Amazon LLC now charges sales tax in TX

[tripntx]

Beginning July 1st, TX sales tax is being collected by Amazon for items ordered from Amazon LLC. The Silver OM-D E-M5 w/12-50mm kit lens I ordered on June 29th was tax free; until it shipped Sunday July 1st, which caused $107.50 Texas Sales Tax to be added. Had I ordered earlier last week and it would have shipped on or before June 30th, then no TX sales tax would have been added.

Spent time on phone with Amazon today, finally received a pre-paid UPS shipping label with RMA to return OM-D E-M5 to them free of charge. The FL-300R was filled by 17th Street Photo, no sales tax, but it has to go back too; because camera and flash must be purchased together for Olympus rebate.

Going to be very hard not opening up the camera when it arrives Tuesday!!!!!!!! Instead, it will be carried to UPS for return.
Items sold by Amazon.com LLC, or its subsidiaries, and shipped to destinations in the following states are subject to tax:

• Kansas
• Kentucky
• New York
• North Dakota
• Texas
• Washington

 

[Wookie]

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[tripntx]

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I have no idea what you had to say Frank. If I'm going to pay sales tax, then I would rather purchase from Houston Camera Exchange.

 

[Wookie]

I have no idea what you had to say Frank. If I'm going to pay sales tax, then I would rather purchase from Houston Camera Exchange.

My suggestion was Wolf Camera. You'll still pay tax but you'll support your community. But it sounded snarky...

 

[tripntx]

No worries, I would rather discuss the matter with you aboard The Spree while sipping (ok, chugging) Shiner Bock...

 

[Wookie]

The Shiner will be here Wednesday. If it is the proper vintage, we'll get more.

 

[RickyF]

I am sure that many more "cash hungry" states will be following suit. I know Virginia has this in the works now. They all want their share of the pie.

 

[Wookie]

It will put the skids on online buying from folks who live in a place where they can buy as easily in a store as online. For someone who lives 111 miles down an island chain, I will keep using Amazon.

 

[John A Lewis]

Beginning July 1st, TX sales tax is being collected by Amazon for items ordered from Amazon LLC. The Silver OM-D E-M5 w/12-50mm kit lens I ordered on June 29th was tax free; until it shipped Sunday July 1st, which caused $107.50 Texas Sales Tax to be added. Had I ordered earlier last week and it would have shipped on or before June 30th, then no TX sales tax would have been added.

The whole 'buy on the internet from outside your state and pay no taxes' has always been a myth. The laws have been on the books for years--most folks have simply gotten away with ignoring them--breaking them as a result.

At the risk of opening a can of worms, Texas (among many states) has always had a Use tax that you are supposed to pay on your purchases. Since that is widely ignored by the public, Texas (among many states) has been trying for years to force the various on line sellers to collect and remit to them taxes that have been evaded by their own citizens, to the detriment of of State Treasuries (and local business in the state as the tax evasion aspect presented a non-level competitive playing field).

 

[tripntx]

I searched for E-M5 in Houston prior to leaving for Kauai in early June. One store was proud to say they didn't carry Olympus, that they only dealt with Canon and Nikon. Wolf/Ritz at Bay Area & I45 said they weren't planning to carry this model in any of there stores, and it wasn't in the Warehouse, but I could special order. Houston Camera exchange knew what the E-M5 was and had two black bodies and one silver body on order for two months, as well as two with deposits on them on backorder. Several smaller shops around Houston, Webster, Rosenburg, and Wharton didn't know what the E-M5 was. Didn't pre-order with Houston Camera Exchange because it wouldn't have been here before my vacation. What drove me order last Friday from Amazon was Nauticam's announcement for the NA-EM5 housing.

Silver E-M5 kit will be delivered tomorrow and will be return shipped tomorrow (I'm only pay $3.99 for overnight as a prime member). Not sure when the FL-300R will arrive, but it will be returned as well.

Called BlueWaterPhoto the moment they opened today, and had them special order a Silver E-M5 / 12mm-50mm kit, and a FL-300R flash. Paid upfront in full knowing they were backordered with no idea when they will arrive. At least both have been purchased and I'm supporting our underwater photo merchants.