eBay cops $3bn tax bill after moving its profits back onshore

Re: Explains a lot.

Hahahahaha! I take it you've never actually dealt with a scamming buyer.

You are either going to have not had the item returned, just a "not as described" claim filed, money refunded. If you persist, you might get something sent to you, which may resemble what you sent, just now smashed up.

Another classic is for the scammer to ensure that the package doesn't get delivered, files a claim for non-delivery (and gets awarded their money back) then collect parcel from depot.

Usually what happens is you end up with no sale, a shipping cost, and no item. If you can pull that off with a retail outlet, I'm very impressed. It's the equivalent of spending up large on stuff on your credit card, then when home with the goods, claiming your card was nicked.

There are a list of countries whom I don't ship to, due to problems with large amounts of scammers, failed deliveries, dodgy customs and other such "double loss". Italy and UK top my list.for Europe, the ability to just flat out win buyer disputes by filing for action fraud and keeping the stuff.

Since the police are useless at any crime involving any level of paperwork (which is why fraud is the thinking criminals method of choice) the only effective way I found of shutting down the scam buyers is to send them low grade speed or coke in the mail. Nice leaky package.

For all the slagging off about bitcoin, if some Russian, Italian or British person wishes to buy something from me, then payment that is quick and non-reversible means I'll actually try to ship them things, rather than just say your country is full of scabs.

Re: Wot, no comments...

The current Belgian VAT rate is 21%. Do Amazon get a reduced rate somehow?

I completely agree with your sentiment, but the Cambourne government is far too supine to do anything to upset the US.

I'd have a lot more respect for UKIP if they explained how we were going to be independent of the US as well as the EU, but I've seen nothing from them yet to suggest that they don't simply intend swapping our control by two superstates for control by the one that happens to be furthest away.

Re: Wot, no comments...

I think the reason people aren't patting them on the back for it is because they're only doing it out of necessity - if they want to buy a US company, the money used to do so must be brought into the country first.

JassMan: Ebay and all US companies do pay taxes in other countries, the "offshore money" you hear about them having has already been taxed overseas and those taxes can be deducted from the taxes due in the US when they bring it in.

Of course, given all the games they're able to play with Ireland and "Dutch Double Sandwich" sometimes that money hasn't been taxed very much in whatever country you live in, but that's an issue you need to take up with your government. They make the laws, and if companies are avoiding taxes in your country on profits earned in your country, they need to rewrite those laws so that doesn't happen. But they're afraid to in many cases because they believe it'll chase those who can avoid doing business there at all to other countries with more lax tax laws.

Re: Wot, no comments...

It is Luxembourg, where the VAT rate on e-books is 1.5%.

Re: Wot, no comments...

Most of that money was stashed in places like the Caymans where they hid it to avoid taxes.

The problem is that international Tax Policies haven't caught up with companies ability to Sell something in the USA or Britain and somehow have the Payment end up "Untaxable" because the Cash ended up in Lichtenstein.

The money they moved back to the USA is a drop in the bucket compared to what they still have sitting on a beach somewhere working on it's "Tan".

Re: Okay - downvote me

And you are a permie. That's the sort of thing they write in lieu of stopping moaning, getting off their asses and going contracting.