On Jan 1st eBay started automatically charging sales tax on items sent to Washington a Minnesota. They are collecting the tax and turning it over to the states themselves. As a seller, you really don't know this is happening. As a buyer in either of these states, you now see that you are being charged. First, eBay seems to have jumped into the pool with their clothes on instead of a swimsuit. Most states laws have said taxes need to be paid after the first $100,000 or 200 transactions. I am pretty sure no one on eBay had done $100,000 or 200 transactions to either state on the first day of the year. Therefore I am paying taxes which I am not obligated to pay. Moreover and more importantly for me, I am a business, have a valid business license and am not required to pay tax on anything I purchase for resale. I can walk into any state store and buy without tax as a business. Yet eBay is now forcing me to pay tax on the 99% of items that I purchase on the platform for resale, which seems illegal to me. You can not opt out. I am now at a 10% disadvantage with my competition who may not purchase on eBay, or at the very least I become less competitive because I have to raise prices. EBAY!! Stop forcing me to pay an illegal tax. Also curious that after calling and speaking with two concierge members, they had no idea this was being done. One tried to tell me that eBay was NOT collecting taxes yet an Oct notice states they would. How well has this been thought out if their own people, who answer questions, have never been told about it?
