Kt Templar wrote:It's hit or miss whether you wind up paying any tax at all. Westeds fold up so small, are so light and are sent in the soft courier packs that they often get by unnoticed by customs.
In my experience, Customs fees are a very random thing. I've never had it assessed on anything I've bought from Wested, but I have had it it charged occasionally over the years. Ususally, one is safe with inexpensive items, but once the declared value exceeds 200 USD odds increase dramatically. Interestingly though, the last two times Customs charged me, the postman forgot to collect it when he delivered the packages! I went to the PO and paid it the first time, but the invoice from that last package is still sitting in my "to be dealt with -- eventually" stack.
Kt Templar wrote:Isn't it true, in the States, that if you buy something mail order from another state that you get out of one of your sales taxes? I'm assuming it's the State sales tax? Which leaves you still having to pay the Federal Sales tax. If you are buying from overseas you will still, in theory, be liable for Federal sales tax, you may also be liable for some sort of import duty plus a "government handling" or "inspection fee".
Boy, could this be opening a can of worms!
Technically speaking, there is no Federal Sales Tax on retail puchases. That doesn't mean the Feds don't tax everything they possibly can, it's just that it isn't added to the price of an item like a VAT (if it were, there might be another revolution once people saw just how much they were actually paying in taxes -- but I digress).
However each state does have a sales tax that it charges on goods and services purchased in 'brick and mortar" establishments within its own boundaries. Intrastate (within a state) online purchases also must charge this tax. In the state of Texas, the tax is 8%. Cities and towns may also add their own tax to this if they wish (many do).
Traditionally, the only way to avoid this tax is to make purchases outside of your own state. Before the internet, this could be done by ordering from an out of state (interstate) catalogue or buying something in a shop while on vacation in another state and having the store ship your purchase to your home address (this only helps you avoid paying
that states sales tax.) Depending on the cost of shipping and the item itself, this can save you a decent amount. The only exception to the interstate rule is in the case of large retail chains that have a "brick and mortar" establishment within your state. Then they have to charge you for your state's tax. Confusing?
Lately though, state -- and some federal -- politicians, looking for yet another way to squeeze money out of its subj-- oops, I mean citizens, have been trying to get large catalogue firms to start collecting state taxes for them. Some, like L.L. Bean are now doing this, but most of the others aren't. They object on the grounds that they aren't responsible for collecting taxes for states in which they aren't physically do business(remember the brick and mortar thing?). In at least one state, the tax collector somehow obtained records of purchases by its own residents and sent some of them bills for the sales tax they figured is owed them. I have no idea how this is currently playing out.
I think that about covers it. My head hurts now and I don't want to think about it anymore. If anyone has any further questions, I may answer them after I lie down for a while.
Kt Templar wrote:I know that in the UK if you are lucky you don't pay anything when buying from overseas. But if customs picks up on it you end up paying VAT (our version of sales tax, called without any sense of irony "Value Added Tax") they will also hit you with a fairtly hefty "inspection fee" I can't remember exactly but it was maybe $20 the last time I got stung. The combination of the two is designed to negate any savings we might make by buying overseas where many things are cheaper.
Anyone here actually pay tax on their Wested? How much was it?
And again, no, I didn't pay anything for my Wested.
Cheers!
