EBAY CHARGING TAX ON NON-TAXABLE ITEMS -CANADA-
Summary: The discussion revolves around concerns regarding eBay charging taxes on non-taxable items in Canada. Participants are sharing their experiences and seeking clarity on the issue. Several members have joined the conversation, indicating that this may be a widespread concern among Canadian users.
It's frustrating- I buy and sell a lot of coins from the US and globally. I understand the logic of eBay collecting GST/HST- because the government is losing money. The issue is they don't understand Canadian tax/duty laws. There is no tax/duty on silver/gold coins, with some exceptions. Now - what happens is you call them- after you pay for the item- or even before you pay, they encourage you to pay- and you will be refunded the taxes. They say the 'tax department' is swamped, so that it may take a day or two. I've been waiting for almost THREE months, and not a dime has been refunded. I call them- and I get the run-around- again- and am told that the issue would be marked 'high priority' and thanks for the call- then nothing.
I can't be the only one this happens to. It's particularly sad for those who are just getting into coin collecting and don't know they are overcharged- and those who want me to do something. All I can do is refer them to eBay for the run-around.
So eBay- question- what are you doing with all the extra revenue you are receiving- that isn't going to Revenue Canada?
s.e.o.preciousmetals
·1 week agoOdd, I called eBay today as four of my five silver bullion coins were taxed for the buyers. One messaged me and let me know about this. After talking to eBay for 45 minutes I was advised that its the government that adds the tax not eBay. I explained again that isn't the case as bullion is tax free in Canada. The woman didn't care and plainly stated to have all the buyers call in and get a tax refund. I refunded the buyer out of my own pocket to not have them pull their hair out to deal with eBay and their slow tax refund process. Their system is outdated and archaic to say the least. I'll be pulling out of eBay for these reasons.
divep-68
·1 year agoHow do you get refunded?
divep-68
·1 year agoWhy are you charging me HST on 99.999 gold coins and bullion? I want my $33.95 back it was charged to my card and I want my money back thank you.
divep-68
·1 year agoI would appreciate a fast response.
mrdutch1001
·1 year agoThis is a member to member community forum>this is not eBay customer support>>you will need to contact eBay directly with that concern and I'd not be expecting " a fast response. "
ypdc_dennis
·1 year agoYou posted to a 2023 ZOMBIE thread.
Use the "Contact us" link at the bottom of this page to contact eBay.
tch_ca
·2 years agoJust a comment on the additional revenue on .9999 items where tax was collected. eBay does remit those collected taxes to the CRA and the CRA gladly accepts it. There is no law in this country for over taxation. The only law there is, is that you have the right to get it back if you've been unfairly or overtaxed taxed.
coins_eh
·3 years agoAnother to try is listing your silver or gold coins in the World/Commemorative section,
not the Canada/Commemorative section. The fineness doesn't need to be in the title but needs to be in the item specifics along with composition listed as silver or gold.
coins_eh
·3 years agoEdit to my above post. Only applies to pure silver coins, not gold.
marnotom!
·3 years agoApropos of nothing, am I imagining things or do the users who post on the subject of taxes being applied to bullion sales tend to favour using ALL CAPS when composing the topic title? 🤪
mcrlmn
·3 years ago"There is no tax/duty on silver/gold coins, with some exceptions"
You kinda got it backwards...
As recped said, "To be exempt from GST/HST precious metals in the form of coins must be at least 99.5% purity for Gold or Platinum and 99.9% purity for Silver".
brieonline
OP3 years agoYes, I stand corrected- the 99.+% rule applies. I don't care about the taxes on stuff I sell or buy that taxes should be applied to.
The other issue is the service fees- If you are charged, let's say 10% service fee- fine, but eBay collects the tax on the item- and charges you 10% of the tax that they collected and adds it to your fee- example:
Item sells for $100.
Tax: 12%
Total amount from person who buys item: $112.
Service fee: $11.20
Does that make sense?
femmefan1946
·3 years agoNot exactly.
EBay charges its fees on the entire payment your customer makes.
That payment is made up of the selling price, your shipping charge*, and any taxes the buyer pays**.
The fee is not on the tax, it is on the payment.
* Although you may charge the exact counter price for shipping to your customer, you are often getting a discount on that when you purchase a shipping label with your SfSB card/eBay labels/ Shippo labels etc.
**As does Paypal, merchant credit card accounts etc.
recped
·3 years agoTo be exempt from GST/HST precious metals in the form of coins must be at least 99.5% purity for Gold or Platinum and 99.9% purity for Silver.
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/forms-publications/publications/17-1/definition-financial-instrument.html#P213_10371
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoThe coins with that purity should be exempt but ebay does charge buyers tax on them even if they are in the bullion category.
recped
·3 years agoI just tested this by adding a .999 gold item listed in the Bullion Category from a Canadian seller..........
No tax was charged!
Cart......
Checkout.....
marnotom!
·3 years agoI remember a year or so ago suggesting that it might be possible to purchase on the US site to get around this, but while the preview screen showed no GST/HST charges, they popped up in Checkout. Good to see that the fix on .ca extends to Checkout.
pjcdn2005
·3 years ago@recped
Your screenshot surprised me as I had doublechecked whether tax was being added before I posted. This one that I added to my cart did charge tax. It was also listed under bullion and is .9999 gold.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoThere must be something different in the listings in the non taxed ones versus the taxed ones. I haven't narrowed it down but someone else might be able to figure it out.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoI checked a few different listings and I think that in order for ebay to NOT tax bullion, the fineness .9999 or .9995 needs to be in the title. It doesn't seem to matter if it is in item specifics.
It also needs to be listed only in the bullion category. If it is listed in bullion and another category, it shows up as taxable.
It's possible that I've come to the wrong conclusion but just based on looking at it today, that's how it seems to work.
marnotom!
·3 years agoMaybe it depends whether it’s a coin or a bar? After seeing @recped's post, I tried a coin which, frankly, didn’t strike me as bullion despite being listed as such, and didn’t see any tax charges in the order summary. This was on my phone, FWIW.
pjcdn2005
·3 years agoThat shouldn't be a factor.
marnotom!
·3 years agoWhat are you referring to? The type of bullion, the incorrect categorization, or the device used for the "purchase"? 😋
The sub-sub-subcategory for your purchase is, I assume, "bars" while the others was "coins." It may be that some sort of fix has been engineered based on "coins" but it hasn't made it to "bars" yet.
femmefan1946
·3 years agodevon@ebay Another complaint about this.
@brieonline Write to your MP.
Member's Name
House of Commons
Ottawa ON
K1A 0A6
You don't even need to stamp the envelope, just mark it OHMS (On His Majesty's Service).