Is eBay Asking for My Social Security Number Now?

[dlgoff]

I've never sold anything on ebay.com; only purchased.
Now they are requiring my Social Security number evidently as an IRS requirement to make sure the IRS is getting their money from sales.

Bye Bye Ebay

 

[chemisttree]

Where else will you get overvalued, used stuff now?

 

[dlgoff]

Where else will you get overvalued, used stuff now?

I'm done for the most part. I may still visit the Antique Mall in Lawrence, Kansas however.

 

[StevieTNZ]

Paying GST on products purchased online is a legal requirement in NZ:
- https://www.govt.nz/browse/work/sel...me-business/selling-on-online-shopping-sites/
- https://www.ird.govt.nz/gst/what-gst-is

 

[berkeman]

Paying GST on products purchased online is a legal requirement in NZ:
- https://www.govt.nz/browse/work/sel...me-business/selling-on-online-shopping-sites/
- https://www.ird.govt.nz/gst/what-gst-is

What's GST? Golfing Standard Time?

 

[256bits]

Goods and Service Tax

 

[256bits]

Now they are requiring my Social Security number

That's disgusting.
That number was originally never to be used as identification for commercial transactions.

 

[Haborix]

Why would the IRS be involved in this if there is no federal sales tax?

 

[Keith_McClary]

According to Julie B

They are complying with U.S. Anti-money laundering regulations, specifically the Bank Secrecy Act and more specifically the Customer Identification Program requirement.

 

[Haborix]

According to Julie B

Ah, this makes more sense.

 

[BillTre]

Then Amazon and everybody else selling on line should do it too.
Considering the frequency of private company information getting hacked, providing another identifier opportunities for becoming more widely available seems like a bad idea.

 

[DaveC426913]

Do I not understand how GST works? only the seller pays GST, not the buyer, right?
So requiring SSN of buyer is misdirected.

 

[StevieTNZ]

Do I not understand how GST works? only the seller pays GST, not the buyer, right?
So requiring SSN of buyer is misdirected.

GST is usually included in the price. So if an item is $9.99, then 15% of that is GST and is paid by the buyer.

If the price says 'excl. GST', then 15% is added on and that total is paid by the buyer.

 

[StevieTNZ]

What's GST? Golfing Standard Time?

I wish. Even Amazon.com, .co.uk, and BookDepository.com* (or any other online business*) have to charge NZ customers GST now thanks to a law change (*with some prerequisites required).

 

[sysprog]

I've never sold anything on ebay.com; only purchased.
Now they are requiring my Social Security number evidently as an IRS requirement to make sure the IRS is getting their money from sales.

Bye Bye Ebay

Maybe your membership somehow got into a seller category. Some state governments have recently required ebay and other online vending businesses to participate in sales tax collection. I've seen ebay requiring SSN from sellers for IRS Form 1099 'Miscellaneous Income' reporting purposes, and ebay has a 'Managed Payments' program for buyers that includes SSN disclosure requirements, but as far as I know, you still don't necessarily have to disclose your SSN to buy things on ebay $\dots$

 

[DaveE]

Maybe your membership somehow got into a seller category.

Yes something sounds broken at eBay. I don't have to give my SSN to amazon, eBay, or my grocery store to buy things. Money laundering reporting is usually only required for large amounts, maybe they think you're going to buy a yacht?

OTOH, if I want to sell a bunch of junk at the electronics swap meet, I do have to give the organizers my SSN, they then give it to the State of California. I'm also supposed to fill out forms and pay State sales taxes.

 

[sysprog]

if I want to sell

You of course understand that sell is not the same as buy $-$ maybe a requirement of disclosure of SSN is inflicted on sellers and not on buyers? seems that way to me $-$ but this is PF, not ebay, and so I should here regarding this maybe go quiet $\dots$

 

[dlgoff]

Maybe your membership somehow got into a seller category.

No. Even checking the status of an order from my email required me to summit my SS no. And I even restarted my pc and just went to ebay.com. I also tried restoring my pc from a back-up; same thing happened.

 

[sysprog]

I've never sold anything on ebay.com; only purchased.

That doesn't necessarily mean that you couldn't possibly be demarcated by them as a 'seller' $-$ you don't have to have completed a sale, or even to have offered anything for sale, for ebay to mark your account as a seller account.

Even checking the status of an order from my email required me to

If you would like to discuss this matter further with me, please PM me $-$ Thanks $\dots$

 

[dlgoff]

That doesn't necessarily mean that you couldn't possibly be demarcated by them as a 'seller' $-$ you don't have to have completed a sale, or even to have offered anything for sale, for ebay to mark your account as a seller account.

If you would like to discuss this matter further with me, please PM me $-$ Thanks $\dots$

Nothing to discuss. I'm done with them.

 

[DaveE]

You of course understand that sell is not the same as buy $-$ maybe a requirement of disclosure of SSN is inflicted on sellers and not on buyers? seems that way to me $-$ but this is PF, not ebay, and so I should here regarding this maybe go quiet $\dots$

OK, so TIL: selling isn't the same as buying, eBay isn't the same as PF, and you should be quiet?

 

[dlgoff]

you should be quiet?

 

[sysprog]

you should be quiet?

I think that
"$\mathrm {should~here~regarding~this~maybe~go~quiet}$"
$\neq\square$ (does not necessarily entail)
"$\mathrm {should~be~quiet}$" $-$
and, maybe I should be vewy vewy quiet,
even though I'm not hunting wight now$\dots$

 

[DaveE]

I think that
"$\mathrm {should~here~regarding~this~maybe~go~quiet}$"
$\neq\square$ (does not necessarily entail)
"$\mathrm {should~be~quiet}$" $-$
and, maybe I should be vewy vewy quiet,
even though I'm not hunting wight now$\dots$

Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude or start a fight. No I don't think you should be quiet, then or now.

I just really, really, really didn't understand your post. Hence the question marks. "You should be quiet.", "You should be quiet!", and "You should be quiet?" are not the same. And yet I can still screw up the grammar. My post starts with a declaration and ends with question marks, so you are excused for any misinterpretation.

BTW, bonus points for all Bugs Bunny references!

edit: Plus I was being kind of snarky. Guilty as charged. I do that sometimes.

 

[sysprog]

@DaveE inadequacies of languages may in some instances not be legitimately attributable to a fault of an individual.

 

[sysprog]

@DaveE, nice $-$
as I imitationally of in voce Elmer said,
"I'm not hunting wight now".

edit: Plus I was being kind of snarky. Guilty as charged. I do that sometimes.