刚刚收到别人转发过来的一封email，尤其在ebay上做得比较多的朋友要看看：

Subject: Maintain Your Legal Status - VERY IMPORTANT & YOU SHOULD KNOW!

Dear Chinese Fellows,

Recently the CFA was approached by a local FBI agent
informing a criminal investigation case where an
international student at PSU is being investigated
allegedly for buying and selling merchandise (mainly
computers and accessories) on the eBay website and for
tax evasion. The student is now on the run. Updates
about this case may be provided as soon as more
information becomes available.

According to this FBI agent, a few other international
students were also identified with doing similar
tradings, though their trading amounts were relatively
smaller comparing with that of the student being
investigated. Majority of these trading activities was
illegal because

1) these activities often involve large monetary
amounts thus can be regarded as business, and doing
business is an violation of the law for international
students or scholars who are on F1 or J1 visa because
by law they can only conduct activities related to
their research subject in their academic unit or other
authorized activities.

2) taxes were often not paid on this portion of the
income, which is again illegal.

3) merchandise is often stored in the residential
premises which by law can not be used for business
purpose unless permit is issued by the government.

The FBI agent also wishes to remind us that by law
international people must report to the US custom if
the cash amount that they bring with them to the US is
more than $10,000, otherwise, the US custom has the
right to confiscate all the cash. We are aware that
the U.S. government has confiscated money from
students for not declaring it. It is not a crime to
bring in money but it is a crime not to report it.


As we all should be doing and as reiterated by the FBI
agent, the CFA urges every Chinese student at Penn
State to maintain legal status and behave accordingly.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do
contact a foreign student adviser of ISS who may give
you advice on what to do. Also feel free to contact
any CFA panel member and we should be happy to pass on
your concerns or direct you to the right person!

Thanks

CFA Panel
09/13/2005

根据第二条，第三条，即使是citizen也是不能做这个的，如果不缴税的话。

那位PSU的同学一定是赚的太多了, 引起了FBI的注意

我觉得这个没有问题，因为很多时候，2nd hand东西基本没有原价贵， 所以

你根本没有“赚钱”。

如果真是要上税的话，IRS应该倒找我钱了（如果想炒股损失的话）。我花$150买的打印机（发票上的金额），在EBAY上只卖了$100, 我损失了$50, 我还上什么税啊？

可是你总归是获得了收入了。不是么？很困惑阿。

可是相对你的成本而言，这些cash不是收入，而是你之前付出的成本的一部分，属于亏损啊，怎么能算收入呢？