Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Amazon has been declining in my eyes for the last year or so. I just bought a flashlight from Wal-Mart for $19.99+tax Site-to-store and it was $25.00 on Amazon. This is not the only item that has cost less (20% in this case) when bought locally. I notice Amazon prices vary also with what is out there, bought a pressure washer last fall it was $324+ tax locally price matched on sale with a coupon from Lowes, Amazon price was $399.99 then dropped to $359.99 a day after it went on sale at Home Depot then went back up to $399.99 when the Home Depot sale ended. Read a couple reviews and the reviewers were "raving" about how Amazon saved them money because it was $40 more at Home Depot. Yes it was, before it went on sale just like it was at Amazon. A similar thing happened to eBay, as it gained in popularity their fees went up, prices went up, and I stopped buying on there as well.
In addition, in the last couple products I've purchased, I've received broken or substandard items. Looks like most are returns but one was clearly bad when it went into the box originally. Ordering a new one you have print and drop off at UPS (or leave outside your door) to get a refund. Just a huge hassle.
The no sales tax thing was a big deal especially on larger purchases this just means I'll buy even less on Amazon. No biggie!
Lots of other places don't collect tax. Just bought some tires on Discount Tire Direct, no tax & free shipping. Newegg.com also doesn't collect tax, for those of you who like electronics. Just means I'll have to do a little more shopping around instead of just buying from amazon willy nilly.
Others have said this, but -- there never has been tax-free shopping. You're required to list your Amazon and other e-commerce purchases on your NC income taxes to pay use tax on them.
Sales and use taxes go to pay for our local and state government. It's our duty to pay.
Amazon has been declining in my eyes for the last year or so. I just bought a flashlight from Wal-Mart for $19.99+tax Site-to-store and it was $25.00 on Amazon. This is not the only item that has cost less (20% in this case) when bought locally. I notice Amazon prices vary also with what is out there, bought a pressure washer last fall it was $324+ tax locally price matched on sale with a coupon from Lowes, Amazon price was $399.99 then dropped to $359.99 a day after it went on sale at Home Depot then went back up to $399.99 when the Home Depot sale ended. Read a couple reviews and the reviewers were "raving" about how Amazon saved them money because it was $40 more at Home Depot. Yes it was, before it went on sale just like it was at Amazon. A similar thing happened to eBay, as it gained in popularity their fees went up, prices went up, and I stopped buying on there as well.
In addition, in the last couple products I've purchased, I've received broken or substandard items. Looks like most are returns but one was clearly bad when it went into the box originally. Ordering a new one you have print and drop off at UPS (or leave outside your door) to get a refund. Just a huge hassle.
The no sales tax thing was a big deal especially on larger purchases this just means I'll buy even less on Amazon. No biggie!
Amazon can be a hit or miss. I bought a USB cable for $5 shipped. The cheapest at Best Buy was $10.
I've noticed that if you keep items in your wish list, the price often drops. I had some car ramps in there for a few months. The price dropped by about 10% from when I originally added them. Not sure if the price naturally dropped or if they do this to encourage buying.
I recently bought a laptop on sale at Best Buy for about $50 less (even including tax) than Amazon was charging.
The biggest thing Amazon has going for them is selection. There are just some things that are not available locally (especially when living in a small town). When I lived in the boonies, I would order specialty grocery items because they were unavailable locally. Often times, eBay can beat Amazon pricing.
It probably good news short term for local retailers especially on big purchases.
I'm trying to think what do I need that I cant get local and buy within next week.
It's also good news long term for NC residents. I could only imagine that there were a lot of NC residents evading the taxes by not paying them. And for those who were, this makes it a lot easier since it eliminates all the paperwork.
So is Amazon going charge different sales tax for each county? Each city?
That would not be a problem as computers can pull the rate for the zip code, calculate the tax and add it on. Amazon has a lot of computer processing power in there data centers.
That would not be a problem as computers can pull the rate for the zip code, calculate the tax and add it on. Amazon has a lot of computer processing power in there data centers.
That's a good point. I worry more about the mom and pop online retailer that will have to start collecting.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
