New Taxes / Fees on orders.....

[ReefWithCare]

time to find a new LFS if that's the case lol.

This is the reason why I just buy online —- no LFS is to my standard around me and I can avoid impulse buying. The only one that is happens to be an online shop that opens to the public once a week [emoji28].

As soon as all of them told me they don’t guarantee livestock (not even for 24 hrs) I moved on [emoji849]

 

[jasonrusso]

time to find a new LFS if that's the case lol.

What would you rather if you are paying the same price? Driving to the store, waiting to be helped, "sorry, I don't have that in stock," going back a week later, waiting to be helped, and finally getting what you bought.

Or, Brown truck brings it to me in 3 days.

The previously tax free benefit was just the icing on the cake.

 

[Adam Kuhn]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a LFS get close to online pricing. Not to mention that the selection of equipment in any of the three closest to me is abissmal. We’re close to 10% sales tax here in TN but don’t have state income tax which helps a little. I understand the move to standardizing tax collection but it definitely hurts.

 

[jasonrusso]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a LFS get close to online pricing. Not to mention that the selection of equipment in any of the three closest to me is abissmal. We’re close to 10% sales tax here in TN but don’t have state income tax which helps a little. I understand the move to standardizing tax collection but it definitely hurts.

One of my stores will match BRS, but they never never have what I want! MAP pricing should be consistent no matter where you are.

I would love to give the store the business (especially if I am going to be paying tax online) but it has to work for me also! Two trips and wasted time doesn't work for me. Whenever they say "I can get it for you." it makes me angry. I can get it too! I am here because I want/need it now.

The thing that the LFS will always have the advantage in is livestock. I have bought online and in store, but I would like to actually see the specimen.

 

[Pmj]

One of my stores will match BRS, but they never never have what I want! MAP pricing should be consistent no matter where you are.

I would love to give the store the business (especially if I am going to be paying tax online) but it has to work for me also! Two trips and wasted time doesn't work for me. Whenever they say "I can get it for you." it makes me angry. I can get it too! I am here because I want/need it now.

The thing that the LFS will always have the advantage in is livestock. I have bought online and in store, but I would like to actually see the specimen.

Can't beat LA guarantee though...

 

[Ash321]

Those of you living the England (and the rest of Europe) have no one to blame for your sky high taxes but yourselves. Margaret Thatcher once said that “The trouble with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people’s money.” Britons want free health care, well someone has to pay for it, Brits want and want and want.

Then you (Brits) get sky high taxes on everything, give up what you Brits think is free and pay for it directly. Here in the United States most people want low taxes, and we are not socialist by nature. Stop complaining about your sky high gas and diesel prices and demand from your government MP to lower the taxes.

By-the-way I have lived in England for a time, yes I was on an American Base, still I have personal experience with your system. Nothing is Free in life, you can either pay one way or another. Either work to change it or suck it up and pay.

Personally I have contacted both of my U.S. Senators and my congressman, I have also written the Texas Governor regarding the Sales Tax ruling and expressed my concerns and offered at least some solutions.

What have you done in England?

Sounds kind of bitchy tbh iv moved to the valleys in south wales where my mortage is 1/3 of the cost of england and my wages the same me thus winning.

 

[MnFish1]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a LFS get close to online pricing. Not to mention that the selection of equipment in any of the three closest to me is abissmal. We’re close to 10% sales tax here in TN but don’t have state income tax which helps a little. I understand the move to standardizing tax collection but it definitely hurts.

In Minnesota many stores match BRS's pricing.

 

[Adam Kuhn]

In Minnesota many stores match BRS's pricing.

I think I'll ask the one I usually frequent if they will consider doing the same - the worst they say is no I guess. I honestly never tried for fear of offending them but maybe they'd rather have the business.

 

[Rispa]

Something I haven't seen considered here is what if the smaller stores wholesale to other small stores in different areas? Instead of ordering online you can view products online and have to buy through anther lfs.

 

[Sleepydoc]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a LFS get close to online pricing. Not to mention that the selection of equipment in any of the three closest to me is abissmal. We’re close to 10% sales tax here in TN but don’t have state income tax which helps a little. I understand the move to standardizing tax collection but it definitely hurts.

My LFS matches BRS on items that they carry; of course they’re about 5 miles from BRS’ warehouse, so it would be difficult for them not to.

This entire question was recently obviated the Supreme Court ruling that states could collect sales tax on online sales, but as Ryan pointed out, we were technically all required to pay taxes on online sales before, we just never did, and since the states had no effective way to track things there was virtually no chance of getting caught. In essence, we were all breaking the law but there was no enforcement and thus no consequences.

I don’t care for paying taxes anymore than anyone else, but ultimately, taxes are what allows the government to function, and the growth of online resale has made a huge dent in state sales tax revenues, meaning they had to make it up from other sources. The original law was created to support the ‘fragile fledgling internet industry’ years ago. I think we can agree that that internet commerce is neither fragile nor fledgling anymore, and ultimately it just served as an unfair advantage of online retailers over local ones.

 

[MnFish1]

I just tried to place an order on Live Aquaria.com - they automatically charged sales tax on the order.

 

[Sleepydoc]

I don’t know when the Supreme Court ruling will be implemented - my guess is pretty quickly as pretty much every state is looking forward to the extra tax revenue, but a lot of larger retailers like Amazon were already charging tax.

Death and taxes, right?

 

[jasonrusso]

I just tried to place an order on Live Aquaria.com - they automatically charged sales tax on the order.

LA has been charging tax since petco bought them years ago. I ordered from BRS last week, no tax for MA residents.

 

[Gil03]

What would you rather if you are paying the same price? Driving to the store, waiting to be helped, "sorry, I don't have that in stock," going back a week later, waiting to be helped, and finally getting what you bought.

Or, Brown truck brings it to me in 3 days.

The previously tax free benefit was just the icing on the cake.

Again, having a quality LFS with reasonable prices makes all the difference. I'm the type of person where I prefer to personally see my fish and coral before I buy and I imagine there's a lot of people like that. Getting to go down to my LFS and shoot the **** with fellow reefers and store owners in person is also a plus a long with seeing their displays etc. There are some aspects that you simply can't control when ordering online, say for instance there's a group of clowns in a holding tank for sale and you want to purchase a particular one so you want to see it feed before you buy it and maybe that one isn't eating, so you have the option to make a different choice. There's also the possibility that what you saw in a pic online isn't what you received or the coral looked great in the pic under some form of parameters that don't exist in you personal DT. I get it that there's some ****** LFS out there or maybe you don't have one period but there should be no blanket statement that ordering online is a better option.

 

[Gil03]

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a LFS get close to online pricing. Not to mention that the selection of equipment in any of the three closest to me is abissmal. We’re close to 10% sales tax here in TN but don’t have state income tax which helps a little. I understand the move to standardizing tax collection but it definitely hurts.

I'm not sure I've ever come across a LFS available to me that wouldn't sell a piece of equipment for the same price I can find it online, in fact a lot of major brands are map. Also, in most cases I've always found livestock to be more expensive online compared to my LFS.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I'm not sure I've ever come across a LFS available to me that wouldn't sell a piece of equipment for the same price I can find it online, in fact a lot of major brands are map. Also, in most cases I've always found livestock to be more expensive online compared to my LFS.

It’s been the opposite for me. I can get equipment less than MAP at an LFS if you just haggle with them. Fish however are pretty expensive compared to online. The main thing with online is the shipping but if you do group orders it works out in your favor.

After being scared off a few times by LFS in my area I’m just getting fish from DD. Locally there is an online coral shop in my city that is pretty good, but fish is iffy unless I drive 40 mins out

 

[Rispa]

How does whole sale work across state lines? Will that be affected? It may be easier to whole sale to lfs, then customer buys from them.

 

[Gil03]

It’s been the opposite for me. I can get equipment less than MAP at an LFS if you just haggle with them. Fish however are pretty expensive compared to online. The main thing with online is the shipping but if you do group orders it works out in your favor.

After being scared off a few times by LFS in my area I’m just getting fish from DD. Locally there is an online coral shop in my city that is pretty good, but fish is iffy unless I drive 40 mins out

I've never come across any dealer online or local store that can sell Map equipment for anything other than the manufacturers stated price and there is a reason they won't.

 

[ReefWithCare]

I've never come across any dealer online or local store that can sell Map equipment for anything other than the manufacturers stated price and there is a reason they won't.

It can be done as long as it is not advertised. It’s very common with local shops not just with reefing but other stuff like hobby shops. It allows the local shop to compete with online.

 

[Opus]

How does whole sale work across state lines? Will that be affected? It may be easier to whole sale to lfs, then customer buys from them.

They have tax exemptions. The tax is paid by the end user not the wholesaler or lfs.