I think we can safely say that if it works for you and costs in, then fine, we are happy for you. For me and some others, it doesn't and we are on the receiving end of a fairly strong marketing exercise.

I am not sure about the tone you are trying to convey in your post.

I thanked you for reminding me and it seems to me that you think I am somehow disagreeing with you. I don't know if that was how you intended to post, but it came across that way.

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Reality Internet Personality

oh thanks for the reminder! I did just that to send Christmas pressies to family in the US and then forgot to cancel.

Just did it.

Since you are from Canada, the rules should be like in the US where you can cancel auto-renew the same day you sign up.

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oh thanks for the reminder! I did just that to send Christmas pressies to family in the US and then forgot to cancel.

Just did it.

Since you are from Canada, the rules should be like in the US where you can cancel auto-renew the same day you sign up.

There was no problem. It has autorenewed, but when I cancelled they said they were giving me a full refund as I hadn't used it.

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Reality Internet Personality

I am not sure about the tone you are trying to convey in your post.

I thanked you for reminding me and it seems to me that you think I am somehow disagreeing with you. I don't know if that was how you intended to post, but it came across that way.

Oi! Don't be so soppy :-) It shouldn't have come across that way at all, we are not disagreeing in any way. You may be a bit fragile today.

I'm always fragile. I'm a delicate flower, me.

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Reality Internet Personality

...we are on the receiving end of a fairly strong marketing exercise...

And a very clever one at that!!! The cost of Amazon Prime is just high enough for most people to make sure they get their money's worth in a year. While I don't think I particularly spend more money on-line each year because I have Amazon Prime, I do know that I go to Amazon first for my on-line shopping needs because we have spent money getting that "prime" status. I think the truly clever thing about Amazon Prime is not so much that they want you to forget to cancel it. I think the clever thing is that they want you to shop Amazon first... and I do!

...we are on the receiving end of a fairly strong marketing exercise...

And a very clever one at that!!! The cost of Amazon Prime is just high enough for most people to make sure they get their money's worth in a year. While I don't think I particularly spend more money on-line each year because I have Amazon Prime, I do know that I go to Amazon first for my on-line shopping needs because we have spent money getting that "prime" status. I think the truly clever thing about Amazon Prime is not so much that they want you to forget to cancel it. I think the clever thing is that they want you to shop Amazon first... and I do!

Same here.
I have 3 kids and 3 daugther in-laws you know.
Lots to buy. LOL

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With each crime and every kindness we birth our future.

...we are on the receiving end of a fairly strong marketing exercise...

And a very clever one at that!!! The cost of Amazon Prime is just high enough for most people to make sure they get their money's worth in a year. While I don't think I particularly spend more money on-line each year because I have Amazon Prime, I do know that I go to Amazon first for my on-line shopping needs because we have spent money getting that "prime" status. I think the truly clever thing about Amazon Prime is not so much that they want you to forget to cancel it. I think the clever thing is that they want you to shop Amazon first... and I do!

Yep, that's why I save money without Prime.

Of course I have Shopruuner 2 day free shipping for free.

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...we are on the receiving end of a fairly strong marketing exercise...

And a very clever one at that!!! The cost of Amazon Prime is just high enough for most people to make sure they get their money's worth in a year. While I don't think I particularly spend more money on-line each year because I have Amazon Prime, I do know that I go to Amazon first for my on-line shopping needs because we have spent money getting that "prime" status. I think the truly clever thing about Amazon Prime is not so much that they want you to forget to cancel it. I think the clever thing is that they want you to shop Amazon first... and I do!

Amazon is where My next PC case is coming from too, as long as the cases are in stock that is. Which right now is 12 of the Azza 9000B left(the 9000B is discontinued) and 8 of the Azza GT1 left, I'll buy one or the other, it just depends on who has which in stock on Jan 30th, though if I have to I could buy the GT1 from Newegg or if the worst case scenario came about, off of eBay if I have to at a slightly higher price. Yes the 9000B is on eBay for $330, the 9000W is on Amazon for $2,000... Gak!

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

FWIW, tigerdirect.com has its own version of the "pay us money to join and you'll get free shipping" thing going. I did it one better today, now that they've added an option for store pickup. But the other three things I ordered today weren't available at my local store and I didn't feel like driving to Orland Park, so I had them shipped.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

TD also uses Shoprunner.

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Newegg, Sears, Rakuten.com and of course, eBay work like that too.

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Well Chris. You want a cartel. Live where I do. You can buy online all you want. But at the end of the year I have to file a form with my state taxes. They want to know how much state tax they can charge you for ordering online.

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I pay sales taxes for CA, if a seller is in My state or is nearby, but not all sellers, ebay has no policy of enforcing sales tax collection across its domain, some sellers do, many including those overseas, do not collect sales taxes and when they do, they collect on the price of the item and the shipping too. Our courts had ruled that only Congress has the power of interstate tariffs(sales taxes), yet Congress has never done anything in this area, at least not yet, in their own state however sales taxes are allowed, in CA sales tax rates vary by county, here for the moment until sometime in 2016 the rate is 8%, after 2016 this areas sales tax is supposed to go back to 7.75%. Some think taxes are theft by the Federal Government, of course the US Constitution in Article 1, Section 8 says Congress has the power to lay and collect taxes, so the the theft idea is bunk, but then some will say anything without anything to back it up with.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

But at the end of the year I have to file a form with my state taxes. They want to know how much state tax they can charge you for ordering online.

What??? Your State, whichever it is, makes you pay tax for online purchases??? That is totally outrageous. Do other States in America do this? Thank god I only visit the place and don't live there.

I'd like Uli's comment on this.

I'll give you mine on sales and USE tax as it is called. They are actually two different taxes but you owe one or the other. If you buy something in your state the seller collects sales tax, he acts as agent for your state and collects the tax and forwards it to the state, which is why is the USA the price on the sign is not what you pay. If you buy something in another state and ship it to you, you pay USE tax. Historically states have been unable to collect USE tax as long as you kept your mouth shut, absent things like cars that you had to register.

Today, they are going to the big websites and demanding records of what was shipped into their state so they can send bills for USE tax. They actually want the seller to collect the tax, but a clause in our constitution prevents that, one state interfering in another state's commerce. It is a political bone that is being chewed upon in the never ending quest to obtain more tax dollars to squander.

Amazon fought a battle over this. As Amazon now has distribution centers in many states, they initially lost. However for goods sold by an affiliate, they have won. So if the item is shipped from any Amazon warehouse, taxes will be collected, but if an affiliate ships it taxes will only be collected if the affiliate is in the same state where the goods are shipped to. It gets more complex but few want to wade into reading legal decisions and briefs of tax courts.

Why? Well retailers in state A were upset that retailers in state B could sell for less than they could because of the tax not being collected. They felt they were losing business. Or at least that is the excuse the tax man flouts while he laughs all the way to he bank.

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Sales tax here is what we call VAT. Just another way for the government to extort money out of the population. It used to be called purchase tax. But according to this site the USA rate is zero. So why are individual states trying to cash in?

Tax

The chart shows zero because Federally it is zero.

It isn't actually VAT, but an idea that looks a lot like VAT, but different. As I understand VAT it is collected every time something changes hands, so each of the raw materials the assembler purchases has VAT. In the US the assembler does not pay a VAT to the raw materials places because he resells. The tax is only collected from the end USER. Hence the word USE in Sales and USE tax. <ed? A Consumption tax.

Now as to why states are cashing in, our tax system is just different, because we are a group of fifty sovereign states and not a single government with subdivisions. Think more of Brussels as Washington DC, and England as New York and France as Louisiana. Scary thought, but the USA lives it.

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Think more of Brussels as Washington DC, and England as New York and France as Louisiana. Scary thought, but the USA lives it.

I shall have nightmares tonight ;-)

I wouldn't feel bad about US taxes Chris. They pay the lowest anyway. Americans really don't like paying taxes.

Even here in BC the taxes are stupidly low. The funny thing is people still complain about it. Then they complain that the services they need aren't funded properly.

They don't seem to see the connection....

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Reality Internet Personality

Sales tax here is what we call VAT. Just another way for the government to extort money out of the population. It used to be called purchase tax. But according to this site the USA rate is zero. So why are individual states trying to cash in?

Tax

The chart shows zero because Federally it is zero.

It isn't actually VAT, but an idea that looks a lot like VAT, but different. As I understand VAT it is collected every time something changes hands, so each of the raw materials the assembler purchases has VAT. In the US the assembler does not pay a VAT to the raw materials places because he resells. The tax is only collected from the end USER. Hence the word USE in Sales and USE tax. <ed? A Consumption tax.

Now as to why states are cashing in, our tax system is just different, because we are a group of fifty sovereign states and not a single government with subdivisions. Think more of Brussels as Washington DC, and England as New York and France as Louisiana. Scary thought, but the USA lives it.

But of course those 50 states have limits, they can not open embassies or have state departments under the US Constitution and Federal Law is the higher law in the US than state laws where the two conflict with each other, all cause of the Supremacy Clause in the US Constitution which all US States had to ratify(agree to abide by for eternity) upon entry to the Union of States aka the United States, which the old Articles of Confederation lacked...

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

That's easy for you to say .... Any tax on computer cases?

That depends on where the seller is located at in the US, on Amazon I'd be paying sales tax, but I get Free shipping, so the case after a small credit I have there should cost Me only $133.02, now as to what the rate of tax is on Amazon, I think that might be 8% for Me, but I've not confirmed that, so that is just a guess. And that's just one of the taxes I pay, but that is for some other thread.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

Thank you Gary. Yes, I have one client, that has to file a Use Tax return. It get's paid, when we file his regular Tax return for California.
We also have a luxury tax for high ticket items. VAT or Value Added Tax, I believe it is called.

I get any VAT paid in Europe back, if I want to hassle with filling out the form at the Airport. So far I have not bothered to do so.


As to Amazone Prime, I did sign up for it once and it was for a six month trial. Then one day, I look at my checking account and saw a charge for something Amazon, but not the normal web addy. So first thing I thought, I got plished. Filled out a police report, took it to my bank a filed a claim to get the charge reversed. That evening, I see an e-mail from the offical Amazon site, saying thank you for renewing Amazon Prime, but I had 72 to cancel.
So of course I did that and shortly afterwards they refunded me the money. I never withdrew the police report, but I did notify my bank.

I don't order enough online to bother with it again. I will have to look at my Lappie receipt to see if I may owe a few bucks to CA for that.
Thank for the reminder.

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Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Seti Ambassador
Not to late to order an Anni Shirt

Thank you Gary. Yes, I have one client, that has to file a Use Tax return. It get's paid, when we file his regular Tax return for California.
We also have a luxury tax for high ticket items. VAT or Value Added Tax, I believe it is called.

I e-file for my employer the sales and use tax return, quarterly. Last place I worked had to do monthly prepayments. Personally mine was due annually like your client.

IIRC the US Luxury tax on cars expired in 2002. But there are many sin and excise taxes on all manner of things, some are sure to be on luxuries.

As to prime, most of the stuff I get from Amazon I don't need the next day. So the super slow free shipping option works for me and they don't get any extra money. Maybe I just plan ahead.

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