Revenue Canada, will I also be paying US taxes?

Boy, I thought nothing could make Canadians more annoyed than the GSP. 

[7606dennis]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

Okay-- just to be difficult.

If I buy from a US seller who uses the Global Shipping Program to ship to me here in Canada, he sends my purchase to a freight forwarder (the GPS) in Kentucky.

Will I now be charged Kentucky sales tax, although I have never been to Kentucky, haven't been to the USA since 2017, and don't intend to for at least another 16 months?

Or, just as the GSP is a sub-contractor collecting and remitting Canadian duty and sales taxes for CBSA and Revenue Canada, will I also be paying US taxes?

Boy, I thought nothing could make Canadians more annoyed than the GSP. 

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I'm not sure how it should work with the GSP program since the GSP center in Kentucky is part of the shipping infrastructure of the program like a USPS sorting center.  However, femmefan1946, you make a very good point.  I would think that, because the GSP center in Kentucky is know not to be the final destination within the GSP system, it wouldn't be considered the same as an item being shipped directly to an address within a state for delivery in the eyes of the state's tax people.

Of course, I'm not privy to everything that eBay and P-B include in the fee that they charge for the GSP program.  Perhaps they include those taxes in what they call their "import charges."  However, I believe that it isn't really up to them to decide if Kentucky state taxes apply or not.  That would be up to Kentucky.

[misfitfun]

GSP center is not part of usps.com system.It is a forwarder just like any other just sanctioned by ebay

[7606dennis]

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@misfitfun wrote:

GSP center is not part of usps.com system.It is a forwarder just like any other just sanctioned by ebay

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I didn't mean to say that it was.  I was merely trying to give a reference to show how eBay might reason that it didn't need to collect sales tax on items sent there. 

Of course, I'm not sure that Kentucky has even passed a marketplace facilitator law.  Anyone know for sure if they have?

[pjcdn2005]

I have no idea if Kentucky has the user tax but I really doubt that tax would be charged for a gsp package.  If a seller sends a package to a freight forwarder in Florida..the forwarder is the end recipient of that purchase as far as ebay is concerned so that transaction would be taxed.

With the gsp, the end recipient is not in Kentucky so there shouldn't be a state sales tax on a gsp package.

[7606dennis]

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@pjcdn2005 wrote:

I have no idea if Kentucky has the user tax but I really doubt that tax would be charged for a gsp package.  If a seller sends a package to a freight forwarder in Florida..the forwarder is the end recipient of that purchase as far as ebay is concerned so that transaction would be taxed.

With the gsp, the end recipient is not in Kentucky so there shouldn't be a state sales tax on a gsp package.

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Florida has not enacted a marketplace facilitator law so eBay wouldn't be collecting any tax on that sale but if the seller is located in Florida as well, they may have to charge sales tax on the transaction.  

[tonyconstruction805]

a loyal Ebay buyer since 2005-i used to avoid buying on Amazon because of the extra fees tacked on in the name of taxes-
now i find myself buying on Amazon-
Ebay is already losing money with this move-

[femmefan1946]

@tonyconstruction805 

To be clear, Amazon (and etsy and WalMart and LLBean and and and) is also charging the facilitator tax.

However, their invoices are set up to be less transparent that eBay's.

Perhaps because AZ sells mostly its own stuff while eBay is the venue for millions of sellers all over the world.