nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

In New York (where I ran a small business, collected sales tax on purchases and remitted them to the state annually) the business you're buying from is allowed to keep a small percentage of the collected taxes when remitting them to the state. It's not much. Intended to "pay" the merchant for acting as the state's collection agent.

You can ask your state tax department or a business who collects sales taxes in your state what the percentage is.

drobvit Loc: Southern NV

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Old Coot

If I buy an item from an individual on ebay thru an auction,then ebay is just the go between. They do not collect nor disperse any money so why are they allowed to add Sales tax to the total ?l

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Revenue MUST be collected.

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

When pigs fly. They will find something else to spend the money on.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

In my accounting days and responsible for multi-state sales/use tax reporting, all taxes collected by ebay are forwarded to the state as designated by the location of the purchaser. I do not think that any of the funds go to ebay. Processing the tax remittances is a cost ebay absorb as part of doing business.

Old Coot

Nobody pays Ebay.
All funds processed thru Paypal or something similar

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

In PA (and many places), sales tax collectors get a small percentage (rebate, discount, ...) for their services of collecting the tax.

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

As long as the feds and states have "General Funds", they'll spend the money on anything BUT what & why it was collected. What the average person doesn't realize is that the average tax collected by states and by the federal government on gasoline for maintenance of paved roads, FAR surpasses what the oil companies actually make per gallon. And we dodge pot holes no matter where we drive. Some enterprising towns in (unnamed state) have actually dug up their paved roads and gone back to dirt roads as it is cheaper to maintain dirt roads with graders than paved roads.

nadelewitz Loc: Ithaca NY

eBay is not being ALLOWED to add sales tax. eBay is REQUIRED to add sales tax. Like any other online merchant. They aren't doing it because they WANT to.

States will figure out how to collect taxes. Since eBay is a central go-between, it's convenient to make them do the collecting.

Why doesn't everyone just STOP condemning online merchants for doing what they are REQUIRED TO DO BY STATES? If you still buy from someone who does not collect the sales tax, they are either slow to implement the law or are just plain violating the law and haven't gotten caught yet.

Or, they're complying with tax laws but are making it look like they aren't "charging" sales tax so you will buy from them, and they eat the tax amount they have to remit to the state from their profit. That is perfectly legal. They are just discounting the selling price by the tax %.

That's the marketing gimmick B&H Photo came up with their "tax-free" credit card. They will make up some of the discount they are "giving" you from the very high interest rate on your credit card balance if you don't pay it off each month.

smf85 Loc: Freeport, IL

No, sales tax doesn't apply - but you might pay customs duty which can be substantial. There are exemptions for items carried in and for items purchased on the secondary or retail market but direct purchases or a first sale from a manufacturer generally get hit with duty.

Fotoserj Loc: St calixte Qc Ca

Since you are paying taxes why not buy local and keep you’re money working in your town

Sunrisepano Loc: West Sub of Chicago

Sales TAX. Use TAX. ROT (Retailer Occupation TAx). All have one thing in common. TAX. = more money out of your pocket and into the hands of the politicians.

Bill Emmett Loc: Bow, New Hampshire

Hey Jerry, Just move from NY, to New Hampshire, you'll pay no sales taxes at all. Live Free or Die.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

some state won a Supreme Court case against Wayfair, and then the dam broke.