Ebay Seller Wont Supply VAT Invoice - Anyway Round This?

Tea3

Is there anyway I can get a vat receipt/invoice for a transaction if the seller wont supply one? They are telling me to print off my ebay statement to show vat has been paid however as I am not a seller on ebay I dont receive a vat statement from ebay and technically as they did not amend the invoice to 40 as they said they would, then the 'ebay invoice' shows i only purchased 1 of these items through ebay and the balance was just 'adjustment'. The 'ebay invoice' then appeared saying 1 item @ £2.99 with an adjustment in the 'add/subtract discounts' box of the difference of £115.60 - therefore there is no way HMRC will accept this as a valid vat invoice as it does not mention their vat number, company details, or even what the items are (could be for postage, for non vat items like magazines etc). What can I do if I cannot get a vat receipt from them? I could have bought these items cheaper from another seller but getting the vat back from HMRC because this seller is vat registered made them cheaper.

This was their last reply:
Hello.
VAT has been paid on your order, it was included in the fees applied by ebay.
If you are registerd as a busines with ebay simply print out your monthly statement and it will show clearly that vat has been paid in full. ( The statement says :-Fees (Includes Luxembourg VAT of 15.00% where applicable ) This is the system we use. If you are not registerd with ebay as a busines you do not need to add vat. The current level is 15% and the floor for registeing is £58.000. We reccomend that if you are registerd as a business you should seek guidance of an accountant, but please note all are very busy at this time of year.
Assuring you of our best attention.
Regards

---

Anyone any ideas what I can do?
I would presume they have avoided ebay fees on the 40 buy only 'selling' 1 but I asked for the invoice of 40 and they said they would provide this. HELP

StaffsSW

Is the seller a VAT Registered business though?

I'm keeping myself under the VAT threshold - 'cos it's all smoke and mirrors, and a hassle I could do without, but from my meagre understanding if a business is not VAT registered they are not obliged to provide VAT receipts...?

hendrix

stevew8975 wrote: »

Is the seller a VAT Registered business though?

I'm keeping myself under the VAT threshold - 'cos it's all smoke and mirrors, and a hassle I could do without, but from my meagre understanding if a business is not VAT registered they are not obliged to provide VAT receipts...?

Thank god im on the flat rate of 9% VAT as getting VAT receipts can sometimes be a nightmare. If you dont own a business and sell a DVD to someone you cant be expected to provide a VAT invoice.

hendrix

Tea3 wrote: »

Is there anyway I can get a vat receipt/invoice for a transaction if the seller wont supply one? They are telling me to print off my ebay statement to show vat has been paid however as I am not a seller on ebay I dont receive a vat statement from ebay and technically as they did not amend the invoice to 40 as they said they would, then the 'ebay invoice' shows i only purchased 1 of these items through ebay and the balance was just 'adjustment'. The 'ebay invoice' then appeared saying 1 item @ £2.99 with an adjustment in the 'add/subtract discounts' box of the difference of £115.60 - therefore there is no way HMRC will accept this as a valid vat invoice as it does not mention their vat number, company details, or even what the items are (could be for postage, for non vat items like magazines etc). What can I do if I cannot get a vat receipt from them? I could have bought these items cheaper from another seller but getting the vat back from HMRC because this seller is vat registered made them cheaper.

This was their last reply:
Hello.
VAT has been paid on your order, it was included in the fees applied by ebay.
If you are registerd as a busines with ebay simply print out your monthly statement and it will show clearly that vat has been paid in full. ( The statement says :-Fees (Includes Luxembourg VAT of 15.00% where applicable ) This is the system we use. If you are not registerd with ebay as a busines you do not need to add vat. The current level is 15% and the floor for registeing is £58.000. We reccomend that if you are registerd as a business you should seek guidance of an accountant, but please note all are very busy at this time of year.
Assuring you of our best attention.
Regards

---

Anyone any ideas what I can do?
I would presume they have avoided ebay fees on the 40 buy only 'selling' 1 but I asked for the invoice of 40 and they said they would provide this. HELP

Its now £64,000:cool:

Tea3

I am begining to suspect they are not - they are a power sellers on ebay nad we specifically asked prior to buying if they were vat registered (so we could claim vat back and reduce the overall cost) and they said yes vat was included in the purchase price. Now they are saying vat is collected in ebay fees which i suspect is the vat THEY pay ebay for listings etc and I think they may not be vat registered which is frustrating as it means we cannot claim vat back. Also it gives them the edge over other sellers if people are buying thinking they they can claim vat back when they cant - people are also paying more thinking 15% is going to vat man when it possibly isn't.

Tea3

Hendrix - yes thats what man we concerned as a valid vat registered company should now the threshold for vat or thereabouts - this is what makes me think they are not actually vat registered after telling me in two emails that vat was included prior to buying the items.

hendrix

Tea3 wrote: »

I am begining to suspect they are not - they are a power sellers on ebay nad we specifically asked prior to buying if they were vat registered (so we could claim vat back and reduce the overall cost) and they said yes vat was included in the purchase price. Now they are saying vat is collected in ebay fees which i suspect is the vat THEY pay ebay for listings etc and I think they may not be vat registered which is frustrating as it means we cannot claim vat back. Also it gives them the edge over other sellers if people are buying thinking they they can claim vat back when they cant - people are also paying more thinking 15% is going to vat man when it possibly isn't.

Thing is, i pay VAT but cant add it to my Ebay listings as i pay a flat rate of 9%. Which simply means i dont have to bother getting VAT invoices from my suppliers which is good because i import goods from worldwide. You should try and explain VAT to a Korean based company lol.
If this company that your dealing with are big, sell hundreds/thousands per month, have their own website (check) and you think they take £64 per year then they must pay VAT regardless. If they are VAT registered (and they have stated they are) then demand a VAT invoice. Im certain its your right to have one. Its very unprofessional of them to be saying this unless you have simply called their bluff. Tell them you will be in touch with HMRC. Can you imagine buying a CD from HMV and being told you cant have a VAT receipt its all added in or whatever? You need the proof for your records and to get your VAT back!

RFW

hendrix wrote: »

Thing is, i pay VAT but cant add it to my Ebay listings as i pay a flat rate of 9%.

If you are supplying standard rate goods, your prices will include VAT and you legally have to issue a VAT receipt if requested, as with the seller in the opening post.

If a seller is VAT registered they are legally required to supply a VAT receipt if requested. Their VAT registration number should also be with Ebay fees, VAT threshold and accountants is irrelevant nonsense. Ask again for a VAT receipt, if same response ask for their VAT number, if they don't provide it report them to Ebay, trading standards and HM Customs & Excise.

frivolous_fay

The seller didn't really give you a direct answer to your question, did they?
They certainly didn't say that they were VAT registered. 'yes vat... included in the purchase price' At least not the way you've typed it.

RFW, are you really obliged to supply a VAT receipt if you aren't registered? I had the opposite impression... but then I am pretty clueless on VAT!

RFW

frivolous_fay wrote: »

RFW, are you really obliged to supply a VAT receipt if you aren't registered? I had the opposite impression... but then I am pretty clueless on VAT!

NO, you can't supply a VAT receipt if you aren't VAT registered, its seriously illegal (ie a crime that is an imprisonable offence!) If you are a business you are required to supply a receipt if requested. As far as Ebay goes, if you are a seller its good practice to include a receipt anyway.

Only VAT registered businesses can supply a VAT receipt, I was assuming that the seller referred to was registered or claiming to be from what was originally posted.

Tea3

Hi - the copy message above was their latest one when I asked again for vat invoice, but prior to purchsing we had several emails back and forth and in two I specifically asked if the price included vat - it took a few emais to get a straight answer but they then said:

Hello,
Thank you for getting back to us.
The price paid includes V.A.T. and is deducted by eBay directly. Their European H. Q is based in Luxembourg through which payment is passed.


The thing is even the basic ebay invoice would do at a push if they had put through the 40 packs I bought instead of 1 pack plus the £115 adjustment - no way will hmrc accept me claiming vat on something that says £115 adjustment with no notification of what was purchased.