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Results tagged “pricegouging”
Everyone Getting Screwed by Gas Prices (including station owners?)

Everyone Getting Screwed by Gas Prices (including station owners?)

Well, if you are reading this you haven’t been raptured away and are stuck dealing with earthly concerns like the rest of the wicked. High on many people’s list is the price of gas. You know things are bad when gas station owners complain that they are the ones being gouged… more ›

City Gets Fee Envy, Sues eBay And StubHub

City Gets Fee Envy, Sues eBay And StubHub

Because those Ticketmaster fees just aren't enough of a pain in the ass, the City of Chicago is suing websites eBay and StubHub, claiming that as "reseller agents," the sites are required to an amusement tax on sports and cultural events tickets sold on the sites under a Chicago ordinance. If the city succeeds, future purchases on these sites could see an additional tax of up to 8% tacked on to the price. The two websites have vowed to fight the lawsuit, issuing a joint statement:

"We do not believe that the City's Amusement Tax applies to either eBay's or StubHub's business models nor do we believe that the Amusement Tax can properly be assessed here. We intend to fight this litigation vigorously."
This, in spite of the city's ordinance which defines "reseller agent" as "a person who, for consideration, resells a ticket on behalf of the ticket’s owner or assists the owner in re-selling the ticket” and applies “whether the ticket is re-sold by bidding, consignment or otherwise, and whether the ticket is re-sold in person, at a site on the Internet or otherwise." StubHub collects 15% of a sale's total amount, while eBay's commission calculations are slightly more complicated. more ›

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