Ebay, what is going on?

I dont know about you all but I have started to use ebay to market and sell my images on their site.

http://www.ebaymainstreet.com/mainstreet/

This is really bothersome. If these types of law passes even the gallery Sean is trying to start here would get screwed.

Here are a few snips. You should read the link.

What issues does eBay Main Street monitor?

eBay wants to make you aware of legislative threats in your state and in Washington, D.C. We currently monitor and are involved with many issues relevant to the eBay community, including:

* Auctioneering License Requirements - Some states are attempting to require eBay sellers to become licensed "auctioneers." Some states require up to $1000 in annual licensing fees and time-consuming auctioneering schools, where you will learn important online skills such as "voice modulation." Without a license you could be subject to thousands of dollars in fines for selling on eBay.

* Distant State Sales Tax - here are 45 states and the District of Columbia that have sales taxes on goods. These states have sought for years to make out-of-state sellers collect sales taxes on their distant sales. The states have proposed a new scheme that will be debated in Congress to require eBay sellers to collect and pay these taxes to the states (with thousands of local jurisdictions) where your customers are located. Without your help, you could be required to file and pay a monthly tax bill in each state and be subject to yearly audits in each state.

* And more, including pawnbrokering licenses, auto dealer requirements, event ticket restrictions, etc!

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This would kill small businesses big time.

Our gov is getting completely out of control. It is getting more expensive to live-in the US and we get nothing for our tax dollars except get screwed by paying for programs we did not want, etc...

Just thought I would share this totally irritating.

Like much else about a place such as ebay such requirements are impossible to enforce. -Bob

It's the same government grab for money that has gone on for years - they have made noises about regulating flea markets and rummage sales in the US over the decades, but have rarely been successful. I think it's a good idea for ebay to notify sellers of potential legislation - that's the time to nip it in the bud.

I think the most dangerous is the sales tax issue. States see themselves as losing millions of dollars. The big issue for a seller is how do you know what tax to charge. Here in Florida almost every city has a different tax. If we're going to be stuck with sales taxes, it seems to me the only way ebay sellers, and small market sellers such as many of our suppliers, can keep up with what tax to charge is to charge the tax applicable in their local community.
juan

States have been trying to collect state sales tax on out-of-state mail order sales for ages. Since that would be an interstate commerce issue, it would require federal legislation, and practically it would be very difficult and costly. Would each state have its own customs department to intercept out-of-state shipments or goods brought across state borders? This is what the commerce clause was designed to prevent.

This is a phishing trap and a fraudulent site.

Send an email to spoof@ebay.com and ask them if it is for real before even replying to this post.

Soneone should lock this tread, thanks mods.

gbroadbridge said:

This is a phishing trap and a fraudulent site.

Send an email to spoof@ebay.com and ask them if it is for real before even replying to this post.

Soneone should lock this tread, thanks mods.

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Ebay Mainstreet, is an actual ebay site owned by ebay...

Here is the contact information for them:

Domain Name.......... ebaymainstreet.com
Creation Date........ 2004-09-25
Registration Date.... 2004-09-25
Expiry Date.......... 2006-09-25
Organisation Name.... eBay
Organisation Address. 2145 Hamilton Avenue
Organisation Address.
Organisation Address. San Jose
Organisation Address. 95125
Organisation Address. CA
Organisation Address. UNITED STATES

Admin Name........... eBay Inc.
Admin Address........ 2145 Hamilton Avenue
Admin Address........
Admin Address........ San Jose
Admin Address........ 95125
Admin Address........ DC
Admin Address........ UNITED STATES
Admin Email.......... **********@ebay.com
Admin Phone.......... 408 376-7400
Admin Fax............

Tech Name............ Shabbir or Dan Solomon Safdar
Tech Address......... 1025 Vermont Avenue, NW
Tech Address.........
Tech Address......... Washington
Tech Address......... 20005
Tech Address......... DC
Tech Address......... UNITED STATES
Tech Email........... ****************@mindshare.net
Tech Phone........... 202-654-0800
Tech Fax.............
Name Server.......... ns1.secure.net
Name Server.......... ns2.secure.net

I don't think it is phishing: the domain is registered to ebay and there is a link "Government Relations" at the bottom of the ebay.com home page that re-directs you to the site.

Cheers, Bob.

I shouldn't worry, just buy & sell on ebay sites outside of the USA.

Governments need money to operate, to pay benefits, fix roads etc. I wouldn't doubt that what you'll see is a law required of sellers to collect tax and pay it to their local collection agencies. As a buyer the tax rate would then be put at the bottom of the ad. Most normal businesses collect it now and the question is, how long will government be willing to look the other way as billions of dollars of goods are sold without a tax being paid? The U.S. and many States are in debt to their eyeballs and something has to change. The politicians are not going to curb their spending ways, States will want to pay for benefit programs, medication supplements, diaster relief etc. I say that regardless of the complexity it will have to be addressed and probably sooner then later. Because of the current state of affairs in the Capital now, you can expect things to settle and probably not be taken up till after the next Presidential election. If the fundamentalist (Republicans) get in office again, you probably could expect it to be an immediate issue; They will start to cry poor as taxes are cut for the rich. It's certainly not an issue to be explored before an election. Look for background rumblings of bills being drafted.

its been my understanding that if you run a business, and sell things "mail order" or from a website, using ebay, yard sales, or even sell your car off of your front lawn, you are supposed to be collecting in-state sales tax. this isn't really anything new or different from what has been going on for a long, long-time.

gbroadbridge said:

This is a phishing trap and a fraudulent site.

Send an email to spoof@ebay.com and ask them if it is for real before even replying to this post.

Soneone should lock this tread, thanks mods.

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And you base this conclusion on ...?

jnanian is absolutely right - assuming you have no employees in another state or other factors that would create a nexus issue. Long term, some states are banding together in an effort to lobby for a national sales tax to help recoup the money they are losing to out of state purchases. However, this will be an unhill fight.

We don't have to pay taxes on what we sell here in Montana, there is no sales tax and they don't gather taxes on goods sold either...

Dave

sales taxes on web purchases/sales

jnanian said:

its been my understanding that if you run a business, and sell things "mail order" or from a website, using ebay, yard sales, or even sell your car off of your front lawn, you are supposed to be collecting in-state sales tax. this isn't really anything new or different from what has been going on for a long, long-time.

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Merchants have to collect sales taxes on items sold in person within the state, or on web sales delivered to in-state addresses. They have no authority to collect sales taxes on items delivered to out-of-state residents--since taxing the crap out of interstate commerce is (supposed to be) the purview of our solons in Congress. At least that's how it is here in Kentucky.

Some states,like Kentucky also have a "use tax", whereby residents are supposed to report their out-of-state purchases and pay tax on them. You can imagine what the level of voluntary compliance is with this law.

Efforts are indeed underfoot in Congress to standardize sales taxes across thousands of jurisdictions in the US. Not only do tax rates vary by locality (KY has a uniform 6% sales tax collected at the state level and then distributed to localities), but which items are taxable also differs widely. For example, KY taxes shipping charges on items you buy; other states add the shipping charges after taxing only the actual items. It's a nightmarishly confusing morass. A further example of why our current tax system is just idiotic, combined as it is with ham-fisted attempts at social engineering.

Given the billions in taxes uncollected, and the politicians' voracious appetites for more of our dollars to spend buying the votes of us idiots who keep putting people in office who promise to bring us home the bacon we work 5 months of the year to pay for, it's only a matter of time until this is worked out. Then it'll be only a matter of who collects the tax and to whom the proceeds are sent.

Count on it.

Satinsnow said:

We don't have to pay taxes on what we sell here in Montana, there is no sales tax and they don't gather taxes on goods sold either...

Dave

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What would Montana do with the $$ anyway? Don't Hollywood types with 2nd homes pay for everything including coats for the endangered caribou?

laz said:

What would Montana do with the $$ anyway? Don't Hollywood types with 2nd homes pay for everything including coats for the endangered caribou?

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The biggest problem is the Hollywood types DON'T pay their taxes!! so the state is always trying to throw something new at us, they just published a report and 80% of unpaid taxes are either parttime residents or out of state companies, it amounts to almost 5 billion dollars....and they say it is too expensive to try and collect, so who do you think they are trying to get to make up the difference!!!!

Dave

Satinsnow said:

Ebay Mainstreet, is an actual ebay site owned by ebay...

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Dave,

That's not necessarily so. Anyone can put whatever they want into the domain name server data section. Not much checking of authenticity is done.

Like mentioned previously, I'd email eBay and find out if the site is legitimate or not. It might very well be on the level. It never hurts to ask.

The link is on their website and if you have an account there it us under myebay right at the top. And congress has been tryingto do this so it is not a scam link it is legit. And personally I think it is sickening.

dtomasula said:

Dave,

That's not necessarily so. Anyone can put whatever they want into the domain name server data section. Not much checking of authenticity is done.

Like mentioned previously, I'd email eBay and find out if the site is legitimate or not. It might very well be on the level. It never hurts to ask.

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Dean,

Ebay is very vigorous on prosucuting people who try to register anything with there name in it, they have done so many times in the past, I can assure you ebaymainstreet is in fact a property owned by ebay, and is a legitimate website.

Dave

Satinsnow said:

so who do you think they are trying to get to make up the difference!!!!

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Hmmmmm Not Ted Turner huh?
(I know, it will be you Dave. If it makes you feel any better I'm paying 7k per year for my tiny slice of surburbia )

Satinsnow said:

Dean,

Ebay is very vigorous on prosucuting people who try to register anything with there name in it, they have done so many times in the past, I can assure you ebaymainstreet is in fact a property owned by ebay, and is a legitimate website.

Dave

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Well I sent the site address off to the ebay fraud address last night (about 10 hours ago) and they haven't replied yet. Normally they reply within 1 hour, so its either legit, or something so horrid they are still tracking it down, or they're wondering how someone in Australia recieved the mail and are in meltdown

Graham

gbroadbridge said:

Well I sent the site address off to the ebay fraud address last night (about 10 hours ago) and they haven't replied yet. Normally they reply within 1 hour, so its either legit, or something so horrid they are still tracking it down, or they're wondering how someone in Australia recieved the mail and are in meltdown

Graham

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Graham,

It was not an email that Kevin got, it is a website that ebay runs for legislative action here in the states, no email involved in this one. Of course you may get an email from them, if you have signed up for their action alerts.

Dave

The only thing they are asking for is the EBay ID - which is pretty much publicly available anyway. Nothing to worry about here.

Satinsnow said:

Graham,

It was not an email that Kevin got, it is a website that ebay runs for legislative action here in the states, no email involved in this one.

Dave

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Ahhh I think you've hit on why Graham thought it was bogus. ebay main street is a US site and being down under Graham doesn't have it.

So Graham, relax, put another shrimp on the barbie!
-Bob

Thanks Bob, but I'm not stupid

When you enter your Ebay ID at that site you are redirected to the ebay signin page. Ask yourself why they ask you to enter your ID then send you to a signin page which again asks for your ID.

It just feels wrong and that is why I'm asking Ebay to confirm that it is their site.


Graham.