Buying overseas items with (not required) overseas tax not removed by ebay

[alwayspossible]

Items listed on ebay's German website often ( if not always) include local tax which overseas buyers need not to pay.

That tax is in the order of 21%.

It is interesting to note that for Australian buyers an item's price is not reduced by the value of local tax.

It is clearly a dishonesty of ebay and loss to overseas buyers.

Any reply from ebay about this matter??

[i-love-my-sheep]

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@alwayspossible wrote:

Items listed on ebay's German website often ( if not always) include local tax which overseas buyers need not to pay.

That tax is in the order of 21%.

It is interesting to note that for Australian buyers an item's price is not reduced by the value of local tax.

It is clearly a dishonesty of ebay and loss to overseas buyers.

Any reply from ebay about this matter??

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Try ringing eBay and asking them about it. We are just members like yourself. You have to be careful buying from eBay Germany as it is a haven for scammers.

[davewil1964]

As eBay don't set the prices, I don't imagine it is eBay's responsibility. If it is not applicable, it is the seller's responsibility to amend the price. And fill in and lodge the relevant paperwork.

[englishrosegardens]

I'd imagine it's no different to buying something from England where VAT is charged.  Companies aren't obliged to register with the govt body that allows them to deduct the VAT from overseas sales - for the extra work involved it's probably not worth it unless they're likely to sell a lot overseas.  I'd imagine most GST-registered Aussie ebay sellers don't have it set up so overseas buyers don't pay the GST portion of the price of an item.  I'm willing to be corrected if I'm wrong.

[lyndal1838]

Items on ebay.au are listed with GST but how man sellers remvove it for overseas sales.

The same with the UK Vat tax.....I have never had it removed from my many purchases from the UK.

Removal of these taxes usually takes more paperwork than it is worth to the seller so they just don't bother.

[davewil1964]

As eBay don't set the prices, I don't imagine it is eBay's responsibility. If it is not applicable, it is the seller's responsibility to amend the price. And fill in and lodge the relevant paperwork.

[alwayspossible]

Remowing not required amount of tax is technically exactly the same process as adding the postage costs to the purchase price which ebay certainly does.

If this process is not in place, it tells something about ebay's honesty towards buyers.

It is certainly in the ebay's interest not to remove not required tax.

I expect that this forum is monitored and someone from ebay will reply .

[lyndal1838]

Nobody from ebay will reply.

All ebay site have GST, VAT and any other taxes applicable to the country.....it is up to the seller to remove them for overseas buyers.  Many sellers are not registered for GST (or whatever taxes are applicable in their country) so cannot remove them.  Private sellers cannot remove taxes either.

[davewil1964]

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@alwayspossible wrote:

Remowing not required amount of tax is technically exactly the same process as adding the postage costs to the purchase price which ebay certainly does.

If this process is not in place, it tells something about ebay's honesty towards buyers.

It is certainly in the ebay's interest not to remove not required tax.

I expect that this forum is monitored and someone from ebay will reply .

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No it isn't. You might like to consider the LEGAL ramifications of arbitrarily reducing a payment due versus adding an advertised surcharge. You could possibly benefit by researching eBay's T&Cs. Also international law. And your expectation is demonstrably false. Try finding a pink highlighted post.

[alwayspossible]

Yes, Ebay does not set prices and does not set postage costs.

But it adds postage costs to to the final price automatically.

In the same way it can REMOVE not required taxes.

Many buyers have paid not required taxes as it increases their profits.