Quote :

"CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Channel 9 learned and Amazon confirmed North Carolina customers are about to be charged sales tax on Amazon orders. Prepare to pay more the next time you shop online. An Amazon spokesman confirmed that starting Feb. 1, the company will be required to collect sales tax in North Carolina. The spokesman would not confirm the reason for the changes. Amazon currently collects sales tax in 19 states, not including South Carolina."

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/amazon-start-collecting-sales-tax-nc/ncsB8/

Well this sucks.

1/18/2014 1:19:44 PM

1/18/2014 1:47:57 PM

Boooooo

1/18/2014 1:48:58 PM

#FWP

1/18/2014 1:51:12 PM

amazon has known for a while they are going to lose the tax fight so they've been building / buying warehouses like crazy - eventually they were going to have a presence in NC

shipping speed is one area they'll win still vs other online retailers

1/18/2014 1:51:17 PM

So many feels

1/18/2014 2:01:03 PM

Well, shit.

1/18/2014 2:05:38 PM

SC is teh winz.

1/18/2014 3:03:15 PM

great place to have goods shipped to out-of-state

bad place to visit

terrible place to live in

1/18/2014 3:44:43 PM

They are going to start collecting sc in a few years

1/18/2014 6:00:40 PM

So how many of you guys have told turbotax you bought NOTHING online these past couple years?

1/18/2014 6:06:48 PM

I've never been asked that when getting my taxes done.

1/18/2014 7:22:01 PM

^^

Pretty much everyone.

I remember thinking it was a ridiculous question a few years ago, but I can see why the state is getting butt hurt now, with how many things you can buy reliably online...

1/18/2014 11:52:59 PM

NC has been going through a lot of issues as it's been going through a decline from changing cash crops such as tobacco to something else...

They want prosperity without issue... but don't understand that it causes issues when new taxes are created.

Fee-based systems may be the way to go...

1/19/2014 12:17:08 AM

I come here for stupid internet fun. Not to have my life shaken to its core. Please delete this thread and thereby make this whole sales tax thing go away.

Maybe they'll add "tax dodging" to the list of benefits for Prime?

1/19/2014 2:38:06 AM

Meh, we've had this in Texas for a while now and it still doesn't stop me from using amazon. Free two day shipping with prime is still well worth it. Also, if you buy from a prime merchant that isn't amazon then you will still get two day shipping and not pay sales tax (unless the merchant is in NC which is unlikely).

1/19/2014 8:18:01 AM

Brick and mortars pushed for this to make Amazon less competitive, but I bet Amazon will have warehouses in every state within a few years, allowing them to do same day or next day delivery on most items. At that point, there will be no reason to go to a department store.

1/20/2014 6:07:30 PM

Look at dis shit:
Amazon Just Patented Shipping Items Before They're Even Ordered

Quote :

"Late last month, Amazon patented a process they've termed "anticipatory package shipping," in which products would be sent to fulfillment centers near the customers most likely to purchase them, before customers even order them. In a bit of "Minority Report" meets Wal-Mart, the online retail giant could feasibly ship items before they're actually purchased, filling in the relevant details -- like a buyer's address, for instance -- at a later date. "The patent's examples illustrate a speculative shipment system that deploys goods to specific geographical areas," Engadget explains. "If a customer in that area places an order that matches a nearby package, it would then be redirected to its final destination." Which means the complete box-set of Monty Python's Flying Circus isn't going to arrive on your doorstep unannounced. It does mean, however, that Amazon may shuffle the product to a distribution center nearer you for faster fulfillment when you inevitably succumb to your love of British comedy and hit the "checkout" button. Of course, Amazon wouldn't ship items ahead of time in the absence of clear demand for the product. To assess that demand, reports the Wall Street Journal, factors like a customer's previous orders, product searches, wish lists, returns and shopping cart data would all be taken into account. Shoppers who linger over an item with their mouse cursor may also attract Amazon's attention. The anticipatory shipping is the latest development from Amazon that feels straight out of the future. In December, CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled Amazon Prime Air on "60 Minutes," a fleet of delivery drones that could be available within 4 to 5 years."

It would be fun to fuck with them and browse their site on a daily basis and never order anything.

1/20/2014 6:51:59 PM

1/20/2014 9:22:13 PM

they've been doing this with things like toiletries and household things for a while now

if you consistently order toothpaste or toilet paper every month, they go ahead and pre-send it to you based on history with the option of returning it for free if you don't want it

1/21/2014 10:17:54 AM

Most items are still cheaper on Amazon regardless of whether they'd add sales tax or not.

Only things I would consider buying brick-and-mortar now might be games I want on release day...but that's unlikely since they'd be at my door when I got home from work through Amazon

1/21/2014 10:29:46 AM

^^there is a subscribe and save... is that what you are describing? (this is how we get tp, etc.)

1/21/2014 11:20:50 AM

i like subscribe and save but as a single male household it's not feasible for me. I take a long time to use TP, toothpaste, etc. But I would definitely recommend it to a family who tends to go through those essentials with any regularity.

1/21/2014 11:43:11 AM

Subscribe and save is the shit. Beats the hell out of storing pallets of TP from COSTCO or whatever, and we can plan our purchases better.

1/21/2014 4:18:53 PM

So I placed two orders today at Amazon, one came directly from Amazon and they charged tax. The other came from a 3rd party seller who didn't. So there are ways around this.

2/1/2014 3:24:32 PM

^ yeah, even if it says "sold by blahblahblah and fulfilled by amazon", it's up to the seller to charge tax...this change only affects those items sold directly by amazon

[Edited on February 2, 2014 at 8:46 AM. Reason : .]

2/2/2014 8:46:26 AM

Quote :

"Late last month, Amazon patented a process they've termed "anticipatory package shipping," in which products would be sent to fulfillment centers near the customers most likely to purchase them, before customers even order them."

The innovation here is obvious. The patent should never have been granted.

2/3/2014 11:15:51 AM

I started placing an order on 1/31 and there was no tax involved, then I started doing something else and didnt finish the order. I went to finish it the next day and I was all FUUUU TAX!!!

2/3/2014 6:59:30 PM

They're speculating that Wal-Mart is going to try to increase it's online presence and become a more direct competitor. Wal-Mart's ship-to-store could very easily be converted into a delivery service where you might order something in the a.m. and receive it the same day. Their supply chains and most of the logistics are essentially already in place if they want to offer this service.

Given the choice between getting goods from Amazon in a few days versus getting same day delivery for the same price from Wal-Mart.com most people will choose the same day service. My guess is that Amazon is just trying to get ahead of this.

[Edited on February 4, 2014 at 9:49 AM. Reason : l]

2/4/2014 9:49:16 AM

Not me. Have you ever tried to pick up an online order from Wal-Mart? I'd rather blow my brains out.

2/4/2014 7:25:01 PM

Sears has the best online order pickup ever.

There is like a separate door for it, a check in kiosk, and somebody brings your shit out in seconds, there is a timer like Mcdonalds.

2/4/2014 7:48:51 PM

I went ahead and bought the ASUS rt-ac68 right before they started collecting tax...fucking Sunday, Best Buy puts it on sale for $100 under the going price. I try to cancel the order, which hasn't given me any notification of processing. Monday, get the notice it can't be cancelled, and it arrives the same day. Now I'm out the cost of the return.

2/4/2014 8:38:50 PM

Quote :

"Not me. Have you ever tried to pick up an online order from Wal-Mart? I'd rather blow my brains out."

Only once. The Super Wal-Mart in Roanoke Rapids, NC actually made me want to blow my brains out as well. This would be an expansion into delivery service that would not require you to go to the store however. If Dominos Pizza can deliver to nearly every home in America I'm sure Wal-Mart can figure out a way. They're the most likely candidate to go head to head with Amazon for online sales.

[Edited on February 5, 2014 at 10:43 AM. Reason : l]

2/5/2014 10:41:55 AM

bought a product off amazon today.

no tax charged.

SUCCESS!

2/5/2014 2:08:27 PM

$310 order
$7 in taxes

2/5/2014 2:10:22 PM