# I guess I am going to limit shopping at Amazon



## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Well, starting next Wednesday, Amazon is going to start charging sales tax to Minnesota customers. I guess that means I will be buying a whole lot less from them and buy from others instead. If you read the article, it is a prime example of why Minnesota is turning into a socialist state. These retailers are complaining that they cannot compete with Amazon because of the sales tax. I understand that, but they can compete on customer service (as one of them mentions in the article). But still, it is better to knock the competition down than to raise your business up.

I have to get out of this socialist hellhole!

Amazon's Minnesota sales tax plans draw hope, fear from local retailers - TwinCities.com


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

I use amazon all the time. I have a prime account. Free 2 day shipping negates the sales tax if you order often like I do. However, I live out in the boonies and many of the things I want are simply not available for purchase locally. The prime account also allows me to have access to a bunch of free movies and one free book monthly via my Kindle fire. I'm hooked, I know... but it's just to damn convenient for me, they have literally anything you could ask for. It's bad when the ups guy knows your dog's names.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

Arklatex said:


> I use amazon all the time. I have a prime account. Free 2 day shipping negates the sales tax if you order often like I do. However, I live out in the boonies and many of the things I want are simply not available for purchase locally. The prime account also allows me to have access to a bunch of free movies and one free book monthly via my Kindle fire. I'm hooked, I know... but it's just to damn convenient for me, they have literally anything you could ask for. It's bad when the ups guy knows your dog's names.


Don't get me wrong. We buy a TON of crap from Amazon. But since they have caved to the state of MN, I am just going to find other online retailers that do not collect tax for MN even if they are more expensive. I have a VERY bad attitude towards my state government. Every penny those pricks steal from me, they use to steal two more a year later. We live about 15 miles from the Wisconsin border. We have been known to drive into Hudson, WI to shop at Walmart rather than shopping at the one 5 miles from our home, just so MN does not get the tax revenue.


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## Arklatex (May 24, 2014)

It's getting harder and harder to find online retailers that don't charge state sales tax. Thanks in large part to the fact that amazon has caved to the demands.


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## DerBiermeister (Aug 15, 2014)

I can't figure Amazon out. They supposedly started with the sales tax here in Virginia about a year ago. But on perhaps 50% of the stuff I buy from them ....... no sales tax. I buy a lot and I am also a Prime member. It may have something to do with where the item originates from. If for instance it comes from one of the Amazon warehouses in Virginia (I know there is at least one up close to Dulles Airport), then you pay tax on it. If it comes from another warehouse that is out of state - perhaps no sales tax. Also, if it comes from one of their distributors who is also out of state -- perhaps no sales tax. That is the conclusion I have come to.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Its not just Minnesota and Virgina that wants a piece of the action. I would venture to say that new or increased taxes are at the top of the agenda for any legislative body of government "because of all the wonderful things government provides to make our lives easier". Yes, sarcasm.


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## Derma-Redi (Aug 23, 2014)

I am in MA. they started assessing the tax here a while back. I am a seller and won't even consider selling on Amazon between their fees and taxes to the customer
it's a killer. The gov pushed for this as usual b/c they couldn't stimulate an economy if it bit them on the ass..


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## indie (Sep 7, 2013)

Amazon HQs are in WA so we pay sales tax, but if you shop 3rd party sellers who are based out of state, you don't pay sales tax. There are 3rd party sellers for most items now, so you can probably still stick it to the MN man. I'm with you on that!


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## Derma-Redi (Aug 23, 2014)

Taxachusetts made the amazon tax iron clad from what I can see. maybe elsewhere it is still possible but not in the People's republic of Assachusetts


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Amazon started reporting purchases made by residents of Michigan to the Treasury, but haven't started taking the tax out yet.


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## AquaHull (Jun 10, 2012)

Derma-Redi said:


> Taxachusetts made the amazon tax iron clad from what I can see. maybe elsewhere it is still possible but not in the People's republic of Assachusetts


Nasty Two Chits


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

AquaHull said:


> Nasty Two Chits


Mass of mutants


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## just mike (Jun 25, 2014)

I am going to take the unpopular opinion here. Buying online with no sales tax is absolutely unfair to brick and mortar stores that pay local taxes and employ local people. When you buy online you are not supporting your local economy. I had several instances while I had my business where customers would buy their telephone equipment online and then expect my company to install the equipment and then warranty the equipment because we were the authorized dealer for the area. Some of them just did not understand it when I would tell them to send it back to whomever they bought it from, I did not sell it and I would not warranty it. Most of the time they only saved the taxes on the sale and did not buy the equipment any cheaper than I would sell it for. Florida has NO income tax, sales tax is a necessary evil and should be paid on internet sales as well as local sales. MY OPINION


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## DerBiermeister (Aug 15, 2014)

just mike said:


> I am going to take the unpopular opinion here. Buying online with no sales tax is absolutely unfair to brick and mortar stores that pay local taxes and employ local people. When you buy online you are not supporting your local economy.


What you fail to realize is that -- at least for me -- probably 95% of what I buy online CANNOT be found locally. For instance ... clothing. I am a big guy. Ever try to find a good selection of XXL? I am now a regular customer of Duluth Trading Co. Same with shoes -- I wear EEE width. Virtually no stores keep an inventory on hand of anything other than Medium width. 
The other day, I dropped a very small metric machine screw on the floor and after searching for several hours, I could not find it. The size is M2.5 x 8mm. The next day, I went all over town at Lowes, Home Depot, and even some big hardware stores, looking for this screw and could not find anything smaller than an M3. Amazon to the rescue.

Let me give you a few more examples of recent online purchase that I would never find locally -- I replaced (Amazon Prime) an old worn-out leather sheath for my original Leatherman multi-tool (their very first model). Second, I bought an Ontario Knife leg strap to secure my bayonet to my leg. Third, I needed a heavy-duty leather hole punch to add a new hole to my 1/4" thick gun belt. Out of at least a half dozen that I looked at online, the only one that looked like it would do the job was this one:

Amazon.com: Leather Hole Punch Plier Tool - 3 in 1 Uses - Leather Hole Punch, Plastic Hole Punch, Eyelet Insertion and Press Stud Button Pliers to Adjust Belt Size to Fit Your Figure - Arts and Crafts - Quick, Easy! - Multi-sized Round Holes in 1, 2,

Got it yesterday, and with some effort it worked ok.

If I could easily find these things locally, I would be more than glad to pay a bit more. But the fact of the matter is, I can't find anything I am looking for in local stores. I am now a confirmed Amazon Prime junkie. :grin:


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## Hemi45 (May 5, 2014)

Florida had a good run of no taxes but that ended this year. Amazon remains my go-to for online shopping. Even with sales tax (which, let's face it, is a fact of life) their prices are often still the best. I also have a Prime membership and as mentioned between Kindle freebies and fast shipping it's still a right fair deal.


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## DerBiermeister (Aug 15, 2014)

Hemi45 said:


> Florida had a good run of no taxes but that ended this year. Amazon remains my go-to for online shopping. Even with sales tax (which, let's face it, is a fact of life) their prices are often still the best. I also have a Prime membership and as mentioned between Kindle freebies and fast shipping it's still a right fair deal.


You got that right.

A couple of years ago, I was looking for a specific gun safe and couldn't find it locally. One store, Tractor Supply, would order it for me, but they wanted a hefty delivery charge to get it to my home. Amazon Prime had it for a cheaper price and delivered it to my house "free" of charge. Not free if you consider Prime comes with a yearly fee, but with that one item, the savings in delivery charge easily paid for my Prime membership. That year, I bought at least 50 other items using Prime.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

just mike said:


> I am going to take the unpopular opinion here. Buying online with no sales tax is absolutely unfair to brick and mortar stores that pay local taxes and employ local people. When you buy online you are not supporting your local economy. I had several instances while I had my business where customers would buy their telephone equipment online and then expect my company to install the equipment and then warranty the equipment because we were the authorized dealer for the area. Some of them just did not understand it when I would tell them to send it back to whomever they bought it from, I did not sell it and I would not warranty it. Most of the time they only saved the taxes on the sale and did not buy the equipment any cheaper than I would sell it for. Florida has NO income tax, sales tax is a necessary evil and should be paid on internet sales as well as local sales. MY OPINION


No. What is absolutely unfair to the local stores is that the states and counties they provide jobs in are forcing them to collect sales taxes too.

Why is everybody so quick to accept additional taxes on the retailers that do not pay sales taxes "to make it fair" to the retailers that do. How about the novel concept of making the brick and mortars more competitive by NOT forcing them to collect a vig for the government.

It is pathetic that we just accept without argument, that 7-8 cents on every dollar we spend somehow belongs to the government. What the hell did they do to earn that? In a lot of cases, the government is profiting more than the retailer!


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## DerBiermeister (Aug 15, 2014)

Inor said:


> No. What is absolutely unfair to the local stores is that the states and counties they provide jobs in are forcing them to collect sales taxes too.
> 
> Why is everybody so quick to accept additional taxes on the retailers that do not pay sales taxes "to make it fair" to the retailers that do. How about the novel concept of making the brick and mortars more competitive by NOT forcing them to collect a vig for the government.
> 
> It is pathetic that we just accept without argument, that 7-8 cents on every dollar we spend somehow belongs to the government. What the hell did they do to earn that? In a lot of cases, the government is profiting more than the retailer!


When you are talking "government", in this situation it is State Government. Some states have no income tax and rely heavily on sales tax. I don't like taxes any more than the next guy, but I do understand the necessity of taxes to maintain a civil society. We'd have anarchy without it. So I am not going to bitch about local sales tax as long as it remains reasonable. Again -- much of this depends on what state you live in. I honestly don't understand why states like Connecticut, Mass, Maryland, Calif, etc., are not completely devoid of people what with the humongous outrageous taxes they levy. Here in Virginia, sanity prevails.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Most of these brick and mortars that are complaining also have an online outlet as well, so it can't be internet sales that gives amazon an unfair advantage. Brick and mortar sell on line and have customers coming through the front door. So who actually has the advantage.


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## just mike (Jun 25, 2014)

DerBiermeister said:


> What you fail to realize is that -- at least for me -- probably 95% of what I buy online CANNOT be found locally. For instance ... clothing. I am a big guy. Ever try to find a good selection of XXL? I am now a regular customer of Duluth Trading Co. Same with shoes -- I wear EEE width. Virtually no stores keep an inventory on hand of anything other than Medium width.
> The other day, I dropped a very small metric machine screw on the floor and after searching for several hours, I could not find it. The size is M2.5 x 8mm. The next day, I went all over town at Lowes, Home Depot, and even some big hardware stores, looking for this screw and could not find anything smaller than an M3. Amazon to the rescue.
> 
> Let me give you a few more examples of recent online purchase that I would never find locally -- I replaced (Amazon Prime) an old worn-out leather sheath for my original Leatherman multi-tool (their very first model). Second, I bought an Ontario Knife leg strap to secure my bayonet to my leg. Third, I needed a heavy-duty leather hole punch to add a new hole to my 1/4" thick gun belt. Out of at least a half dozen that I looked at online, the only one that looked like it would do the job was this one:
> ...


Did not mean to imply that I do not buy online. I just think it is not fair that online retailors do not pay sales tax. FWIW Duluth is one of my favorites, lots of things you cannot find elsewhere.


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## Derma-Redi (Aug 23, 2014)

This online retailer doesn't charge sales tax unless you live in Taxachusetts, of course I am small potatoes and only sell a few things but you're right
it's getting harder and harder. Little guys have no Marketing budget lol oh well..


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

DerBiermeister said:


> I can't figure Amazon out. They supposedly started with the sales tax here in Virginia about a year ago. But on perhaps 50% of the stuff I buy from them ....... no sales tax. I buy a lot and I am also a Prime member. It may have something to do with where the item originates from. If for instance it comes from one of the Amazon warehouses in Virginia (I know there is at least one up close to Dulles Airport), then you pay tax on it. If it comes from another warehouse that is out of state - perhaps no sales tax. Also, if it comes from one of their distributors who is also out of state -- perhaps no sales tax. That is the conclusion I have come to.


You are correct about point of origin. We never paid sales tax on orders from amazon until they opened a distribution center here now we have to pay state sales tax on items coming from there, if it comes from out of state no tax.
But as himi45 said with a prime account its free shipping which negates the sales tax in most cases.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

This online tax thing is like buzzards circling a dying prospector in the desert.
Eventually the buzzards are going to land.
When they finally get their online tax in place, which they will, I like most folks, will simply curb my online buying.


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## slewfoot (Nov 6, 2013)

JMHO but what difference does it make whether you pay it on line or in the store? We like the convenience of buying from amazon, delivered to the door.
Groceries, guns and ammo is about the only thing we don't buy online.


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