Folks Of Interest Ebay Now Charging Sales Tax

I purchased a 1927 Ford accessory tail light on ebay a couple of weeks ago a got quite a surprise when it came to do the checkout. The 1926-27 Ford accessory tail lights are extremely hard to find in good condition and I needed one more of these tail lights to complete the tail light setup on my 1927 roadster. You have to really watch as the Dodge Brothers tail lights look very similar and some guys will try to pass off a Dodge tail light as a Ford one. The Ford tail light has the Ford script embossed right on it, but you still have to look closely and make sure that the Ford script is original and not made up. I did get one at the Hershey fall swap meet, but when I got it home and took it apart, there was a crack in the brass outer ring. So another one comes up on ebay and it looks like a really nice original one ( and it is a really nice original light) and I bid on it and win the light, unaware that there is now sales tax now being charged by the folks at ebay. The 1927 tail light was $202.50, the shipping was $16.00, there was a surcharge to change Canadian dollars to US dollars (I reside in Canada)in addition to the currency exchange itself and now there is 9 per cent sales tax ( $18.00) added on top of all that. This very same tail light by the time I get it home and pay the Canadian tax at the border has now become a $320.00 tail light. I'm not complaining as I am very happy just to get the tail light, but the cost of getting something on ebay has now become extremely expensive and I am now wondering if it is really worth the effort anymore to buy anything else from this auction site. I think ebay has just now over priced itself out of existence. Is the sales tax they charged me a state sales tax or something else? I am not exactly clear on what this tax actually is. Anyways this was my recent auction site experience and for everyone here on the HAMB just proceed with caution when dealing with that auction site and be aware there is now a sales tax being charged.

 

I had an eBay order come in to myusaddress in New York in October. It looked like I was charged 8% tax which is the same as stuff I order from other sites. I assume that this is a state tax.
At least there's no duty to bring car parts across the border. The only thing that mildly ticks me off is you pay hst on the state tax amount.

Phil

 

Yes sales tax being done here in AZ also

Kinda ticked me off !

Speedway motors was first to do it on internet orders to my state then followed by Fleebay, Speedway told me it was my states fault when I questioned it...

EDIT: It used to be ONLY charged state sales tax if selling in state, IE: if company had a warehouse that shipped from your state, Or local bizz

 

That whole thing is too difficult to read.

So I just skimmed through it.

Try using paragraphs to break it up and make it understandable.

Buying from EBay is easy from Canada,

I usually buy from the vendors who offer the global shipping option.

You pay shipping duties and taxes up front.

Usually reasonable.

Of course we are always up against the exchange rate.

 

Online vendors are now required to collect the appropriate state sales tax as per a federal law. Used to be that if an online vendor had a physical store in your state, they had to collect sales tax. I see nothing wrong with this.

 

most states in the US charge a sales tax, usually in the 5% to 10% range.

It used to be that sales out of the state were not taxable, at least in AZ, but apparently the state dept of revenue isn't too worried about what the law says, they need to get some money to keep up.

 

I don't see anything wrong with it on a new item. I guess.

But. The sales tax was already paid. In 1927.

 

Going a little off the subject. Dismantlers do all the time. That one bothers me more. Double taxation I say!

 

I believe it was retailers that filed suit to level the playing field. The brick and mortar stores have to charge sales tax, and yes even on things like antiques where the tax was already paid BITD. Things finally went to the Supreme Court and they ruled in favor of the tax.
eBay is charging the appropriate % based on your locale.

 

This kind of makes the element of swap meets a bit more attractive, a shame there are not more swap meets, still there is vendor fees to contend with, nothing is ever easy anymore. Sales tax here in Seattle is high as well!

 

It’s easy to understand why they’re trying to get a handle on the taxes they have been losing for years through the online commerce.

People love buying from Amazon etc but they don’t realize how much they hurt their local economy in doing so.

Bezos just gets richer and doesn’t pay taxes where you live.

On the other hand I’ve bought a lot of stuff from Summit Racing and other online sources simply because I can’t get what I want locally so what’s a guy to do

 

I just paid sales tax and shipping for some small items that I can not get at my local independent parts store or from the blister-pack chain stores. Amazon charged shipping and sales tax. I wanted the parts this week, so I did not investigate the "Free shipping" option.

 

To add.........out of country orders are charged sales tax from the state it was sent! They didn't miss anything!

 

I got notices for over six months from Ebay saying this was coming in November and it should be no surprise they followed through. Its the law of the land. You have to read their emails.

 

Hold the phone on that one. When Dad and I used to vend at the Chief Blackhawk Antique Motorcycle Swap Meet in Davenport Iowa, the state of Iowa made us fill out tax forms and send them our “Tax”. Yeah, right. This pain in the ass has caused us to stop vending there. And we are Iowa natives! I guess I shouldn’t say this out loud, but the state of Illinois hasn’t figured this out yet (give them time).


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

It kinda irritates me to have to pay sales tax on items I'm buying from another private collector and not a retail outlet on ebay, but thanks to the new law that's how it is.
Swap meets are no different as most states issue sales tax documents to vendors who are asked to collect sales tax on items they sell.

Mick

 

That really sucks that you have to fill out such paper work, just how does the state track your cash sales at a swap meet? Plus how does the state have an inventory of what you brought or sold?

 

Everything is going to hell in a handbasket.

 

When the patriots lost the whisky rebellion war back when George Washington was president. Thet was the beginning of legally robbing someone who engages in commerce. Next they will start demanding you pay when you Barter. Collecting tax revenue is why some want to shift to a Cashless society.

 

Of course they cant keep tabs on cash deals and barter. They often would have a agent buy some drugs or illegal item with cash. Then raid the property of the seller and sieze all their property. There have been innocent folks who had large amounts of cash on them that was legit and had it stolen by authorities who asserted it was ill gotten gain. Whatever happened to being innocent. until proven guilty in a court of Law?

 

In PA. it’s the honor system and they also have people walking around watching, checking paper work.

 

Once you go for a joy ride in the back seat of a cruiser with those silver bracelets on.. You HAVE to prove your innocents ! !

 

most all of the big swap meets have had the tax form for vendors for many years. most guys do what it takes to get on the grounds and ignore the form after that. never heard of anyone being checked on, but if thats what you do for a living thats another story. soon they may want to see your garage sale proceeds.

 

It's been a while since I have attended the annual Portland swap meet, the entire concept of being watched by a state revenue agent at a swap meet as cash changes hands, sounds like George Orwell 1984 ! What a drag that is!

 

Its government driven, not ebay driven. Im surprised its gone this long without it. Uncle Sam needs their cut of any "reported" money that changes hands... You know, to give away, to someone else.

Agree between shipping and all the fees, ebay is starting to make less sense.

I parted out a vehicle recently, first time in many years, ended up using facebook marketplace. Got things sold quickly, locally. I stay off the other sections of that place, dont like it in general, force stop the app in android when im not using it.

Ill say people have gotten much more ridiculous when they dont have to make offers face to face.
I have had to pull some serious restraint to just say no thanks instead of "suck my balls".

 

Most states are passing laws like this one Michigan just did last week. It requires ebay and others to charge.

https://www.wxyz.com/news/gov-whitmer-signs-bills-to-collect-taxes-on-more-online-sales

 

Doing the same in Ohio and will look into spending the money locally first no.

 

If you drive too much we'll tax the street
If you walk too much we'll tax your feet ....

 

And when we get stuff sent to Australia, we pay a further 10% GST (goods & services tax) on the TOTAL of the import, which is the item PLUS the domestic shipping in the U.S.! I think Instead of buying bits, I'm just going to bend over, drop my daks and tell the Guvmints to "have fun".