first mac, anywhere to buy tax free?

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l4t13

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hey im getting my first mac (macbook 2gh white.)

well im actually waiting for core 2 duo but looking ahead.

anyway anyone know of places online that you dont have to pay tax? besides ebay? thanks.

=D
 
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Check Amazon....

They usually have $50 to $100 rebates as well... The only down side IMO is no BTO options...
 
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Macmall but they don't do returns.
 
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If you live in a tax free state, then you shouldn't have to pay it.
Otherwise, there really isn't too much you can do to avoid it... death and taxes and all.
Remember, the retailers don't make you pay the tax nor do they get any of that as "profit", your local and state government does.
 
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unless you're in New Hampshire or Pennsylvania, you're supposed to report your purchase on your W2 and pay your tax accordingly ;)
 
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MacWannabe

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l4t13 said:
know of places online that you dont have to pay tax? besides ebay? thanks.

The rule is if the place you're buying from has a physical location in your state they are required to charge sales tax. So buy from an on-line vendor that you know is not located in your state.

Alternately Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon are the five states that currently do not impose general sales taxes at the state level.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_without_sales_tax
 
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sursuciofla

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For Apple products the price even with tax is pretty on par with what resellers charge even without tax. Only place I have seen different is Ebay but then you get tagged with shipping charges so it is catch-22. Little stuff I get directly from Amazon (not when they play middle man for sellers) if they carry it.
 
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sursuciofla said:
For Apple products the price even with tax is pretty on par with what resellers charge even without tax. Only place I have seen different is Ebay but then you get tagged with shipping charges so it is catch-22. Little stuff I get directly from Amazon (not when they play middle man for sellers) if they carry it.

i bought my macbook from amazon a couple weeks ago. and i even got a 100$ off rebate. i did it online and it was a breeze. i highly recommend to anyone to try them if they are looking to order a macbook without any tax.
 
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sursuciofla said:
For Apple products the price even with tax is pretty on par with what resellers charge even without tax.
:black:
That is because the simple fact is... tax must be paid in states that require it. Just because the reseller doesn't directly "charge" you the tax as a separate line charge, the tax still must be paid. What some resellers do to offset this is either add the average or the highest state tax amount to the cost of each item. On your receipt there is not a "line" for tax, so it would appear that you didn't pay tax when in fact you have. The only difference is that since there is not a line for it, they can say that they never charged tax. That way, a buyer is none the wiser and the retailer still has the correct tax amount added to the sale so they can deduct that amount and report it to the proper state tax office.


:black:
 
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sursuciofla

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Exactly, that's what I was getting at. Student discount usually offsets any kind of rebate resellers offer as well. Basically the only reason I didn't go for reseller last time I bought. Just like you pay for R&D and advertising in the final product that you purchase the costs are always there. I don't really think anyone is really ignorant to that fact.
 
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MacWannabe said:
That's simply not true. States don't [YET] have the authority to collect tax for items purchased in other states.

http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-ar..._tax_on_the_internet_who_pays_it_who_doesnt-i

But when you buy it online, you are purchasing it in your home state. If your state collects tax, the tax is still required to be paid.
From your own link:
Consumers who live in a state that collects sales tax are technically required to pay the tax to the state even when an Internet retailer doesn't collect it
:black:
I never said that all retailers add on to the selling price, I only stated that some of them do and then turn over the tax to the state later. Whether the retailer charges you or pays the tax themselves, it doesn't change the fact that taxes still must be paid. If the rare occasion arises where the retailer won't charge tax, you the buyer are required to pay it yourself. On the even rarer occasion that the state would audit you and find that taxes weren't paid, you are technically guilty of tax evasion.
 
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MacWannabe

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D3v1L80Y said:
Whether the retailer charges you or pays the tax themselves, it doesn't change the fact that taxes still must be paid.

That is incorrect. If a company does not have a physical presence in your state there is no sales tax due and the retailer is not obligated to collect (or charge) any tax. While it's true there are some states that still believe they should be paid it's very much a gray area.

Laptops are one of the best items to buy on-line as you can almost always avoid paying tax and shipping is inexpensive enough not to eat up the savings.
 
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MacWannabe said:
That is incorrect. If a company does not have a physical presence in your state there is no sales tax due and no retailer is obligated to collect tax for your state.
I never said that the retailer was obligated to collect the tax.
:black:
What I did say was that the tax is due on a sale when the state has a sales tax.
In that case when a retailer doesn't collect it, technically the buyer is still responsible to pay the tax. This is exactly what is stated in the article you linked to and what I quoted from that article.
:black:
In most cases however, and as the article also mentions, states won't bother to check every purchase so if you the buyer doesn't report the sale and pay the tax you will likely get away without paying it.
 
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MacWannabe

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D3v1L80Y said:
I never said that the retailer was obligated to collect the tax.

Well you said they "must" pay it ("tax must be paid in states that require it") and that's really not the case is it? In fact, it's rarely if ever paid.
 
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MacWannabe said:
"Several states have tried to “encourage” mail order and internet suppliers to collect and pay the use tax for sales within those jurisdictions. The state governments of North Carolina and South Dakota, for example, will purchase goods and services only from companies that collect sales tax on all sales in the state. This is an option that may be available to local governments, as well."
Okay, everyone please read closely as I will state this one more time and then I won't continue to hijack this thread or repeat what I have said. :black:
Again, I never said that online retailers are required, obligated or in any other way made to collect sales tax on sales they make. You are correct in that the state governments currently have no way to make online retailers collect tax for the sales they make. MacWannabe, you have quoted me three times saying I was incorrect. You have made that quite clear that online retailers don't have to collect taxes and I have not once contested that fact, therefore I confused as to why anyone would think I was incorrect in what I posted. If you can show that I have contested your remarks about that, then I apologize.
What I have said is that tax is due on sales when the state charges sales tax.
I never said that the online retailers had to pay it, had to collect it or had to report it. It would technically be the buyer's responsibility in that case. Quoting from your article again:
Consumers who live in a state that collects sales tax are technically required to pay the tax to the state even when an Internet retailer doesn't collect it
Again, I only said that the tax is due, not that the retailer had to collect or pay it.
MacWannabe said:
That's not correct. Sales tax is only owed to a State when the sale occurs IN the state. An internet sales does not occur in the state, therefore there is no tax due.
Technically, internet sales do occur in the state you live in. You order the product online, from your computer, in your home in your own state. It wouldn't be difficult to prove that either.
If I were to physically go to the state that doesn't charge tax and make the purchase in person, then no, I don't have to pay or report any tax on the item. I do this from time to time when I visit my sister in Delaware, as they have no sales tax there.

So, to recap:

Retailers are not required to collect or charge the sales tax for those states that have sales tax.
In the event that the retailer does not collect the tax, the buyer is technically required to do so himself if he lives in a state that has sales tax.
Taxes are due in a state that has sales tax. Period.


"In this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes." ~ Benjamin Franklin
:black:
 
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MacWannabe

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D3v1L80Y said:
Taxes are due in a state that has sales tax. Period.

I think this is very misleading and I have to wonder why you're trying so hard to be right. Surely you realize that NO ONE pays sales tax in this scenario. Ever. I don't think it's ever happened, nor do I think anyone would even know HOW to got about it if they wanted to. So if this is about you being "right", then OK technically some states (not all) would say that you should voluntarily contact them and pay them sales tax. Good luck on that if you decide to try.

To the OP - you don't "have" to pay sales tax on an on-line purchase if the retailer doesn't have an office in your state (and sometimes even if they do) so it's probably the best way for you to buy. I hope that helps!
 

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