warning for all non US Turbosquid sellers !!! Turbosquid will stole from you !

[lukx]

Let me warn anyone who is selling his models and isn't US citizen. Its been around 5 years since I've been selling my models there. All was going ok I was getting royalties through paypal and didn't pay too much attention.
But this month I decided to check my account there and recent paypal payments from them that came. I earned $128 but on paypal received $89. I checked previous payments and similar things that there was missing quite a bit chunk of money.
First I though... it's some paypal fees... but common 40$ !!! I wrote to Turbosquid and they said that I had to fill some tax form because without it they withheld 30% fees !!! I did it and it said that now they will only withed 6%! They send me also summary for all 5 years how much they took ... it's been over $500 !!! Does anyone knows if there is any chance to recover those money they stole? Why they heaven't sent any warnings before every transaction that I should fill some stupid form to avoid this kind of robbery? It's been long time since I've been so pissed !!! So if you're from EU or other country than US be careful ! It's not enough they directly take chunk of your money it's even more !

[AlexP]

Its the US tax law, not Turbosquid. But yes, its ridiculous.
I dont think you can do anything about it unfortunately

[glorybound]

Was there an initial contract? Somewhere it has to state what they claim.

[AlexP]

Tax Form Requirements
We are required by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to withhold 30% of your sales made by U.S. customers. We do not withhold tax for sales made by non-U.S. customers.

You can reduce, or possibly eliminate, the U.S. withholding tax if you are a resident of a country that shares a tax treaty with the United States and you are able to provide us with your tax information. Review our full list of tax treaty countries to see if you are eligible for a lower U.S. withholding tax rate.

Reducing Your U.S. Withholding Tax
We will guide you through a simple step-by-step tax interview to complete your tax documentation online. You will be required to provide the following information to be eligible for a lower U.S. tax withholding rate:

We are required by the IRS to collect your U.S. and/or foreign (non-U.S.) income tax identification number. This is sometimes known as your national security number, personal account number, or personal identification number. This ID will be verified using the IRS tax identification database.
You will be required to provide your permanent address, full name, and company name, if applicable.
We only support the electronic delivery of your yearly 1099-MISC or 1042-S tax documentation. For this to be possible, we require your consent to this electronic delivery.
You can sign the completed tax documentation online. However, if you do not wish to sign electronically, you will be required to print, sign, and mail us your tax documentation.

[VelvetElvis]

It's on their page, https://www.turbosquid.com/PublishYourStuff

https://resources.squid.io/squidguild/

https://resources.squid.io/general-i...documentation/

https://resources.squid.io/general-i...mentation-faq/

It seems pretty straight forward to me. What are you expecting, to get 100% back what you charge?

[glorybound]

Yep, welcome to American taxes. This is why companies open offices overseas. Personally, I pay 35% plus sales tax, property tax.... Basically, Uncle Sam gets at least 1/2 my money.

[theedge]

Didn't you recieve emails from them regarding those tax documents ?
When I started selling there several years ago they provided me with all the information, and were very helpful to guide me through the process. Also if I'm correct, as long as you haven't provided the docs you should have a warning appearing in your dashboard.

[lukx]

It's on their page, https://www.turbosquid.com/PublishYourStuff

https://resources.squid.io/squidguild/

https://resources.squid.io/general-i...documentation/

https://resources.squid.io/general-i...mentation-faq/

It seems pretty straight forward to me. What are you expecting, to get 100% back what you charge?

No i do not! But i wasnt expecting to get ripped 30% more even after their commision. You got the picture?

[lukx]

Why I got a feeling those 30% taxes I paid went to fight some stupid wars that USA is in.

[rivoli]

Yep, welcome to American taxes

well it's not just american taxes, compared with other strong economies around the globe that's pretty average.

[VelvetElvis]

No i do not! But i wasnt expecting to get ripped 30% more even after their commision. You got the picture?

Then take your models off of there. Create a marketplace and sell them on your own page then. If you are not happy with it and feel you are getting ripped off, it seems silly to continue to use their service then.

[Oleg_Budeanu]

They sent warnings. A lot of times. Sorry mate but looks like you just ignored them, or they went to spam folder.

[eligiusz]

Yep, welcome to American taxes. This is why companies open offices overseas. Personally, I pay 35% plus sales tax, property tax.... Basically, Uncle Sam gets at least 1/2 my money.

35% sales tax in Your state ? or You mean income tax ?

[glorybound]

We pay state and federal income tax, plus property tax and sales tax. Sales tax is around 7%

35% sales tax in Your state ? or You mean income tax ?

[eligiusz]

so what percentage is Your income tax ?