Ebay deals question!

[sram]

Hello folks. You know that one can easily get an awesome deal on a computer part/accessory from Ebay.com and also have warranty on the item he purchased.

I'm just wandering, is it illegal in anyway to resell these items (say laptops) to friends, relatives,...etc and earn something out of the process. Will computer shops oppose this?

I know people can buy stuff out off ebay themselves, but they just don't bother and don't want to take the risk, but if a ready deal is to be given to them, they will just take it. They will get the item for a price considerably lower than the retail price, which is the thing I consider encouraging.


Just wanted to check regulations before taking an action!

Am I thinking too much !?

 

[justDIY]

I wouldn't call ebay's prices "awesome", especially for current production or just off production goods ... retail prices are often cheaper than ebay, and shipping is better retail wise

In Michigan, if you sell something (goods and certain services) to someone else, you are required to collect sales tax or report the sale of goods / services to the government so they can collect sales tax from the purchaser ... in reality, this almost never happens (look at bake sales, yard sales, ebay auctions, swap meets, etc) ... your location is blank, so its hard to guess what the law says for your area ... most states in the union follow a practice of uniform code of law, so a law in one state will most likely have a counterpart in another.

be an educated consumer and double check these "great deals" before commiting to a purchase ... check ebay's "completed items" listings to find out what that same item normally ends bidding at ... and then compare that price to what you'll find online from retail stores (froogle.google.com or pricegrabber.com). also watch out on the shipping - lots of items that are listed "cheap" end up having insane s&h fees attached, often 2-3x what a retail store would charge!

 

[sram]

I thank you for your comment & advice. I'm not saying that ebay is a magic place to get super deals. I said one can easily get a good deal, say by only luck. I'm actually an expert ebay user, and pricewatch.com, pricegrabber and my favorite online store newegg.com are my friends to compare prices. Shipping is put into consideration.

I was just thinking : buying from ebay is legal, so is reselling items I get from ebay legal as well.

Why tax? if you're selling to your friend? sometimes tax is collected when buy from ebay.

Thanks again.

 

[justDIY]

Why tax? if you're selling to your friend? sometimes tax is collected when buy from ebay.

yea, thats the arguement and probably why the gov hasn't bothered to enforce the law on the subject

since a lot of stuff on ebay is used, someone has purchased once before ... presumably they paid sales tax on it when it was new ... so why should sales tax be paid again? well, the govt doesn't see it that way. Take cars for example. If you buy a new car, you are charged sales tax ... if you buy a used car, you are charged sales tax - why?! someone already paid tax on it when it was new ... oh well

I'm just saying, the letter of the law says you must collect or report the sale for any goods and certain services sold in Michigan, it doesn't matter what it is or who you're selling it to.

 

[ThermalRunaway]

I think the government have to take that attitude towards sales otherwise they would leave open huge loopholes which people could jump through in order to avoid paying taxes. And of course, they can cream a lot more money out of the consumer that way!!!

Brian