Apple direct vs. B&H

[chscag]

Like Apple, B&H Photo has made exceptions for me(Nor am I speaking for anyone else) in the past concerning Hardware defects against their 30 day policy to make the situation right. The reason I say this, is that I can't guarantee the same results for everybody, but that speaks milestones about a company that will rectify issues with something that is out of the users control to make the situation whole. Sales tax or not, I still recommend B&H Photo regardless.

Yes, B&H will make exceptions for defective merchandise and perhaps for other things. And I personally have purchased many items including Apple Care from them. However, folks need to know what their official return policy is. And I have run into folks who were unable to return items to B&H because of that policy.

 

[44267547]

Yes, B&H will make exceptions for defective merchandise and perhaps for other things. And I personally have purchased many items including Apple Care from them. However, folks need to know what their official return policy is. And I have run into folks who were unable to return items to B&H because of that policy.

Again, B&H Photo has made exceptions beyond defects over 30 days compared to Apple's 14 days. Policy awareness is important. But exception to the rule, B&H Photo is close, if not beyond Apple's policy as well. And this coming from someone who has made large investments with them on many levels.

 

[campyguy]

If you look deeper into this, you'll find that the neighboring states have tax treaties that allow for this kind of cross-border audit/information sharing. For that matter, they may also allow for cross-border sales tax collection. If the delivery is to a neighboring state, the retailer may be obligated under their home state's law to collect the neighboring state's tax and pay it to their home state along with local sales taxes - the states then settle up.

The "free" sales tax situation is aided and abetted by the fact that non-neighboring states (say, Oregon and New York) are less likely to have such tax treaties. Attempts to create a 50-states tax treaty have been made, but they've been hard to hammer out, as states without sales taxes have no motive to collect sales tax on behalf of the states that have them.

Without a treaty, a state's power ends at its borders. A key reason the US no longer operates under the Articles of Confederation is that states were levying duties on interstate commerce, as if each was a sovereign nation. It turned out to be very bad for business.

I have looked into tax treaties, and IMO you're not getting my point here. OR doesn't charge sales tax but WA does - when I visit a retail store in Clark County WA I generally get asked if I'm an OR resident or a WA resident (I was for 30 years but am not one now). OR residents are asked to produce a valid ID, and a form is filled out if a valid OR ID is produced, and the WA State tax is waived.

The issue then becomes "how does the state get residents to pay tax". All 5 of the states I work in ask me to file for a business license in their state, including OR and pretty much all of the counties (Multnomah and Portland have county/city sales taxes) and I get audited in all of them now, back up to 5 years. Agency entities are auditing specifically for ensuring my clients are paying their appropriate taxes, that's what I'm being told as is my accountant. WA/ID/MT are going after people/companies that don't pay - my main office is in OR, and I don't collect state/county/taxes (and I'm not obligated to). If you reside in a state, you run the risk of getting a tax bill - WA has indicated that Clark County WA residents skip out on millions of $$$ of unpaid taxes, and they're starting to crack down.

IMO you're missing the point of "tax treaties". Treaties only exist for products/services only used out of the state with sales taxes when purchased by a person/company residing within the state with sales tax - Oregon doesn't care what I do with a product I buy, but Washington does if I use that product in WA, and WA only cares about eligible nonresidents except for certain services; if you're a resident of WA/ID/MT you're on the hook…

For non-residents dealing in WA:
http://dor.wa.gov/Content/FindTaxesAndRates/RetailSalesTax/Nonresidents/default.aspx

I can offer that the DoR in my places of doing business are cracking down. I order from Adorama and B&H on occasion, and I've been asked to product documentation that state sales taxes are paid. Roll the dice and take your chances, not what I'd do given that some of my peers are getting their books perused unlike any previous FY I've ever been in.

 

[fastlanephil]

Technically you never pay sales tax for purchases across state lines. You may need to pay a use tax which is the same amount of tax. This is similar to being self employed and not technically paying in income tax. You pay in self-employment tax.

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