use coupon code "amen" at checkout, good through 8/24

Thanks for the heads up on Campsaver, wasn't familiar with them, but I put them on my favorites list. I like the free shipping on items over $50 and I won't have to pay the 7.75% California state sales tax as long as they don't operate from California. Their sale includes some items that lightweight hikers might be interested in such as the Seedhouse 1 tent and various Montbell products like the Thermawrap jacket. Sizing is always a problem with mail order though, so I just wanted to mention that the Montbell jackets run small. Last spring I bought a Thermawrap and had to get extra large even though I am only 6ft 1 inch, 200 lbs. with a 34 inch waist. By comparison, a Patagonia Houdini large fits me perfectly so apparently a Montbell extra large equals a Patagonia large, at least with those two products. Thanks again!

[quote] I like the free shipping on items over $50 and I won't have to pay the 7.75% California state sales tax as long as they don't operate from California.[/quote]

By Federal Law you are supposed to pay sales tax at the end of the year on all purchases that do not directly charge you on the sale, aka income tax time. You might as well pay the sales tax upfront rather than taking a chance of getting busted or audited by the IRS for ignoring the sales tax. We started tracking all internet sales that did not charge us sales tax at the first of last year, so we can pay up at tax time...

AC

Where did you hear that? Sales tax is paid at the state level and only some states enforce collection of tax on internet/mail order purchases according to Nolo.

http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/87F6DD43-E6F2-4DFE-BCDB8E2E85DFF80B/111/277/167/ART/

Edited by simplespirit on 08/21/2007 09:24:50 MDT.

Some states tell you have to pay "Use Tax" on items that you don't pay sales tax on. Washington State does this.....but lets also put it this way: unless you are a business owner and read tax laws, you'd never know this! It is not anywhere else!
So for the average citizen who goes over to Oregon and buys a computer (tax free) or buys shoes from LLBean online, they haven't a clue they are supposed to remit to the state that tax.
I had never heard of the tax till a while back when I was redoing one of business licenses and started reading the buried laws. Ya thinks they would make a bigger deal of it?

Anyhoo, in Wa state tax is charged to you if the company has a location here. So for say Amazon.com we get charged.

There are all sorts of laws passed by the local gov'ts concerning Use Taxes, and you can bet that almost no citizens know about them!

Yeah, that's what I gathered from the Nolo site Sarah. It's on paper but barely enforced and there's little if any education on it.

Most businesses have a larger exposure to use tax audit adjustment than income tax.

Individuals have the same requirement to pay use tax, but no requirement to maintain records.

The Federal Government couldn't care less whether you pay your state sales taxes! Sales tax is levied at state and local levels, and is therefore completely up to each individual state. And of course, states differ widely in rules and rates.

Here in California, most goods purchased within the state are taxed. Goods purchased outside of the state but used/consumed in California are liable for used tax.

Businesses in California get audited for sales and use taxes quite regularly -- yet another cost of doing business -- which only serves to drive more and more of them out of state. As for individual consumers, I don't think I've ever encountered anyone being hounded to pay use tax. Not saying never, but it is extremely rare.

Edited by ben2world on 08/21/2007 11:07:01 MDT.

Colorado enforced the use tax against some individuals as the result of a business audit. A jeweler sold items and mailed empty boxes out of state. The shipping record was to prove out of state delivery.