Quote:
Originally Posted by irmanator
I don't understand how people think you are saving money from not paying tax on internet purchases. If you have to pay shipping it is pretty much a wash.
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You must not do much shopping online. This statement isn't true at all.
Many online merchants offer prices that are significantly lower than bricks and mortar stores. Even if you have to pay for shipping, you can still save a bundle shopping online. Many onine merchants also offer free shipping. Amazon, for example, gives free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Let's say you are buying a $50 item (perhaps a small appliance or electronics item or a couple of DVDs). If the item/s would be $50 at Target plus 7% sales tax, that's $53.50. If the same items on Amazon are 10% cheaper, free shipping and no sales tax, that's $45.00, a savings of $8.50. Plus, you don't have to drive to Target and find what you're looking for. You can just log on, click and buy and have it delivered to your door.
What if you do have to pay for shipping? My wife is a knitter. A while ago, she wanted some better quality knitting needles. Local craft stores (AC Moore, Michaels, etc.) charged $18/pair. I found them brand new on ebay for $11/pair. I ordered 5 pairs for her. The seller combined items for shipping so total shipping only came to about $5. So buying locally would have cost $96.30. Buying online, including paying for shipping, came to about $60, saving us over $36.00.
I've said many times that anybody who buys locally without first searching online for the same item is wasting hundreds of dollars per year if not more. Virtually everything you can find in a local store is available cheaper on the internet, even after you factor in shipping costs.