Amazon and eBay shopping for kits.

[Robert Porter]

So I, as I suspect most of you do, periodically scan eBay and Amazon for kits. Never ceases to amaze me how some of them are listed. Today for instance I found a 48:1 Mondram B-17Z it was priced at $42.00

Then there was a Ederd 1:38 FF6 Monoplane.

Makes it kinda hard to find them but they are out there. I found those two by searching for Plastic Model Aircraft Kits.

 

[fubar57]

There is a website that deals with eBay mis-spellings ( FatFingers - eBay typos, misspelling & spelling mistakes ) and its claim to "fame" is that you can get better deals because of this. Everyone else is looking at the correctly spelled listings and are not bidding on or buying the bad listings

Note here, the incorrect spelling of Messerschmit omitting the last "T"

(meserschmitt, messerschmit) | eBay

 

[mikewint]

Been buying my kits on Ebay for about 9 - 10 years. I have never had a problem of any kind. Even when I lived in civilization and a LHS was a few miles away. The diversity of kits available on Ebay boggles the mind. Plus Ebay's search function allows you to concentrate on what YOU want in scale, era, nationality, etc.
The same with paints. At the LHS the paint I wanted was always the empty slot.
Now here in the boonies any type of Hobby store is +3hrs one way.
As to Amazon NEVER AGAIN since they caved to state pressure to collect sales tax. Even here in Arkansas where they have no physical presence

 

[Robert Porter]

For whatever reason Amazon has yet to charge me sales tax. I assume it is coming.

 

[mikewint]

Check again Robert, Amazon now collects sales taxes from customers in the following 38 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Arkansas. Oklahoma, and Wyoming are pending

 

[Robert Porter]

As you can see, no tax

Your Orders | Your Account | Amazon.com
Order Update
Order #105-4025976-7753030
Hello Bob Porter,
You've successfully updated the billing address for your order! We'll send a confirmation when your item ships. If you would like to view the status of your order or make any changes to it, please visit Your Orders on Amazon.com.

Your updated billing address is:
Robert Porter

United States

Your order will be sent to:
Robert Porter

RALEIGH, NC 27609-4660
United States

Order Details
Order #105-4025976-7753030
Placed on Wednesday, February 15, 2017
Delivery Estimate: Wednesday, February 22, 2017 - Monday, February 27, 2017

Montex Mini Mask 1:48 SBD-3 Dauntless for Accurate Miniatures Spraying #SM48061
Sold by Lots Of Models
Condition: New
$8.95
Item Subtotal: $8.95


Total Before Tax: $8.95




Order Total: $8.95
If you need further assistance with your order, please visit Help & Customer Service.

We hope to see you again soon!
Amazon.com

This email was sent from a notification-only address that cannot accept incoming email. Please do not reply to this message.

 

[mikewint]

Slipping through the cracks. PS I'd remove my address this is an open site
North Carolina
Due to former state laws, Amazon did not allow North Carolina residents to participate in the Amazon Affiliates program, however this is no longer the case. Starting February 1, 2014, Amazon began collecting NC state sales tax on orders.
Chambers Jr., Stan, ed. (January 18, 2014). "Amazon to collect NC sales tax".www.wral.com. Capitol Broadcasting Company. Retrieved November 11, 2016.

 

[Robert Porter]

On average I order stuff twice a week every week from them for my wife and I. We have a personal not business account and so far not once have they charged me sales tax, maybe someday but so far so good.

 

[Robert Porter]

Just out of curiosity I checked with my neighbor, she is a tax accountant here. According to her the US House never passed the bill called the "Market Place Fairness Act" which would have provided the authority to force non complying companies to collect sales tax. As a result the majority of states have failed to individually file suit to compel retailers to collect sales tax. So if they have not already entered an agreement with a state they probably will not collect taxes until or unless the act passes.

 

[Capt. Vick]

I also buy a...bit...From Ebay, and also sell to support my "habit". As my tastes lean towards the, shall we say unique, I have filled my Ebay search a few times looking for just that one particular kit, say the twin-hotspur glider, or that unusual book like "belt buckles and shoe laces of the third reich"!

 

[Robert Porter]

I prefer eBay to Amazon mostly because I tend to get better prices. However that often gets erased by the rather high shipping prices on eBay. And I refuse to use PayPal which means certain sellers are out of reach for me if all they accept is PayPal. Reason I avoid PayPal is I had a buyer decline charges, actually several of them, over the year or two I sold stuff on eBay. All of these customers resided in Russia, and I was told that even though I "won" the dispute there was no way to recover the money. And of course PayPal yanked it directly from my account before I even knew there was a dispute. So I avoid them at all costs.

 

[mikewint]

I'm aware of that bill and tis my hope it never passes. On-line shopping will get zapped big time. My info (second-hand) is that it was the NC States Attorney who was going after Amazon to collect those sale taxes. Check the link in #7 above.
With Amazon I will use them as a source. They list the item at several different prices AND the company that is offering the item. Generally a quick search will find their web site and I buy direct from them bypassing Amazon. The I-Dots here in Ark actually have a line on the state income tax wanting to know how much you've purchased on line and then a percentage of that as tax. Personally I buy nothing on line and wouldn't even know how....
As to Paypal, I've never sold anything on Ebay so I know nothing of that end. For me as a purchaser PayPal is a godsend and I use it anywhere/time it is available and have had zero problems. About once/twice a year a seller will send something that is garbage or not as advertised or never arrives. A quick complaint to Ebay/PayPal has always resulted in a full refund. So I am a fan of the Paying Pal.
As to the payment declined? No one I've bought from ships until payment is sent. As to foreign buyers that's why many Sellers refuse out of country sales for that reason.
I know of several cases where companies had been "collecting" sales tax for years and never turned it in to the state they were supposedly collecting the tax for.

 

[Robert Porter]

I agree with you on all counts, sales tax collection for online sales sucks. But unfortunately I think it is coming everywhere sooner rather than later. As a seller PayPal sucks. In the cases I am mentioning I had received payment, and then shipped the order. THEN the buyer declined payment through their bank. Check with PayPal, nothing they can do as their commitment is to the buyer not the seller primarily. Plus they don't fight foreign banks as it is simply too expensive unless there is widespread fraud. As a result I no longer sell to Eastern European buyers. Primarily only to EU members and the UK as the legal recourse for a seller is well defined. I have sold to Japanese buyers and Singapore, but that is it as far as Asia is concerned.

Oh, and the Attorney General you mentioned is now our Governor, so I expect they will soon resume the battle to collect sales tax. That article was from 2014 and there was no resolution and the collection never began but I bet it will soon, and they already said they will be targeting ALL online sales from any source including private on a Federal level so thats going to be a mess!