Ebay Sales Tax on Everything Now?

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by perezfan

So you must live in CA.

Enjoy the out-of-state purchases while you still can!

Yeah, and when ebay does their 15% off coupons, buying anything from out here would basically negate the discount you were looking to get. Frickin' bummer!!!!!

[Fred]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for paying taxes when it makes sense....

I understand paying sales tax on NEW things, but for used items and hobby collectibles that are not new, it just doesn't make sense. What could happen is you could buy something on ebay (taxes collected), sell it (taxes collected), the person that buys it from you could sell it (taxes collected). When does it stop. Basically it's a tax for selling anything. Where I live there are things that are tax exempt, for example FOOD. Why can't there be exemptions for USED crap?

What this amounts to is being taxed on ANYTHING that is purchased, even if taxes had been paid on it before. In my book, that's bullshittt.

If it's collecting taxes on hobby related materials that is NEW (for example, card pages or holders, etc) then hit me up on taxes, I'm happy to pay them.

Buy something on Amazon or ebay that's new, TAX it. Buy a frigging baseball collectible that is not new, then leave it the PHUC alone.

Someone needs to start a virtual/internet "Boston Tea Party".

[conor912]

Ahhh. This explains the mystery charge to my PP account. The other day I bought a PC for $7.75/dlvd. The charge showed as $7.75, but then there was a wierd separate mystery charge of $.78, which is WA sales tax (10.1%). I guess the party's over. Tax in HA, now tax on eBay...soon tax everywhere.

[BeanTown]

Didn't California propose charging tax on every text message? So, who collects the eBay tax and then is responsible for paying it? Please don't tell me the seller.

[keithsky]

So as a collector and not a business if I sell something in one of the state's you said do I collect the tax and then have to pay it on a tax form at tax time with my personal taxes? If so looks like I won't be selling anymore and most casual collectors won't either.

[PiratesWS1979]

Will the tax come from all sellers or just the ones over a certain dollar/item amount per year?

[egbeachley]

Originally Posted by keithsky

So as a collector and not a business if I sell something in one of the state's you said do I collect the tax and then have to pay it on a tax form at tax time with my personal taxes? If so looks like I won't be selling anymore and most casual collectors won't either.

No, your personal taxes are paid to your state. You would either send the cash to that state after filling out their form or, more likely, eBay would do it for you.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by egbeachley

No, your personal taxes are paid to your state. You would either send the cash to that state after filling out their form or, more likely, eBay would do it for you.

Except here in Mass you need to get a sales tax number from the revenue dept. Without it you don't have the right to collect sales tax. With it you do, but you also can file paperwork with a vendor to be exempt from sales tax on items for resale.


So will Ebay handle the paperwork of getting the tax number for me? And filing all the forms which have varying deadlines depending on overall sales?


Or do they collect and send me the tax, which I have no right to collect and essentially no way to pay to the state as there's no resale number to apply the payment to.


The first way pretty much wrecks Ebays claim to be "just a venue"
The second basically forces casual sellers to break state law.

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by conor912

Ahhh. This explains the mystery charge to my PP account. The other day I bought a PC for $7.75/dlvd. The charge showed as $7.75, but then there was a wierd separate mystery charge of $.78, which is WA sales tax (10.1%). I guess the party's over. Tax in HA, now tax on eBay...soon tax everywhere.

Yup.... Etsy is now doing the same (in WA anyway). Not sure about other states, but pretty sure that many others will follow.

[Santo10Fan]

I'm in Illinois and added an item from CA seller to check what you mentioned here. Did not see sales tax added to invoice.

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Santo10Fan

I'm in Illinois and added an item from CA seller to check what you mentioned here. Did not see sales tax added to invoice.

Try that with other CA sellers and see if it is added. I'm out here and once in awhile when I do a test by adding something to my cart, a CA seller won't have the sales tax factored in for some reason. Don't know if it's on purpose or some some sort of crack in the system.

[OLDBILL]

If you live in CA and buy a card from a CA seller, you get taxed.

[JollyElm]

Yeah, why let facts get in the way...

canotax.jpg

Red box (added from the actual listing) shows item location as California. I live in California, and like I specifically said, sometimes the tax doesn't show up.


Another two CA cards I put in my cart cost around $400 and had tax of $32+ listed...

catax.jpg

[thecatspajamas]

Without knowing for sure, I would hypothesize that eBay is now adding sales tax for specific states when out-of-state purchases are being shipped to that state (i.e. Use Tax), but is still leaving it up to sellers who reside in those states to collect and remit Sales Tax to their state as before. This would make it appear hit-and-miss for application of sales tax for in-state buyers. Did the Wayfair court ruling that all of this was based on even speak to application of in-state sales tax for internet purchases?

I haven't tested this theory. Just throwing it out there for consideration.