Seller refused to revise billing address on invoice

[nmelc]

HI guys,

I've bought an item and got an invoice for it. However on the invoice they have put the same address (which I provided at check out) for both billing and delivery address. I now need to correct the billing address for my tax purpose and the seller keeps refusing. He advised that the invoice is locked with Ebay and Paypal and there is no way he can revise. I just want to find out if this is correct or if there is anyway he can do it?

thanks,

[enigmabear]

I don't know on that score, all I know is he needs to send the item to the paypal address (rules of protection)

ergo, I don't know if changing the address for billing also changes the address for shipping where ebay-paypal connected purchases go as I have never done it nor looked

Sorry, I'm sure other members here will know a lot more about it than I do

[nmelc]

I don't mind if they change both as I've received the item. Will be good if they can.

[padi*0409]

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@nmelc wrote:

I don't mind if they change both as I've received the item. Will be good if they can.

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If it's for tax purposes then perhaps a stat dec to your accountant to state the expenses incurred were for the other premises/work location would suffice.

Since the items have already been bought, paid for and received I suspect the seller is correct in saying they can't change the invoice,

which could possibly leave them open to aiding tax avoidance. 

[*tippy*toes*]

The seller can't change it. You should have put the address you wanted during checkout, before paying. Nothing the seller can do about it.

[digital*ghost]

Speaking as a seller...No, they can not manually adjust any of your addresses. Technically there is not even a billing address on eBay, just your primary registered address and the delivery address used during checkout. Neither of which a seller can adjust before or after a payment.

Edited to add... the only thing they could possibly do is create and send an independent inovice though other software or third-party programs.

[nmelc]

That's what I thought too as they're a registered business, they should be able to provide me a revised invoice using other software. It just likes other customers who buy from them but not through ebay; They have to give these customers an invoice anyway.

I did ask but they said no 😞

[lyndal1838]

When I buy anything on ebay from a registered business I pay with paypal and get the ebay and paypal paperwork/receipt etc but when the item arrives there is a Tax Invoice included in the parcel.

BUT it is always made out to my full name and address as provided to ebay and paypal.....and the same delivery address.

I can not see how it could be made out to anyone else unless you have given an alternate name and address before checking out.

If you want to buy for your business in future perhaps you could put your business name in the checkout address....as in

XYZ Pty Ltd (or whatever)

c/- (your name)

(Address you want it delivered to.)

[digital*ghost]

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@nmelc wrote:

That's what I thought too as they're a registered business, they should be able to provide me a revised invoice using other software. It just likes other customers who buy from them but not through ebay; They have to give these customers an invoice anyway.

I did ask but they said no 😞

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The refusal may have been a simple matter of practicality more than anything else, it really depends on their business set-up and what their standard practices are. 

On eBay, a seller is really only ever given one address - the delivery address. Officially, anyway. If they receive item sold notifications (they can be switched off, or they can be sent periodically, eg once per week for all items sold that week), then that email will contain the primary registered address of the buyer, usually their home / physical address, but it's not deemed the billing or delivery address, as such, and as soon as a buyer checks out and provides the delivery address, all records on eBay (and via PayPal) are updated to that, and they would not be able to source alternative addresses via eBay records.

If they have an independent website and third-party invoicing to automate the process, it will work by accessing the data available on each website. They may provide an option to use separate billing and delivery addresses elsewhere, but since eBay will only ever return the delivery address, their invoicing system won't be able to pull anything else. If such things are done in bulk, making manual adjustments on a single invoice may just be something that's not practical for them. I don't really know if there's any other kinds of issues surrounding adding or changing a billing address after the fact - there's definitely (potential) problems if someone wants the delivery address to be changed. 

If it's a really big issue, perhaps you can politely ask them if they are able to help you understand why it's not an option, they may have a good reason no one else has thought of yet. 

[brerrabbit585]

If buyers could get sellers to change the billing name and address then wouldn't this leave it wide open for every man and his dog to claim their personal purchases were for their business? Surely a business would have to be responsible for buying under their business name if that's what they want the invoice to show, even if the items are sent to their business name, c/- Jane Doe at 123 Smith St. How is a seller supposed to know that a buyer is being honest when they ask to change the details? If the seller changed the details (IF they even could) then aren't they possibly aiding and abetting fraud if the buyer isn't entitled to claim the items as a business expense? Sellers can't know this unless the buyer bought under a business name. I suspect a lot of receipts/invoices would be okay with the ato anyway, even if they're for a personal rather than business name, so long as they're associated with the business.