How is Ebay calculating the GST on purchases sent to Australia?

[camicat1]

I have noticed    that the amount being added to purchases   for "import charges" is  far more than the 10% GST now levied on items sold into Australia 

Here are  just two  examples I encountered tonight. In both cases the "GST"   or "Import Charges" is far more than the    legal rate of 10%. How is this being calculated and who is getting the additional money?

Item (1) US $42.99 Postage US $23.50 GST US $6.65

Order total US $73.14

Items (5) US $112.75 Postage US $31.16 Import charges US $19.67

Order total US $163.58

[davewil1964]

You pay GST every time you purchase postage within Australia (or your sellers do). Why should imports be treated any differently.

[bigboxcollector62]

Aussies are happy to pay taxes, they're just **bleep** off from their previous experiences, I look at Ebay the same way I use to look at Steam, exact same product but charge Aussies an extra 15% because why not? digital product, exact same cost to distribute, but throw on 15% because we can. 

GSP is cancerous, 20-30% more for postal costs for an Aussie buyer, and the service is putrid, half the items i buy have been re-packed by GSP and some damaged because of it. 

Happy to pay the normal GST, but why do aussies have aded costs relating to GST? are any other countrys affected by this scam (service charge)? 

Remember that class action lawsuit that the banks lost for over-charging ? sounds familiar... 

[imastawka]

'class action'    

Sure, try and drum one up.

It's all legal and above board.

The S in GST stands for services.

That's what they're charging you for.

Their services.

[davewil1964]

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@bigboxcollector62 wrote:

Aussies are happy to pay taxes, they're just **bleep** off from their previous experiences, I look at Ebay the same way I use to look at Steam, exact same product but charge Aussies an extra 15% because why not? digital product, exact same cost to distribute, but throw on 15% because we can. 

GSP is cancerous, 20-30% more for postal costs for an Aussie buyer, and the service is putrid, half the items i buy have been re-packed by GSP and some damaged because of it. 

Happy to pay the normal GST, but why do aussies have aded costs relating to GST? are any other countrys affected by this scam (service charge)? 

Remember that class action lawsuit that the banks lost for over-charging ? sounds familiar... 

---

There is a difference between GST and GSP, which is what you seem to have an issue with. As your only 2 posts are about the GSP and virtually identical.

The GSP is run by Pitney Bowes, an American logistics company. Good luck with a class action against them.

If you don't like the GSP (and the consensus is that it isn't particularly flash), don't buy from sellers who use the GSP. Be aware that your choices of items could well be limited - with the bias towards buyers that eBay has, a lot of sellers won't post overseas. I certainly don't.

[*tippy*toes*]

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@bigboxcollector62 wrote:

Aussies are happy to pay taxes, they're just **bleep** off from their previous experiences, I look at Ebay the same way I use to look at Steam, exact same product but charge Aussies an extra 15% because why not? digital product, exact same cost to distribute, but throw on 15% because we can. 

GSP is cancerous, 20-30% more for postal costs for an Aussie buyer, and the service is putrid, half the items i buy have been re-packed by GSP and some damaged because of it. 

Happy to pay the normal GST, but why do aussies have aded costs relating to GST? are any other countrys affected by this scam (service charge)? 

Remember that class action lawsuit that the banks lost for over-charging ? sounds familiar... 

---

Wasn't an ultra rare DVD/video tape was it?

[collect247]

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@imastawka wrote:

'class action'    

Sure, try and drum one up.

It's all legal and above board.

The S in GST stands for services.

That's what they're charging you for.

Their services.

---

Class action against banks did happen and yes the banks were punished.

I have received money from banks relating to fees that were charged that shouldn't have been charged.

But more important thing is that the stock market has been ripped apart again,worse than the GFC so here we go again.

[davewil1964]

---

@collect247 wrote:

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@imastawka wrote:

'class action'    

Sure, try and drum one up.

It's all legal and above board.

The S in GST stands for services.

That's what they're charging you for.

Their services.

---

Class action against banks did happen and yes the banks were punished.

I have received money from banks relating to fees that were charged that shouldn't have been charged.

But more important thing is that the stock market has been ripped apart again,worse than the GFC so here we go again.

---

True, but they were Australian banks, subject to Australian law. Pitney Bowes is not an Australian company and thus is not subject to Australian law. They don't even operate in Australia. Therefore a class action would have to be undertaken in the USA. I doubt any lawyer would take that one on - the return wouldn't be there.

[collect247]

Stawks replied to the post that stated class action against the banks so I replied.

I didn't reply to anything else to do with pitney.

[davewil1964]

But that's what the thread is about. GST and GSP.

[4channel]

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@bigboxcollector62 wrote:

Aussies are happy to pay taxes, they're just **bleep** off from their previous experiences, I look at Ebay the same way I use to look at Steam, exact same product but charge Aussies an extra 15% because why not? digital product, exact same cost to distribute, but throw on 15% because we can. 

GSP is cancerous, 20-30% more for postal costs for an Aussie buyer, and the service is putrid, half the items i buy have been re-packed by GSP and some damaged because of it. 

Happy to pay the normal GST, but why do aussies have aded costs relating to GST? are any other countrys affected by this scam (service charge)? 

Remember that class action lawsuit that the banks lost for over-charging ? sounds familiar... 

---

Hi bigboxcollector62, I hear you and I agree 100% And it is like a cancer. However, I have had a very good degree of success in asking sellersto re-list the auction on USPS First Class International for the US and the equivalent fotr the UK. There is a risk though that in a Buy-It-Now situation, a keen eyed punter will snap that item up before the seller has a chance to read your request. Even better news, sellers are waking up to the fact that they are losing sales and maiking sure that GSP is not attatched to their listing. Many sellers have no idea that they have been defaulted into GSP.