topic Re: Ebay Postage in Selling

Ebay Postage

reddevilddvd — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 04:07:55 GMT

HI there, I have just printed out my first ebay label. Are they supposed to be an entire a4 sheet or have a made a mistake. I don't want to print anymore if it is wrong. Thanks

Re: Ebay Postage

curraone — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 04:24:10 GMT

I don't know but I am sure someone will assist you soon

In the meantime, I am very jealous - I can't see anywhere that I can print the ebay labels - how come you can and I can't?

Re: Ebay Postage

phorum_junkie* — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:01:53 GMT

I presume you mean the click & send label and if so then you can get 4 to a page, if yours has covered a full A4 sheet then it must be your printer settings, you must have it set to fill the page or similar.

Re: Ebay Postage

davewil1964 — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:24:57 GMT

Don't assume, pj, you know where that leads. eBay now have, supposedly, a service where you can do the labels for C&S through eBay, but have the payment added to your eBay bill.

I presume that is what OP is talking about. I don't KNOW, because I'm happy to run my postage through C&S directly.

Re: Ebay Postage

*crikey*mate* — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:31:16 GMT

it gets added to our eBay bill?

I thought it would still at least go through PayPal, I don't like that idea at all - I'd prefer to pay as I went and not get big bill at the end of the month!

plus I thought the eBay link was just sorta connected to C&S anyway?

*sigh*

i hate change

OP, if I were you, I wouldn't be trying out any new system voluntarily until there's been plenty of time for others to have a go and for eBay to work out the inevitable bugs.

They seem to mess things up just doing maintenance, imagine the things they could do installing whole new systems!

Re: Ebay Postage

babylonfuture — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 13:43:31 GMT

Hi crikey*mate

You do not have to use the ebay label system - you can still use click and send as you currently do.

I want to try this new system out.. but I can only see some parts of the new system - no option to make the postage label yet!

So I am unabel to help the OP at this time.

One bill a month would be great.. with click and send I have too many invoices to enter..

Re: Ebay Postage

ausfast — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 08:21:31 GMT

@reddevilddvd wrote:
Are they supposed to be an entire a4 sheet or have a made a mistake.

I made the same mistake the first time. I am using Google Chrome and found it was the "Fit to Page Size" option that you need to uncheck and it prints at the correct size.

Also, does anyone know if because the Postage fees are being charged by EBay include GST?

I thought that they could be cicumventing their GST tax obiligations since Ebay Fees are collected by Ebay Switzerland.

I claim GST credits on my postage so if it is not being collected and sent to the ATO then this could create an issue...

Re: Ebay Postage

lemmayj — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 08:59:36 GMT

@ausfast wrote:
@reddevilddvd wrote:
Are they supposed to be an entire a4 sheet or have a made a mistake.
I made the same mistake the first time. I am using Google Chrome and found it was the "Fit to Page Size" option that you need to uncheck and it prints at the correct size.

Also, does anyone know if because the Postage fees are being charged by EBay include GST?
I thought that they could be cicumventing their GST tax obiligations since Ebay Fees are collected by Ebay Switzerland.
I claim GST credits on my postage so if it is not being collected and sent to the ATO then this could create an issue...

I was curious about the gst issue so I emailed to ask. I got a reply telling me that gst must be included in my listings! (Yes, I know that!) I replied to the email saying that I was asking whether I could get an invoice gst/tax invoice from ebay or Australia Post so that I could claim back gst on the postage but have not yet had a reply. I'll update here if I do.

It certainly won't be an option for gst registered businesses if gst cannot be claimed back... I do wonder if ebay's accountants/lawyers have thought this one through?

Re: Ebay Postage

ausfast — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 23:59:12 GMT

@lemmayj wrote:

I was curious about the gst issue so I emailed to ask. I got a reply telling me that gst must be included in my listings! (Yes, I know that!) I replied to the email saying that I was asking whether I could get an invoice gst/tax invoice from ebay or Australia Post so that I could claim back gst on the postage but have not yet had a reply. I'll update here if I do.
It certainly won't be an option for gst registered businesses if gst cannot be claimed back... I do wonder if ebay's accountants/lawyers have thought this one through?

I called ebay support this morning and they said they had no information about this and that I would need to contact Australia Post.

I then called Australia Post to enquire about this. The first person I spoke to had no idea about the details. After speaking with his expert they said that the GST component is definitely included in the postage. I advised them that they should include this in the documentation on the website as we need something official to confirm this.

I explained to him that because Ebay invoices their ebay fees from their tax haven in Switzerland, Australia Post could also avoid having to pay GST the same way as they directly working with a company outside of Australia so are not legally obligated to forward on GST to the ATO. He said he does not know the logistics of the agreement but was adamant that GST would be included...

Here is the info from this page about GST and ebay fees: http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/seller-gst.html

"What is eBay's ABN number?
The rights and services available at www.ebay.com.au are provided by eBay International AG, located at Helvetiastrasse 15/17, CH-3005, Bern , Switzerland . As a foreign entity, eBay International AG is not required to be registered for GST and therefore does not have an ABN number."

Re: Ebay Postage

babylonfuture — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 00:13:51 GMT

I think eBay will keep the 10% as 'profit'.

If they are not going to be charging us GST for the label then on my business account it is not worth it, as I won't be able to claim the GST.

However will be ok for my private sales.

Re: Ebay Postage

lemmayj — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 00:35:28 GMT

GST might be included but I don't see how a seller would be able to claim it back without a receipt with an ABN from a gst paying entity.

Has anyone actually used this service yet? Would love to see the format of the bill/receipt generated by ebay.

It looks to me that it will only be useful for casual non-gst registered sellers, unless Australia Post include a separate receipt???

You'd think that the gst element would be a basic accounting question considered early in the process of setting this up, but I guess this is ebay. Australia Post should know better, though.

I sell on international bookselling sites where the site collects the customer's money, takes their fee, and then remits the remainder to me. I still have to pay gst on domestic sales through them, even though I can't claim gst back on the fees. I fulfill gst requirements by sending domestic customers a separate invoice with the book, which details the gst. I'm guessing Australia Post and ebay are in exactly the same situation, so Australia Post should be sending out the tax invoice.

Re: Ebay Postage

thecatspjs — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 01:04:38 GMT

If the price is going to be $6.95 for under 500g parcels for ebay post and the AP price remains $6.95 - theres no way I am sending anymore of my dosh to Switzerland, I will choose to keep them in Oz even though it is a ton of extra paperwork.

(...even taking into account that AP drives me nuts )

Re: Ebay Postage

lemmayj — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 06:39:29 GMT

Well, I got a reply to my second query about getting a gst/tax invoice for postage paid via ebay.

Thanks for contacting eBay about GST.

At this point, we do not charge or incorporate GST on our eBay fees, as for buying items on eBay or Au post shipping charges, it would be best to ask Au post or the seller about it.

For more information about GST you can click on the link below:

http://pages.ebay.com.au/help/policies/seller-gst.html

So, I guess it's up to Australia Post to say whether they will be supplying gst/tax invoices for postage bought via ebay. I'm pretty sure that a buyer of a service including gst is legally entitled to a gst invoice if they ask for one. Maybe someone from Australia Post could comment on how this is going to work???

Or should I reply to the email again and ask what sort of receipt ebay will be supplying for postage paid for via ebay...?

Re: Ebay Postage

bigbrickshop — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 11:03:59 GMT

According to the Terms and Conditions on the Aus Post site, eBay will issue the Invoice and will include GST where applicable. I don't know how that will work if eBay doesn't collect GST.

6. Payment

6.1 The Customer will be invoiced by eBay for Delivery Services charges, as specified by eBay through the eBay Label Printing Service.

6.2 Charges for the Delivery Services may be varied at any time at Australia Post's discretion. Charges are GST inclusive where GST is applicable.

http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/terms-and-conditions-ebay-label-printing.html

Re: Ebay Postage

davewil1964 — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 11:07:09 GMT

I'll stick with paying C&S for the service. After all, I've been paid for postage at postage time. And C&S is easy to navigate and doesn't leave me with a debt

Re: Ebay Postage

lemmayj — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 23:00:45 GMT

@sportandplay wrote:
According to the Terms and Conditions on the Aus Post site, eBay will issue the Invoice and will include GST where applicable. I don't know how that will work if eBay doesn't collect GST.

6. Payment
6.1 The Customer will be invoiced by eBay for Delivery Services charges, as specified by eBay through the eBay Label Printing Service.
6.2 Charges for the Delivery Services may be varied at any time at Australia Post's discretion. Charges are GST inclusive where GST is applicable.

http://auspost.com.au/parcels-mail/terms-and-conditions-ebay-label-printing.html

Thanks for the information and link. I've emailed back just one more time.... Maybe Australia Post could comment on this thread, they're normally quite quick to supply information on Australia Post related threads?

Given that ebay isn't GST registered, it seems to me that Australia Post should be obliged to supply a tax invoice to anyone who asks... (But I am not an accountant).

Re: Ebay Postage

lemmayj — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 23:23:39 GMT

Final reply from ebay

I understand that you want to get a GST receipt from eBay however we do not generate this on the site.

Thanks for choosing eBay.

Australia Post next, or the ATO???

Re: Ebay Postage

lemmayj — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 00:05:51 GMT

OK, just spoke to the ATO.

Basically, the gst is being paid by Australia Post as per nomral, but because ebay aren't gst registered they count as the "end user" and the gst can't be claimed back.

So, if you're gst registered don't use ebay postage, if you're not gst registered it doesn't matter.

Re: Ebay Postage

bigbrickshop — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 00:54:52 GMT

From the new FAQs page for the postage labels

21. Can I access a tax invoice for my postage labels?

Tax invoices are made available five days after labels are printed (once the option to cancel has expired).You can access your tax invoice through the Manage postage labels tab under My eBay. If a request to cancel a label has been submitted you will only receive a tax invoice for that label if the request is denied, a tax invoice will not be issued for successfully cancelled labels.

http://sellercentre.ebay.com.au/ebay-for-business/postage-labels

Re: Ebay Postage

ausfast — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 13:23:47 GMT

Thanks @sportandplay. Ebay now allows you to print a tax invoice for ebay postage items. The invoice provided has Auspost's ABN number and has itemised GST amount at the bottom. eg. "Total gst: $0.63"
That's good enough for me. 🙂

Only problem is you can only download GST invoices individually for each postage label. They really need a checkboxes on the left and an ability to download all invoices at the same time..