[azia]

If tax is NOT mentioned in an auction and seller charges you for it in the bill, do you have to pay it?

Even if they are a registered business, unless they disclose it explicitly the buyer can't know that before hand! And on a big ticket item, that tax could make a HUGE difference and therefore become a deciding factor when bidding!

[dcgal]

Even if they are a registered business, you would only have to pay tax if you live in the same state. AND they have to put it in the eBay listing - if they didn't, then you shouldn't have to pay it.

Ask them for a new invoice without the tax and see what happens.

[elizabethk]

No, contact eBay right away via live help.
Show them the auction item number and forward the invoice showing the tax "increase".
They should have explicitly stated in their auction.
Let eBay figure out the remedy.
But do this ASAP.

[Shopstomuch]

I have been hit with taxes on an item w/o it being mentioned also. This has been years ago, so I don't recall the exact wording of what eBay stated, but basically it was that if you buy something from a business seller that is in the state you reside in you have to pay taxes. Look down at the very bottom of their auction and see if anything is in that tax box as I have noticed many times that it is all the way down at the very very bottom.

[azia]

Thanks for your help dcgal and elizabethk! That was my logic but I just wanted to double check before I did anything. I just e-mailed them and told them to rebill me for the correct amount.

In their personal automated checkout e-mail it makes no mention of the tax but in the automatic eBay checkout e-mail they send it says 6% tax and get this...it's on shipping, too!! I don't think so!

[azia]

I'm in the same province (I'm in Canada).

[azia]

So she gave me a new bill that allocates approx. $46 to taxes!! She gave me a tax registration number so she's legit BUT she should have A) told me she's tax registered and/or B) told me she's in my province and therefore it applies to me.

because i would not have bid if i'd known that. not sure what to do now. i e-mailed her again telling her all this and asking her what she'd like to do about it. but what do you girls think?

[shiba]

As pp said, contact eBay. You have 7 days before the seller can file NPB claim. I would be pissed and IMO, you shouldn't be paying if it wasn't disclosed.

[sckcs]

eBay has a place to fill in whether sales tax is collected or not. It would show up on the items page. Around 2/3 down in the area of the shipping amount. If they didn't fill that in, then it's their responsibility to pay the taxes since they neglected to let you know.

[azia]

This seller is absolutely RIDICULOUS!!!! They sent me an e-mail saying how all the other sellers were doing something illegal because by law ALL sellers on eBay have to register with the Canadian government. Are they friggin kidding me??? I'm not an idiot!

They've filed for an Unpaid Item dispute asking for a Mutual Agreement to cancel the transaction. UGH. I guess I will do it but I am so displeased with this. Their e-mail passive-agressively implied that I was trying to get them to do something illegal and they were like....we have no obligation to tell you before hand, too bad. :(

[Shopstomuch]

In that sales tax box almost at the bottom was anything at all checked? I would file a dispute saying seller was trying to charge you for things not on the auction if that is not indicated in that sales tax box.

[peppy]

If I were you, at this point, I may just take up the seller's offer to mutually not complete the transaction and not "antagonise" the seller further by disputing what she said. I totally disagree with the seller, but for a situation like this, I think the seller deserves a neg and not the buyer. Just leave the seller alone and don't risk a neg, but if you want, neg her right on the 90th day. I know...

[legaldiva]

Hmmm ... allow me to add my obnoxious 2 cents. This is actually an issue of tax law, not contracts; by law, the seller must charge you sales tax if the sale is made within the state (in the USA--I won't speculate as to Canadian law, but my guess (there I go speculating) is that it's similar).

So, you should never assume that sales tax does not apply in an internet based sale. It's just *lucky* that you can avoid sales tax when you are involved in an inter-state sale.

Then again, as an auction, this complicates the issue. I think technically she has to charge you, but if that wasn't stated in the auction, it's a misleading listing, and you can probably get out of it. Meaning: the auction isn't binding.

[bnjj]

I would think that a registered business WOULD charge GST to any Canadian buyer but you would only pay PST if you reside in the same province as the seller.

The seller should have stated that GST is applicable in the auction.

[hlfinn]

eBay requires any seller to state in the auction if they charge sales tax. if it is not mentioned in the auction and they try and charge you tax then, as someone mentioned, it is not binding and you do not need to complete the transaction. you should report them so they cannot continue to do this to other buyers...