Is a canadian e-bay seller allowed to charge you HST on your purchase?

[tracyakawren]

?:|  I am trying to purchase a item from a seller who is kinda local to me. Instead of shipping she has offered to drop the item off, but she says she has to charge me HST. Is this right? I don't remember paying HST on other Canadian purchases.. Please help before i continue with my bidding. Thanks  T.C.

[piterpater005 · Accepted solution]

If the seller is a registered business she would charge tax, yes.

[femmefan1946 · Accepted solution]

Many small, home based businesses are not registered to collect taxes.

Many larger, registered businesses absorb the taxes in their prices, so as to treat all their customers the same.

Your invoice should include the GST/HST number, if it does not, ask her for it.

Very few sellers try to cheat on this. The occasional new seller will charge tax and then be baffled about what to do with it.

Sellers who are not remitting the taxes they collect should plan for a world of  pain.

[big_sandwich · Accepted solution]

As someone mentioned above- the seller should be a registered business in order to charge tax.

If he/she is not, then it may be an attempt to profit extra off your purchase.