Reply to: Is USA tax(or vat) on purchases based on state or localities within state?

[css_jay99]

I was not aware customs do so much checks, it's been close to 2 decades since I stepped out of the EU. Last place was lovely Cuba.

Completely forgotten about the missing £ sign on the keyboard which will annoy me a bit after spending so much.

Reminds me of back in the day when you head to Tottenham Court Road for electronic imports.

[jamesbrown]

Definitely chuck the box away before you fly back and make sure you've booted up and passed the initial config as well, just in case.

And the receipt and that you have a plausible UK plug... basically, you need to hope that they don't bother checking, and they probably won't.

[mattster]

Good thing Apple is small on packaging. The empty box might just fit inside my trousers

Definitely chuck the box away before you fly back and make sure you've booted up and passed the initial config as well, just in case.

Apple, as far as I know, honour their warranty globally - i.e. they'll fix it anywhere regardless of where you bought it. Most electronics firms won't, which makes a lot of overseas/duty free purchases too risky for me.

[d000hg]

It might, if you get a flight for $300 inc tax. To be honest, there's not a great saving to be had on big electronics like that. It's not like they are half price or anything.

Not with the poor exchange rate but a MacBook costing $2700 goes for £2600 here, and that's over £500 quid difference. As pointed out though you'll get a US keyboard. Savings on a non-laptop could be more but that's going to stand out more to customs than the laptop you're using on the plane

[jamesbrown]

The potential savings are pretty good, actually, but only if you get away with not paying UK taxes on import, which is next to impossible if anyone actually checks. The USD price of Apple stuff in the US is roughly the same as the GBP price in the UK, numerically, so a big difference in a fixed currency. It's not as much as, say, fuel but consumer electronics in the US are substantially cheaper than the UK.

[WTFH]

The cost of a Mac, you might recoup your flight.

It might, if you get a flight for $300 inc tax. To be honest, there's not a great saving to be had on big electronics like that. It's not like they are half price or anything.

But it was an interesting drive down Route 51, past Graceland...
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/The+...+United+States

[d000hg]

Are you happy with a US keyboard instead of a UK one?
Have you worked out the import duty?
Which state will you be going to?

Last time I was out in Tennessee, all the outlet malls were across the border in Mississippi due to the differences in tax. So it can be worth doing a bit of research and driving to save money.

The cost of a Mac, you might recoup your flight.

[WTFH]

I wanted to be clearer about their sales tax since I plan on buying a 16" MacBook Pro when I visit in May.

Are you happy with a US keyboard instead of a UK one?
Have you worked out the import duty?
Which state will you be going to?

Last time I was out in Tennessee, all the outlet malls were across the border in Mississippi due to the differences in tax. So it can be worth doing a bit of research and driving to save money.

[css_jay99]

HM Customs & Excise will love that. As well as US sales tax, you may be paying loads of extra VAT if they twig that it was a new purchase in the US.

I once worked with a British guy who bought a set of titanium golf clubs in the US and was clobbered with a tax bill of several hundred pounds extra when they caught him lugging them back to the UK!

Good thing Apple is small on packaging. The empty box might just fit inside my trousers

[OwlHoot]

I wanted to be clearer about their sales tax since I plan on buying a 16" MacBook Pro when I visit in May. ..

HM Customs & Excise will love that. As well as US sales tax, you may be paying loads of extra VAT if they twig that it was a new purchase in the US.

I once worked with a British guy who bought a set of titanium golf clubs in the US and was clobbered with a tax bill of several hundred pounds extra when they caught him lugging them back to the UK!

[css_jay99]

I'm surprised you don't get a breakdown of taxes. Have you tried contacting them to ask for one?

I'm not sure if it's still a thing, but shops sometimes used to show the untaxed price on shelves which to a visitor was pretty confusing.

Tax on item in question was only about $10 not worth the phonemail. I wanted to be clearer about their sales tax since I plan on buying a 16" MacBook Pro when I visit in May.

What part of Contractor UK did you miss? You're asking random strangers on a UK forum what tax rate applies in US states .... good luck with that.

Well Godfather of soul mentioned 7.5% which ties in with what I was charged

[WTFH]

We are ... but not sure how many of us order online in the US from a store in one state to be delivered to an address in another other state.

You missed out the bit about buying via a VPN (for some reason).

But, since he's being deliberately vague and his VPN prevents google from working...
https://www.ncdor.gov/taxes-forms/sa...-use-tax-rates

[Whorty]

Maybe they think as affluent contractors some of us are experienced jet-setting travellers.

We are ... but not sure how many of us order online in the US from a store in one state to be delivered to an address in another other state.

[d000hg]

What part of Contractor UK did you miss? You're asking random strangers on a UK forum what tax rate applies in US states .... good luck with that.

Maybe they think as affluent contractors some of us are experienced jet-setting travellers.

[Whorty]

What part of Contractor UK did you miss? You're asking random strangers on a UK forum what tax rate applies in US states .... good luck with that.