Why is Ebay charging GST on used items?

[netscrounger]

The Australian government imposed GST charges on online sales to protect "Brick and mortar" businesses, I get that, but why an I expected to pay an extra $30 on a set of obsolete used motorcycle carbs that I'm buying from a private seller in the US? What a scam! Cancel my bid thanks!

[padi*0409]

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@4channel wrote:

Hi 2bower-birds , well I have never had an extra GST charge placed on any Australian transaction I have made either. So I am in agreement.

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Well 4channel, I guess you've never bought from a secondhand store in Australia over the last 18 years then, the vast majority of them would be registered for GST and so they have to charge their customers GST - my ex had a secondhand bookshop and even her books had the GST added to them (every time they were returned and resold even).

[k1ooo-slr-sales]

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@4channel wrote:

Hi 2bower-birds , well I have never had an extra GST charge placed on any Australian transaction I have made either. So I am in agreement.

BTW: I didn't have GST transactions on buying an item from an overseas seller (Ordinary folk selling unwanted items) until this year. So the money builds up and for regular buyers of record albums, dvds, hi-fi gear, clothes, stamps will be paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars on top of their purchases.

The good days have indeed gone.   

:

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I have been to clearance auctions of old, old second hand items (maybe even third-hand, fourth-hand or even fifth-hand) and GST has always applied to the hammer price and buyer's premium.

Now, about those items you listed that now attract a GST charge, all the necessities of life and not one of them an 'indulgence' !!!!!!! Really sad indeed.

[mrstumps]

That's not the all of it there is GST being charged on Postage from the US as well as on the item.

[padi*0409]

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@mrstumps wrote:

That's not the all of it there is GST being charged on Postage from the US as well as on the item.

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GST is Goods and Services - postage is a service end of story.

[mrstumps]

GST is ONLY charged on an item here if the seller is GST registered otherwise it is not charged, the ATO worked that one out with overseas sellers not having to be registered and making Ebay the supplier, so really all complaints about a product should be going to Ebay to resolve and not passed on to the seller.

[brerrabbit585]

If you buy ANYTHING in Australia and get it posted to you, you're paying GST on the postage, regardless of whether or not you're paying GST as part of the item's price.  For the last 18 years, every time you buy a stamp or pay for any sort of domestic postage (within Australia) you're paying GST as part of the price. 

As far as the postage from overseas countries to here being a "service", it's actually part of the cost of the item.  Any accountant will tell you that when you work out your gross profit you work out the "cost of goods sold" and subtract it from the sales.  The cost of goods sold is a total of the purchase price and the costs of getting the stock to you.  

To say that postage isn't part of the total cost to buy an item from overseas is ludicrous.  Do the pixies bring it over free of charge?  No, postage is part of the overall cost of buying the item.

[4channel]

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@padi*0409 wrote:

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@4channel wrote:

Hi 2bower-birds , well I have never had an extra GST charge placed on any Australian transaction I have made either. So I am in agreement.

---

Well 4channel, I guess you've never bought from a secondhand store in Australia over the last 18 years then, the vast majority of them would be registered for GST and so they have to charge their customers GST - my ex had a secondhand bookshop and even her books had the GST added to them (every time they were returned and resold even).

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I have bought from second hand stores and I know that businesses, second hand ones too charge GST. Even though I think that GST is wrong (And why I think it is, is another topic for another day), I always pay without dispute. I was just replying to 2bower-birds, regarding buying on line from ordinary everyday sellers.

[padi*0409]

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@4channel wrote:

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@padi*0409 wrote:

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@4channel wrote:

Hi 2bower-birds , well I have never had an extra GST charge placed on any Australian transaction I have made either. So I am in agreement.

---

Well 4channel, I guess you've never bought from a secondhand store in Australia over the last 18 years then, the vast majority of them would be registered for GST and so they have to charge their customers GST - my ex had a secondhand bookshop and even her books had the GST added to them (every time they were returned and resold even).

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I have bought from second hand stores and I know that businesses, second hand ones too charge GST. Even though I think that GST is wrong (And why I think it is, is another topic for another day), I always pay without dispute. I was just replying to 2bower-birds, regarding buying on line from ordinary everyday sellers.

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But the underlined part in your first post makes a lie of your statement in the second post 4channel...........confusing somewhat ???

Maybe you should have qualified this "regarding buying on line from ordinary everyday sellers" with "regarding buying on line from ordinary everyday sellers with less than a $75,000 turnover". Then it all would make sense.

[4channel]

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@padi*0409 wrote:

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@4channel wrote:

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@padi*0409 wrote:

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@4channel wrote:

Hi 2bower-birds , well I have never had an extra GST charge placed on any Australian transaction I have made either. So I am in agreement.

---

Well 4channel, I guess you've never bought from a secondhand store in Australia over the last 18 years then, the vast majority of them would be registered for GST and so they have to charge their customers GST - my ex had a secondhand bookshop and even her books had the GST added to them (every time they were returned and resold even).

---

I have bought from second hand stores and I know that businesses, second hand ones too charge GST. Even though I think that GST is wrong (And why I think it is, is another topic for another day), I always pay without dispute. I was just replying to 2bower-birds, regarding buying on line from ordinary everyday sellers.

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But the underlined part in your first post makes a lie of your statement in the second post 4channel...........confusing somewhat ???

Maybe you should have qualified this "regarding buying on line from ordinary everyday sellers" with "regarding buying on line from ordinary everyday sellers with less than a $75,000 turnover". Then it all would make sense.

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There is no lie Padi.

I was replying to bower birds as if we were talking abiout the buying on line. Sorry for not taking the time to be more explanatory..

[lyndal1838]

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@4channel

I was replying to bower birds as if we were talking abiout the buying on line. Sorry for not taking the time to be more explanatory..

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These boards are all about being correct and specific in information.

Why would you not be held accountable as the rest of us are?