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@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?

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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."