eBay

marnotom! · ‎07-01-2022

Just made my first Canadian purchase on eBay with the new system in place.

Checkout:

There's a note below the total that states that eBay is "required" to collect sales tax, blah blah blah. There's also a learn more link that takes the buyer to this page:

https://www.ebay.ca/help/buying/paying-items/paying-tax-ebay-purchases?id=4771

The order details page has pretty much the same information. There's no GST number displayed, however. I don't know if this seller is registered to collect and charge GST/HST, but I would assume that if they are their number would show up below the total.

reallynicestamps · ‎07-21-2022

"Don't HAVE to be" is not the same as "Must NOT be".

I believe sellers and some buyers would be more comfortable if the number was on the form, even if just for pretty.

marnotom! · ‎07-21-2022

@reallynicestamps wrote:

"Don't HAVE to be" is not the same as "Must NOT be".
I believe sellers and some buyers would be more comfortable if the number was on the form, even if just for pretty.

Some Amazon shoppers would probably be more comfortable if Amazon still included paper receipts, period, with their purchases.

lotzofuniquegoodies · ‎07-22-2022

@marnotom! wrote:
It’s not proof that it’s tax on the item because the tax is based on the category under which the item was listed, not the item itself.

The limitations or inappropriate use of eBay's category system are the main reasons we see taxes applied incorrectly on the site.

To be brutally honest I've forgotten the original purpose of the government change to taxing these as eBay calls them "transactions". Was it to give the goverment another revenue stream or to make sure eBay etc was paying their fair share in taxes? Mega hmmmm!!!! Maybe to penalize small time sellers by taxing them to death?? Curious to know what % of items on the other major site is not in house inventory vs eBay? That would be a big difference in the scheme of things!!!

-Lotz

ricarmic · ‎07-22-2022

The tax portion of the government change is directed towards the buyers and increasing the number of transactions where taxes are collected from the buyer. (aka increasing the government revenue stream). Neither eBay nor us are taxed, it is the buyers who are paying the taxes, we just have the work/paperwork pain(s) it brings along with it.

As buyers move more to online shopping the goverment is working to preserve the tax stream they would have had if folks were purchasing everything in their local store as it was in the olden days.