auction prices displayed without VAT

tightbarsteward

Just bought an item of Ebay which started at £20.00 & had a Buy it Now of £30.00. I was the only bidder so got it for £20.00 + postage which was cheap for the item but it was listed as used.

Not until I went to pay by paypal did i realise VAT was still to be added. Having looked at the item again it does say in the description to add VAT @ 17.5% (which I didn't see) but it doesn't say anything in the payment instructions which I read.

Bought off ebay loads of times & never come accross this before. Anyone know if there are any rules against this or do I not have a leg to stand on?

aerofish

The only page I could find on eBay is here;

http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/policies/png-vat.html

The latter two paragraphs state that the seller must clearly state if VAT is payable by the buyer.

If you think that you have been mislead (i.e. it was not clearly stated) then you may be able to get a complaint lodged against the seller.

Eddy.

www.aerofish.com
Free eBay support resource

NellyLock

surely vat cant be charged on a 'used' item??

aerofish

If they are a VAT registered business - yes (regardless of whether they sell new or used items).

If they are not a VAT registered business, then that's a different matter entirely, as it is against the law. (Sometimes people use false VAT additions as a covert method of surcharging, although this is very serious indeed).

If in doubt - you could always ask for a seller's VAT registration number.

Eddy
www.aerofish.com
Free eBay support resource

baffcat

Hi. I'm a power seller on eBay. I'm also a VAT registered business. When I started selling on eBay, I took the view that most people who bought on the site would be private individuals and, at least here in good old Blighty, would prefer to see the price on screen as the price they'd pay. This is the norm in the UK. I know that in the U.S. of A., prices in stores are often nett of tax, and consumers there expect to have a tax addition. I don't like that.

Therefore, the prices I sell at on eBay include VAT. When I make my quarterly tax return, I show the VAT element of my total eBay sales for the customs & excise to take their chunk. But I don't begrudge any business selling on eBay their right to add VAT, as long as they make it clear that this is what they intend to do.

If you bid on an auction, then it's up to you to make sure you know how the seller has set it out, or to ask the questions before you bid until you're clear about carriage charges, VAT, paypal, etc. Caveat Emptor, I believe is the phrase.

Personally, if I find an item I'm interested in, I check out the description thoroughly, then I look carefully at the postage & payment details, and if 'm still unclear, I ask the seller a question. Only when I'm satisfied will I think about bidding.

Of course, if VAT is in addition (or even included, as a VAT registered business, I always ask for a VAT receipt so that I can reclaim the VAT. So far, I've always had one, but if it ever came to the time when the seller couldn't furnish me with one, I'd want the VAT element refunded to me.

Baff