topic Re: Blocking australians in Buying

Blocking australians

ellygrimmett — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 07:57:53 GMT

I just heard on the news that ebay wants to block Australians.

I am in shock.

I am one Australian that is saddened about this news.

Although i don't always get my orders, most of the time I do.

One time my order was sent back to the seller and they never told me.

So they kept my order and money.

I love ebay it will definitely have an impact on my life if I am not allowed to use ebay anymore.

Please vote here to keep ebay for us Australians.

Regards Elly from Sydney.

Proudly Australian

Re: Blocking australians

twyngwyn — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 08:08:47 GMT

http://www.smh.com.au/business/retail/ebay-threatens-to-block-australian-shoppers-over-gst-20170417-gvmkoe.html

Re: Blocking australians

lyndal1838 — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 08:44:51 GMT

It is only a possible solution to the issue of the government wanting to collect GST on all imports.

Ebay MAY decide to block Australian from buying from overseas sellers. There has never been any suggestion that I know of to close down ebay Australia.

There are plenty of other ways to buy from overseas sellers if this does happen. Ebay is quite a small player in the overseas buying by Australians.

If you don't get your items or they are not as described why don't you just open a dispute and get a refund? There is no need to lose any money on items that do not arrive as described.

Re: Blocking australians

isawyoucoming — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 09:27:14 GMT

gst on ebay what a joke say i buy a item from the us that i cant get in aus for $25us add $25us shipping

i would end paying 10% gst on $50us but the item really cost $25us.

i would just buy from other sites,i hope ebay shut overseas buying down , as if the goverment need more of our money to waste!!!!

Re: Blocking australians

lyndal1838 — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 09:42:35 GMT

This does not just affect ebay....they want to collect the GST on all imported goods.

There are submissions going to the government on how this should be implemented and ebay has just reacted with their typical hype.

As I understand it the GST is only going to be on the item price, not the postage component until the item reaches the current $1000 limit and then the current rules will apply.

Re: Blocking australians

caryns — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 05:32:23 GMT

This is just going to open a real can of worms. GST is only payable on BRAND NEW items and the argument could easily be made that what you are buying in a lot of cases is 2nd hand and therefore GST is not applicable. I buy a lot of clothes from America because of the lack of choice in plus-sizes here and 90% of the time the clothes are second-hand.

Re: Blocking australians

lyndal1838 — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 06:19:58 GMT

GST is payable on second hand items.

Re: Blocking australians

isawyoucoming — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 09:22:51 GMT

thats right we already pay gst on second hand goods,

wreakers car parts

auctions for used goods ect

overseas postage is a service so the gst will apply

Re: Blocking australians

lyndal1838 — Fri, 21 Apr 2017 03:45:46 GMT

GST currently applies to internal postage but it is my understanding that it does not apply to overseas postage.

Re: Blocking australians

rocket2retro — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 00:27:07 GMT

There are plenty of other places to buy online. If eBay did block Australian buyers (& don't want our business) that's their perogative.

If you still felt the need to buy on eBay you can set up an overseas address via a reshipping company (who take receipt of the goods and forward them to your Australian address).

Re: Blocking australians

caryns — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 04:03:14 GMT

No GST is not payable on second hand items UNLESS you are a business registered for GST. A private individual selling/buying second-hand items does NOT charge/pay GST (e.g. an eBay seller who is not a business and who is selling clothing they no longer need cannot charge GST and neither can the buyer be charged it). So if I buy second-hand clothing from a private individual in the USA who is clearing out their closet I am not liable to pay GST at all. This was told to me by an accountant.

Re: Blocking australians

chameleon54 — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 14:58:04 GMT

@caryns wrote:
No GST is not payable on second hand items UNLESS you are a business registered for GST. A private individual selling/buying second-hand items does NOT charge/pay GST (e.g. an eBay seller who is not a business and who is selling clothing they no longer need cannot charge GST and neither can the buyer be charged it). So if I buy second-hand clothing from a private individual in the USA who is clearing out their closet I am not liable to pay GST at all. This was told to me by an accountant.

Any business in Australia that sells more than $75,000 per 12 month period ( rolling basis ) is required to charge EVERYONE including private buyers, GST on their goods or services, regardless of wether they are new or used. Example - if you buy used clothes from a private op shop or high end used fashion emporium, the business is required to charge you, the private buyer GST, If the shop sells more than $75,000 per 12 months. This includes Australian based, ebay clothes sellers who sell more than $75,000 in any 12 month period.

If a BUSINESS buys used items from a private seller or small ( ebay ) business that sells less than $75,000 per year, they will not pay GST, unless the small business SELLER chooses to be registered for GST purposes. Some very small businesses choose to be registered and charge GST, particularly if they regularly supply larger businesses who expect to deal with some-one who charges them GST. ( think ebay stationary suppliers, small plant propagating nurseries supplying trees to farmers etc. ) It can complicate larger businesses accounting processes if they purchase from non GST. registered suppliers.

You are correct that private sellers are not required to charge GST on items that have been used personally and then sold, once no longer needed. BUT it would be extremly rare for a private seller to sell more than $75,000 worth of their own clothes on ebay in a twelve month period.

To summarise, ............All private buyers will pay GST on purchases of used items from any Australian business that sells over $75,000 per annum and also some smaller business sellers who chose to register for GST.

Private sellers, selling there own personal stuff are not required to charge GST even on the rare occasions it totals more than $75,000 per year. ( think collections, not originally purchased with the intention to increase in value or deceased estates etc. )

Re: Blocking australians

domino-710 — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 00:09:40 GMT

The E is not eBay.................................the other one.

This is an email received.

The Australian government has introduced new legislation that will, if not altered, require online marketplaces to collect GST on any sales into Australia, even if the seller sells less than the $75,000 threshold that would require them to collect GST.

The new law would not only increase costs for any goods you buy from overseas, but it also sets a dangerous precedent for Australian makers who export their goods through platforms like E...

We're concerned about the consequences of passing such a law. Australia would be the first country to require foreign sellers and marketplaces to collect and remit GST on any item, no matter how small.

Other countries will likely follow suit, meaning you could be required to collect and remit VAT, GST, or sales tax on any goods you export to other countries.

If every country were to pass these kinds of laws, we believe microbusiness exports around the world would plummet, especially through global marketplaces like E...

That's why we're testifying before the Senate this week, and asking you to sign this petition opposing the new law.

Please sign our petition and tell the government you don't want a new tax on online overseas purchases.

You can learn more about the campaign, created by Disrupt Sports CEO Gary Elphick, here.

Sign the petition

Thank you for your help!

Re: Blocking australians

toysandthings12 — Wed, 10 May 2017 07:56:58 GMT

Ebay for Australians, Yep, no probs, it still will be.

I see no problems with either EBAY stopping purchases to overseas sellers,

I buy frequently from overseas but happy to pay more locally, I also buy locally.

and yes its a step in the right direction, to test, for other countries to also follow.

Anything there is a demand for will get provided by local sellers in a small

amount of time. Items will not stay unavailable for long.

We have a huge amount of people eager to take up any slack, eager to

import and sell.

Its a move against tax dodging, then it moves into the bigger corporations if not already

skipping straight to them. Like ebay amazon google apple microsoft etc etc

Many many countries are now losing their tax money to off shore sellers.

If in doubt the off shore sellers could register their business in ireland or

whereever and claim their profits are earned there and dodge even more taxs.

Hey lets all do that, governments would then have no money for services.

Reigning that back in would be a good thing.

Otherwise, consumption tax you may as well ditch it and go back to good old higher income tax.

Probably will have to do that anyway as way too much opposition to trying

to tax income revenue profits etc that streams to overseas often where

they too dont pay tax much. So just go back to taxing the money before it gets spent,

lol, we have that still dont we.

Now it gets really dodgy when the likes of Norman Smithy Amazing etc etc n such have large

online presense and sell over ebay or just online from china or elsewhere thru ireland based companies

or such, no gst, no dutues, no taxs, lots of profits.

It has to be stopped.

They can cough up or shutup or shut shop.

Either way is good for everyone eventually.

Ebay will not close down, and will not halt overseas sales. Thats just a threat. Easy to implement.

Too much money to be made in it.

Re: Blocking australians

model.trains — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 14:47:45 GMT

You guys seem to have miised the point, GST is applicable but the new regulations are to close the $1,000.oo GST import exemption loophole.

It seems to me that the idea is to make it a more even playing field. I think that at the moment Aussie sellers have to pay 10% GST on all their income so they have to add that on to their price, whereas overseas sellers selling into Australia, items that cost less than $1,000.oo, don't have that 10% extra cost. Why should Australian sellers lose out to overseas competitors just because there is a Tax Loophole because the Government can't work out how to collect GST on small value imports.

From what I understand with the English system of VAT is that the Post Office charges VAT on all overseas parcels valued over 12pounds, it must be paid when picking up the parcel as well as an administration fee. Considering how slack Australia Post is with just carding parcels and forcing people to pick them up from the Post Office anyway, this won't make much of a difference. Private freight companies can do the same as they do with deliveries over $1000.oo they get you to pay via credit card over the phone before releasing the parcel for delivery.

If they do close this loophole and add a service charge, it will mean that all Australians will benefit, at the moment we subsidies overseas mail deliveries within Australia. It cost me more to post a small parcel to the next suburb than it costs someone from England or China to send a parcel toanywhere in Australia even Kalgoolie or Mt Isa. This is probably why Australia Post has been in trouble for so many years.

Re: Blocking australians

lyndal1838 — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 12:41:02 GMT

@model.trains wrote:
You guys seem to have miised the point, GST is applicable but the new regulations are to close the $1,000.oo GST import exemption loophole.
No-one here has missed the point but it seems that you are. What the Government wants to do is charge GST on all imports, not just those above the $1000 cut off point.

It seems to me that the idea is to make it a more even playing field. I think that at the moment Aussie sellers have to pay 10% GST on all their income so they have to add that on to their price, whereas overseas sellers selling into Australia, items that cost less than $1,000.oo, don't have that 10% extra cost. Why should Australian sellers lose out to overseas competitors just because there is a Tax Loophole because the Government can't work out how to collect GST on small value imports.
Not all sellers have to charge or remit GST. They do not have to register for GST until their turnover is $75000 in a rolling 12 months.

From what I understand with the English system of VAT is that the Post Office charges VAT on all overseas parcels valued over 12pounds, it must be paid when picking up the parcel as well as an administration fee. Considering how slack Australia Post is with just carding parcels and forcing people to pick them up from the Post Office anyway, this won't make much of a difference. Private freight companies can do the same as they do with deliveries over $1000.oo they get you to pay via credit card over the phone before releasing the parcel for delivery.
It is all well and good to say that the GST on all parcels should be collected in the same way as it is now on the higher value parcels but that would not work. The present system charges way more than 10% for imports over $1000. There are Customs clearance charges, GST, import duties.....on an average the charges work out at something like 25-40% of the value of the item depending on the rate at which duties are charged on individual items.

If they do close this loophole and add a service charge, it will mean that all Australians will benefit, at the moment we subsidies overseas mail deliveries within Australia. It cost me more to post a small parcel to the next suburb than it costs someone from England or China to send a parcel toanywhere in Australia even Kalgoolie or Mt Isa. This is probably why Australia Post has been in trouble for so many years.
Of course we subsidise the postage on items from overseas once they arrive in Australia. And other countries subsidise Australian postage once out items arrive in their countries. It has been that way for over 100 years and is not likely to change any time soon.
Australia Post is not in trouble....the letter post section is runnng at a loss (maybe) but that is more than made up for by the parcel post section of AP. AP just likes to cry poor to justify the ever increasing postage rates.

Re: Blocking australians

davewil1964 — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 09:49:59 GMT

What you said. Especially the bit about the bumper not understanding the point. Or finance/economics

Re: Blocking australians

flyoz — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 21:19:19 GMT

I think that IF and thats a huge If GST is payable on sedcond hand goods it would only be applied by a seller registered for GST

Al seller who isnt registered for GST cant collect or apply GST.

A person selling a second hand item can not and would not be able to apply GST.

Re: Blocking australians

lyndal1838 — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 05:41:50 GMT

That is what I said.....any seller with a turnover of $75000 or more in a rolling 12 month period is required to register for GST.....it does not matter whether it is new or used.

Think second hand shops.....they sell used items but still have to register for GST. Think car wrecking yards....their goods are second hand but they still have to be registered for GST. There is no IF about it.

Re: Blocking australians

davewil1964 — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 09:40:07 GMT

@flyoz wrote:
I think that IF and thats a huge If GST is payable on sedcond hand goods it would only be applied by a seller registered for GST
Al seller who isnt registered for GST cant collect or apply GST.

A person selling a second hand item can not and would not be able to apply GST.

They might not apply GST, but if turnover is more than $75k, they are REQUIRED BY LAW to register for and remit GST to the ATO.

I think one of my previous comments on this OLD thread mentioned understanding commerce/economics as a plus for being in business. I will add Tax law to that.

And if you don't understand it, it is probably not prudent to advise people about it.